Updated on October 2, 2019

What do you need to know when you’re just starting out on YouTube? Read on to find the very best tips and advice for taking the first few steps in your YouTube journey.

1. Get over yourself and get on with it.

If the thought of putting up your very first video fills you with dread then you are not alone!

Fear of failure, fear of rejection, and fear of what other people will think are the main reasons why some potentially awesome youtube channels never get started.

Putting yourself out there on YouTube can be scary (I mean, there are trolls out there right?) but it can also be really rewarding.

Overcoming your fears is a really important first step to building a successful YouTube channel.

Ok, so I have to be brave and get over myself, but how?

The best way to deal with your fears and anxieties surrounding YouTube is to focus on your audience. Putting your energy and attention into serving other people takes the focus off you and helps with those first-time nerves.

It’s also a great way to make sure that your videos bring value to your viewers.

Understand that people don’t care what you look or sound like, they don’t care if your lighting is slightly off or whether or not your framing is perfect.

What they do care about is how you can help them. So focus on providing value and you can’t go wrong.

2. Use the equipment you have.

But what if my camera isn’t the best?

Just do it anyway! A lot of people feel that they need to have the very best equipment in order to get started. This simply isn’t true. Content trumps quality every time.

If you are passionate, interesting, or entertaining and you have something of value to share in your videos then that is what will make you stand out, regardless of what equipment you’re using.

When you put out great content that has the potential to benefit peoples lives in some way, you’ll be surprised at how willing folks are to overlook the fact that your microphone or camera isn’t the best on the market.

People love to see a journey. They want to discover you when you’re just starting out and share your highs and lows as you progress. In short, they want to watch you grow.

Going into it with the very best equipment available might make you feel more confident initially, but you could be robbing yourself and your audience of the chance to watch your channel evolve.

3. Be consistent with your content.

Don’t expect your YouTube channel to grow if you’re only posting one video a month, it ain’t gonna happen! Starting a successful YouTube channel is a commitment.

YouTube ranks, rewards, markets and promotes the most frequent posters. Consistency and frequency are therefore the keys to building your channel and your YouTube following.

The amount of videos you put out is going to be linked to the type of channel you have and be influenced by the type of videos you’re making.

If your videos are elaborate, super detailed and take a long time to make, then you’re going to be posting less often than someone running a travel or food vlog for example.

You want to start out by posting at least once or twice a week, to begin with, then work up to the point where you’re comfortable posting once a day (the norm for vloggers) or even more.

It’s normal to spend your first 6 months or even your first year, steadily building your channel, putting out videos and gradually building up your views and subscribers.

As far as YouTube is concerned, the more videos you post the better. This works out well for you as a YouTuber because the more you publish the better you will get. So stay regular.

It’s important to have a posting schedule and stick to it. Your audience wants to know when they can expect new content from you, and the last thing you want to do is let them down. You can see How often PewDiePie posts here:

So, it’s a good idea to figure out a schedule that you can easily stick to in the long term. Then, be sure to post your videos when you say you will to build and maintain trust with your viewers.

4. Give yourself time.

YouTube success doesn’t happen overnight. Building a successful YouTube channel takes a whole lot of time. Many YouTubers are just now reaping the rewards of videos that they made 3 or more years ago.

So many people give up before their channel ever gets a chance because it seems like nothing is happening.

All YouTubers go through a period when no one knows them and no one’s watching their videos, so don’t lose heart during the early stages of building your following.

It’s a long game. If you keep going, you will get there eventually.

Once you’ve built your channel up to the point where you’re starting to get some interest if you’re doing things right it shouldn’t be too long before your channel starts to skyrocket.

Be prepared for this and don’t give up too easily.

5. Optimise your videos for keywords.

There’s no getting around it. If you want to grow you your channel, you need to tailor your content to meet demand. This step involves a little bit of research.

Basically, what you need to do is to find out what people are searching for and what information they want. Then give it to them, simple right?

So how do you optimise your videos for what other people want? Well, a good starting point is to identify some keywords within your niche to get you started. There are many tools available to help you with this.

What you’re looking for is a long tail keyword. Long tail keywords are specific phrases that people type into Google when they’re looking for something. “How to grow a YouTube channel” and “How to increase your views on YouTube” are both examples of long tail keywords.

Some phrases are searched more than than others and you’ll find that the most general and highly searched phrases are also the most competitive.

The sweet spot is a highly searched phrase that isn’t too competitive. So something people really want to know but that hasn’t been answered already.

Longtails are great for getting organic traffic to your videos.

If full-on SEO keyword research seems intimidating, when you’re just starting out, you can begin by typing questions into the YouTube search bar. Try typing “How to ________” for example and YouTube will provide you with a drop-down list of suggestions which tells you the most popular things people are searching for.

If you were starting a YouTube channel focused around baking, you can see from the example below that a lot of people want to know how to bake a cake in a microwave. So that might be a good topic for your video.

If you’re using this method, it’s a good idea to check what videos are already out there on your chosen topic to make sure that you can add something unique and different to the mix that will make your video stand out.

Once you’ve identified your keywords, make sure you put them in your titles, tags and mention them (or variations of them) at least 3 times in the video description.

6. Enjoy the process.

Yes, you have to give people what they want but you’ll also need to do something that you find exciting and fulfilling. If you’re not having fun your audience will pick up on it faster than you can say “subscribe” and they won’t engage with your videos.

The trick is to find the balance between what you’re passionate about and what your audience wants.

The great news is that at the beginning of Your YouTube journey you can afford to experiment. So don’t be afraid to try things out and find out what works for you and your audience.

If you’re struggling to settle on a niche for your channel, it’s important to remember that there’s nothing wrong with putting out videos in a few different subject areas and seeing what happens.

So, try things out, have fun and enjoy the process.

7. Ask for engagement.

Ever noticed how many YouTube videos finish with a question?

That’s because engagement is crucial to your YouTube success. To help build your channel, you want as many comments, likes and shares as you can possibly get.

One of the best ways to increase your engagement and give your YouTube ranking a boost is to ask your viewers a question at the end of your video or encourage them to leave a comment.

You should always respond to any comments too as that will also give you a channel a boost.

At the end of your video you should always have a call to action that clearly asks your viewer to do something.

You could choose to ask for a like, a share, or a comment or you might choose to ask them to subscribe to your channel for more videos.

If you can generate a ton of engagement, YouTube will think your videos are popular and will reward you by making your videos more visible.

What are you waiting for?

That’s it guys!

I hope you’ve enjoyed reading these helpful YouTube tips for beginners and that you’re now ready to get started posting your first video. So go on, do it now!

Good Luck!