First things first, a vlogger is a person who creates video blogs. In other words, it’s a blogger that uses videos as opposed to just text to express their thoughts and opinions. Do you have a video camera? And are you looking to become an internet sensation in the near future? Or are you simply wanting to earn some extra money? Well then, this blog post is just right for you. “The Basics of Building Yourself Up as a Vlogger” will cover some of the things that will help make your vlogging experience more enjoyable and productive. So without further ado…let’s get started!
Quick Links
1. Know the equipment you need
It’d be a good idea to know the equipment you’ll need for vlogging before you even start because that way you won’t have to go out and buy things in the middle of your project. Here’s a list of equipment I suggest when vlogging:
- A Good Camera – This is the most important thing you’ll need. If your camera doesn’t take good quality videos, then what’s the point of even owning it? For most vloggers up, they pick a good quality digital camera with video capabilities and a suitable lens for vlogging.
However, if you’re not looking for professional quality videos then smartphones definitely the way to go. Just make sure your phone takes good video and has good sound quality before recording. I started out as a beginner with just my iPhone and it actually worked great.
- A Good Lighting/ Backdrop – In order to produce high-quality videos, it’s important to be able to see yourself clearly on screen and have proper lighting behind you. If not then your videos will come out dark or blurry. sure there are lights behind you.
- A Good Mic – This one is pretty self-explanatory. Sound effects that come from the camera aren’t always the best. Trust me, I know from experience.
- A Tripod – These things are amazing and they can be used for many different things aside from vlogging. They’re an essential part of any good video production team (TV or film). You’ll need it to stabilize your camera during videos. No one likes a shaky camera. It makes it difficult to watch and you end up feeling nauseous.
- A Storage Space – If you’re going to be vlogging regularly, you’ll need a lot of storage space for all those videos.
And of course, there’s more equipment that you may find useful, but these five items will definitely help make your channel look professional and improve the quality of your videos and give them a nice flow and ambiance.
2. Find a topic that will match with your audience
I can’t stress this one enough. If you’re not passionate about the topic you’ll be talking about in your videos, then chances are, your audience won’t be either and they’ll probably stop watching after a while. Think of something that will interest you and which you feel comfortable talking about. It may help to know what kind of demographic is attracted to your type of vlogs so you can think of topics that might appeal to them specifically.
Also remember: You don’t have to be confined to just one topic! You could talk about many different things that all fall under the same category, such as video games. Some people might like listening to how much work it takes for someone who does YouTube walkthroughs of Grand Theft Auto V, while others might want to hear about how you can sign up for an Xbox live subscription for less. Either way, a certain audience out there will be interested in what you have to say so long as you know how to deliver your message in a constructive manner.
3. Create a schedule and stick to it
This is very important if you want to keep your subscribers coming back. They want to be able to rely on you for consistent content, otherwise, they’ll start drifting off and look elsewhere. Don’t worry though, this won’t stop them from returning once you’ve begun uploading regular vlogs, but it’s better that you don’t give them the chance in the first place.
4. Be consistent in the quality of content
It’s important not to disappoint your audience. They’ll want to see a steady improvement in the quality of videos you put out, and there’s no better way than with practice.
That doesn’t mean that every video has to be extraordinary, it just means that the quality of each video should improve over time and stay consistent in the long run (meaning: don’t upload good videos one week and bad videos the next). Of course, this is nothing like learning how to play guitar or write music; if your vlogs are awful, you can always delete them or re-upload them with better titles or descriptions.
5. Practice before recording – don’t just sit down and start talking into the camera
You’d be amazed how many people do this. It’s something that I’ve done too before and the result was not what I had expected. Don’t just record yourself without any preparation! First, set up your equipment nicely – make sure everything is in its place and look through your notes one last time prior to beginning your recording.
It may sound like a bit of overkill but trust me, it’ll pay off later when you can relax during recordings knowing that everything has been taken care of for you in advance. That way, all you need to do is sit down, smile, talk into the camera and watch as your vlog gets uploaded within minutes.
6. Get feedback from others on your videos so you know what’s working and what isn’t
This step is crucial if you want to improve the quality of your vlogs. What I mean by this is that it’s a good idea to ask people on forums or social media what they thought about your videos so you can understand why they liked them or not, which will allow you to continue doing what works for future uploads and leave out whatever didn’t work so well. This way, you’ll avoid some mistakes before actually making them.
Of course, don’t expect everyone to like what you do; there will always be naysayers but don’t let that stand in the way of you having fun with YouTube. It’s all about keeping yourself entertained and providing others with interesting content to watch. All things considered, it’s still all up to you.
7. Have fun with YouTube vlogging
If you’re not having fun with it then why do it in the first place? Turn your passion into something greater than anything else by having fun and making friends along the way. Believe me; plenty of people will be interested in what you have to say – they just don’t want to hear someone rattle on about their boring life if that person isn’t really enjoying themselves nor does this type of content interest them enough to watch again.
Remember: You need to be someone interesting to others before they can become interested in what makes you unique. It sounds cheesy but it’s true.
These 7 steps will help you get started on the right track so that your content is consistent and engaging. Once you’ve practiced recording beforehand, found a schedule to stick to, and asked for feedback from others about your videos, it’s time to have fun with YouTube vlogging. The most important thing of all: do what makes you happy because plenty of people want to hear interesting things from you. So yeah – that’s my list… for now. See you at my next one!