When I was talking to some of my buddies the other day I soon realized how hard is for some people even think about being a vlogger or make it as a YouTuber.
So, I did my usual research to back this up with some useful knowledge and help out every person that could be thinking about this and wants to embark on this journey but has some doubts whether if it´s actually too much to take or not.
Let´s make some key points on what is really challenging about starting a vlog and what can depend on how you face it or think about it.
It Can Be Really Awkward
Talking to the camera completely alone in your room can be more difficult than you´ve thought at first, right?
The mere fact that you will, eventually, have to get your camera out on the street and talk like a crazy person to it in front of people makes most people chill a bit.
That´s okay, imagine talking really loud because you don´t want to mess up the audio quality on a windy day, takes practice and can be really uncomfortable, mostly in the beginning.
Nobody feels comfortable the first time, or even the second, or third time doing it. It takes time, focus, and practice to master public speaking.
It´s a Real Challenge
Vlogging is not a normal or regular activity most people do, despite the fact, there are a good number of vloggers doing their thing nowadays you won´t find that many out of the streets any given day.
So, yeah, it´s a bit challenging to get used to it, people watching when you´re outside is the least of your problems. At first, the sole act of looking right at the lens of the camera and talking to it can seem so hard.
You Feel Vulnerable
There are times when you´ll feel pretty exposed, and that´s normal.
Meaning, who doesn´t watch YouTube, right? Anybody could be watching your videos, criticizing every word you say, every move you make, your tastes and preferences, everything! And with so much impunity.
You can certainly feel pretty powerless, impotent.
YouTube Comments
The so-called haters are one of your most common issues if you are one of those who cares about what people might say about you.
You are going to be judged, criticized, and there are people who will throw really mean comments, that´s 100% sure. Don´t let them get inside your head.
Getting Used to It Takes Time
What I mean by this is that it o takes time to create really good and high-quality content. More than most people think.
More so if you want to create something that´s original and can capture people´s attention at the same time. There´s a lot of competition out there.
It also takes time to see any kind of result with a vlogging channel. That´s why you have to do something that you feel pretty passioned about.
10 Effective Ways to Make it Better
Here are some of the most efficient ways you can apply in order to increase your odds of succeeding in any possible niche.
Get a Partner
This would be the very first step you could take to feel much more comfortable with vlogging.
Sharing the process with someone else can be such an effective way to relieve the pressure from the whole experience.
You´ll also benefit from the fact that “two heads are better than one”, brainstorming ideas, sharing the workload and making things faster than it would be if you do it alone, and so much more.
It can be a more interesting channel because there are not so many vlogger duets out there, so it could be a great way to differentiate and stand out from the pack.
Use of Guidelines
Whether is bullet points, a simple script, or even a fancy teleprompter, making use of some sort of equipment or element that can help you to remember the lines and a general idea of the topic you want to deliver to your audience can be a huge helper.
If you don´t want to go too fancy with it you can make a little script and divide it into small paragraphs, let´s say three or four lines each at most, and use them as your video clips.
Every time you finish recording a paragraph you can stop the camera and start rehearsing the next one. That way the editing will be easier and you´ll get a nice looking and dynamic video.
Focus on Keyword Research
Such a big part of every successful YouTube channel that most people don´t even realize.
Picture this, you want to make a video about how to lose weight doing some exercises, check how many videos appear on YouTube and how many views each of theam have, better, let me show you!
And that´s just the first three videos that appear, the list goes on and on like that. Very competitive niche, and very well developed channels with lots of subs for the most part, with a huge amount of videos and great production.
I´m not saying you can not compete and find some level of success within the “lose weight” niche but it´s going to be very tough.
You have to focus on finding longer keyword searches that look less competitive and with lower quality videos! That´s the key to start with the right foot!
When you´re a brand new channel you need to cover queries that have not been answered very well yet and that way gain some traction, some views, and even maybe a few subscriptions before you can compete for tougher keywords.
You may ask, why? Well, simple, YouTube won´t show your videos as much if you just try to compete for searches that have been answered very well by so many people before you.
Get to Know Your Demographics
This means that one way to feel less intimidated by the task is to know exactly who is your audience through YouTube analytics tools and doing some previous research.
For example, this next statistic paints the big picture on age groups who have consumed more vlogger content from 2016 to 2018.
Age is one of the main factors you should pay close attention to in order to deliver the right content. Another one is where are your viewers coming from.
There are other elements you can analyze to further understand exactly who is watching your videos and that way get to know them a little better so you can get more familiarize and much more comfortable.
Comments are your second most important resource to do this and engage with your audience.
Do It For the Love of It
As I´ve said, it takes time to see almost any sort of result from YouTube. This should a long-term plan you´re setting in motion.
It can be pretty discouraging checking at your videos over and over again just to see that nobody is watching them.
For you to persevere and keep doing it is to love what you do, what you´re talking about. It would help that you do something that you´d want to learn more from.
You can make videos out of your favorite hobby, whether is art, some sport or physical activity, traveling, etc.
Content is King, Delivery is Not
Sure, it´s always better to have a really good camera at your disposal, but it´s not as important as your content is. That´s your true goal.
As long as you make your delivery understandable, meaning that you speak loud and explain with clarity, it will have a great effect.
Be extra helpful and do proper research, answer people questions in the best way possible and always try to outperform your competition.
Even if your content is mainly directed towards entertainment, it is all about content!
Do It Without Expectations
There´s no point in having too much expectation at first, it only drains your energy and makes even harder to properly concentrate on the task at hand.
Deliver great and awesome content, but do not put to much pressure on it, nobody can give you 100% certainty that everything you try will actually work.
You can learn with time and get better so you don´t make as many mistakes but keep in mind that makes no sense to make arbitrary expectations.
Establish a baseline of what´s acceptable and what´s not, draw a line, the limit you´re willing to endure and move on!
Remember there are other elements that come into play and that you certainly not have control of.
Be a Master of Patience
I´ve already talked about this, it takes time to get some results from vlogging, and it also takes time to master it properly.
You have to patient and do not despair, things will get better little by little and you´ll get hang of it.
Things are going to get easier and feel more natural one video at a time. Do not dwell on it too much and keep vlogging.
Hard work and patience are some of the most important factors that contribute to great success in practically any field.
“Patience is not the ability to wait, but the ability to keep a good attitude while waiting.”
Use Humor as Much as Possible
Shaving a good laugh can be so much fun! It´s been said that even the mere act of smiling more can make you healthier and help you to live longer.
It strengthens your immune system, boosts your mood, reduces pain, and protects you from the harming effects of stress, and it also helps your vlogging!
Having a sense of humor, or applying it in any form is a great way to relieve stress and increase focus on the task at hand.
There are plenty of examples you can look into on many successful vloggers, you´ll find it not only has health benefits but it also can aid to engage with your audience so much more.
It is a very effective way to create rapport with people and improve your likeability.
¡Keep Going!
This is one of the main reasons a lot of vloggers develop self-confidence. It takes time and effort to make this a habit and not care of the fact that you won´t see any results for a few months.
It takes a real breakthrough and a powerful way to know oneself limits and core beliefs when you expose yourself to this line of business.
Keeping it steady and even improving your craft is a life challenge that could potentially change you in more than one way.
Do not underestimate what others have done because you´ll get caught up on a downward spiral where you´ll end up justifying your own failure, and making excuses for yourself and why it didn´t work.