So, you’re a new YouTuber and you want to make sure you’re doing things right. You’re probably watching lots of YouTube videos. There are some that say, “don’t make these mistakes”. But, I decided that I would tell you five things that new YouTubers should focus on.

Sometimes, when you see lists of 23 or 40 or 50 things that you need to do, it gets overwhelming. So, I made a list of just five tips.

You can go through these as a new YouTuber and make sure you’re doing these simple things right now. But remember, what you do 5 years from now will be totally different.

1. Choose Your Niche And Stick To It

In other words, be consistent with the topics that your videos are going to cover. Decide what your channel is going to be about and stay within those confines.

People are going to come to your channel because they’re interested in what you’re talking about. So, if you start going in a different direction. they’ll most likely lose interest and leave.

For example, let’s say your channel is about art or different types of painting techniques. You could talk about using different mediums like charcoal or acrylic paints. So, if I come to your channel, I’m going to expect your videos to be about art.

On the other hand, you might also like to play the clarinet. So, you decide you want to start teaching people how to play the clarinet. But, even though you love both of these things, each one will attract a different audience.

Choose Just One Topic To Start With

Therefore, you should choose just one of these topics to start with. Your channel has to be consistent and stay on topic.

If I use my own channel as an example, I like to talk about making money online and primarily focus on affiliate marketing and using YouTube as my main platform. These things go together within my business model.

I have had some other ideas that I’d like to explore but I’ll create a new channel for those. And, I’ll work out a way to connect the two channels so that they help each other.

But, if you’re just starting out, focus on just one major topic to begin with. And, you don’t have to choose a “business” related topic. Maybe, you really enjoy “funny” videos and would like to make your own.

So, your videos could just be about entertaining people. Or, they could be about health and fitness. You just have to make sure that people want to see what you’re offering.

Just remember to be consistent. Don’t make three or four videos this week and then leave it for a month because you think people aren’t watching them. You have to be serious about your channel and consistently post new content.

Otherwise, your audience is going to unsubscribe because you’re not providing anything new for them to watch.

2. Make Sure Your Channel Is Set Up Correctly

There are 5 things that you have to do to set up your channel correctly. I’ve created a video to show you how to do this. You can watch it here.

For example, you can set up your description for your videos like a template. Then, every time you upload a new video, the description is already there and you just have to add or tweak it a little. This will save you time because things like links to your social accounts and your website are already there.

Of course, you might like to change the description every now and then to keep it fresh and relevant.

3. Pay Attention

It’s important to pay attention to your presentation. Especially, the background that’s in your videos. It’s fine to go to different rooms in your house but you have to pay attention to what’s in the background if you’re going to do that. Because, if you have too much clutter, it can be quite distracting for your viewers.

So, set up your environment where you’ll be filming your videos and make sure that you don’t have a lot of clutter behind you.

Decide What You’re Going To Talk About

Another thing to pay attention to is what you’re going to talk about. I know that some people will tell you to have a script and to follow it.

But, I find that if I do that, it sounds like I’m reading to you. Therefore, I don’t do that. I just write down some bullet points and talk about them.

However, you might find that you’re nervous doing your first few videos and a script might help you.

I remember my very first video. It was a Facebook live. I was so nervous, I was shaking. And, the funny thing was that nobody actually saw it. But, I did have a script that I read right off my laptop. I even had a shot of whiskey beforehand to calm myself down. And, I did some breathing exercises.

You’ll find that’s just a hump you have to get over. But, even if you do have a script, you still want to have an idea of what you’re going to say.

Make sure you introduce yourself and tell your audience what the video is going to be about right at the beginning. Some people will watch your video for 2 or 3 minutes and leave.

This is not because they don’t like you. It’s because they’re not interested in what you have to say. So, if you’ve been talking for 20 minutes and your viewers still don’t know what your video is about, you’re going to lose them.

Remember, people are busy and they want you to get to the point. They don‘ t have time to listen to you waffling on without actually talking about the topic at hand.

Edit Your Videos

Another thing to think about is when you have dead space in your recording. For example, you might have forgotten what you were going to say and had to look down at your piece of paper.

To keep the continuity of your video, learn how to edit out all those dead spaces. Also, if you make a mistake, you can easily edit this out too.

As you may know, I use an editing tool called Camtasia. I purchased it back in 2018 and downloaded the software onto my laptop. It’s a tool I use all the time now to do simple editing of all of my videos.

Have Confidence

Most importantly, have confidence in what you’re going to say. Talk into your camera and let your viewers see that you’re an expert in your field.

Because, if you’re not confident, your viewers will think that you don’t know what you’re talking about and leave.

4. Include A Call To Action

It’s important that your presentation includes a call to action. Many of us are on YouTube because we have a business and want to be monetized. For instance, you might have an eCommerce business or you might be offering coaching. Or, maybe you have a website that’s focused on affiliate marketing.

If this is the case, you can tell people about the different products that you’re using. You can even do reviews about these products. You would then put a link in the description to the products that you’re promoting.

But, you have to remember to include a call to action. People will not automatically take action unless you ask them to. In fact, most people won’t even be aware that you have links in the description below your video. You have to tell them.

At the very least, you should ask your viewers to like your video and subscribe to your channel.

5. Have Fun

Don’t worry if you mess up. That’s because 99.9% of people won’t criticize you if you make a few mistakes. In fact, you might even find that your subscribers will offer you some suggestions.

I remember in one of my earlier videos I was wearing a striped shirt. And, because of the lighting, it was pulsating in the video. One of my subscribers kindly suggested that I shouldn’t wear that shirt again.

So give yourself grace and just relax and enjoy what you’re doing. You’ll probably make a few mistakes in the beginning. But, the more you do it, the better you’ll get.

You’ve Got This!