If anyone tells you it’s too late to start a YouTube channel, ignore them. The platform is booming, and while there have been some controversies over the years, it’s still possible for a new content creator to build a successful YouTube channel from scratch.
But before you dive in, there are some things you need to think about if you want to maximize your chances for success. There are no guarantees when it comes to YouTube.
1. What’s Your Motivation for Starting a YouTube Channel?
Not motivation in the sense of “being eager to act and work,” but rather “the reason why you act and work.”
Maybe you want to teach others how to do something, like how to program web and mobile apps. Maybe you want to tell brilliant stories through short film. Or maybe you want to play and review video games. It can be anything, but it has to be something.
Your motivation is the basis for three key elements shared by every successful YouTube channel: topic coverage, target audience, and reason for existence.
- Topic coverage is WHAT your videos will be about.
- Target audience is WHO your videos are intended for.
- Reason for existence is WHY they should watch your videos.
For example, MakeUseOf’s YouTube channel includes gadget reviews and tech tutorials (what) intended for people who want to level up their tech-savviness (who) and we do it in a way that’s down-to-earth and approachable for even the newbiest of newbies (why).
You have to define these things BEFORE you launch your channel. Otherwise you’ll end up with a hodge-podge channel that fails to capture any kind of meaningful viewership, and no meaningful viewership means no long-term success.
2. How Frequently Will You Upload Videos to YouTube?
Once you know how to make a YouTube video, what kind of content you’ll make, and who will be watching it, you need to decide on a production schedule. How often will you release new videos?
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It mainly depends on content type:
- For vlogs and Let’s Plays, maybe every day (e.g. Northernlion).
- For research-heavy trivia, maybe every week (e.g. Wendover Productions).
- For high-quality skits, maybe every month. (e.g. Epic Rap Battles of History).
Be realistic and think long-term. You might have the energy to do one video per day right now, but can you keep that up for six months or a year? Do you want this to be a full-time endeavor or would you rather have some leeway for when wrenches are thrown into your schedule?
It may sound silly, but changing up your frequency later on down the road could really tick off your viewership—so much so that they unsubscribe. Even missing one day (or week or month) could trigger discontent with fans. When in doubt, go with a lesser frequency. You can always live stream on YouTube to fill in the gaps.
How to Live Stream on YouTubeIn this article, we'll show you how to live stream on YouTube using both your computer and your smartphone.READ MORE3. YouTube Success Requires Substance and Style
Many people will tell you that success is all about “substance over style.” Well, they’re wrong. The true key to success is “substance AND style.” YouTube viewers eat with their eyes, and if you serve up a dish that’s healthy but bland, many will turn their noses up at it.
Of the many ingredients to a successful YouTube channel, three involve style:
- Smart titles
- Consistent format
- Video thumbnails
If your channel will involve audio, then you need to work on articulation, confident voice, and getting rid of annoying speech patterns (like upspeak). If you’re going to be on camera, you’ll want to work on standing steady, looking into the camera, smiling, not fidgeting, and so on.
A few ways you can do this: confront and slay your fear of public speaking, learn how an engaging speaker speaks by watching notable TED Talks, and improve your communication skills.
But you also need to edit your videos well.I’m not saying you need jump cuts every few seconds, but you should at least pick up a good video-editing app (see the best video editing apps for YouTube), making sure the quality and framerate are high enough, and cutting out all the unnecessary bits.
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Learn more with these tips for editing video like a pro.
4. What Equipment Does a YouTuber Need?
To succeed, you’ll also need to acquire some essential equipment for creating high-quality videos. Fortunately, you won’t have to spend much to get started.
At a bare minimum, you’ll want to have:
- Camera: Before you drop hundreds of dollars on a DSLR or mirrorless camera, know that a high-quality webcam can be enough to start. Or you can just use your smartphone! Save the high-end cameras for when you’ve been doing this for over a year and know what exactly you need to improve.
- Tripod: If you have a camera or end up using a smartphone, then you’ll want a tripod to hold it up and keep it steady.
- Microphone: The built-in microphones that come with cameras are often terrible. Get an external microphone and record audio separately, then mix it with the video afterwards. Learn more aboutcondenser versus dynamic microphones to pick the right one for your content type.
- Green Screen: A green screen is necessary if you want to change the background in your videos. While an actual green screen kit could cost upwards of $50, you can use a literal green sheet or DIY one with a white sheet dyed green.
- Screen Capture Software: Only necessary if your videos involve screen capturing, such as Excel video tutorials or PC gameplay. I highly recommendOBS Studio, which is free and can record your screen as an MP4 video file.
This is just an overview. If you want to learn more, see our full article on what equipment you need to start a YouTube channel. When you start getting serious with your channel, you may eventually want to consider building a YouTube studio at home.
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“If you build it, they will come.” Right? NO! Not for YouTube. You can go many years producing new videos every day and never crack 1,000 subscribers. It’s hard work, and you can’t be passive about it.
Want to succeed? You have to promote yourself. Here are a few ideas on how you can do that, without being overly spammy:
- Social Media: Building a social media following can be just as hard as building a YouTube channel, but if you have followers already, they might be your first fans. You can also consider doing social media giveaways for exposure.
- Forums: These are great, especially the big ones like Reddit. Find a community that’s relevant to your content, then share ONLY your best content. Don’t share too frequently, else you may be banned for spamming.
- Collaborate: Working with others isn’t just a good way to network and expand your contacts—when they share your collaborations with their audiences, it exposes their audiences to you. It’s a win-win for everybody.
Bear in mind that promotion is a long game. It may takes months, or even years, for your channel to gain popularity, so check out ourtips for building an audience for your channel. Perseverance is the number one trait shared between YouTube creators!
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Making money through YouTube is harder than it used to be, but it’s still possible today even if you’re just starting out.
While most people think YouTubers earn boatloads of cash through advertisements, the truth is that ads rarely pay well for the effort. As of 2016, the average revenue per 1,000 views on YouTube was about $1.50 (after YouTube takes its cut). That comes out to $1,500 per 1 million views, and users have reported that rates dropped further in 2017.
In short, don’t expect to get rich off adseven if your channel goes viral. So how do the top YouTubers make their money? A combination of many monetization methods:
- Affiliate sales and product promotions
- Consultation services
- Direct advertisements that aren’t Adsense
- Public speaking events
- Support from fans who donate
7. Set Attainable Goals
The quickest way to grow discouraged as a YouTube creator? Compare yourself to others.
Before you even start working on your first video, lay out a few actionable goals that you want to do. Not only will these keep you focused on your own path, and not only will they give you a sense of progress, but they show you what to do when you feel stuck.
An effective goal has three core elements:
- Measurable: The goal should have a quantified component that lets you know, at any given moment in time, whether you’ve reached it or not.
- Timed: The goal should have a realistic deadline—not so far out so that you still feel pressure, but not so close that it’s overwhelming.
- Controllable: The goal should be an action you can perform, rather than an outcome that you hope will come as a result of an action.
For example, you might aim to put out 10 videos (measurable) by the end of your first month (timed). Note that “put out a video” is an action you can perform, whereas “reach 1,000 viewers” is not an action but an outcome. “Earn $50 this month” isn’t a goal, whereas “find and negotiate a sponsorship deal” is.
Create a few goals, then keep creating more as you reach them. You’d be surprised how effective this can be at keeping you motivated and on track to success.
What Kind of YouTube Channel Are You Making?
I hope this post has been empowering and not discouraging. The main takeaway is this: creating and running a YouTube channel is easy, but building one that’s successful takes a lot of effort. There’s a lot to learn, a lot to practice, and a lot to keep in mind.
For extra inspiration, check out theseunique YouTube channels, YouTube channels for tech geeks or thesefascinating and educational YouTube channels.
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Explore more about: Online Video, YouTube.
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There are tons of graphic design programs available, and which program you use depends a lot on your budget. So, in this article, we pit Adobe Indesign vs. Canva to find out which is best.
Adobe InDesign is a subscription-based service, and one of the most popular apps on the market. On the other hand, you have Canva, a website that allows you to create printable documents for free.
So we decided to pit Adobe InDesign vs. Canva to see which is best across a range of different categories. Here is a list of pros and cons for both programs, to help you decide which to use.
What Is Adobe InDesign?
Adobe InDesign is Adobe’s desktop publishing software specifically tailored for graphic designers. For $20.99/month, you can subscribe to the Adobe InDesign Single App plan.
You can also get it bundled with the rest of Adobe Creative Cloud—including Photoshop—for $52.99/month.
Through Adobe InDesign, you can create printable documents. These documents include but are not limited to:
- Posters
- Books
- Magazines
- Restaurant Menus
The major upside to Adobe InDesign is that it’s a versatile program with a massive font library. The downside? The subscription to Adobe InDesign can get expensive. There is definitely a price tag attached.
What Is Canva?
Canva is a relative newcomer to the graphic design scene. Like InDesign, its primary goal is to help you make graphic designs for a variety of different projects, both online and printed.
The big difference with Canva is that it’s a free-to-use website that simply requires you to create an account. You can also upgrade to Canva Pro at a later date if you need to.
Canva templates are what the website is most well-known for, and this is because it is geared towards people who have little to no experience with graphic design.
If you feel overwhelmed by the idea of starting something from scratch, Canva is there to walk you through the process.
Through the website, you can:
- Browse templates for calendars, cards, and Canva resumes, among others.
- Use one of these templates as-is, or adjust the colors and text within a template to make it match your needs.
- You can also create a document from scratch through the tools being offered, and save your Canva design to your personal library.
Canva also has an expansive library of fonts. If you upgrade to the Pro version, you get access to the Brand Kit, which allows you to upload and use your own fonts, too.
However, Canva’s font library is not as large as Adobe Fonts. This is where the main trade off happens. While it’s free, Canva has fewer options.
Let’s go through the pros and cons of each program, to decide which one is best…
Adobe InDesign vs. Canva: What Can They Do?
1. Templates
The first thing we did was compare the two programs in terms of templates. Surprisingly—despite being a free program—Canva comes out on top.
This is because the main point of Canva is to use templates to make the design process easier. As such, they have a massive catalog for every design purpose under the sun.
Adobe InDesign does have templates, and you can download additional templates from third-party sources. However, pre-made templates are not the app’s only focus.
Rather, it is there to help you design your own templates from the ground-up.
Winner: Canva
2. Interface
Canva has a clear, easy-to-use interface. There are also multiple tutorials on how to navigate the website. This includes some of our own, like how to make a flyer using Canva.
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Once you get used to the basic controls, you’ll almost be able to use the website in your sleep.
While Adobe InDesign offers more versatility, it also has a more complicated interface. You are not going to learn how to use it in the first couple of minutes of an InDesign Tutorial, or even the first couple of hours.
This makes the learning curve for the program—and the time you have to invest in it—much steeper.
Winner: Canva
3. Font Packages
For a free program, Canva actually has a lot of options for pre-installed fonts. With Canva Pro you get access to 1000+ fonts, which is even more than the standard Canva.
However, both of these options are not as expansive as Adobe InDesign, which gives you access to Adobe’s font collection. You can also download third-party fonts and install them for use in the program.
Winner: Adobe InDesign
4. Access to Stock Images
Canva does give you access to stock photos if you go to the Canva Photos page. These photos can be inserted directly into your designs, depending on the licensing for those photos. Overall, the stock photos are pretty cheap.
Adobe InDesign also gives you easy access to Adobe Stock Photos by allowing you to search for photos directly through the program.
However, these photos can run on the pricier side due to who they are catering to: typically professional designers working as contractors, or employees for third-party clients.
Winner: Tie
5. Price
To no one’s surprise, Canva knocks this one out of the park because it’s free. As mentioned, there is Canva Pro, but we should stress that Canva Pro is optional. You can still do a lot without it.
Conversely, the Adobe InDesign price is $20.99/month as a single app subscription. You can try out the Adobe InDesign free trial, but after that trial runs out, the costs will add up.
Winner: Canva
6. Professionalism
While Canva has a lot going for it, it is unfortunately not the most industry-friendly option on this list. This is because Canva pushes its pre-made templates. If you’re a designer, you’re expected to know how to design these templates on your own.
For many years, Adobe InDesign was also known as the program for desktop publishing. So on top of its focus with designing-from-scratch, it has a well-earned reputation to support it.
Knowing how to use it is considered a valuable and transferable skill.
Winner: Adobe InDesign
Adobe InDesign vs. Canva: Which Is Better?
And our overall winner? In the battle of Adobe InDesign vs. Canva, Canva comes out on top, but by the slimmest of margins!
While these two programs come out in almost a dead tie, Canva edges it thanks to both being free and aimed at everyday readers. If you’re someone who needs to do some occasional graphic design—instead of designing as your full-time job—then this is the tool for you. It’s free, easy-to-use, and has basically no learning curve.
However, if you are a graphic designer, you should still go with Adobe InDesign. This is thanks to its versatility, its large font library, and the fact that it’s an industry-standard tool which will stand you in good stead for the future.
Things You Can Create Using Canva
Despite Canva winning, both of these programs are brilliant. So, if you can afford it, we recommend checking out Adobe Indesign as well as Canva. And if you’re looking for ideas on what to do with Canva, here are some things you can create in Canva with zero effort.
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