As a high school student stuck at home or in a very limited outdoor radius during COVID-19, it’s important to think about how you can showcase your skills and interests to admissions officers. One of the best self-directed projects you can do from home—or at least outdoors—is creating videos. As you come across different topics in your favorite subject area, you may be considering starting a YouTube channel.
Starting a YouTube channel might sound easy—you simply need to log on to YouTube and create your account for free. However, it’s not as simple to create videos and guarantee viewership. In this blog, I’ve outlined ways to make your content engaging so you can build a strong subscriber base and succeed sustainably.
Make Sure You Have a Niche Topic
Don’t wait until senior fall to start asking yourself “how can I create a channel in YouTube?”. It might not grow fast enough to gain you a decent subscriber base by the time your applications are due. Ideally, formulate a plan early in your high school career, around 9th or 10th grade, so you can build a steady, loyal audience.
Before you get too deep into reaching out to audience members, you should first sit down with a notebook and a pen—or a Word document—and hatch an outline of what your videos will cover. To attract a loyal audience, your channel shouldn’t just cover random issues that seem unrelated. The best approach to a YouTube channel that captivates viewers and leaves them wanting more is to ensure you follow a consistent theme. What are you passionate about? Do you want it to connect to the rest of your college application? Make sure your topic isn’t overly broad—rather than a generic channel on movies, a channel on actors with the same ethnic background would make more sense and be easier to manage. Conduct research to see what has already been done so your videos stand out.[1]
Go In With A Plan
One of the most common mistakes people often make when starting a YouTube channel is going in without a plan. Do not start filming randomly! As mentioned in the previous point, sit down at your computer or with a notebook and think carefully about at least the next 5-10 posts you want to create. Your channel will be way more organized. For example, if your channel covers food, and you decide to randomly go out into the streets in search of tacos, you might not find anything good if you have no idea where to go. But if you conduct research, ask friends, and check out different Instagram pages, you will be able to generate a list of strong contenders for the best tacos in your city. This will make your videos far more appealing.
Promote Your Channel Across Social Media
The quickest way to spread the word about your channel is to use tools you already use—your social media accounts! You might be used to posting on Instagram for personal reasons, perhaps to connect with friends and family members, but now it’s time to make separate accounts for your YouTube channel–and then use your personal accounts to promote it! Below, I’ve outlined how to use four of the most popular apps, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, when thinking about how to promote your YouTube channel.
- Facebook: Facebook is arguably the biggest social media platform in the world, and it’s the one where you’re likely to have the most access to many different kinds of people.[2] You should definitely make a post that lets your family and friends know about your YouTube channel—and make it public so they can share it with their friends. You should also take advantage of Facebook groups, which make generating topic-centered promotions much easier than on other platforms. Find groups that discuss topics relevant to your videos, and outline in a post what you’re hoping to do and how you’ll be different. You might meet a lot of other similar content creators through these groups and they can help promote your work as well!
- Twitter: Twitter may take more time to master, but this platform is effective for capturing your audience’s attention in just a few characters. If people don’t have a lot of time to read, you can summarize a video on your channel in a tweet, then include the link in the tweet, and Twitter users can bookmark it to watch later. When you have a new video, you can also pin a tweet to your profile so that more people can easily view it. Twitter is also great because you can easily see what topics are trending on the app, and curate your latest YouTube videos to suit those, so that you get more engagement. A retweet from a big account can make a lot of difference!
- Instagram: When starting a YouTube channel, one of the easiest ways to reach potential viewers is to use hashtags.[3] Each industry comes with a series of hashtags that are probably necessary if you want to make your mark on the applicable Instagram scene, such as “#foodphotography” for your food videos or “#ootd” for fashion posts. Not using at least a few hashtags will lead you to missing out on potential followers. So, as you post content and link it to your channel (you can include this in your bio), capitalize on those hashtags. Instagram also allows you to share new posts to your stories so that your followers can know when you’ve posted a new video. You should also follow similar accounts so they are more likely to follow you back.
- TikTok: TikTok became the most popular social media platform during the pandemic.[4] The app’s algorithm is excellent at displaying content tailored to each user, so you should take advantage of it. You can post promotional videos on your channel and use various hashtags to make sure they show up on the “For You” page for people looking up posts on your topic of expertise. You can also use TikTok to supplement your channel’s content and post bonus videos that encourage viewers to watch more of your videos and click through to your YouTube channel.
Together, utilizing these four social media sites not only supports your channel’s marketing, but also slowly builds your brand. The more your target audience starts to see your posts appear on their feed, the more they’ll familiarize themselves with you, and the more likely you are to gain video clicks!
Interact With Your Viewers
Once you’ve built a substantial follower base on your social media platforms and a stable viewer base, you can start engaging with the people who are viewing your content. One of the most important ways to ensure you’re gaining views is to post what people want to see. Make sure you’re reading the comments under your YouTube videos, as well as replies to your tweets and Instagram posts promoting other videos. You can also run polls on Twitter or Instagram Stories to ask your audience what content they want to see next. This is also an effective way to gauge whether people like your content.
Think About What Kind of Equipment You’ll Use
Here’s the thing: there are tens of thousands of excellent YouTube channels out there. To stand out, you need not only an interesting topic but also top-notch video quality. Don’t use an old camcorder or an older smartphone to record your videos. If you plan to use a phone, ensure the camera quality is excellent. If you have it in your budget can also invest in professional recording equipment. Most YouTubers use DSLRs or mirrorless cameras, along with accessories such as tripods, lenses, and studio lighting (once you decide you’re in it for the long haul). For audio, consider a high-quality microphone you can mount on your camera.
Edit, Edit, Edit!
Again, the quality of your YouTube videos needs to follow a high standard. If you’re spending money on buying equipment, you might not be willing to splurge on video editing software. Good news: many easy-to-use editing software options are free or cost-effective![5] Start with an easier program, such as iMovie. You can also check whether your school or local library has a subscription to a more advanced program, such as Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere.
Watch Other Similar Channels
As you’re starting a YouTube channel, it’s essential to know what’s out there, not only to make sure you’re tackling unique topics, but to find inspiration. Watch how others present themselves, what kind of aesthetic they have, and in what order they’ve curated their content. Not only should you notice the larger things, but you should also make note of the little details, such as outfit choices and even word choices. Every little detail in every second counts!
Collaborate with Other YouTubers
One of the most effective ways to successfully start a YouTube channel is to seek help from established YouTubers in your fandom or field. This can include a collaboration exchange—you might star in one of their videos and vice versa. Appearing on content for another channel can help your views reach a different audience that isn’t aware of your videos yet—especially if the other channel has a lot more subscribers.
You also don’t have to limit your exchanges to other YouTubers. If you know podcast hosts, bloggers, or Instagram influencers, these can also be people who feature you. If there’s a popular podcast that covers the same topic or a related topic to your YouTube channel, see whether you can be a guest on it. Leveraging your connections with people who share your interests and have established audiences can help you gain quick exposure. Don’t forget to plug your own channel with your social media handles when you write or speak on another platform!
Bonus Tip: Post Regularly
Finally, remember that starting a YouTube channel isn’t enough. One of the most essential parts of maintaining a YouTube page is sustaining momentum. Don’t give up after a couple of videos if you haven’t gained any new subscribers or likes. If someone stumbles upon your channel and finds it interesting, only to discover that the latest video is three months old, you’re going to lose out on a potential subscriber! As you gain early viewers, make sure you keep the content going. And of course, audience feedback matters—interact with people to see what they like, dislike, and want to see more of from your account.
You should now have a clear sense of whether starting a YouTube channel is the right move for you. If you work hard and gain a large following, you can not only impress admissions officers but perhaps even be on your way to a career in vlogging or film. The world is your oyster!