How to Become a Successful YouTuber

Behind every famous YouTuber is a long journey of struggle and hard work. But there's no need to worry. Follow our ultimate guide and you'll be ready for this NEW JOURNEY!

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Part 1. 6 Most Trending YouTube Channels

Are you ready to take the very first step on your YouTuber journey? If so, it's time to find the niche for your channel. Take time to think about the subjects you love. Do some soul-searching and decide which topics you would enjoy making videos about.

Gaming

Gaming is a huge community with enthusiastic and dedicated fans. Gaming channels have gained the most popularity over recent years.

Vlogging

Vlogging has become an inseparable part of our lives. Youtube, the world’s most popular vlogging platform, boasts the most vloggers and biggest audiences.

Tutorial

Tutorial videos make learning easier, faster and more enjoyable. 4X as many buyers prefer to watch a video about a product rather than read about it before purchasing.

Makeup

Today, makeup tutorials have already become the mainstream in sharing makeup techniques, makeup inspiration, and beauty product reviews.

Tech Review

You would never make any tech purchase without looking at its reviews first, now would you?

Other

YouTube welcomes videos from any category, including cooking, lifestyle, entertainment, and education.

Average Channel Salary

$52,806/year

Richest YouTuber

Ryan Kaji ($29.5 Million)

Most Subscribed Channel

PewDiePie (110M)

Youtube Monthly Users

2 Billion

Part 2. Choose Your Equipment

It takes considerable planning to create a successful YouTube video. Before you hit 'record,' research what equipment works best for you, how to flesh out your idea into a clear story, and what other steps you can take to prepare for your shoot.

Point-and-Shoot Camera

You can vlog with Point-and-shoot cameras in almost any setting. They are simple devices with all-in-one features. Creators using these cameras (around $500 US) can deliver full HD (1080) image quality videos.

DSLR Camera

DSLR cameras can capture a more cinematic look but requires a steeper learning curve. You can use it to deliver a more professional and artistic style. These cameras are heavier, have interchangeable lenses, and cost more ($500-$2,500).

Phone

Apart from the different types of professional cameras, you can always capture precious moments with your phone at any time, anywhere. Perhaps it won't promise you the best quality, but it's a nice choice at the very beginning of your creating journey.

Light Reflector

With reflectors, you can shape or adjust light very effectively. By adding more fill light to your videos, you can drastically improve their quality. Plus, some of them are collapsible, which makes them easy to transport.

Ring Light

Ring lights, which usually consist of a single circular fluorescent bulb, offer a color temperature close to daylight. As such are ideal for applying makeup when there is no natural light.

Sunlight

Remember to use the brightest light of all -- the sun! Record outside or through a window so you can take advantage of natural daylight. Some creators even prefer to shoot during certain times of the day - it's easier and cheaper! Tips: Golden Hour is the period of daytime shortly after sunrise or before sunset.

Onboard Microphone

Nearly all digital cameras now have built-in microphones called onboard microphones, so you can easily record voices with your camera or phone. However, they tend to pick up background noises more often than external microphones, so it’s very important to minimum such noises when recording.

Shotgun Mic

A shotgun microphone captures sounds directly from the front, allowing the user to hear only the sounds they desire while disregarding all other unwanted sounds. It is highly directional, so the sound source must be pointed directly at it while recording.

Lavalier Mic

Lavalier microphones are small and clip to your shirt, collar or tie. Lavalier mics are great because you can record hands-free with them. You won't even need to think about the microphone once it's positioned correctly.

Point-and-Shoot Camera

Point-and-shoot cameras in almost any setting. They are simple device with all-in-one features. Creators using these cameras (around $500 US) can deliver full HD (1080) image quality videos.

DSLR Camera

DSLR cameras can capture a more cinematic look, but requires a more steep learning curve. These cameras are heavier, have interchangeable lenses, and cost more ($500-$2,500). You can use it to deliver a more professional and artistic style.

Phone

Apart from the different types of professional cameras, you can always caputure precious moments with your phone at any time, anywhere. Perhaps it won't promise you the best quality, but it's a nice choice at the very beginning of your creating journey.

Light Reflector

Ring Light

Ring lights, which usually consist of a single circular fluorescent bulb, offer a colour temperature close to daylight, and as such are ideal for applying makeup when there is no natural light.

Sunlight

Onboard Microphone

Shotgun Mic

Lavalier Mic

Part 3. Let's Shoot an Awesome Video

Video is the fastest-growing form of content in this era. How do you ensure yours will stand out? Here are some shooting tips experts use for more views, shares, likes, and subscribers.

Frame Your Shots

B-roll:

Often used in story-telling as cutaway footage, B-roll is secondary footage used to provide context and visual interest.

Wide Shots:

Also called "establishing shots", which tells the audience where and when the story takes place.

Close-up Shots:

It focuses on the details of your subject, and can build a deeper connection between the audience and the subject.

Bird's-eye View:

Looking down from above, this shot can exaggerate the smallness of the subjects below or the vastness of the environment.

Use Lighting Effectively

Lighting Matters:

Good lighting can help create a polished feeling for your video.

Budget Lighting:

You can use simple yet practical lights such as a lamp, a simple lighting kit, or natural light from a window.

Three-point Lighting:

It combines a Key Light (often placed off to one side of the camera), a Fill Light (a diffused light used to fill in the shadows), and a Back Light (serves to separate the subject from the background).

Lighting Techniques:

A bounce card can give your subjects a highlighted glow; intensifying your backlight can put a glowing “edge” on your subject and create a professional look.

Record Sound Like a Pro

Recording Outside:

Take the background noises (traffic, wind) into your consideration before shooting.

Recording Inside:

Avoid the room’s acoustics and noises created by household electronic devices. Besides, a smart method to remove excess echo is to pad the room with sound blankets or foam.

Recording Techniques:

Make sure the connection between your mic and camera’s audio input is right. Place your mic close to the target audio source (your mouth when speaking).

Part 4. All You Need to Know Before Editing Your First Video

Choose a Right Video Editor

A good video editor can be the difference between an amateur-looking video and a professional-looking one. If you're not satisfied with the limited functions provided by free softwares, try Filmora from Wondershare. Its intuitive interface, easy-to-use features, abundant effects make it the favorite video editor for lots of YouTubers.

Maintain a Project Directory

While editing a video project for the first time, don't throw everything onto the desktop. Get into the habit of creating a directory for your projects. Otherwise, it won't be easy if you want to find a specific footage (either audio or video) several months later.

Diversify Your Shots

Rather than using the same shot throughout the video, you're highly recommended to switch things up with different angles. Make full use of the footages to create a visual feast. Tips: you can make a simple “shot list” like film directors — writing down all the shots in advance so you won’t forget anything.

Tell a Good Story

The art of video storytelling begins with understanding stories. Audiences have a short attention span, so you want to capture his/her attention from beginning to end. You don't need to explain every single thought to them, but only the elements necessary to weave a compelling narrative that leaves them wanting more.

Master the Shortcuts

Speed is crucial when editing videos, which is why you should learn these essential shortcuts in your software. Shortcuts will streamline your workflow, allowing you to edit more quickly. If you're ready to use Filmora, don't forget to get familiar with the shortcuts first!

Add Creative Effects

You have almost unlimited options to add elements, titles, intros, and transitions. Choose the right ones to add on your footage, and they can spice up your video magically! Speaking of video effects in different themes and styles, Filmstock will never let you down.

Coloring Matters

The secret weapon of some expensive Hollywood films is color correction - and you can do it in your videos with the right tools. When editing a video in Filmora, a color tab will allow you to change the background, text, and overlay so it doesn't look monotone.

Add Music & Sound Effects

Imagine watching your favorite film or television show without any background music? Whether it's a romantic scene or a dramatic action scene, the background music helps create the energy of that moment. So, don't forget to engage your audience with background music by providing aural interest and texture.

Here's What Filmora Can Do for You

Motion Tracking

Level up your editing with intuitive object tracking that's accessible to everyone.

AI Portrait

Automatically remove video backgrounds without green screen.

Keyframing

Discover creative transitions, filters, titles, and motion elements that are exclusive to Filmora.

Audio Ducking

Quickly fade your music so your dialogue stands out.

Color Match

Save time by applying color correction settings across multiple clips at once.

AR Stickers

Add fun and unique stickers that respond to your face's motion

How to Make a YouTube Video Easily with Filmora

1 Create a New Project with Wondershare Filmora

Install and launch Wondershare Filmora on your computer. Click on "Create a New Project". It would open a new project and direct you to an editing interface with various panels and tools.

2 Add Media Files

Click on "Import" and select all the media files you'll use. The imported files will be displayed in the media panel. Drag and drop them to the timeline for editing.

3 Trim the Video & Make Edits

Trim your video first to delete unwanted clips. Then start your editing by adding transitions, filters, videos effects as you like.

4 Add Text to Show Key Information

Now add text to communicate with your audiences. With more than 200+ text effects built-in Filmora, which covers various styles and modes, you can freely customize any text effect you want. Click the "Titles" tab to access them, and you can check the result in the preview window.

5 Add Music to Level up Your Video

A good video can't do without music. In Filmora, you can access 100+ royalty-free music and sound effects. Just pick the one you prefer, drag and drop it to the track above the video track.

6 Save and Share the Video to YouTube

After all is done, hit the "Export" button to save the video to local or share it directly to YouTube. There are different exporting options. You can customize them as you need.

Wondershare Filmora Video Editor

Wondershare Filmora provides everything you need to create a stunning video for your YouTube channel. Its intuitive interface, powerful editing tools, rich stock library, and competitive price differentiate itself from other YouTube video editing software.

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

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Part 5. Learn How to Grow Your Channel

With so many channels on YouTube, how can you encourage viewers to watch your videos? There're a lot of work you can do after uploading the videos! From well-designed youtube thumbnail, to unique intro & outro, to intriguing descriptions, you can optimize everything on the platform to attract more audience, and promote your influence.

Make Effective Thumbnails

Designing an attractive thumbnail for your channel is just as important as creating a great video. For those new to this term, a YouTube Thumbnail is a disclosed image primarily utilized to grab the viewer's attention. So, it might be the first thing that you notice once you load your video feed. It behaves as a determining factor for your target audience and makes them feel obligated to click on your video.

Write Smart Descriptions

With the right YouTube descriptions (both for your channel and for each video), you can boost your video's view counts and watch time, and you will also appear higher in search results. As you write your descriptions, be sure to choose specific keywords that can help YouTube's algorithm understand, categorize, and surface your content. Besides, both your video description and channel description should include a call-to-action to encourage viewers to like, comment, subscribe, or read more.

Catchy End Screen

filmstock's creative templates

Create Engaging Intro & Outro

A YouTube intro is an essential tool for attracting viewers, retaining them on your video channel, and converting them into subscribers. It also establishes a sense of brand consistency, which attracts customers to your channel. The good thing is, one YouTube intro is capable of being used in all of your upcoming videos!