AUTHORTUBE: MUST DO THINGS
I know I've talked a lot about authortube on the blog, and I also know that I've done similar topics to this one, but I thought that I would bring together some of the bits and pieces I have mentioned, and throw in some that I haven't when it comes to authortube and the things that I think are must do things.
As you all know, I've been on Authortube for over four years now, it's only been recently, say the last year or two, that I've had a lot more interaction, and have started to actually grow my channel. That's because I did a whole lot wrong when I first started and the point of this, is to tell you how to not do that! So there are a few things that I think are really important when thinking about starting a channel, and joining the community as it grows.
#1 THUMBNAILS, AUDIO & VISUAL
I think the most important thing is you make sure that your video is as good as it can be. Whether that's making sure you have a good camera, or making sure you have an external mic is needed, or even just being sure that when you put up your thumbnails people are gonna want to know more, and not cringe at the design or be unable to read the text or anything like that. People always say that first impressions are important, and that's true when it comes to youtube in general. So make sure that you've got the right video equipment and also have a thumbnail that catches people's eyes.
#2 CUT AND SCRIPT IF NEEDED
One thing I didn't do when I started was have any idea of what I wanted to say. I would have a topic sure, but I didn't write anything down on what that topic should cover, and that bit me in the backside. I had a hell of a lot of umms, and ahhs, and pauses where I tried to catch my train of thought, and half the time I completely forgot the salient points because I was so nervous and my memory isn't all that good, which just made me look like an idiot. So now I script my videos and because of that, I, usually, am happier with my videos and know that the people watching are getting everything I wanted to put across.
#3 ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY
Another thing I didn't really do, but something that you really have to do, and that's engage with other authortubers, watch their videos, leave comments, make friends, do tags, do collabs, and all the rest. Make sure that people know you're there, and make sure that they have an idea of what kind of videos you do, and also know that you're supporting them as well.
I didn't do this for the first couple of years, and then when I started to, I met a load of different people and because of that, I made so many friends, but also learned so much. That way when it came to my videos, I was bringing in my own audience from outside of just other authortubers. This is so very important. There's a facebook group for authortubers, there's a discord and everything, and it makes so much sense to be a part of that. It makes the whole thing so much more fun!
And finally, #4 BE CONSISTENT
This comes to your posting schedule. If you say that you're going to post on Thursdays and Sundays, then make sure you do that, and if you need to change that schedule, make sure you communicate that with your audience. I know some really big channels who don't have set days to upload, but they do post at least one video a week and people are aware of it. I made sure that I had a consistent day from about two years into it, with mine being a Thursday for normal videos and Sunday as any bonus content that I happened to pick up.
Now when doing collabs, you won't always be able to choose the day, but if you are part of them, then the word spreads so it's not like people won't know to come to your channel. I've done a few big collabs this year and part of that is getting to be a big part of the community, but also getting to work with other channels, and see their take on things.
Overall, just make sure that you're engaging, that your content is of a good quality and that you have some idea of what you want to say. The whole process can be hard work, but the outcome is worth it and the community you have around you is also worth it.
Any questions or tips? Lemme know in the comments!
I know I've talked a lot about authortube on the blog, and I also know that I've done similar topics to this one, but I thought that I would bring together some of the bits and pieces I have mentioned, and throw in some that I haven't when it comes to authortube and the things that I think are must do things.
As you all know, I've been on Authortube for over four years now, it's only been recently, say the last year or two, that I've had a lot more interaction, and have started to actually grow my channel. That's because I did a whole lot wrong when I first started and the point of this, is to tell you how to not do that! So there are a few things that I think are really important when thinking about starting a channel, and joining the community as it grows.
#1 THUMBNAILS, AUDIO & VISUAL
I think the most important thing is you make sure that your video is as good as it can be. Whether that's making sure you have a good camera, or making sure you have an external mic is needed, or even just being sure that when you put up your thumbnails people are gonna want to know more, and not cringe at the design or be unable to read the text or anything like that. People always say that first impressions are important, and that's true when it comes to youtube in general. So make sure that you've got the right video equipment and also have a thumbnail that catches people's eyes.
#2 CUT AND SCRIPT IF NEEDED
One thing I didn't do when I started was have any idea of what I wanted to say. I would have a topic sure, but I didn't write anything down on what that topic should cover, and that bit me in the backside. I had a hell of a lot of umms, and ahhs, and pauses where I tried to catch my train of thought, and half the time I completely forgot the salient points because I was so nervous and my memory isn't all that good, which just made me look like an idiot. So now I script my videos and because of that, I, usually, am happier with my videos and know that the people watching are getting everything I wanted to put across.
#3 ENGAGE WITH THE COMMUNITY
Another thing I didn't really do, but something that you really have to do, and that's engage with other authortubers, watch their videos, leave comments, make friends, do tags, do collabs, and all the rest. Make sure that people know you're there, and make sure that they have an idea of what kind of videos you do, and also know that you're supporting them as well.
I didn't do this for the first couple of years, and then when I started to, I met a load of different people and because of that, I made so many friends, but also learned so much. That way when it came to my videos, I was bringing in my own audience from outside of just other authortubers. This is so very important. There's a facebook group for authortubers, there's a discord and everything, and it makes so much sense to be a part of that. It makes the whole thing so much more fun!
And finally, #4 BE CONSISTENT
This comes to your posting schedule. If you say that you're going to post on Thursdays and Sundays, then make sure you do that, and if you need to change that schedule, make sure you communicate that with your audience. I know some really big channels who don't have set days to upload, but they do post at least one video a week and people are aware of it. I made sure that I had a consistent day from about two years into it, with mine being a Thursday for normal videos and Sunday as any bonus content that I happened to pick up.
Now when doing collabs, you won't always be able to choose the day, but if you are part of them, then the word spreads so it's not like people won't know to come to your channel. I've done a few big collabs this year and part of that is getting to be a big part of the community, but also getting to work with other channels, and see their take on things.
Overall, just make sure that you're engaging, that your content is of a good quality and that you have some idea of what you want to say. The whole process can be hard work, but the outcome is worth it and the community you have around you is also worth it.
Any questions or tips? Lemme know in the comments!
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