What I Learned from My First Year as a YouTube Content Creator
Valuable lessons for starting a YouTube channel in 2021.
Soon after failing out of law school, I was at a new crossroads in my life. No longer was I constrained by the rigorous curriculum of law school or the time spent trying to establish my future legal career. I was free to choose a new path. So I chose the next best thing. I chose YouTube.
Like the thousands of creators that have come up in recent years, there is that someone or something that inspired them to start. For me, it was Casey Neistat. He’s the first YouTuber that I really started to follow thanks to his daily vlogs. The idea of making videos on YouTube like Casey was always in the back of my mind. The idea was there while I was in college, while I was studying for the LSAT, when I was miserable in law school, and it was there when I failed out of law school.
So in January 2020, I decided to pursue this dream that I had put on hold. I began posting on YouTube. Over the course of the year, I would become familiar with the world of YouTube by posting over 150 videos.
This is what I wished I knew before starting my YouTube career.
1.) Learn, Practice, Make Mistakes, Relearn, REPEAT
I don’t have a filmmaking background or even have any experience with cameras. Prior to 2020, I could not tell you anything about video editing software — unless you can count the middle school slideshows made on Windows Movie Maker. The only value I brought to this new career path was the motivation to share my stories and experiences as an undocumented immigrant. From the start, it was an extremely challenging and daunting task. The stories were there, but how to make them into a film was my challenge.
What I quickly came to realize was that I needed to take the initiative to learn what I didn’t know. 24 fps, 30 fps, or 60 fps? Final Cut Pro or Adobe Premiere? How to edit? How to upload to Youtube? I was a student again, asking all the questions. Perhaps I was not in a formal school setting, but the information was out there on the internet to learn. The beauty of it was that I consulted YouTube to learn some of these skills. You could say I was using YouTube to use YouTube. For years I had consumed videos on this platform but never even wondered what goes on behind the scenes. Turns out, it is a lot of work!
For years I had consumed videos on this platform but never even wondered what goes on behind the scenes. Turns out, it is a lot of work!
In the beginning, I felt terrible about what I was creating. It seemed like every video I put out was garbage. To be completely honest, I can think of a few that were. And that’s okay. Unless you were a filmmaker or video editor before creating on YouTube, then you’re starting from scratch. You have to learn, practice, make mistakes, and learn from them. Even a year later, this cycle is still going. But that’s the life of a creator. With each and every video you make you have to be critical with your content, learn from the mistakes, and do better next time. It’s all on you.
2) Consistency is Everything
Consistency is the key to not only growing your YouTube channel but also growing your skills as a content creator. Growing a community of subscribers requires constant care and attention. If your main way to communicate with that audience is through the videos you post, then you kinda have to post and be consistent about it.
Think of it like this. You wouldn’t tell your friend to meet you every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at the local park to go for a run at 8 am and not show up. If you don’t show up as you promised, then your friend won’t show up either. You may even lose that friend. Your subscribers on YouTube are your friends. You have to earn their trust and work to maintain that trust by being consistent with your video uploads.
You have to earn their [the subscribers’] trust and work to maintain that trust by being consistent with your video uploads.
I won’t lie to you and claim I was consistent for all of 2020. I had my ups and downs. I was most consistent when I was vlogging for 100 Days of Summer, a video series where I vlogged every day during the summer of 2020. This was peak consistency for me because I was uploading a video almost every single day. A relationship began to flourish with my subscribers as they would come to expect a daily video at 8 am, and I would deliver it.
My YouTube channel experienced the most growth during 100 Days of Summer, which is likely explained by the consistency of uploading daily. Over this time period, I gained over 100 subscribers and close to 900 hours of watch time. My consistency not only helped my audience grow in size but also helped me as a creator. It kept me practicing my filming, editing and posting. I was able to learn from each video I was producing. It was like a lesson a day, where I could practice what I had been learning. Consistency is everything.
3.) Have a Clear “WHY”
Why are you starting a YouTube channel? Or if you have a YouTube channel already, ask yourself, “Why did I start this channel?” Having a clear answer to this question will not only give you direction but also purpose and motivation.
Why are you starting a YouTube channel?
Having a clear reason why you’re starting a YouTube channel will give you the direction that you need when you’re first starting out. Whether it’s the particular type of content or style of storytelling, having a compass to navigate will help you find your route to growing on the platform. Trust me. I know this from experience.
When I first started my channel, I didn’t really know what the heck I was doing. I just knew that YouTube was something I always wanted to do and now I had the opportunity. Some videos, in the beginning, felt awkward because I was talking to a camera for the first time and I wasn’t quite sure what topics I should choose. It would’ve certainly made life easier if I knew my Why from the start of this journey. If you’ve already started your channel and don’t have your Why, don’t worry. Sometimes it takes time to figure it out. And don’t be surprised if your Why evolves as you grow your YouTube channel.
What Are You Waiting For?! Start Your Journey!
Start your journey on Youtube. That’s the toughest part. Just know that there’s no secret formula for succeeding on the platform. It just takes time and work. Maybe a little luck, too. For anyone just starting on YouTube, remember that most of the work goes on behind the scenes. Learn and make mistakes because that’s how your skills will improve. Be consistent and your channel will grow. Remember why you decided to do this in the first place because this reason will keep you going when you need it the most. And soon enough you will find the success you’re looking for to level up from being just a Small YouTube Content Creator.
Share your channel with me! I would love to see what fun content you have to share.
