Confidence
It’s difficult if you are shy and aren’t used
to being on camera. It takes a lot of practice.
This doesn’t mean you have to come across as
arrogant although some may like that attitude. It
just means you have to find a voice that works, a
tone that suits your personality. You can be selfdeprecating
but not at the expense of
the show. People are giving you their
time so you need to show them
why your show is worth it.
Find a topic
and stick
with it
There are plenty of
personalities that find
something they want to talk
about all the time and they
find an audience for that
topic. Odds are if you love
something, even if it’s not
that popular among your circle
of friends, you’ll find a group of
people who share your passion.
Retro gaming channels are
wildly popular although they are
a dime a dozen nowadays. You can
teach people how to sew or get their iPhones
working. There are even fast food reviewers and
vintage toy collectors.
Disney World fanatics can spend hours
watching people’s voyages around the Magic
Kingdom and listen to them discussing the best
and worst restaurants in the park.
You can travel the world with YouTubers or
even watch them go into frightening abandoned
buildings. There’s an audience for your passion
so find it, go full on, do your research, and get
outside and share your love with the big, wide
world, whether that be movie reviews or book
collections.
Consistency
Some of the greatest YouTube personalities
have mastered a format. It may sound oldfashioned,
but viewers enjoy routines and some
form of structure. That means releasing a video on
a certain day or days of the week and just creating
a routine.
That doesn’t mean you can’t deviate from your
plan and be spontaneous but, like talk shows,
there is a format. People like to see the same
background if you’re not on location. Create a mini
studio. Have an intro that people look forward to.
Get the audio and
video right
With smartphones and other devices having
such great quality video filming, if you’re starting
out you can get away with the look. But lighting is
very important. Too dark and people will tune out
immediately. Also, you want people to hear you
loud and clear so invest in some audio equipment
if you can afford to. Again, smartphones can do
the trick for certain videos. Also get a tripod.
Originality
There are so many YouTube
channels, it’s easy to fall between
the cracks. Angry Video Game Nerd
found a great niche in cursing and
reviewing awful video games from
his childhood. Many have imitated
his gig. Few have succeeded. Find
your own voice. It’s okay to have
inspirations, but don’t copy.
Network
Go to conventions, spread the
word as much as you can about
what you’re doing, print out business
cards, anything to get your channel
going. Even if it’s a hobby, be on top of
it and let people know you have something
to offer.
Talk to other people
Having different voices in videos often helps.
Sometimes, one-person shows really work. Other
times, you want a couple of personalities to
balance out your presentation. Some people can
pull off just talking themselves. Others, not so
much.
QNS.COM
SUMMER 2018 37