Ali Abdaal, who boasts 6.44 million YouTube subscribers, is supportive of anyone thinking about becoming a YouTuber. “The very first thing I would say to someone who’s considering starting a YouTube channel is, ‘Great, you should totally do it’,” Abdaal says. “Starting and growing a YouTube channel is a fantastic personal growth, and spiritual growth, and skills-based growth journey.”
Growth aside, learning how to be a successful YouTuber could also turn an enjoyable hobby into a lucrative career. There’s no quick and easy guide for how to get famous on YouTube, but we’ve put together everything an aspiring YouTube content creator should know to start their journey and envision the road ahead.
JUMP TO
Anyone can post a video and call themselves a YouTuber. You can certainly just livestream, but the role may also include writing scripts, shooting videos, using editing software, posting consistently, and attracting and engaging with subscribers.
When most people talk about being a YouTuber, they mean making it a career. If you earn a living by filming and publishing content for YouTube, you’re a YouTuber.
“There are a bunch of different ways that a creator can make money by being a YouTuber,” tech YouTuber Marques Brownlee told Stratechery. “YouTube is that go-to platform for a lot of creators because it has been the most stable for the longest amount of time, and has the most well-established revenue-sharing program of any of the social media channels.”
Channels with over 500 subscribers are eligible for the YouTube Partner Programme, which paid over $70 billion (£51 billion) to creators between 2021 and 2023 – more than any other platform. The programme lets users earn directly through:
- Advertising revenue
- Views from YouTube Premium members
- Super Chat, Super Stickers, and Super Thanks during livestreams and video premieres
- Channel memberships
- YouTube BrandConnect for branded content campaigns
- YouTube Shopping for your own channel shop or tagged products
The YouTuber profession also offers revenue streams outside YouTube itself, including:
- Becoming a YouTube influencer with brand sponsorships and affiliate marketing links
- Membership sites such as Patreon, Tipeee, and Buy Me a Coffee
- Licensing popular content to the media
1. Create your account.
Having a Google account will let you watch and like YouTube videos, but you’ll need your own YouTube channel to comment, make playlists, and, most importantly, start uploading.
Here’s how:
- Sign in to YouTube.
- Click your profile picture in the top-right corner, and then click “Settings.”
- Select “Add or manage channel(s).”
- Choose your profile picture, name, and handle.
- Click “Create channel.”
Multiple channels can share a name, but your handle must be unique. Choose each to match your content, and make your profile picture simple, relevant, and easily recognisable.
Once created, verify your channel to unlock livestreaming, custom thumbnails, and a max video length of over 15 minutes.
2. Publish your first video.
“Your first video is not gonna get views, period,” says legendary YouTuber Mr Beast. “I can very confidently say that, so stop sitting there and thinking for months and months on end and just get to work and start uploading.”
The first video needn’t blow up (and probably won’t), but it’s an unskippable step ideal for learning the process. Abdaal advocates for a seven-video challenge: “By the time you’ve made about seven, you have a lot of context of what it takes to make YouTube videos.”
Planning
Write a script, or at least a rough outline, to stay focused. Consider what your video is trying to do. Are you explaining or entertaining? Offering tips or responding to trends? Pick up a cheap tripod to hold your camera or phone. Choose an outfit in keeping with the content you’re creating. (Don’t dress too formal if you’re making lighthearted content, for instance.) Find somewhere with good lighting to film.
Filming
Take a breath and hit “Record.” Speak directly to the camera as if it’s a friend, and up your energy to stay engaging. Shooting several takes and editing everything together is fine. There’s no need to panic about messing up – it’s all good practice.
Editing
YouTube’s free video editor is fine, but other free beginner-friendly options include OpenShot, iMovie, and Windows Movie Maker. Concentrate on combining the best takes and maintaining a brisk pace.
Use the MP4 video format and crop to a 16:9 aspect ratio for standard videos or 9:16 vertical video for Shorts.
Publishing
Pick a concise, attention-grabbing title; a punchy description with relevant keywords; and a simple, representative thumbnail. Then follow these steps:
- Log in to YouTube.
- Click “Create” in the top-right corner, and then “Upload a video.”
- Select a file to upload, and then click “Public” to ensure that anyone can see it.
- Click “Publish.”
Once processed, your first video will be live.
3. Find your niche.
Think about the kind of YouTuber you want to be and the subject you want your channel to revolve around. What sets you apart?
Teachable offers a list of profitable YouTube niches to consider, but following existing passions tends to work best, especially when you can give them a twist. The cooking segment’s crowded, for example, but these creators succeeded by forging their own niche within that niche:
-
CupcakeJemma focuses on cakes and cupcakes.
-
Gaz Oakley is known for vegan recipes.
-
Bake With Jack is all about making bread.
-
Ziang’s Food Workshop teaches recipes for Chinese takeaways and Malaysian street food.
Don’t worry if your videos don’t gain traction immediately. Matt Morsia from MattDoesFitness spent years posting four or five videos a week before his talent for consuming bodybuilder-level amounts of food garnered attention and let him make a living from YouTube.
4. Follow trends.
“Whenever something changes, I’m able to adapt and change into the next thing that’s popular,” YouTube icon KSI told Esquire. “I’ve always adapted well, and that’s what’s led to my success.”
To follow his lead, keep tabs on your niche by:
- Browsing YouTube search trends
- Checking social media to see what people are talking or asking about
- Staying current with relevant industry news
- Perusing rival channels for popular videos you can put your own spin on
Above all, keep watching YouTube to stay in the viewer mindset.
“I think watching a ton of videos kind of put me in the natural state of that ecosystem being what I’m used to, and I kind of spoke that language already, so I thought of YouTube videos as an SEO answer to my questions,” Brownlee says. “When I picture a YouTube video about a laptop, this video is for the person who is searching for those videos, because I was that person.”
5. Engage your audience.
Viewers are great, but subscribers are better. Reinforce your relationship with the audience by:
- Creating playlists that automatically play your next video
- Asking questions for people to answer in the comments
- Responding to comments under your videos
- Hosting giveaways or challenges
- Sharing polls and pictures on the Community Posts tab
Be like Lauren Petrie, who interacts directly with her audience. “I make some videos that involve my subscribers and they are from all walks of life, from lawyers to grandparents to chefs to students,” Petrie told Things & Ink. Or imitate DigitalDan, who featured viewer submissions for his Thorpe Park roller coaster concepts videos.
6. Analyse your data.
YouTube Analytics are a useful way to find out how people view and interact with your videos. Metrics include:
- Most-viewed videos during different periods
- Phrases searched to find your videos
- How people discovered your videos, such as keyword searches or playlists
- How long people watched
Utilise this information. You may notice a particular subject skyrocketing views or that longer videos enjoy higher retention rates, so lean into what engages your audience to keep your following on the upswing.
