50 Tiny Tips for YouTube Beginners - Your Guide to Getting Started
Are you just starting your YouTube channel? Learn the tiny tricks seasoned YouTubers share, plus more tricks I’ve learned as a YouTube newbie.
I started my YouTube channel at the start of this year. I have been researching YouTube tips for over a year.
Every so often, I’ll find a few rare gems that not enough people are talking about. My goal for this blog is that for anyone starting a YouTube channel, this gives you all those gems on YouTube in one place. You don’t have to put in the hundreds of hours of research I’ve done. And instead, get stuck into creating your content and growing your YouTube channel.
Tips for Planning Your YouTube Channel
1. Build your ‘second brain’
Tiago Forte, in his book Building a Second Brain, says that your most important ideas or information won’t come to you when you actually need it. So, create a system that captures your ideas for later.
Your ideas for YouTube might come to you while you’re reading, exercising, talking to people or watching other videos. Whatever it is, be ready to capture it.
I keep all my video ideas in a Notes app on my phone.
2. Start with your topic, title and thumbnail
Successful creators will tell you to start with the quality of your topic, title and thumbnail. Without these, even the best video idea won’t get views. Ask yourself, what might people actually click on?
Pay attention to what your potential audience is doing or saying. This will tell you more about their interests or pain points.
Look up videos on your idea. How have they performed? Consider the total addressable market (TAM) of your video. If you’re niching down, consider how your niche topics could align with an adjacent topic with a higher TAM.
3. Solve a problem
Don’t create clickbait. Create an idea that meets people’s needs.
YouTube is the second biggest website in the world. It’s second only to Google - who own YouTube. So, what is your potential audience searching for?
Open YouTube in a new private window. Start typing your idea. See what the search is suggesting in the drop-down box.
Use Google Trends (and the YouTube filter).
Try the Inspiration tab in YouTube Studio analytics for more ideas.
By starting with ‘how to’ content, you are helping your audience solve their problems.
4. Be evergreen with a touch of trend
Evergreen content is timeless. It remains relevant for a long period. Unlike many of its counterparts, YouTube rewards evergreen content. Videos years old can still be suggested.
Tapping into trends also gives you a chance to expand your reach. You can add a unique point of view to a trending conversation.
Embracing trends helps you address your audience’s needs in a timely way. For example, what content is most useful in December, January or a particular season?
I aim to create evergreen content within a trending interest.
5. Fight for the first five seconds
Steven Bartlett’s book, The Diary of a CEO, talks about fighting for the first five seconds of your audience’s attention - this is your hook.
You must earn your audience’s attention. Click-through and retention are the most important metrics of YouTube. But, for most videos, retention drops almost immediately. In the first five seconds, your viewer’s filter will decide. Will they tune you out as “wallpaper” as Barlett calls it, or give you their attention?
Even if you’re not big on scripts, this is one thing you’ll want to script ahead of recording.
6. Create a structure
There’s a popular idea in speaking where you:
Tell people what you’re going to tell them
Tell them
Tell them what you told them
People generally avoid uncertainty. Following a structure helps your planning and your audience. By knowing what to expect, it helps create psychological safety for your viewer.
Having a framework to follow may also improve your retention. Humans feel a need to close ‘open loops’. When you follow a framework, you create a fear of missing out on important information. This is why listicles, clear video chapters or frameworks can improve your video.
7. Habit stack your continuous upskilling
To create on YouTube, be a consumer of YouTube. I ‘habit stack’ my YouTube learning. In my lunch breaks, I spend time watching YouTube videos in my fields of interest. I watch YouTube videos about YouTube, or I watch similar creators. In my downtime, I also pay attention to videos unrelated to my fields and how ideas could cross over to my area.
Don’t treat learning YouTube as a one-off event. YouTube is always evolving. Creators on the platform understand the struggle of YouTube. An abundance of information is available to pave the way for your YouTube journey.
8. Learn the art of writing
The best communication begins with writing. You’ll need to write scripts, titles, thumbnails, and descriptions for your YouTube channel.
Stand out from the competition by learning the basics of copywriting.
My weekly blog helps me plan and synthesise my ideas. To collect research and practise storytelling.
Tips for Filming Your YouTube Channel
9. The 1% rule
I heard this tip from YouTube mega creator Ali Abdaal and it stuck - just aim to get 1% better with every video. Here are just some of my 1% ideas:
Planning
Try a different topic or series idea
Add SEO to your script (more on this later)
Filming
Improve framing
Project more energy
Improve your eye contact
Improve your lighting
Improve your posture
Use hand gestures
Add more emotion to your closing and call to action
Vary your tone
Bring in a prop
Elevate one thing in your backdrop
10. Be a relentless experimenter
Tiny changes like 1% adjustments can have huge impacts.
In The Diary of a CEO, Barlett talks about out-failing the competition. This isn’t about embracing failure. It’s about seeking it out through a relentless focus on experimentation:
“Failure and invention are inseparable twins. To invent, you have to experiment, and if you know in advance that it’s going to work, it’s not an experiment.”
For all the 1% tweaks, assess the impact. Think, adjusting the variables in your high school science classes.
11. Don’t batch record
The majority of YouTube creators will tell you to batch your recording and editing. I understand this recommendation. It can be hard to find the momentum to film. Looking presentable takes effort. And you have to set up your space and equipment. But, I don’t recommend it.
Every day, you learn new things, develop new skills and have new ideas in response to the world around you. Share videos based on your most current knowledge, skills and ideas, plus your audience’s evolving needs.
12. Work weeks ahead
While I don’t recommend batching in general, I do recommend being a couple of extra videos ahead of schedule. Emergencies happen. Plan for them. Give yourself breathing room for the unexpected. This might simply be for a day you just can’t bring yourself to show up on camera. Your audience will never know it was something you prepared earlier.
As my content is evergreen, I can usually record a couple of weeks ahead of a video being published. During this time, I can subconsciously work on further perfecting the video’s packaging, making any final tweaks to the title or thumbnail.
13. Work within Parkinson’s Law
‘Parkinson’s Law’ observes that work expands to the amount of time you have allocated for it. While still aiming for your best quality video, don’t overwork any area of your process. Past a certain point, you’re likely not adding any extra value. Your efforts might even be generating diminishing returns for your final video.
Set yourself a timeframe for planning, filming and editing your video.
14. Space your backdrop strategically
If your space allows it, try positioning yourself at least a few feet away from any background you have. This creates a slightly nicer depth-of-field experience during your video and feels more professional.
You can also use your backdrop to help frame you for your video and your thumbnail design. Use your backdrop to create a focal point for you or the most important element of your video.
15. Reduce the echo
The more hard surfaces, the more echo. The larger the space, the more echo. If you have a room with carpet or can bring some in, try recording there. While hard surfaces bounce an echo around, the carpet helps absorb it.
Close any doors around you to help further reduce any echoing.
I edit on iMovie which has a really easy button to press that allows you to reduce the background noise on your audio. While it won’t work miracles on everything, the audio quality before and after this is worlds apart.
16. Layer lighting
If you already have lights in your space or can bring one or two in, let lights add ambience to your set-up. It helps create a warmer experience for your audience.
17. Place objects of interest
If you watch my YouTube videos, you’ll know there is a piano in the background of every video. This is where it’s always placed even in my day-to-day life. And I don’t attempt to move this when filming. Yes, I tidy up other things that might distract me or the viewer. But, the piano, I feel, adds personality. It’s showing without the telling.
Whether it’s a book or any other items, how can you help set the scene for your personal brand?
18. Create contrast
The human eye loves contrast. It’s one of the most important elements of visual design. From your clothing choice to your thumbnail, aim to create contrast. What is going to make you pop against your backdrop?
19. Make time for hair and makeup
When planning your time on YouTube, factor in the time it takes you to look and, importantly, feel your best for filming.
I’ve learned to love this part of the process. See it as your own little movie start moment. You’re in hair, make-up and maybe wardrobe with yourself, before hitting your big stage. I pop on a podcast to make the time extra productive. If I’m feeling flat, I swap this for a pump-up playlist.
20. Prioritise audio over visuals
If you have any money at all to invest in your YouTube channel, spend it on a microphone. There are microphones for all budgets, so don’t overstretch yourself when you’re just starting on YouTube. Search YouTube reviews. Then, check Amazon and local suppliers for the best price. I started with a microphone that cost me around $100.
21. Use your phone’s main camera
When you’re starting on YouTube, you might feel more comfortable seeing yourself talk as you record. If you’re filming on your phone, however, curb this temptation. Film on the phone’s main camera of your phone (not in selfie mode).
The quality of your front camera is higher. Start your channel with better visuals from the get-go. Instead of looking at yourself, get comfortable staring into the black abyss of the lens and the world of possibilities on the other side.
22. Clean your lens
Filming your first YouTube videos can already be nerve-racking. Don’t film your heart out only to realise you didn’t clean your lens. Make cleaning your lens a part of the set-up process. I keep my cleaning cloth with my microphone as a reminder.
23. Get your camera at eye level
If you’re filming talking head videos, be obsessive about your camera lens being at eye level with you. No one likes feeling looked down on. A few different angles here and there add a more multidimensional experience. But, for the most part, by getting your camera at eye level, you’ll help your audience feel more connected to you even through the screen.
24. Check your lights, camera and action-ready
Again, starting a new video can be stressful enough. Avoid any added stress of finding you forgot to plug everything in and turn everything on. Skip a dreaded re-record by getting in the habit of making sure you’ve checked you are recording. Ensure your microphone (if you have one) is plugged in and switched on. If you’re using any lights, make sure they are switched on.
These may all sound simple, but in trying to get into the zone of filming, I’ve made all these mistakes. These little faux pas can quickly dampen your momentum.
25. Look into the lens
If you insist on selfie mode or are using a viewfinder on your camera, remember to look into the lens - not at yourself. This subtle detail isn’t obvious while you’re filming. But, the difference in experience for your audience is huge. You can either make your audience feel like you’re looking past them or at them. As the virtual equivalent of eye contact, give your audience the chance to connect with you.
26. Record in segments
You don’t have to hit record and keep rolling until you’ve finally gotten through it all. Many YouTubers record in segments. This might be based on a script. Even within each section, don’t worry when you have to record the same point. Even in talking head videos, you may not realise your favourite YouTubers are stitching everything together in the edit.
Jumpcuts between sections make the video more authentic and are very common. They can also be smoothed over through various editing methods. This includes zooming in or out or adding b-roll footage.
27. Talk with your hands
Your hands can help do the talking for you. Learn to use your hands intentionally. They can speak to the subconscious mind to help your audience process your point better. It’s show and tell for grown-ups.
Expanding your body to take up space helps to project confidence to your audience. And if you’re not actually feeling confident, studies show movements like this, help you fake it till you feel it.
28. Close with intention
Experiment with your video closing style. YouTubers tend to place a lot of focus on their opening hook and less on their closing.
Some give long-winded generic closings few would stay tuned for. There is something about a cold close that leaves your audience hanging on for your next video. Think cliffhangers at the end of a TV show.
Warmer closings may also work if the audience can feel the emotion in your message. And that you are truly grateful for the time they have given you. This is like a heartfelt departure when leaving a chat with a friend.
29. Have one call to action
YouTube allows you to share up to two videos on the endslide of your video. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. You usually only have seconds to convince someone to keep watching your channel. Would you rather confuse them about where to go next, or give them a clear path forward?
One primary call to action is also a basic principle of marketing. So, instead of asking your audience to like, comment, subscribe, hit the notification button, or watch the next video, focus on the one thing you want them to do most. Another secondary call to action could be implied in other parts of your video.
30. Stack capturing thumbnail images with filming
Keep the momentum from filming going by recording your thumbnail immediately after your film. Or, before or during depending on what your thumbnail requires. I used to record my thumbnail first, but now I do it immediately after I finish filming. For me, this captures the excitement of finishing filming as opposed to the nerves before. But, you might find this helps ease you into filming. Find what works for you.
Set your phone to dimensions 16:9. I use the timer function and the front camera for thumbnails.
Tips for Editing Your YouTube Channel
31. Do an immediate rough cut
Some creators tell you they won’t look at their footage again until editing time. I import my footage to my computer immediately. I check everything has worked okay in case I need to re-record anything. I can then do that straight away while I’m still in the zone. If everything is okay, I take a break to help switch my brain from creative to editing mode. With all the footage ready to go, I can dive back with less friction to get started.
32. Adjust the volume in your edit
If you’re like me, you’ll likely have to turn up the volume on your voice in the edit. However, if your audio is peaking (when the audio has surpassed the optimal level for the equipment), turning down the volume slightly could help.
33. Don’t overedit
If you’re just starting a YouTube channel, the under-editing trend is a great opportunity. The pursuit of perfection quickly turns into procrastination. So, don’t let your editing efforts prevent you from hitting publish.
As marketing legend, Seth Godin would say:
“Ship your work.”
Viewers currently love this more authentic style of content. It allows an audience to connect with you more personally.
I design all my graphics in Canva. If I’m using any b-roll (footage secondary to the primary footage), it’s footage I’ve recorded myself in my day-to-day life and saved in a ‘b-roll bank’.
34. Aim for an ideal video length
Prime your audience to understand what to expect from you through a consistent video length in your final edit.
With an ideal video length, you also improve the quality of your edit.
Remember to still experiment. For example, most of my videos are usually between 10-15 minutes. This topic, however, was something I wanted to dive deep into for my audience.
Consider your audience's psychographics. What is their lifestyle? When and how will they consume your video? Base your video length on this. You might vary your length based on different series types.
If you plan to be monetised, remember currently videos eight minutes or longer allow for a mid-roll ad.
35. Do a spelling special edit
Do one final edit specifically with spelling in mind. Spelling mistakes hurt your credibility. So, make a spellcheck of your video a habit. Do this slowly, as you’ll likely have developed blind stops during the editing process. Obvious mistakes are sometimes only obvious after you press publish.
36. Do an immediate thumbnail edit draft
I start editing my thumbnail at the end of my video editing. I find it’s a nice way to celebrate some of the other work being done and I like finishing on this final piece of packaging.
While I may have a camera full of options, I only select up to five to import into my computer. And then, usually no more than three to edit fully in Canva.
If you have multiple thumbnail ideas, you can now also use the testing feature in YouTube Studio to see what resonates best with your audience. I usually revisit my thumbnail for a final edit after the final edit of my video.
37. Have thumbnail exclusion zones
When you’re editing your thumbnail, consider exclusion zones. For example, avoid the bottom right-hand corner as the YouTube timestamp will likely cover this in preview modes.
38. Create a focal point
Make it easier for your audience to hone in on your content by creating a focal point in your thumbnail. Canva makes it easy by using the auto-focus feature. You can also separate the foreground and background in an image to create more contrast and help you or your focal point pop.
39. Do a scale test of your thumbnail
You might be impressed with your thumbnail on your computer screen. But, remember the majority of YouTube views are via mobile. Scale down your thumbnail to see if all key elements and text are legible. In Canva, simply click the button in the bottom right corner of your design window.
Tips for Publishing Your YouTube Channel
40. Set up your shop front window
What do people see when they click on your YouTube page? See this as the shop front window of your personal brand on YouTube. It will either invite people or they’ll keep clicking past it.
How are you communicating your value proposition immediately to your audience? Consider:
Photos that show your credibility e.g speaking engagements or books
The value you provide e.g. new episode every Monday
A call to action
41. Time your release
Just because you had the perfect idea for a topic, it doesn’t mean your audience cares about it - well, right now anyway. For example, research has shown Google search for the word diet skyrockets in January.
Use Google Trends, the date range and YouTube filters to point peaks and lulls in your topic idea.
There’s a right time for everything. For some topics, your audience will be more receptive to the idea if it appears at the right time. Think, when the student is ready, the teacher will appear.
42. Pay attention to your title length
YouTube allows you to have up to 100 characters in your title length. This doesn’t mean you always should. The optimal length, including spaces, is 70 characters or less. This is the number of characters that can displayed in YouTube’s preview text. Anything else will be hidden in preview mode.
I will sometimes go above this length for titles. For example, if I want to add in brackets some key topics from the video. I do this only if it has Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and viewer value. And I still ensure the most critical parts are visible. But, experiment with this for yourself, as I’ve also heard some say titles that are too long could hurt you.
43. SEO your YouTube title, description and tags
Especially when you first start a YouTube channel, SEO is your best opportunity to be discovered. Identify what keywords you are targeting and write your description to incorporate these.
Think about your SEO words even in the scripting process. YouTube will assess your words as well to understand what your video is about.
To help give my video description some SEO substance, I aim for descriptions that are no less than 100 words.
44. Commit to consistency
Consistency is often the biggest challenge in creating content. Take the decision fatigue out of the process. Decide what day and time you’ll upload and commit to that for the long term. This also sets expectations for your audience.
This is another reason I don’t recommend batching. By creating consistently, you create the habit. You won’t easily create a habit for something you only do once a month.
One of comedian Jerry Seinfeld’s most popular pieces of advice was to write daily. Because the habit is the only way you can get better.
45. Create a signature look and feel
If you’re new to branding, remember this golden rule - consistency is key. In a busy feed, consistency with your visual identity improves your brand recognition. Research has shown colour can increase brand recognition by up to 90%. A unique look and feel make you more memorable the next time your audience tunes in.
With this in mind, when you’re new, you may want to try tiny experiments and test the performance of your adjustments. This will help you find what resonates most with your audience.
46. Manually add chapters
Whether or not to add chapters to your video is often debated among YouTubers. Some say it gives away the content of your video. But, when you create videos with your audiences’ needs in mind, chapters always seem like the right decision. You’re letting your audience know what to expect, so they can decide what they want to watch or not watch.
Chapters might even improve your video’s retention as viewers can move through the parts most relevant to them, instead of clicking off quickly altogether.
Don’t rely on ‘automatic chapters’, do this manually. Enter 0:00 Intro in the description. Then on a new line for each, add the relevant timestamps in this format from there.
47. Decide on your distribution strategy
One of the best ways to get people watching your YouTube channels is to use your other digital platforms to send them there. This might be via your Instagram, Tik Tok or LinkedIn.
Early on, consider if you want to build in public or build in silence. Your friends or family might not be the right audience for your content. Knowing they will see your content may even subconsciously limit how comfortable you are in executing your ideas. However, if your friends and family subscribers aren’t watching your content, this could even hurt your channel.
48. Repurpose your efforts
Compared to some social media formats, YouTube videos are usually high-effort endeavours. So, squeeze every ounce of potential out of your final result.
Ask yourself how your video can be repurposed. Maybe you could turn your script into a blog (or start with a blog). You can also embed your videos onto the blog posts. You can clip short videos with standalone value for YouTube shorts or other social media platforms. Create graphics or videos to summarise your latest content. You might even export your audio for a podcast.
Leverage your other platforms, to let your audiences know when you’re live.
49. Be your first viewer
While you’ll most likely schedule your posts (if you're posting consistently), avoid a set-and-forget approach. Be your first viewer. This helps you spot any issues you might still have time to fix with a quick reload. I also think it gives you a chance to appreciate your latest work from a viewer’s perspective. See what works and what doesn’t. It may even help your viewer retention if your ‘first viewer’ watched all the way through.
50. Arrange in playlists
When you first develop your YouTube strategy, have your key content pillars and content types in mind. Aim to create content that builds out your playlists or series content. This is not only a better user experience but will keep your audience on your channel and improve your watch time.
If you’re new to YouTube, all the very best with your YouTube journey ahead and all you have to share with the world.
