How to start a vlog: 10 steps to successful vlogger on YouTube

Looking to start a successful vlog and become a youtube influencer? If you’re here, you’ve likely heard the word Vlog before, but what in the world is a vlog anyways? A vlog is basically a video blog and is a form of a blog where the video is the medium in the form of web television. Vlog has become one of the most popular communication methods where YouTube is the leading video-sharing platform. 

People like to watch the lifestyle and daily routine of their ideal and loved vloggers. The term “vlogging” has formed a large community on the different social media platforms, becoming one of the most popular forms in the world of digital entertainment. So, why do you need to know about it? Read on!

Video content is one of the major reasons why vlogging is so popular. The time spent by users all over the world watching and enjoying video content on any of their devices is increasing day by day. Video content is in high demand because people are more likely to pay attention to it. This is one of the reasons why big companies and businesses are running their video ads instead of text or images alone.

It may seem simple and easy to start a vlog channel and get popular, but you have to do some research on different areas in which you will work. You have to learn how to create an outstanding YouTube channel, find the right equipment according to your budget and needs, and go through the rules and guidelines of the YouTube community to avoid any kind of consequences such as policy violations, copyrights, etc. The vlogging is different from what we expect, as you have to focus on editing, publishing your videos, and also promoting them initially.

The overall process of creating a vlog or vlogging YouTube channel is somewhat different and complicated, but if you want to create your vlog and start your career in vlogging as a YouTube vlogger, then you are at the right place. 

So, fear not! We will guide you step by step, right from the beginning, so that you start your vlogging journey in the most successful way. So, let’s start the guide of how to start a vlog and become a YouTube vlogger. Are you ready? Let’s go!

1. Preparation

The first and foremost thing is always preparation. You have to do good research in your field and analyze the most popular vlogs like the one you want to create.. Watch them carefully: what they are doing, how they are interacting with their fans or audience, what their frequency of uploading videos is, how they start their vlog, if they have any background sound or music, what the average length of their videos is, how they respond to dislikes and negative comments, and many more things.

You will definitely benefit from all those small details and gradually develop a good understanding of the world of vlogging. Just try to remember all those points which you really like about the vlog you’ve watched and also read the comments to understand the likes and thoughts of the other people. 

On the other hand, try to remember what you really didn’t like about the vlogs you’ve watched, and don’t forget to see how other people are reacting to those vlogs.

Learning from others’ mistakes, experience, and getting inspired is all that you have to do. Don’t copy any vlogger’s style or strategy; just see what is best for you and what suits you the most. You have to make your own vlogging style stand out of the crowd and be remarkable in your niche.

After analyzing and researching some of the popular vlogging channels, now it’s time to decide the type of the vlog you want to create. So, where to start? You have to come up with some points, such as what you will be doing in your vlogs, what you will be sharing, what your style will be, if you will include your family members or friends, and what the specific topics will be (for example, a travel vlog or a food vlog). 

Most vlogs are a mixture of different kinds of everyday activities. Initially, you can show activities of your daily life, such as cooking, exercising, traveling, and so on. After getting more subscribers and likes, you can add cool stuff and incorporate some fresh and fun activities to make your vlogs more interesting.

There are many people who prefer to watch vlogs of people they can relate to, so don’t worry about who will watch these videos. Try to keep it a little funny and motivational. There are so many ideas and topics to make for a vlog, but still, if you are facing a problem and feeling out of ideas, check what other vloggers are doing and what is trending in the vlogging communities. You will find much inspiration before you start your vlogging career.

You might be thinking about how frequently you need to upload videos. Don’t worry. We’ve got you covered! We suggest you create a few vlogs per week, then compile the clips to create a weekly vlog. Making and uploading vlogs on a daily basis can be really time-consuming, as initially, you might not get used to the overall process of uploading a video. You have to be regular, consistent, and decide how often you’re going to upload your vlog.

Now that you have the right idea and the direction you want to take your vlog, you want to increase its popularity. You have to find your target audience. 

Understanding your target audience, visitors, or customers in any business is very important. The same is true with vlogging. You have to clear your mind and focus on attracting specific audience and viewers, as they will engage more with you and your vlogging channel than others. You have to do this while promoting your vlog as well.

2. Creating your YouTube channel

YouTube is the most popular vlogging and video content platform. You have to create an optimized and attractive YouTube channel. The overall process is simple, but still, we will guide on how to create your YouTube channel. Ready? Okay! 

So, create your YouTube channel by going to https://www.youtube.com/create_channel; you need a Google account in order to proceed.

While creating your YouTube channel, the first thing you need to think about is your channel name. You already have an option of using your own name, but instead, you should try creating a new name suitable for the type of channel you are trying to create. There are some people who use their own name for their YouTube channel. Some of them are Logan Paul, Shane Dawson, and The Rock. If you are already popular enough, then using your own name as the channel name can be a right and fruitful decision, as your complete channel will come up if anyone searches your name on YouTube.

Make sure your channel name is unique and does not sound very similar to any other channel on YouTube. If you are still confused on how to choose a name for your YouTube channel, then keep it simple and natural. Choose whatever you feel, but keep it in line with the type of content you want to promote. You have the option of changing your name in the future, so initially, if you don’t want your family, relatives, or friends to find you on the platform, you can use any name.

After choosing your channel name, you have access to the options to customize your YouTube channel. Select “your channel” from the icon in the top right corner. This will direct you to your official YouTube channel page, where you have the option to customize your channel icon and channel art. 

Now you have to select your profile picture. You can use meaningful, relevant photos as your profile photo. For example, if you’re going to make a travel vlog, then you in an extremely beautiful location can be your profile photo. If you’re going to make a fitness vlog, then you with some gym or exercise equipment in your hand could be a good choice for your profile photo. 

If you still don’t want a picture of you used as your profile photo, then you can also use any kind of logo or design created by you. There are many logo makers available online, and you can create your own awesome-looking logos with a few clicks . Easy peasy! Some are Wix Logo Maker, Tailor Brands, Canva, Free Logo Design, Crello, GraphicSprings, LogoMakr, Ucraft, etc. 

Make your logo or profile picture impressive and awesome. Upload it, and Youtube will take some time to process it. After that, your new YouTube channel profile picture will be ready. 

Now you have to create your channel art by clicking on the “customize channel option.” Again, you can use the tools and websites, like Canva, Crello, Tailor Brands, and many more. The width of the channel art is bigger than the profile picture, so it covers your device screen and plays an important role in grabbing the attention of the audience or viewers. So, it is really important to create eye-catching YouTube channel art. It is the first thing your viewer will see after opening your channel. It will help in converting your viewers into subscribers.

After you create your beautiful and eye-catching channel art and upload it, YouTube will give you a brief warning about the display of the channel art of your channel across various devices, such as television, desktop, or mobile phones. Don’t worry about this, though.

After setting up your profile picture and channel art, it’s time to optimize your channel description. You can access your channel description and change it under the “about” tab of your channel landing page. A detailed and optimized channel description is the best way to attract your target audience. This is a place where you can do your search engine optimization kind of stuff; always remember your niche-related specific keywords and repeat them for a couple of times.

While creating your vlog channel, you have to describe yourself in small sentences. Just give a quick introduction, share your locality if you want, share your hobbies and your interests. You can also share your work experience or profession, but try to keep it simple and short. You need to describe the content of the channel, the purpose of the channel, and what viewers should expect from your channel. At this point, you have an option to reach out to your audience and make them prominent subscribers. 

3. Getting the right equipment

Getting the right equipment set is important, as it makes your videos crisper and clearer, high-definition, clear and loud audio, and a good viewing angle. Most viewers like to watch videos in high definition and skip the videos with bad quality, irrelevant to the content. 

Every beginner does not have a good budget to buy the high-end equipment and start their YouTube vlogging career. If you are a beginner, then don’t worry; we got your back and can direct you to the right equipment in a low budget. Ready for more? Let’s go!

Buying expensive equipment is not necessary and not important, but what you require the most is a good camera. The quality of the video is the first thing every viewer sees. Just do good research and find the best vlogging cameras which suit you and which fit in your budget. To see your viewing angle and yourself in the right frame, the flip screen is the best required feature. It is very beneficial for making sure that you are in the right frame and in focus. There are many great flip-screen cameras available in the market, such as Fujifilm X-A5, Sony Alpha series, Sony Cybershot series, and Canon EOS M50. Choose one and start shooting your vlogs.

The other thing the viewers focus on is the audio quality. Audio quality is required to get your viewers and subscribers to stay tuned. A high-quality mic is required for great audio and sound quality. But you can get a really good quality mic in the low budget after quick research, such as Secure 3.5mm Lavalier Omnidirectional, PowerDeWise Professional Grade Lavalier, Samson Go Portable Mic, and many more. If setting up these things initially is getting difficult for you, then you can borrow or rent some equipment from any of your friends who have them.

You have to be creative and use your resources completely. For example, if you have a camera, you should know every detail or feature, so that you can get the most out of it. You can build your own tripod initially with some stuff, like books or small tables as per your requirement. 

When it comes to editing the videos, there are various free as well as paid software and tools available online. You can use them freely for the long term in editing your videos. As soon as your channel grows and gains popularity, you will automatically know what can be important for you and what you will be required to buy. So, keep it simple and cheap in the beginning. You can’t go wrong!

4. Preparing your content

Now you get to use your interesting and awesome ideas in your vlog content. You have to prepare what you want to deliver and include in your vlogs. Write down the different ideas and thoughts that you may come across each day to implement them in your vlogs. Create a plan, a strategy to upload your content on a weekly or monthly basis. 

Preparing a plan and working on it will definitely decrease your pressure and keep things in order. In this way, you can also analyze the results, the number of subscribers gained, the likes, and the comments, and work in a more efficient way.

Speaking confidently and sharing your thoughts and ideas in front of the camera can be difficult and annoying in the beginning. So, you may have to practice the recording session for a while so that you look confident, charming, and happy in your videos or vlogs. Remember, practice makes perfect, so initially, you have to practice adding all the ingredients in your vlog that you want. After you get everything in order, you are ready to record your vlogs. Don’t be shy! Go for it!

5. Filming your vlog

Now that you are confident enough about the setup and equipment and you know what they deliver, it’s your turn to record your first vlog about one of the ideas you have and see what you can deliver. Making your first vlog perfect can be difficult and frustrating for some. Don’t worry; we will share some awesome tips that will help you a lot in overcoming some obstacles in your path to recording your first vlog.

You have to stay cool and calm. Don’t start overthinking and procrastinating. Just be relaxed and natural; don’t overreact. Start recording and speak the things on your mind in a clear, concise, and interesting way. Be consistent and spontaneous. This will help you a lot in your vlogging career. Don’t be a miser in preparing your video content and vlogs, as you have always have the option to edit them as per your requirement. Use a script or notes for guidance, but don’t read directly from them.

As discussed earlier, good audio quality is an important factor for YouTube videos or vlogs. So, speak a bit loudly and clearly and make sure you aren’t silent for too long. You have options to edit if you pause for some time, but still, it is not recommended, as it will take extra time in editing and removing that specific part. 

Also, you have to care about lightning and shadows, so try to make your vlogs in the day time or in the mornings. If you wish, you can invest in lighting boxes, but this will be an extra expense.

You will also want to make sure you’re filming in a quiet space, so little to no background noise if possible. If you live in a noisy house or apartment and the only quiet time you have to film is at night, then you will definitely need to invest in lighting boxes or other good lighting.

Try to create a small preview for your videos. Creating a small preview in the beginning or highlighting some of the main points of the vlogs can be interesting for your viewers to watch the complete video or the vlog. This also ensures that your viewers do not bounce back quickly after clicking on your videos to see it.

Vlogging can allow you to connect more with your audience and viewers than any other method, as here you have a great opportunity to relate yourself with your viewers and audience, and this will definitely increase your engagement level. So, don’t forget to interact with your audience and engage with your viewers. 

Ask them about their point of view related to any subject or topic, get to know them, where they come from, and remind them to not forget to like, comment, and subscribe to your channel. Ask them to share your videos as much as they can. Sharing is the ultimate way to gain popularity and subscribers in a short span of time.

Create and use your personal style of vlogging. Make it interesting and cool, and a small bit of motivation should also be added. You can use your personal sign-off phrase or gestures to keep things unique and memorable. 

Most popular and successful vloggers have their personal twist in their videos, something that makes you remember them. Personalizing your vlog can give it a different taste and look, which is very helpful for when you get really popular.

Make sure your vlog has a lot of interesting stuff, as most people watch Vlogs for their own entertainment and interest. Don’t be boring in any of your vlogs. I mean, who want to watch someone just sitting there and staring at the camera? But seriously, if you don’t have any funny, real, and interesting ideas and thoughts about the content, take a break. 

Interest varies from person to person, and you have to take care of that. You have to be original and somewhat different, as there are millions of vlogs. If your Vlog is too similar to others, then it will be difficult to grab the attention of the viewers and subscribers. 

You have to be genuine and act natural. Don’t overreact over small things. Try to gain interest from your followers. Doing this consistently will make your subscribers attracted to you. Try to be somewhat distinctive from the other vloggers, explore and try new things, but don’t try to change your hobbies or interests every time. Little things can make you confident and enthusiastic, and they also groom your personality and improve your vlogs.

6. Editing your vlog

Editing your recorded videos is also an important part, as you are now optimizing your video to upload it to your YouTube channel. If you have never used any kind of video editing software, then you will face little problem understanding how the video or the vlogs are edited, but as soon as you start editing your videos, gradually, you will get to know how things work. 

As a beginner, it is always recommended to use free tools and software available. You can watch tutorials to learn how to use that editing software and more tools if you are still facing problems.

Some of the best video editing software programs are Openshot, VSDC Free Video Editor, Movie Maker 10, Lightworks, Shotcut, Blender, HitFilm Express, DaVinci Resolve 16, VideoPad, and many more.  Just try hands-on work on any of these and choose what you like the most. There are many other free and paid tools available in the market; you can also try and check them out. So many choices!

While editing your video, try to eliminate the boring part as well as any pauses or long gaps of silence you might have taken during the video. It will improve your vlog and make it more interesting. If you forgot to add your personal touch, then try to add it in the beginning or the end. Length of your vlog may vary from time to time. For example, it will be short if you are making daily vlogs, and it will be longer if you are making weekly vlogs.

But you should try to edit and create videos that are not too short or too long. You need to verify your YouTube account via phone if your videos exceed 15 minutes. Making longer videos will only be beneficial for you if your vlog has gained popularity, and you have started monetization of your videos, as there will be more chances of inserting ads into it, and more ads mean more profit. And who doesn’t what that? Remember, to start monetization of your videos, you will have to surpass the minimum eligibility criteria provided by YouTube.

This is not recommended, but if you are too busy in your schedule and daily life and have a good budget, then you can hire an experienced video editor who will edit your videos on your behalf and decrease the burden on you. You have to make them understand how you want your videos to get edited, clearly, so you don’t have to give a final touch every time. 

It is worth mentioning that videos edited from an experienced editor are different from those edited personally. Experienced editors edit videos to look more interesting, eye-catching, and professional. But doing the editing yourself makes you learn the skill of video editing, as schools don’t ensure employment, but skill does.

We recommend you read “recommended upload encoding settings” before finalizing, exporting, and uploading your videos to YouTube. A fast internet or Wi-Fi connection is always recommended to upload your videos, as you have to wait longer if you have a slower connection. Investing in a fast internet provider company is best if you want to upload all your vlogs and videos right from your home.

7. Uploading your videos

It’s showtime! Well, almost. It’s time to upload your videos, as everything is finalized and set up. Now it’s time to show the world what you have edited and created. So, just open your YouTube channel and click the upload icon located to the right of the search bar. Then select or drag your exported video file directly into the upload box. Your video will start uploading, and after that, your video will go public after you click the “publish” button. You also have an option to upload your videos automatically at a certain time by scheduling them.

Now you have to choose or select an optimized title for your video. Make sure your title is short, that is, under 50 characters, a little descriptive, and eye-catching. The title should be a bit communicative and describe the content the viewers want to see. Try to make it creative and unique as, it’s a bit difficult to rank if you use the same titles as others. You should also use specific keywords in your title; it is also important from an SEO point-of-view.

Don’t use any kind of misleading titles to grab clicks and attention. If they click, watch your videos, and get to know the content is something else from what the title is, they will probably leave a dislike and negative comments.

Remember, they can also report your channel and videos, and if the reports are in large numbers, you will definitely get your channel banned from the YouTube community. Using such kinds of misleading titles is also known as clickbait. You should never try to fool your viewers and audience to gain popularity or fame. Remember, using a clickbait title can be a violation of YouTube rules and guidelines.

After choosing an optimistic title for your video or your vlog, your next step will be creating your YouTube videos or vlog thumbnails. Your thumbnail plays a major role in getting a click on your video. You yourself click on videos that have an attractive and interesting thumbnail. That’s what you have to do; you have to create eye-catching, interesting, and attractive thumbnails to use on your vlogs. 

It should be interesting and related to the topic of your video. For example, if you are making  bike and automobile vlogs, then you can use beautiful cars and bikes with edited pictures in your thumbnails. You should be making thumbnails that make people curious to know about the content and information of the video or the vlog. Here also, you have to remember not to use misleading thumbnails or clickbait thumbnails, according to the terms and conditions of YouTube.

Next you have to write your video description. Your description tells YouTube what your video is about, so that they can rank it in their search engine. So, it’s also important to add a specific search-related keyword in your description. Try to write a short description of not more than 500 words and use relevant keywords in it. This also helps YouTube to recommend your videos or vlogs to the right audience. 

If you are still facing a problem in getting ideas to write your description, then you can check the description of more popular vlogs and vloggers and get an idea from them.

If you want to get an index in the YouTube search result, then you have to use proper tagging in your video. It is one of the most crucial parts of the ranking of your videos and vlogs as well. Try to use nonspecific words in your tag and words viewers or the audience may use to search on YouTube. There are some tag generator apps and tools available; you can use them if you don’t want to create and write tags of your own SEO-optimized tags.

8. Promoting your videos

You need to effectively promote your vlogs to get views and subscribers. Promoting your Vlogs is very important to give an initial boost to your channel and videos. There are various ways to promote your vlog, but we will discuss some of the most effective ways.

Social media is one of the most powerful tools to increase your reach and gain popularity; promoting your vlogs on the different social media platforms can increase your views and gain more subscribers. Share your vlogs on the different social media platforms as far as you can. Ask your friends and close ones to share your vlogs everywhere.

You have to build an audience that is loyal to you and keeps on engaging with every video. This can be a slow process but can benefit you in the long term. Building a regular and consistent audience will help you build a reputation on the platform and suggest your videos in the recommended section of the viewers. 

There are some important tips that will help you build a loyal and right audience for you. Create the content you want and analyze the reaction of your audience and viewers. Just get to know what they see and optimize your video according to it. 

Again, being consistent, planning a schedule, and working on it are some of the best ways to gain viewers and subscribers. You can do a collaboration with other YouTubers and vloggers. You might not be able to collaborate with popular YouTubers and vloggers, but still, you can collaborate with other YouTubers having slightly more subscribers than you. You will grow mutually with your partner. 

Learn YouTube SEO optimization as in-depth as you can. This will definitely help you a lot, not only in vlogging but in understanding the whole YouTube platform, how the videos rank, what to use, where to use, and many more things.

Join most of the vlogging communities and start engaging with more audiences on different social media platforms. You have to keep your engagement level high, as this is the only way to get an increase in your interaction and build your acquaintances. 

Don’t forget to ask your viewers to like, share, comment, subscribe, and press the notification bell icon for the latest updates at the end of your videos. You got this!

9. Let your channel grow

You have to keep going for a while and let your channel grow for more than a month. During this duration, try to understand everything that makes your vlogs popular and what doesn’t, what is the best thing for your vlogs, what is the style in which you look most comfortable in your videos, and many more things. 

You can regard this time as your practice session. Don’t use your every card, every trick, or any ideas quickly, just one after another; give it a break, make changes, or take action when you feel it’s the right time.

As we said earlier, being consistent always helps gain more viewers and subscribers; this is because YouTube also likes to rank the channels and videos that are regular and consistent in uploading their videos or content. You will never know which morning you will find your videos on trending. None of the most popular and successful vloggers expected this when it happened to them, so be patient, work on uploading videos, and improving their overall quality.

10. It’s time to monetize

You can earn money from your vlogs by monetizing them with the help of the YouTube Partnership Program. You will show ads before or during the videos. Before joining the YouTube Partnership Program and be able to start earning, you have to apply for it and get approval. There are two minimum eligibility criteria or simply the requirements to become a partner with the program and start earning. First, you should have more than 4,000 public watch hours in the last 12 months, and secondly, you should have more than 1000 subscribers.

Monetization is not the only the way to earn from your YouTube channel and videos. It’s not? What else? Let me tell you! You can also try affiliate marketing by sharing the link of the product you’ve reviewed in your description box. 

You can also find sponsors and reach out to them and ask them to sponsor your videos. Don’t fear the rejection; just try it with different companies. It’s up to you how you utilize your popularity and fame to earn from your YouTube channel and vlogs.

So, these were the important steps along with the guide of to how to start a vlog and become a YouTube vlogger. You finished this article. Congratulations! Remember, there is great earning potential in YouTube, which is very same as the earning potential in blogging. 

Vloggers create a good sense of community. Most of the successful vloggers always help their country or anyone fighting for their rights, and that’s the reason why they are loved so much. With that note of inspiration, go out there and do likewise, my friend! Reach high!