People turn to sites like YouTube countless times each day, searching for videos on various topics, including vegan recipes, product hauls, and personal vlogs. As a result, it can seem like there’s a never-ending stream of content creators producing videos, even just within your chosen niche. Regardless, the beauty of the internet is that it’s hard for things to get too crowded—there’s plenty of room for you to start a YouTube channel, too.
Elaborate upon your niche.
Since you’re reading this particular article, we can safely assume that you want to create a channel dedicated to all things vegan lifestyle. This is already a step inward from the more general “lifestyle” genre, but it still leaves room for a narrower focus. For instance, would you prefer to post more recipes or vegan beauty hauls? Will you talk about your personal journey through veganism or engage in consistent activism? Of course, you can include videos in these other sub-genres. However, by niching down to something a little more specific, you can give your soon-to-be followers a better idea of what’s to come.
Make a list of content ideas.
For the sake of an example, say that you’re going to focus on vegan food and recipes, in particular. In brainstorming potential video topics, you might decide to share the steps behind your go-to sandwich, explain how vinegar or lemon juice can help create vegan buttermilk, or prove once and for all that plant-based meals have plenty of flavors. Then, you could set out to determine the best vegan mayo, trying to taste test various recipes and popular brands like Only Plant-Based, Just Mayo, Vegenaise, or your local store brand. In each of these videos, you can eventually feature cards linking to previous content related to the topic at hand, keeping viewers around a little longer.
Create your new YouTube channel.
It would be awfully difficult to start a YouTube channel without first signing up for an account. Of course, you already have a log-in if you already use Gmail, Google Drive, or another Google service. Still, you may want to create an entirely new account dedicated to your YouTube channel and related projects. Once you’ve made your channel, you can set to work branding it. Fill out your profile and add YouTube channel art like a profile image or banner. You’ll want to make sure that anyone stumbling upon your channel instantly connects your YouTube banner and other channel art to the topics you’re covering—the same will be true of your thumbnail images when you start posting.
Do your research.
The first time you do anything, it won’t be perfect, and a brand-new YouTube channel is no exception. There’s a lot to learn, and you’ll slowly improve and gather skills as you practice. However, it’s still important to do initial research into your chosen topic and YouTube best practices. For instance, you don’t want to mistakenly suggest that mayo is vegan (referring to the non-vegan mayo, of course), and you don’t want to cut off your head in filming your very first video. Make sure that you know at least the basics, and you’ll be ready to film and edit your first few takes in no time at all.
Like any new skill, you’ll have to practice being a YouTuber before you start getting good at it. However, you can set yourself up for success by clarifying your niche (whether that’s an ode to vegan mayonnaise or your life as a gluten-free vegan), utilizing templates and other tools for your channel art, and doing plenty of research before you dive in. You never know—you may very well become someone’s favorite YouTuber very soon.
