how to make my blog 28 Tips To Start A Vlog And Make Videos Like YouTube Stars how to make my blog

More than 1.5 billion people visit YouTube every month. Viewers spend over an hour a day watching YouTube on their mobile devices alone.

Facebook is huge in video and live streaming too with more than eight billion video views and more than 100 million hours of video watched on the platform daily.

On top of that there are live streaming platforms such as Twitter’s Periscope, Amazon’s Twitch and many more.

Without creating video content you are losing out on this great opportunity to get loyal fans.

Bloggers that use video well have a better chance of building a large audience and differentiating themselves from competitors.

This guide provides you the information you need to boost your video blogging efforts and create videos like a true YouTube star.

Should I start a blog or a vlog?

First things first.

How does one make the decision between video blogging (vlogging) and more traditional text-based articles?

I say, why decide at all?

Combining text posts, images and videos gives you more flexibility in the way you present your content, it creates a better user experience and gives you a bigger reach.

In order to do this you need to have a blog as a hub where you publish all of your content.

Use WordPress to start one.

It’s a free, open source platform that can be easily integrated with YouTube videos, and more than 25% of the whole internet is powered by it.

WordPress needs a domain name and a web space to work.

A domain name is the address people will type in their browsers to get access to your site, and the server space is where you will store your content so it is accessible to everyone online.

There are many very capable and very affordable providers for hosting your site.

I recommend Bluehost.

They offer a free domain name, 24/7 live support and WordPress recommends them.

More than 2 million WordPress blogs are hosted there.

And you can get hosted at $2.95 per month.

Click here to get started now.

It will take you 5 minutes to get your blog online with the 1-click installation feature.

Follow this process:

Disclosure: I do earn a commission if you sign-up using my link at no additional cost to you. Please know that I only recommend products that I find helpful and useful. If you do choose to buy through my link, thank you for your support!

Where should I host my videos?

If you are wondering which platform to use for video logging, YouTube is the obvious choice.

Thousands of YouTube stars around the world earn at last $100,000 per year from advertising revenue on their channels.

It is the favorite video site of the web.

They are also constantly innovating with support for 3D videos, 360 degree videos and more.

YouTube gives you immediate access to a global audience.

Don’t neglect Facebook though.

It is a wise marketing decision to distribute your videos on more than one platform and get additional reach.

Getting started: Tools for creating video content

It is easy to start and not necessary to invest in expensive camera equipment.

Try with basic equipment such as your computer camera or your mobile phone camera.

These days the technology is so advanced that you most probably have a quality camera in your computer or your phone.

Use software like Camtasia (Windows) and Screenflow (Mac) when you want to record your screen.

Use easy-to-use video editing tool like MovieMaker (Windows) and iMovie (Mac) when you need to edit the video.

Find a quiet space as you want the audio to be loud and clear, and take it from there.

It can be scary to record yourself at first.

Remember that no one was born with a great on-screen presence.

It takes time and practice to master it.

Try and record some videos just for yourself to watch back and learn from.

Script your video if that helps you be more confident.

A good place to start is screen capture videos.

They are the simplest to make.

You just record what you’re doing on your computer screen.

No need for a video camera or lights.

You don’t even need to worry about how you look because people don’t see you.

Screen capture videos are also surprisingly effective in terms of engagement.

Have a lot of footage from an event or a vacation but don’t have the skills to edit?

Try a tool such as Shred Video as it allows you to create a video from your footage without any know-how.

Need music for your video?

Try Jukedeck, a tool that uses artificial intelligence to create free and unique music you can use royalty free.

Optimize videos to get discovered on YouTube and search

There is no magic trick to guarantee that your videos will get views.

300 hours of video is uploaded to YouTube every minute.

Most of these videos go completely unnoticed.

There are some things that you can do to give yourself a better chance of getting views though.

Most YouTube users discover videos by using search, by recommendations and related videos.

You should optimize your channel and videos to have a better chance of getting in front of these people.

There are several factors that affect Google and YouTube search algorithm, related videos and recommendations.

These are the factors you should be aware of:

YouTube channel optimization

First there are some things you can do in terms of channel optimization. Follow this advice:

Number of videos. Size of your channel is important. Increase your video output and start building your video archives. Figure out the right publishing schedule and follow a content calendar to get your video count up.

The frequency of new uploads. The algorithm loves regular uploads. Consistent audience is built by publishing content consistently. Release your new videos often and on a recurring schedule. Tell your viewers about your schedule to build buzz and make them look forward to watching your new video.

Video quality. High definition videos are more prominent than low quality videos in search results. Shoot and upload your videos in HD format.

Number of subscribers is important as having a large subscriber base signals your influence. It also means that your videos will have an audience from the moment you upload them.

Steps to increase viewer action

Viewer actions such as subscribing, liking, favoring, commenting and sharing in social media.

First of all get viewers to watch your content for longer.

Then get them to take action after watching your content to signal the value that your content is creating.

Majority of viewers usually don’t take any action after watching your video.

For your content to spread organically you need to get more viewers to take action.

Get them to subscribe to your channel, like the video, comment on the video or share the link to their social media following.

Here’s how you can increase viewer action:

Ask people to subscribe. Simple ask them in your videos. Or use annotations to do it. Even add end-cards to your videos asking to subscribe.

Add a watermark in “InVideo Programming” settings of your YouTube channel. It adds a nice looking overlay on all your videos where people can subscribe.

Add a channel trailer that shows very prominently to your non-subscribers and encourages them to subscribe.

Give them an incentive to subscribe. Something like subscribe to “get a tip from me next week” or to “not miss a cool interview I am doing in the future”.

Link from your site. Embed your videos within your content. Have a call-to-action to subscribe to your YouTube channel on your site.

Encourage comments. Ask your viewers a question and tell them to leave their answers in the comments. Use the comments area proactively to create a community. Respond to comments. Integrate comments into your future videos. Do a Q&A session.

Cross promote on other YouTube channels and relevant websites. Reach out and get in touch with some of your favorite bloggers and vloggers. Try and collaborate with them by cross marketing each others content. You could add them to your “Featured channels” list and they will become one of the “suggested channels” to your subscribers.

Use playlists. Organize your videos into sets of themed videos by using the playlist feature. This doesn’t necessary have to be your own videos only. Creating collections of videos around your topic can boost views and engagement of your own channel and your own videos as people share the content to their own networks.

Optimizing your video metadata

Metadata is the information that surrounds your video and that helps YouTube figure out what your video is about.

Creating great videos that get embeds and links

Embeds and links count for videos too just like they do for the search engine optimization of your site.

Embeds and links to your videos from relevant and reputable sites make you more authoritative.

In order to get more embeds and links you need to create better videos.

Here is some advice on creating better videos:

Know your audience and what they want. Ask yourself:

What does my target audience want to watch? Look at search trends or what questions they ask in social media

Where is my target audience consuming content already? Research into your competitors i.e. the existing sites or YouTube channels that already produce the kind of content you are looking to do. Work out why a vlog is so popular and try to use such techniques in your own videos

These answers will lead you towards creating content that is interesting and valuable to people you want to reach.

Interesting, engaging and shareable content that people want is key to getting views.

Use popular formats of video content. There are the three types that work best on YouTube:

Entertaining. Fun, easy-going, not-too serious stuff.

Informational. News, content curation and other information. Product review videos are very popular. For example videos where people are filmed taking products out of the box. Similar with “haul” videos where people show what products they have bought in shops.

Educational. How-to guides, interviews, tutorials, reviews, and demos. According to Google 91% of mobile phone users turn to their devices to figure out how to complete a task they are undertaking and more than 100 million hours of how-to videos have been watched in the USA in the first five month of 2015. Home improvements, cooking and beauty are some of the most popular topics.

Be personal. Viewers can actually see and hear you.

Use this to your advantage and build connection and trust.

Look directly into the camera and speak directly to the viewer.

Be friendly. Be approachable.

Welcome the viewer. Say ‘you’ a lot. Ask questions. Talk like you would talk to a friend.

Make the start as compelling as possible. The first 15 seconds of your video are key.

The attention spans online are very short, people easily click on back button.

Try and hook the viewer in the first few seconds and spark their curiosity to increase the chance of them watching the full video and engaging with you.

Tell your viewer what you are going to tell them and give them a reason to stick around with you.

Use current and trending topics.

Keep an eye on the trending topics on social networks and big news in your field in general.

These are the topics that will have the attention of your target audience and you will be able to use their popularity to get some attention to yourself by tapping into them and creating content around them.

How to do video interviews

Interviewing people is one of the fastest ways to create video content for your site.

It also happens to be one of the easiest because, let’s face it, the subject does all the talking.

If you can find an expert in your niche who’ll talk to you, you can shoot enough material in 10 minutes to produce several high quality videos for your site.

It’s not hard to find willing interviewees.

Trade shows, meet ups, and conventions are all great places to find experts willing to share their thoughts.

You could even arrange Skype video interviews with subjects, and use screen capturing software to record the footage.

Generally speaking, people love to be interviewed.

But to get video interviewing right, there’s a few things you need to know.

Here’s 5 tips to make video interviews for your site run smoother:

Keep the questions secret. People that you’re interviewing will often ask you for a list questions in advance. It’s an understandable request, but resist if you can. Supplying questions in advance is a bad idea. Sure, tell them what the interview is about. But when you give out a list of questions, your subjects will often prepare themselves and memorize their responses. You’ll lose spontaneity and freshness, and the interview will look rehearsed.

Warm up and then go! Once the camera’s rolling, kick-off with some easy questions. “Did you see the new iPhone yet? Where did you get that purple sweater? Are you growing a moustache for Movember?” After some light-hearted back and forth, quietly swap in the real questions. Often, they’ll have forgotten about the camera and they’ll talk naturally for the rest of the interview.

Don’t demand perfection. Get over the idea that people need to be ‘camera perfect’. For most of us, being in front of a camera feels strange. While some people are fantastic storytellers, most folk need help to communicate what’s interesting about their topic. Prepare your questions well, to help bring the best out of your subjects. But remember, ums and ahs are perfectly okay – if anything, they make your content seem more authentic.

Know what you want. When you’re interviewing somebody for your site, always enter the interview knowing what story you want them to tell. Have a Skype chat or email exchange with them, before they’re in front of a camera. Do your due diligence: ask what they’re working on, and what interesting opinions they have, and agree in advance what you’ll ask them. During the interview is NOT when you should be deciding what questions to ask.

Don’t stop recording. Finally, once the questions are over, say “Great, that’s the end of the interview” but don’t turn the camera off just yet! Why? Because 9 times out of 10 the conversation will continue. This is a real professional’s tip, it’s so powerful! With all the “pressure” of the interview gone, your subject will usually breathe a sigh of relief and talk more freely. You’ll often get some of the best material of all when your interviewee thinks the camera’s switched off! (Obviously, make sure they’re okay with the footage you tricked them into giving you!)

How to make money with your vlog

The easiest way to start making money with your videos is through the display advertising YouTube automatically places on your videos.
Click “Enable” under “Monetization” within your YouTube channel settings.
Once your channel reaches 10,000 views, it will be reviewed to join the YouTube Partner program.
The alternative is to get funded directly by your true fans.
Patreon is a crowdfunding platform where hundreds of video creators make thousands of dollars per monthly directly through donations from their biggest fans.
Here are some of the biggest vlog money makers:

Kurzgesagt creates animated science videos and is making $30,000 per month from more than 7,500 fans.
The Rubin Report is a talk show about big ideas and free speech making $29,000 per month from just under 4,500 fans.
Rob Dyke creates scary videos making almost $18,000 per month from 4,000 fans.

Check out all the other options you have for making money from your vlog.

I hope this article has given you information you need to start creating your own videos.

Good vlogging!

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