HOW TO BE SELF EMPLOYED – The Hard Lessons You Learn When Your Are Your Own Boss (EP011) // In the news – FairTube YouTubers Union. Podcast – Are you dreaming about shaking of the shackles of the 9to5 grind and becoming your won boss? Have you handed in your notice and just settled down to your first week of work? or are you wondering if its he right move for you, this podcast is for you. Today I deep dive into the hardships that come with going freelance/self employed and the things you might not have considered would be a hurdle in your new adventure.
Also in the news we talk about the #FairTube YouTubers how this will effect youtube and what I feel about in with a deep dive.
TWEET ME YOUR QUESTIONS USING #STARTCREATINGPODCAST – GET YOUR QUESTION ANSWERED ON THE PODCAST!!
How To Improve Audio Quality In YouTube Videos – Fix Audio Quality // Is your sound bad? Ruined a video because of bad audio? In this video I share with you my ticks and tips to get quality audio on all your future videos.
9 BEST Tips For Small YouTubers – (YouTube Basics For Beginners) // In this tutorial I touch upon all the important basics for small and new Youtubers from framing yourself in videos, b-roll, youtube ranking tips for youtube video seo and more.
1 – Framing – Are you framing yourself in your videos properly? I mistake often done by new and small YouTubers. Make sure you take up a large part of your video screen and not hidden in the bottom corner of your screen.
2 – Camera Shake – If you are out and about or if you are new and haven’t figured out a way to aim your camera at yourself…. try and think about camera shake. Tripods are great for static shots, or slow your walking speed down if you are vlogging on the go.
3 – Audio – YouTube Audio is important. Most people will forgive bad footage but they will NOT forgive bad audio. Avoid background noise and try to invest in a lapel microphone or shotgun microphone for static environments.
4 – Camera / Webcam – You don’t have to spend and arm and a leg on a camera. You can record videos on a webcam or even your smartphone. In fact these days a mobile phone might be better quality than most cheap webcams you can find online.
5 – Lighting – This can be a life safer and a time winner. For years I struggled with the sunlight and had to fight the clouds or the early dark evenings in autumn. But if you have your own lighting you can record whenever you want and without needing to be at the fickle mercy of the weather.
6 – Channel Name – This is an important part of branding. With a channel name you can establish a niche and/or a focal personality within your content. My channel name is my name, Alan Spicer, which means I will be the core focus. But if your username is something silly and childish with bad spelling, it might be hard to be taken seriously should you want to be in a more business focused mindset for your channel.
7 – Notes vs Scripts – I personally use bullet points to help me make my videos. This is a good way to structure your videos, stay on topics and help you learn Youtuber video content as a small or new youtuber. Scripts can be good as well, but try to avoid sounding like a robot as you read word for word from the script.
8 – Trim Your Videos – You might have an okay 14 minute video but its filled with gaps, ers and ums. These can ruin the flow of your videos and turn your viewer off. As a new youtuber or small youtuber you need to deliver your point as quickly and cleanly as possible so why not edit that 14 minute video into 7 minutes without the mistakes.
How To Delete Instagram Account on Mobile – Permanently Delete Instagram Profile on Android & iPhone // Closing your account to start again? Deleting your Instagram Profile and IGTV Account? Or closing down old Instagram channels you dont need anymore. Here is a step by step tutorial on How To Delete A Instagram Account with a mobile phone.
2ND CHANNEL? – Should I Have Multiple Channels? // I see so many open extra channels thinking the 2nd channel will help them expand in multiple niches but the flaw is this is the hard work it takes to grow 1 channel with regular content let alone 3. If you only have time to grow 1 channel, why open a 2nd new channel and double your workload?
Long term growth on any social media platform is hard and will take a long time to seed a foundation. This tends to be the reason many creators burn out and give up on their goals. If you are creating content just to hit a demographic or to chase trends then it can get soulless, it can get hard and it can become a chore rather than a passion. HOWEVER, you can avoid this pitfall from day one if you make your channel, your social media content or your foundation about something that you love.
Have you ever been around a Star Wars fan that loves it soooooo much that they just wont shut up about it? Imagine how much content they can make talking about their favourite franchise without feeling it’s a chore. Use that passion as the fuel that fires your brand and pushes you to make content for weeks, months, and even years into the future.
Mental Health, Mindfulness and YouTube // Depression, stress, anxiety and burn out are all real things when you take on Youtube as a full time job or hobby. Try and take some time to yourself and discover a way to unwind. I personally like time to myself, or in quiet places with loved ones. So in this case I was taking a walk down my local canal with the ducks and the friendly walkers.
What do you do to battle stress, depression, anxiety or burn out?
A thumbnail is important to stand out and get noticed on YouTube. You need something eye catching but not too weird!
Once you’ve created your masterpiece its time to upload the thumbnail! Learn how to add a thumbnail to your YouTube videos using your Mobile phone (iPhone or Android device).
Download YouTube Studio App from the Google Play Store. Open the App, Click on the top left menu, choose videos, find the video you want to edit, click the pencil icon, and in the thumbnail click the thumbnail again, click change and upload your desired thumbnail image.
You’ve probably heard this phrase plenty times – “Don’t judge a book by its cover”. Though these are words to live by, it is often the most neglected advice.
Every day, every minute, every second, your videos are judged by their thumbnails. In fact, video thumbnail plays a very important role in encouraging viewers to hit the PLAY button.
With so many videos on the Internet competing for attention, a video thumbnail can determine whether your video is watched or ignored, that is why use Adobe Express Thumbnail Maker.
Thumbnails are the most important aspect of any video’s release, other than the content itself. Seriously.
This is because thumbnails, in combination with titles, are often the biggest deciding factor in whether or not a person will click to watch a video.
These are insights gained from conversations with creators, reading the YouTube Playbook, and countless experiments with various design types, all while measuring the click through rates and performance of our thumbnails through YouTube’s TrueView advertising.
Add text to represent your video content
Your thumbnail should convey your viewer what they’re going to see in the video. This is why it should sync with the title, description and the content of the video.
A good tip is to include some text in your thumbnails. Platforms like Facebook have a restriction on the amount of text you can put into a video thumbnail, so keep that in mind!
In fact, you can also include some hashtags in the thumbnail. Compare the views of this Jimmy Falon video to others:
As someone who regularly watches videos on different platforms, I request you to avoid using click-bait video thumbnails. This causes a lot of annoyance to the viewer and give out a ‘cheating’ vibe. And this is not good for your brand.
In the not so distant future, platforms like YouTube and Facebook can slowly start identifying such users using machine learning, and start penalising them.
Make it visually appealing
Impress your audience at first sight. Use the right color palette, but also make sure it doesn’t end up too gaudy and bright. You can use some image editing tools like PlaceIt.
PlaceIt even has a huge gallery of templates to get you started. I have used PlaceIT for YouTube branding inspiration for years and its always a great way to research a starting design. Or you can buy templates for as little as $14.99.
Tubular Insights claim that something as simple as sharpening the edges can have also a subliminal effect on your thumbnail!
Include a human face to build an emotional connect
This usually makes people click you video because it makes them feel more connected. Once that connection is made, viewers are more likely to watch the entire video.
If possible, use a close-up shot because it helps the image stand out, irrespective of the device it is being viewed on. Look at the views on these BuzzFeed videos:
Tip: Based on what emotion your video is trying to evoke, use a face that exaggerates this emotion!
Brand your thumbnails
Given the real estate of the thumbnail, it can become difficult to add your brand’s logo. But try to include it whenever you can. This ensures your video stands out in a collection/list, and helps the viewer identify your content.
Branding and logos are essential for great thumbnails. A good logo for brand recognition helps your thumbnails stand out against other thumbnails on YouTube because it’s a clear signal to the audience that this is one of your videos.
Since your audience is easily able to identify the video as one of yours, they are more likely to click that video.
A/B Testing is the process of testing two variants of the same thing. In video marketing, this involves comparing two different versions of a particular video to gauge which one does a better job at attracting more YouTube views or engaging an audience.
Video makers need to understand that nowadays, it is no longer just about putting out great content but being able to market it effectively enough to continue organic growth over time.
On top of having great quality content, video thumbnails, tags and descriptions contribute to driving traffic as well. Oftentimes, having great content with poor video descriptions or thumbnails can spell the difference between getting more YouTube views or not, and that’s not the only factor.
Having the ability to do an A/B test on videos prior to publishing them live to check which version and setup works better for their audience is essential to success.
Sadly, YouTube does not offer a feature for A/B Testing as of yet for its videos. I use the A/B thumbnail tool from TubeBuddy to help me boost views, rank higher and improve my click-through-rate.
Why should I Carry Out YouTube A/B Thumbnail Testing?
To most marketers, video is time-consuming and expensive to produce.
Then why am I suggesting you to make multiple variants of your videos?
Because your video is useful only if people actually watch it. And honestly, video that isn’t increasing your viewer engagement is a waste of your time and money.
YouTube A/B thumbnail testing will tell you what factors in your videos influence the probability of the viewer watching the entire video. And you can then use this insight to make more videos that your viewers love!
In fact, brands carry out A/B testing video ads on Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook all the time to mazimise click-through-rate and conversions – more often than you’d imagine.
How do I know whether my impressions click-through rate is high or low?
What Drives Impressions? – When you upload a video, YouTube starts surfacing it to relevant audiences. Based on many factors, our system figures out which viewers are most likely to watch your video. The system continues to surface the video to audiences as long as it remains on YouTube.
How Do I Know If My Click-Through-Rate (CTR) is High or Low – Impressions click-through rate measures how often viewers watched a video after seeing a registered impression on YouTube. Some views don’t count towards impressions, like views on external websites or from end screens. Because of this, your impressions CTR probably represents a subset of your channel’s total views.
Impressions click-through rate will vary based on the type of content, audience and where on YouTube the impression was shown. Video thumbnails are always competing against other videos on the homepage, in ‘Up Next’, in search results and more.
Half of all channels and videos on YouTube have an impressions CTR that can range between 2% and 10%.
New videos or channels (like those less than a week old), or videos with fewer than 100 views can see an even wider range. If a video gets a lot of impressions (such as if it appears on the Home Page), it’s natural for the CTR to be lower. Videos where most of the impressions are from sources like your channel page may have a higher rate.
Ultimately, it’s best to compare CTRs between videos over the long term and keep in mind how their traffic sources will affect their CTRs.
Keep Learning And Grow On YouTube (DEEP DIVE) // The secret to non stop growth on youtube, life and business is learning. If you keep learning new skills, keep learning your niche then you can keep talking about it and teaching people. You can grow your channel and secure your future success by learning marketable skills that can add to your income.
Grow Your YouTube Channel While Learning – I have been on YouTube since 2012 and I strive to get better with every video. Every chance I get I listen to audio books, watch videos and experiment with new platforms to see how this can help my audience and expand my overall reach, and you should to!
Everyone has a creation story, every business starts from day one and today in Episode 1 of the start creating podcast I share with you how being a HUGE pro wrestling fan led me to being a Full Time YouTuber 12+ years later. This is the first of hopefully many many more Start Creating Podcast episodes to come.
TWEET ME YOUR QUESTIONS USING #STARTCREATINGPODCAST – GET YOUR QUESTION ANSWERED ON THE PODCAST!!
Need help is getting started on YouTube – Download my FREE 10 Tips For New YouTubers eBook – http://www.alanspicer.com/ebook
How To Change Channel Name on Mobile iPhone & Android // Change Name on Mobile and keep your channel name username up to date. A channel name username can help people find you and set up your brand, but if you get it wrong you might want to change it on your iphone, android smartphone.
YouTube Is A Marathon, Not A Sprint (Grow On YouTube) // To grow a youtube channel in 2019 and grow on youtube you have to understand and accept one very important fact – YouTube Is A MARATHON and NOT A SPRINT! For you to make a successful youtuber and be successful on YouTube you have to play for the long haul and the long term growth. Once you put in enough time, enough content to build a back catalog, and dedicated your time to learning how to make better videos…. only then will your channel grow.
YouTube Is A Marathon, Not A Sprint
You need to get over the numbers and you need to focus on quality content, within your set niche and pump out regular, reliable, helpful content that people search for and want to see. Once you finally commit to the long hard grind that is long term success on YouTube you will finally open your mind to the amount of work you need to put in to make it all work.
How To Make YouTube Videos // There is a lot that goes into making a YouTube video. How To Make A Video for YouTube is a skill you hone over the years that you make content and today I am here to show you how I set up my equipment, what equipment I use and how to get ready to make videos online.
Youtube Dark Theme – How To Use YouTube Dark Mode for Mobile (iPhone & Android) – Turn On Dark Mode – Desktop Dark Theme // Enable Dark Mode YouTube, black background, is a great way to freshen up your desktop and youtube mobile app. The new Youtube dark theme can be a good way to check your thumbnails pop and are eye catching. Some people call it YouTube night mode or the dark theme, the new youtube feature gives you choice and a new cool black look theme.
Instagram Removes Likes in Canada — Death Of Vanity Metrics? // Instagram to remove likes // Instagram is testing the removal of public like counts on Instagram posts in Canada. This could lead to the total removal of public likes from the Instagram platform world wide. Will other social networks follow their example?
I personally see this as a step towards a more socially responsible approach by social media companies. This will make likes private to the account holder and so would stop bullying or limit the damage that vanity metric can cause to users.
How To Add A Watermark To Your YouTube Videos (2019 tutorial) Add Your Logo To Your YouTube Videos! // The YouTube branding watermark is a great feature to add a subscribe button to your video, expand your brand and grab more subscribers. The youtube video watermark should be one of your tools to boost views and grow your audience.
Is it too late to start YouTube? In 2019 should you start a new channel? Starting a new channel on YouTube in 2019 should be less about going viral and making that YouTube money and be more focused on what you want from the platform and what you can do to add value to somebody. Are you starting a new channel to teach? Are you opening a new youtube channel to save your videos and make a diary? Are you coming to youtube to make marketing videos for your brand? As long as its not just a get rich quick scheme and there is true value behind your content for you, or your audience then its NEVER TOO LATE TO START ON YOUTUBE!
How To Feel Comfortable On Camera — Get Confident for Video // How to get comfortable // How to be more confident // And how to be good on camera, fight camera camera shyness — is a skill you have to learn over time while making videos on YouTube.
