There seems to be a consensus that starting a YouTube

channel is no longer ‘worth it’ due to the fact that all of the

millionaires have already been born out of the platform. Yes,

it’s true that you have a better chance of making “fetch”

happen than becoming an overnight YouTube sensation, but

that doesn’t mean you can’t have your cake and eat it too. The

success of YouTube influencers of the past have made

marketers shift how they can potentially reach their audience,

so it’s actually a very relevant dream to have for your own

channel. The video platform has weaved itself into the

marketing fold of many businesses or really anyone looking to

share their voice with the world.

Here are the 11 steps you need to take in order become a

successful YouTuber:

Define what success means to you and remember it

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Develop your channel’s goals and content

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Map it out
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 Make sure your channel page is welcoming
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Mind your SEO

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Be consistent. Be-be consistent

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Get to the point

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Keep up with your niche

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Manage your community like a boss

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Spread the word with a killer website

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Learn from your analytics

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01. Define what success means to you and

remember it
Many define success monetarily, but there’s so much more to

it than money in the bank. If you make a ton of money doing a

job you hate, would you consider yourself successful despite

your lack of fulfillment? Success comes in different forms, and

it’s up to you to determine where you consider yourself

successful. If you define success outside of greenbacks for

your YouTube channel, remember that’s what you’re in it for.

Whether its a higher view count for your videos, more

subscribers, or just an overall increase of engagement across

your channel, keep this as your focus, anything else is just

bonus.

02. Develop your channel’s goals and content

YouTube is video. There’s a lot of good content, and a ton of

terrible content out there. As you create your YouTube

channel, keep in mind that developing your content is fun, but

it’s also a job. Here, you’re defining your channel's voice and

your content should align with it. Even if it’s just you and your

camera, you’re building your brand’s personality. The easiest

way to develop your channel is to be yourself. But what if

you’re not particularly interesting even though the content

you’re producing is? Well, then there’s nothing wrong with

being a little “extra” to add some pep to your videos. (Read: a

little – you’re going for pep, not obnoxious. Also, always

consider your audience.)

You’ll need to decide what type of content you will be offering

up on your channel. The range is huge, from how-to videos, to

humor, to reviews. Once you choose that, backtrack to see

how you can make the videos unique using your brand’s

personality. Depending on your channel’s content and niche,

you want to make sure you give yourself some wiggle room to

cover trending topics in your industry. If some big news breaks

out or there’s a subject you know others with similar channels

are talking about, don’t hesitate to ride the wave. It’s important

to stay relevant. Even if you’re covering the same topics as

others, it gives you an opportunity to add your valuable input

on a subject.

03. Map it out

Now with your content type secured, make a plan as to how

you will not only execute its creation, but everything in this

venture. Think of this as a business plan of sorts and return to

it every now and then to make sure you’re adhering to the

standards that you set up for yourself. You can also treat this

part as a checklist of the things you will need in the creation of

your YouTube channel, including any and all equipment you

will need to produce quality videos. This is also a good time to

figure out who else will be involved with the your channel, if

anyone. In essence, build a realistic timeline for your posting

schedule, gather topics for your content, and make sure you

follow this timeline consistently along your journey.

04. Make sure your channel page is welcoming

You know what’s not cute? An incomplete YouTube profile. If

you’re trying to make YouTube “happen” for you, be sure to

mind your p’s and q’s. Since the medium is a visual one,

presentation is key. Your profile photo or logo needs to be set

in the correct place and your channel banner image needs to

be the correct dimensions. Other things to think about are the

style of your video thumbnails. Do they have their own visual

style that you will continue to consistently reproduce? To

ensure all your elements are in place and are the correct size

take a look at our ultimate social media size guide. You’re

welcome.
05. Mind your SEO
Properly setting up SEO for your YouTube videos is beyond

important. Since you took the time to produce your videos

don’t start slacking now. YouTube is a very sophisticated

search engine, and people use it a lot to discover new content.

Which means that, by choosing the right keywords, you’ll

embetter your chance to be found, seen, and enjoyed. If there

are videos similar to one you’re looking to create, take a look

at the exact words you typed in for the results. Then try a

slight variation to see how the results change just so you can

see what a word or two of difference can make. Research the

keywords you’d like to use, their popularity, and the keywords

your competition uses.

06. Be consistent. Be-be consistent
It doesn’t matter how many of these articles about being

successful on YouTube you read through, you will always find

this one. You must be consistent to see any kind of success.

It’s that or hedge your bets on instant viral success. Don’t get

me wrong, that would cool, but the viral route is not a

guaranteed one in the least bit. No matter what type of content

you’re producing, stay consistent with your timing and type.

Set a schedule as to when you will release your videos and try

to stick to it. Consistently releasing videos on the same day

and time not only tells your audience when they can expect

your new content, but it gives you a schedule to work with and

abide by. Consistency isn’t just about timing. It’s about

ensuring steady, on-brand content.

Let’s say you follow a baking channel on YouTube and it’s

your go-to source for all things baking, but the latest episode,

without explanation, is all about their trip to a monster truck

rally. (Really?) The stark contrast in content, especially without

warning, is jarring and will leave your loyal viewers confused.

If you want to experiment with your content it would be wise to

give your audience a heads up first..

07. Get to the point

You know what’s absolutely, completely unnecessary for a

YouTube video? A five minute explanation for something you

can (and intend to) show your viewer that only takes 30

seconds. Sounds funny when worded like that, right?

Unfortunately, this is terribly common. I’m sorry, but people do

not have time for you to waste their time, so just get right to it.

If you release how-to videos, it’s an absolute must to get to

your point as soon as you can. Explain what the video is going

to be about and then dive right in. The point of a video is to

“show” your viewer something (If they just want to listen, they

would listen to a podcast.) Of course, there will be instances

where further elaboration or troubleshooting may need to be

mentioned, but save that for later in the video. Your audience

will thank you.

08. Keep up with your niche
When presenting (recording) to your audience, you want to be

seen as knowledgeable about your industry. This entails

staying up with news about your niche and your video making

peers. Keeping up with the news and happenings of your

industry (including your competition) allows you to make

relevant and fresh content for your viewers. By watching your

competitions videos you can see the points and opinions they

make before you make your own video. Allowing you to follow

up with your own counter argument (if you live for drama) or

your own spin to keep it unique. This will also help to establish

yourself as a “go-to” channel for someone who wants to stay

up to date with a certain subject.

09. Manage your community like a boss

If you measure success by subscriber count, your subscribers

are basically gold, so be sure to treat them as such. This goes

beyond just answering and liking their comments. Community

management can be a job of its own. A great way to engage

with your community instantly is to host a live stream. Live

video is becoming increasingly more popular, as it allows you

to interact directly with your viewers and shows a more

candid, off the cuff presentation. This platform is also great for

hosting Q&As so your audience can get answers to their

burning questions right then and there. You can also flip it and

ask your viewers to leave questions in the comments which

you can then answer during the session. This may be an

article about YouTube, but you should definitely also engage

with your community on other social networks as well. Plus, its

a great way to take advantage of multiple platforms and tap

into new audiences. Being socially present on multiple

networks shows that you are availability and committed to

your community.

A couple of ways to grow your community include:

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 Always make sure to link from one social network to the

other. A properly placed CTA in your videos can help you

achieve this action.

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When releasing a new video, announce it on all your other

channels. Plus: don’t forget to add a link to your latest vid.

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Create a blog to keep your community interested.

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Start a forum to keep the conversation going.

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Send out newsletters using Wix Email Marketing to promote

your weekly blog, announcements or updates.

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10. Spread the word with a killer website

When your primary content is made for YouTube, it’s hard to

give your brand another home. Sure, you can share your

videos on other social networks, and you should, but a

stunning video website should be your YouTube channel’s

home away from home. The great advantage of a video

website is that you’re the owner of everything on your website.

Essentially, you’re not confined to what a social media

platform has to offer. Therefore, your site has all the benefits

of YouTube without any of the limitations. With Wix Video, you

can easily sync your YouTube channel to your site, enabling a

smooth integration of your videos into your website. That

means, more views on your videos straight from your site.

From your site, you have the option to sell your videos, rent

them or even set up a monthly subscription plan. Best of all,

it’s all free.

11. Learn from your analytics

Even the best can do it better. YouTube offers up a dedicated

analytics section for your channel so you can see how your

videos are performing. Analytics will allow you to get insight on

the people who are watching your videos, which allows you to

hone into your target demographic even further. It will also

give you a better idea as to why one video may have

performed better than another. Basically, it’s a powerful tool

you should take advantage of for your budding channel.

By Blake Stimac

Community & Social Media Manager

#SocialMediaInfluencer #SocialMediatips #Youtube