Before the advent of social media, no one had ever dreamt of becoming an internet influencer. Sure, there were people who had a lot of influence, but no one could make million-dollar deals like today’s influencers. But with Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, social media influencers have become a new type of celebrity, a type that is infinitely more relatable and engaging than Hollywood stars and the like.
It’s no wonder that a lot of children want to become social media stars, specifically they want to be YouTubers. According to a survey, 3 out of 4 children between 6 and 17 years old say they want to be YouTubers.
Being a YouTube may seem like a life of outsourced video editing and endless flame wars in comments, but there is a lot more to it than that.
Learn why you may want to become a YouTuber and some solid tips on how to begin a vlogging career.
Why Become a YouTuber?
You may wonder why so many people may want to change their careers or become YouTubers. Why is it such an attractive job option, especially to younger people?
Here are some valid reasons to begin pursuing a career in YouTube.
- Express Thoughts
A common type of YouTuber is the reviewer or the reaction vlogger. A lot of people like to get things of their chest, express their thoughts on something they like or dislike. When done correctly, reactions and reviews provide a great way to share your emotions and theories. Many people often turn to their favorite YouTubers to validate their reactions.
Do you dislike “The Book of Mormon“? Do you have thoughts on the new “Fallout” game? Beginning a YouTube platform can be a great way to explore your emotions and thoughts on these things.
- Monetize a Hobby
Many people want to become YouTubers because it’s a valid way to earn a living while doing things you like. Gaming channels like Markiplier have earned millions of dollars while playing all sorts of video games. Other YouTubers have pursued vlogging to explore their hobbies as a way to make it their full-time jobs.
For example, Karolina Zebrowska is a big name in sewing and fashion history YouTube channels. She pursued these interests as a hobby before making them her profession. Viewed through this lens, YouTube become a great method of earning a living while engaging in topics and activities you like.
- Opens Career Options
As strange as it may seem, some people don’t want to become YouTubers as their goal. Rather, success on social media can become a stepping-stone to other career options. Many people have used their fame on social media platforms as leverage.
For example, author Xiran Jay Zhao began her career as a movie reviewer and commentator on the portrayal of Asian and Chinese culture. Her platform on YouTube helped open doors into publishing. Its clear that wielding influence or have a lot of subscribers on YouTube helps put your name on the map and boosts your visibility.
How to Get Your Vlog Started
If you want to become a successful YouTuber yourself, you can’t just take any ordinary video and upload it. Becoming a vlogger takes time, patience and skill.
From building up your subscriber count to coming up with engaging videos, you can use all the advice you get to successfully start such a career. Here are a few actionable tips on how you can get your channel started effectively.
- Invest in Equipment
No one wants to watch blurry and out of focus videos, although these did begin the entire platform. If you want to turn your vlogging into a profession, you need to invest in professional equipment. You don’t need to buy high-grade cameras and such things until you can reasonably afford it, but a nice microphone or a great editing laptop can help make your videos more watchable and palatable to audiences.
- Bring Something New
There are literally billions of users and millions of YouTube channels on the platform and many topics are already being explored, analyzed and documented by dozens of people. If you want to make a mark on the countless viewers who trawl through YouTube every day, you will want to bring something new to the table. This can be something big or something small.
For example, there are still topics that aren’t as explored as gaming reactions. Fashion history is still a relatively small segment of YouTube. Or you can add to an existing subset of vlogging. For instance, how-to-plays are a subset of the Let’s Play genre of videos.
- Use Hashtags
Just like many social media platforms, YouTube still uses hashtags to help sort and categorize their content. And just like on every other social media platform, if you want to succeed in expanding your engagement and your reach, you will use hashtags wisely. There’s more to hashtagging than using the popular words. You must also consider the timing of the hashtags.
For example, certain shows and games promote hashtags when they are released. Using them when they are still in demand can help push your channel to greater visibility.
YouTubers are often derided as not being real professionals. But when you take into consideration the amount of work it takes to ensuring your success in this field, it quickly becomes apparent that vlogging as a YouTuber can be considered a real career.