How To Get Started With Vlogging

The past decade has witnessed the monumental rise of YouTube, an online video-sharing platform where everyday people can share their day-to-day activities. Users are able to build an audience and potentially earn money by giving access and insight into their daily routines, exciting viewers along the way as what they see on screen relates to their own lives.

With such a competitive landscape of creators vying for content supremacy already on the platform, attempting to get your feet wet in the world of vlogging can be intimidating and seem like a daunting task. Whether you’re wanting to vlog as a means of storing your priceless memories or seeking a way to do away with your 9-to-5 job and self-finance yourself, there are a few things you should be aware of before dabbling into this fancy, digital world.

In this article, we’ll walk you through some of the fundamentals you’ll probably want to know about before delving straight into being an online video creator.

 

Equipment

Equipment-wise, you don’t need anything extravagant right off the bat, with a smartphone or a 5-year-old family-owned DSLR sufficing to start the race. If things start to take off, you can always upgrade later down the road. Additionally, if you envision yourself becoming a gamer or streamer, choosing to bide your time in front of a desktop for hours on end, investing in a high-quality webcam may provide more value as they tend to be more cost-efficient for sustained image quality. There are many easy to find webcams online and you can see more here which are not only suitable for vlogging but don’t cost an arm or a leg.

With the visual aspect out of the way, sound quality is also an element you should seriously consider. Like a starting camera, your microphone of choice need not have to be expensive, as a low-budget microphone such as the Boya BY-M1 can offer some serious bang for your buck.

 

Don’t Wait

When you feel a sudden itch to start, just go ahead and scratch it. You may find yourself waiting to get better equipment that you know for damn sure will take a while to get, and with this mindset, you might as well wave goodbye to those silver play button dreams, not to mention the cash in your wallet.

Owning a full set of the best equipment is not going to define you as a great vlogger. The best solution for those who find themselves paralyzed by the lack of shiny, expensive, high-end gadgets? Pull out your smartphone, which you probably already have, head out to a sunny spot, and press that record button.

 

Practice

Unless you were born with a microphone in your hand and public speaking skills flowing through your veins, being comfortable speaking in front of a camera will take time. Be patient if you want the messages you are trying to deliver to resonate in the ways you want them to. A natural appearance along with fluent speech is important in captivating your viewers in a positive manner.

Be sure to spend some time mastering the art of storytelling if you want to really generate audience engagement. Don’t overlook writing scripts or ideas down that you intend to add to your videos. They’ll help you stay natural and spontaneous while filming.

 

Edit

Choose an editing software that you feel comfortable with and stick to it. Not only will you be investing your hard-earned money, but you will also be investing your time as you continue learning the ins-and-outs of this editing.

The length of your videos may vary, depending on whether you’re creating daily vlogs or tutorials. In essence, YouTube is a video search engine with people looking for content-targeted videos, so be sure to get to the point if you want to stimulate the interest of your audience.

Edit your videos while keeping the attention span of any potential viewers in mind. Short, simple, and straight to the point content can go a long way, and you don’t want to lose your audience’s interest just seconds after they have clicked. Daily activity vlogs tend to have a longer leash when it comes to the overall length, but you’d be pretty hard-pressed to find anyone willing to spend an hour watching you watch your favorite Netflix series (even if it is Stranger Things!)

 

Successful Vlogging is all about content. If you enjoy cooking, introducing your family’s top-secret lasagna recipe to all the Italian food lovers out there should make for great content. Perhaps you spend a big chunk of your spare time reading books. A book review or a group gathering of other readers wouldn’t be a bad way of engaging other book lovers. Start off by following your passion. Once you’ve built up a following of loyal subscribers, then you can gradually move onto other new activities you think can spice up your YouTube channel.