YouTube has become much more than just the part of the internet where musical parodies, candid camera style bloopers, and cute cat videos reside. YouTube is a hub for education, a source of inspiration for creators, and an online community of over a billion users—and most importantly, a dynamic marketing tool for you or your small business.
Getting started on YouTube may seem daunting at first—but it’s really fairly simple. You know your brand and your audience better than anyone else and once you have some content to accompany your vision, you’re ready to go. Go where? If you’re wondering this, don’t worry. We’ll break it down for you.
Where Do I Start?
Every good video starts with a great intro. Something unique to you, that will engage your audience and let them recognize you or your brand. A creative way to hit the ground running with this concept is to have a catchy intro track. To give you some inspiration we’ve got our very own top twenty tracks tailored perfectly for YouTube intros and outros.
Remember to pick out something not only that you enjoy hearing, but that your audience will be bopping their heads along to as well.
Keep Up The Pace
Once you’ve got your intro and outro in place—and the substance of your video composed together—you want to make sure that the pacing of your video will keep your viewers eyes on the screen. An easy way to do this is to pair up your visuals with audio that matches the tone you want your video to have. Using an After Effects Template or a template for another video editing software can provide the novice filmmaker with a foundation for a perfectly timed video. You’ll get professional grade footage and motion graphics cued up to a track and ready to be customized with your content.
For example, if you’re addressing something serious, it may be beneficial to add a slightly somber background track to really pull your audience in. If you’re showcasing a fun new product or revealing some exciting information, an upbeat, cheery track will do just the trick. Your audience is more likely to remember the content presented in your video if they’re able to associate it with the mood of the music. If you’re unsure how to match audio to your video, we have an easy guide on the practical uses of music in YouTube videos for you to check out. Like we said, we’ve got you covered.
Get Your Accounts in Order
Before you begin uploading content to YouTube, make sure you have the right accounts set up. YouTube is streamlined through Google, which means all you need to do is set up your Google account, and you’ll be able to access and manage your YouTube channel right from there.
Uploading to YouTube
You’re logged into your Google account and now you’re ready to start uploading videos to your channel. Head on over to YouTube and log in there with your same Google account. In the top right hand corner, on the main landing page, you will see a symbol with an arrow pointing upwards. This is the upload icon. Click that and you will be redirected a new page where you will start the upload process.
Select Your File
You’re almost there! When you are prompted to select to upload, find your video on your computer and select it. From here, you need to decide what file type your video will be uploaded as. Public, Unlisted, Private or Scheduled are the options you are given.
– If you select Public, then your video is accessible by anyone and everyone.
– Unlisted means that anyone with a link to your video may view it. Otherwise, it is undiscoverable to the wanderers of the internet.
– Private is self-explanatory, but differs from Unlisted because Private videos are only seen by users who you allow to see it. They also do not appear on your channel.
– Scheduled videos are uploaded to your channel, but do not become public until the time of publishing that you choose. This would come in handy for a video campaign or an episodic channel.
Add the Finishing Touches
As your video uploads, go ahead and pick out a fitting title for you video. It’s important to have a title that’s creative while still accurately describing what the video is about. You don’t want your audience to skip over your video because your title is misleading or confusing. The title is also what Google will rank when determining relevancy for search result placement, so it it’s a good idea to include essential keywords in your title.
This is also the time to add tags, chapters, and a description. Your description should include a brief summary of what viewers can expect to see, along with any keywords that would be relevant as search engine terms. The last thing you should do is pick out a thumbnail image for your video. YouTube will generate three for you to choose from, but you always have the option to upload your own as well.
It’s time to check out the finished product! When your video upload is complete, navigate back over to your channel’s page. You should now see your YouTube channel, complete with your most recent video upload. Your video now has its own unique URL—perfect for sharing on social media. And as you think about what videos to upload next, read up on how to take your watch time to the next level and retain an even greater percentage of your audience.
Our libraries are full of killer audio, footage, and After Effects Templates for your next YouTube hit. So—what are you waiting for? Get creating!
