Hello, I’m Maiku from Maiku Travels here to talk about adding video to your blog. I’m a travel vlogger based out of Toronto, Canada. In the near future, Madi and I will be doing a lot of videos together and she asked me to write a blog to help anyone that may want to start their own YouTube channel as well.
This guide is tailored for people that want to make this into a career and start adding video to your blog but there are also a few helpful tips for people that just want to share videos with family and friends as well.
If you are a travel blogger, or typically someone that loves travel. You might have noticed that everybody have started to focus their time on producing videos instead of writing, or you may have recently considered starting your own YouTube channel to supplement your blog as well. There is no doubt that video is the future of travel media, so I’m here to tell you what are the most important things you need to know before starting your channel.
Gear Doesn’t Matter
Your first instinct might be that you have to purchase the most expensive camera with the most expensive lenses in order to do great things on YouTube. What you may not have known is that the most famous travel YouTubers such as Louis Cole, Ben Brown, Nadine Sykora, and many more started with humble beginnings. All of the aforementioned youtubers had started with whatever they had at the time to create compelling content.
Ben Brown started with a GoPro.
FunForLouis used a $100 camera.
Nadine used the a Canon T3i DSLR when she begun.
Their channels grew over time and now they are using super awesome equipment, and you will too eventually. If I were to make a recommendation, use whatever you have right now. You probably have a cell phone with you that makes perfectly decent video. Once you understand the limitations of what you have, that’s when you should move up to the next level.
Talk To Your Camera Like It’s Your Best Friend
Don’t worry about being camera shy in the beginning or feeling unnatural when you are talking to your camera. That feeling is perfectly normal and everybody goes through that process in the beginning. The best advice is to talk to your camera like it’s your best friend and make sure you are look down the barrel of the lens instead of your viewfinder (or do what Casey Neistat does and wear sunglasses all the time on camera).
Be prepared to get funny looks from passersby when filming at your travel destinations. Most people won’t understand what you’re doing or just genuinely be curious. Embrace it. Overtime, you’ll learn to ignore all those people with judgemental stares and stop caring about what those people think.
Join And Learn From The Youtube Community
One of the best advantages about being a YouTuber is being apart of a community that’s supportive and collaborating together toward that same goal. Whatever struggle you’re facing in the beginning, feel comfortable knowing that there have been many people there before you. This is the best time to reach out to YouTubers you admire to ask their advice or opinions. It’s also a great way to bond with others who are just starting out.
Start by visiting your local YouTube Space or joining a Facebook group dedicated towards the videos you are trying to create.
What you will hear from everybody on YouTube is that the the best way to grow your channel is through collaboration with other YouTubers. The only way to learn and know what the best practices are, is by observing and imitating what your fellow YouTubers are doing.
The next time you are watching a YouTube channel, try to analyze how they are filming certain shots and how they are creating a cohesive story with limited tools and resources.
It’s A Marathon, Not A Sprint
Your next instinct might be to attempt to create a viral video so that you can get a crazy amount of views and collect that YouTube money. The problem with this type of thinking is that it is completely unsustainable in the long term and you never really know what is going to go viral and what will flop.
Many long time YouTubers have said that it’s better to prepare for the long term, and create a plan on how you can create consistent quality video content. As your channel grows, you will be able to take on more ambitious projects that may go viral in the long term.
What’s Your Story
This is the number one most important and hardest to master element in video creation. On YouTube, you will need to create reasons for people will latch on to your story and continue watching multiple videos instead of one.
I’ve made a simple batch of questions you should be asking yourself before you begin:
Are your videos suppose to be entertaining or informational?
Do you want the content to be about you and your experiences or the destination?
Do you want to be in front of the camera or simply an observer with voice over?
What are your special skills or is your content fitting a niche?
How long can you keep uploading videos on a consistent basis with your story?
My story is that I’m a fulltime YouTuber that creates daily vlogs about my life which is meant to be entertaining and showcase what my point of view is to the world. I love bringing friends with me on adventures and I hope my viewers continue to join me on my adventures through my videos on a daily basis.
I hope these five important things will help launch your successful career as a blogger and help you in adding video to your blog! For more tips and tricks, or if you simply want to be entertained 10 minutes everyday, check out my channel. Remember to like and subscribe! Cheers!
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