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Vlogging has taken the world by storm, but with all of its popularity comes a steep learning curve. Here are 8 steps to help you get started in your own vlog journey – no matter what kind of camera or editing software you use.
If you are interested in starting a vlog, you can do so by following these 8 steps. You will be able to make money on your vlog and become famous!
Vlogging entails determining your preferred type of video material as well as the channel on which you wish to post your vlog. After that, you must shoot, edit, and market your material. You can even start vlogging for free if you have a smartphone.
Follow these eight steps to discover how to create a vlog.
1. Do your homework
Vlogging comes in a variety of forms, and the best way to find out which one you want is to do some research. A simple method to accomplish this is to go to YouTube and search for the topic you want to vlog about. YouTube is by far the most popular platform, with millions of videos in a variety of genres available.
Examine each video to see what you like and don’t like about it. Pay attention to the music, tone, and how much B-roll (additional material added to the main video) they utilize. Some films are very well-curated, while others need little editing and may be uploaded to the video platform fast.
The following are some of the most popular vlog topics:
- Travel: Whether you’re going on a worldwide vacation or trying out new restaurants in your area, you may utilize your travel films to record your experience. Epic Family Road Trip, a YouTube channel, is one example of this.
- In the cosmetics area, videos such as instructional, unpacking goods, and reviews perform well. Taisha is a well-known beauty vlogger.
- Travel may be included in the lifestyle area, as well as parenthood, health, fitness, and day-to-day living. Mossonyi is a YouTuber who discusses fashion, travel, and daily living.
- Gamer: Use a vlog to post your gaming video, but be sure to read the terms of service (TOS) for each game before doing so. Some people promote sharing, while others don’t. The Game Theorists are one example of this.
Lydia Diga vlogs on a variety of subjects, including travel and lifestyle.
2. Start a Vlog Channel
It’s more of a personal choice as to where you host your blog. Your target audience may prefer one platform over another, but if you can choose one that you already like, it will seem less like effort. If you hate publishing and engaging on a platform, it’s probably not the ideal place for you to spend your time. Some vloggers, on the other hand, will perform the most of their work on one platform and then distribute it across several channels.
YouTube
YouTube is a popular option for many vloggers since it is a platform designed especially for videos and is the oldest of its type. YouTube is completely free to use, and you can even monetize your channel with advertisements. You’ll need 1,000 members and 4,000 hours of viewing time in the last 12 months to do so.
While Lost LeBlanc has a big following on a variety of media, he prefers YouTube and spends most of his time there producing video and interacting with fans.
IGTV
Instagram TV (IGTV) is the social media network’s native video offering. The duration of videos in an Instagram feed is limited to one minute. If you utilize IGTV, however, your video may be up to 60 minutes long. Readers may now subscribe to get alerts whenever their favorite creators publish an IGTV episode.
Just above their stream, Instagram profiles have extra tabs, the center of which is for their IGTV videos.
Facebook Watch is the name of the video platform on the social media network. Material producers may submit their own long and short-form content, as well as professionally created content, to the site. Users may create watchlists, which are lists of channels that they subscribe to. This will not send them any push alerts when a new video is published, but it will generate a list of on-demand videos.
If you have a Facebook video channel, viewers may get notifications whenever you upload a new video.
TikTok
TikTok allows users to make short-form videos. Many users submit music-accompanied lip-syncing, comedy, and talent videos. Unless the user navigates away from the video, it will loop. To download the social network video app, you’ll need an iOS or Android phone.
Prank videos on TikTok tend to do well on the site.
Create Your Own Website
Hosting movies on your own site may work if you have the technological know-how and the finances to do it. However, you won’t be able to make use of the social sharing features of platforms like TikTok or YouTube.
Movies take up a lot of server space, which is quite costly, therefore it’s a better idea to store your videos on another platform and embed them into your own site. In this manner, you may have a vlog as well as a blog or website to direct visitors to.
Lifestyle Film Blog is a famous YouTube channel that also has a blog where they post their films.
3. Purchase vlogging gear
While vloggers may make videos using their smartphones, having the proper equipment might help you feel more inspired to make a video. To improve the production quality of your films, you may invest in lighting, a good video camera, and microphones. Each of these things may be purchased new or secondhand, depending on your budget.
Lighting
While a separate light source isn’t required while filming videos in natural light, you’ll want one for your films. On Amazon, you can buy lights for less than $30. Many vloggers utilize big ring lights, while others purchase clip-on ring lights to attach to their phones or cameras. A three-point light setup may be used if you have a specific area for your video shoots.
A three-point lighting arrangement is often employed by portrait photographers, but it may also be utilized for video.
Camera with video
If you want to capture video with your smartphone, consider investing in a gimbal such as the DJI Osmo. After watching some of my films, people are usually surprised to learn that I filmed them all with only my iPhone XS Max and a DJI Osmo. I like this arrangement since I go to some really remote locations (such as the Amazon jungle and rainforest or the Maasai Mara) where carrying a lot of stuff is a hassle.
If you don’t want to use your smartphone to make movies, you may invest in a high-resolution camera. If you do photography, many vloggers use a digital single-lens reflex (DSLR), but you can also use a mirrorless camera—both are digital cameras with a lot of options.
If you don’t have the technical ability to focus a picture, point-and-shoot cameras make it simple to produce excellent movies. A GoPro is a popular option for travel or adventure vloggers because of its durability and waterproofness.
Microphone
On Amazon, you can get a good vlogging microphone for less than $20. Some mics have a clip that attaches to your clothes, while others need a stand and may be attached to the camera or desk. The most popular vlogging microphone is a cardioid mic, which is a unidirectional microphone. It won’t pick up your neighbor mowing their grass outside since these only capture sound from one direction.
4. Compose Your First Vlog Script
Some vloggers don’t mind chatting for an hour, while others like to have whole scripts to follow. You may be in the center and like to stick to a basic plan. Instead of appearing like you’re reading, an outline will help you appear more natural on camera. The good thing is that you can easily go back and edit it out if you make a mistake while recording.
Three minutes of speaking equates to approximately 500 written words. This implies that if you spend too much time preparing by writing down every single phrase you intend to say, you’re wasting your time. You can fill in the gaps if you stick to a basic framework. The more you do it, the simpler it will get, so start writing your plan today and improvising the rest.
The plan should follow a logical progression of events. You’ll begin with an introduction that informs viewers who you are, why you’re vlogging, and what they can expect from watching your video. Your introduction should be brief. If it takes too long to get to the heart of your video, viewers will most likely abandon it. This usually takes less than 15 seconds.
The majority of the video should explain precisely what you say they’ll learn. While clickbait may work for certain vloggers, it is not a smart strategy to maintain a following. The titles of clickbait videos are intended to get viewers to click to watch the video. A viewer is more inclined to subscribe if you follow through on what you mention in your video.
This part of your video should be followed up by a conclusion. Summarize your discussion, provide a few takeaways, and conclude with a call to action (CTA). This CTA may be anything as simple as like, commenting, or subscribing to your channel.
A example script for telling your narrative on how you got started in your career.
5. Create a Vlog
If you follow a few simple principles, your vlog will be a lot more interesting. Don’t speak too quickly, don’t ramble, and utilize the finest lighting you can. You may wish to utilize B-roll if you’re making a vacation or lifestyle film. This extra material is intercut into your film to create transitions or to make your viewers feel as though they’re in the place you’re describing.
While recording your vlog, use the following strategies:
- Shoot horizontally: We live on a horizontal plane, staring at a horizontal frame every day. Unless you’re shooting for Snapchat or Instagram stories, you should never shoot a video vertically.
- Consider using a tripod: No one enjoys seeing a video when the camera is held by someone since it causes the footage to wobble. This may be avoided with the use of a tripod. Alternatively, if you’re holding the camera, you may purchase a gimbal to help steady the footage.
- Tell a story: The most successful vloggers use storytelling to create their videos. There must be a beginning, middle, and conclusion to every narrative. Tell your tale as though you were speaking to a close friend.
- Be true to yourself: Pretending to be someone you’re not is difficult. You’ll seem a lot more natural if you behave like you usually do. Be goofy if you want to be goofy. If you’re good at impersonations, use them in your videos as well.
- Look at the camera: If you’re in a “talking head” video where you’re seen talking to the camera from your shoulders up, make sure you’re looking at the camera. You don’t want to stare at the screen since it gives the impression that you are gazing down.
Casey Neistat is a great storyteller with over 12 million followers on his YouTube channel.
6. Finalize Your Vlog
Many new PCs come with video editing software like iMovie or Windows 10 Movie Maker preloaded. DaVinci Resolve 16, a free video editing software, is another popular choice. It has a premium version, but the free version will serve most videos. You may also purchase software like Adobe After Effects for a fee.
When editing, remember to prioritize quality above quantity. Consider what you should remove from the video to make it short—vlogs are typically 5 to 20 minutes long. You may pay someone to edit your films for you if you don’t want to do it yourself. Fiverr is an excellent resource for finding freelancers.
Freelancing.com is another popular freelancer option. While I can and have edited numerous videos, I no longer have the time or patience to do so. When I undertake sponsored trips, I utilize Freelancer.com’s “contest” function. I upload all of my material, provide a few samples of films I like, and freelancers fight for the chance to earn my reward.
I provide comments on entries throughout the competition, which typically lasts fewer than five days, so that I can create the ideal film. I often have many contributions that I like. Then I choose one winner and award a number of runner-up awards. As a result, I’ll end up with a number of excellent videos.
If the reward for my contest is $200 on Freelancer.com, I typically give $100 to each runner-up. Keep in mind that you are not obligated to choose a runner-up. I typically do this since I like many videos.
A sponsored film in which I entered all of the material I shot into a Freelancer.com competition. This was the winning submission.
Music
Because most music has a copyright, you won’t be able to utilize anything mainstream you’ll hear on the radio. You may utilize YouTube’s own music collection, or search Google for royalty-free vlog music. Some of these websites are free to use, while others need a monthly subscription. Because free sites are the most popular, you’ll probably have a lot of the same music as other vloggers if you go that way.
Sign up for a service like Epidemic Sound or Bensound if you want to include music in your videos. These are services that enable you to download royalty-free music for a monthly fee.
Filters for color correction
You may color correct your movie in post-production using the free edition of DaVinci Resolve 16. Color-correcting videos gives them a more unified appearance, so try to apply the same color-correcting filters on all of them. You don’t want one video to be cold in color (blue, green, or purple) and the next to be warm (red, yellow, or orange).
iMovie, a free video editing software for Apple users, may be used to color correct.
7. Post Your Vlog
You’ll need to come up with a title, description, and thumbnail picture once your movie has been edited. Some vloggers use a commercial service or YouTube’s automated captioning function to generate captions.
Title
Clickbait is effective, but only for a limited time. The title of your video should clearly state what the video is about. You’re unlikely to acquire a new subscriber if you don’t do so.
“Where to Find the Finest Coffee in New York That Isn’t Starbucks,” for example, or “The Best Books to Read if You’re a Female Entrepreneur,” are two of the best titles.
Description
Your description should include keywords and be accurate. A keyword informs search engines and the site on which your vlog is hosted about the video’s subject matter. Any links you mention in your video, where viewers can follow you on other platforms, and where the music in your video comes from are typically included in the description.
Thumbnail
Your video’s thumbnail is a tiny picture or screenshot. You may make these thumbnails using either a free software like Canva or Photoshop. Some bloggers may just utilize a screenshot of a single frame from their video. Thumbnails containing text perform better than simple thumbnail pictures, as long as the text is big enough to read.
Captions
Rev.com is one of the most popular video transcription services. You may also hire a Fiverr freelancer to do the task for you. Viewers who are deaf or in public areas will be able to see your videos with captions.
A screenshot of a thumbnail with writing on it.
8. Market Your Vlog
Vlogging entails more than just recording a video and posting it to a website. To attract viewers and subscribers, you’ll need to promote your vlog channel and videos. You may market your vlog in a variety of ways, including partnering, running advertising, and engaging with other vloggers.
Use the following strategies to expand your vlog’s audience:
- Collaborate: You may do video collaborations with other vloggers or even work with companies. Influencer networks such as Famebit, Izea, and Perlu may help you discover brand collaborations. You can typically discover contact information for your favorite vloggers on their channels if you want to collaborate with them.
- Like and comment: Take the time to respond to every remark left on your vlog and be social on the platform you’re using. Other people may notice your comments on other vlogs and decide to check out your channel.
- Advertisements: You may use search engines and social media to promote your channel. Pinterest, YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram are all popular ad platforms. Both blogging and vlogging are popular ways to earn money.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires you to declare sponsored postings, so here’s an example of a sponsored video cooperation between Dionne Dean and Goodwill.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Is it too late for you to begin vlogging?
It’s not too late to begin vlogging. People will continue to seek answers and amusement as a result of this. Someone else will start a vlog to amuse and answer questions if you don’t.
What is the ideal length for vlogs?
The majority of vlogs are between 5 and 20 minutes long. However, other video sites, such as TikTok, specialize especially in short vlogs. Typically, these films are around 15 seconds long.
Conclusion
Starting a vlog is a fun method to amuse people while also answering their queries. You may vlog about travel, lifestyle, beauty, and gaming, among other topics. Many vloggers opt to distribute their videos on a variety of platforms, including YouTube, TikTok, IGTV, and even their own websites. You may have your first video online and ready to distribute across social media platforms in as little as a weekend.
