Hey, everyone! It's Rachel . . . and welcome back to my article. So, starting a YouTube channel may sound super fun and like an interesting way to spend your free time by filming, editing, and uploading YouTube videos. But it also may sound difficult and a little intimidating; so I am going to give you my tips and tricks for creating a really awesome channel that is easy to manage and resembles you.

1. All the Crazy Equipment...

All the way form Canon G7x to Nikon D3500, from MacBook pros to editing on your iPhone 7, you will need cameras and devices or laptops to edit and film your YouTube videos. You really don’t need super fancy equipment to make your videos absolutely stunning. All you need is a little creativity and a lot of hard work. For my YouTube videos, I presently use my iPhone 7 to film and edit my videos, and it works just fine. If you want your videos to look very professional and clean, then nice cameras and editing software can definitely help, but they are not necessary.

Pro Tip: Over the year I have been on YouTube, I have absolutely learned that lighting is key. For a lot of my videos, lighting is kind of dark and shady, and it makes a video quite unpleasant to watch. In my latest video My Room Tour, I was walking around my room, which automatically means that the lighting will splash back and forth from way too much light to way too little. If you are able to sit down and film in front of a window with nice and natural light, then you are totally set for a beautiful video.

Also, I would recommend purchasing a tripod if you are planning to film on a phone or camera so the video is not shaky but clean.

2. But Which Software?

There are two very popular editing apps that many YouTubers use for their videos.

iMovie is free and simple to use, a very basic but nice software. You can add text over videos, background music, and pngs or Picture in Pictures. There is not too much you can do, but if you watch a couple of videos on ironically, YouTube, then you can quickly get the hang of it. The only problem with this is that you need an Apple product to be able to edit with this app.

Film Cut Pro is used throughout many assortments of YouTube videos, and it is pretty nice, but I don't use it. You can use different fonts with your texts, and many varieties of sound effects. There are multiples of extra add-ons for your videos that you can explore. Now you may be asking yourself, “Why don’t you use this if it is superior to iMovie?”

Two  HUGE reasons...

1. It costs $300. Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t have $300 lying around.
2. You are only able to use it on a MacBook or an Apple laptop, which I am presently saving up for and am not very close having.

I have also used Pocket Video to create my intro that appears at the beginning of my videos and that app can create magic.

3. You Do You!

Starting off on your channel, you may not feel super comfortable talking to the camera, or you might not feel like yourself. I have never had this problem because I am naturally very outgoing and have for years (before I actually started my channel) pretended I was filming a video by telling all my nonexistent viewers that live in my walls “how to do your makeup.” If you are feeling a little shy or scared that people won't like you and your videos, then try talking to your walls and make a silly tutorial on how to jump up and down or mix cake batter or even pet your dog or cat. If you do this while being yourself, you will eventually get more comfortable with the fact that you are a YouTuber and that people really want to see your perspective and twist on popular trends and ideas. Really, the only reason that people will watch your videos is if you are different from everyone else, and you have a funny, quirky side that might make your viewers cry out laughing or binge your videos for hours. To this day, I am still constantly, teaching absolutely no one how to do everyday things without even thinking about it. It becomes a habit and it’s super enjoyable.

4. Extra Tips:

1. Stay Positive.

Every time I upload and watch a new Alisha Marie video, I see how her editing is so clean and perfected with pretty fonts floating around the screen, and I feel discouraged. But then I remember that I don’t have that mainly because of the software that I use and because of the equipment. And I know that I am planning to grow my channel, and I just have to be patient and wait until I have the equipment to create that fancy format. So, staying positive about how your channel is still growing will absolutely help you out. It is totally okay to feel disappointed that you don’t have the same creativity or level of editing software. But when that terrible feeling comes, try to push it back with the cheerful, glad, and accomplished feeling you get when you upload an incredible video!

2. Upload consistently.

If you watch a lot of YouTube, then you may notice how YouTubers will say that they upload every Sunday or Tuesday and then you look forward to the next week so you can see what they have come up with. Finding a day each week that works for you to upload will grow your channel fast. When I first started, I would only upload when I felt like it and when I thought I should for around nine months, and my channel . . . grew and I only had twenty subscribers. But when I started to upload every Friday,* my account doubled! I presently have forty-one subscribers, and I believe it was because of my consistency.

3. Not for the fame...

Starting a channel just because you want to be famous walking red carpets and living in a mansion with diamonds hung from every chandelier is not the way to approach it. You need to actually love the process and all the work you will put in to have this art and creation.

If you are not interested in editing and filming but only want to watch your view count grow to the millions, then maybe find another hobby that interests you. Because, trust me, your view count will not grow at all for a while, and you can’t make revenue until you are quite famous.

You will need to be in it for the enjoyment because soon enough you will get discouraged, and that will bring you down if you aren’t truly passionate about YouTube.

4. Creativity Is Key.

There will always be trends that zoom across the platform and burst in flames because of the popularity. Just because these are trends does not mean you have to follow them. It may help you grow you channel if you put a twist on the popular ideas, but you can film whatever type of video you want! Creativity is a must when it comes to being you. Whether you are going to film a video that has been done many times or is an old trend, if you add your own spark, then your YouTube career will be knocking at your door. One of my videos I uploaded not too long ago that has my own personality and sassy, original humor has done very well. My Very Basic Night Time Routine is currently my most viewed video at 122 views. I already know that isn’t any Shane Dawson Conspiracy Theory view count, but for my channel, that is pretty awesome.

5. The First Click...

The first thing a viewer will click on is your thumbnail. If you have a very unpleasing thumbnail, then your video may not get much popularity.

Pic Monkey is the app I use for my eye-catching thumbnails that hopefully draw you into watching my videos. You can find many different fonts and graphics that you can get super creative with to make a marvellous thumbnail.

YouTube Studio is the place to watch over all your growth over the past months and days. I can’t recommend this app enough. It has honestly saved me from ugly automatic thumbnails and sad unviewed videos. If you explore the app a little and discover the layout, it will make it a lot easier to understand.

6. The Crazy Haters

“Hate” is the 1,535^th most common word used in the English language. Out of the approximately 600,000 words in English, that harsh word is very high on the list. I have personally not experienced “hate” but almost every other YouTuber on the platform has. If you are planning to become a big and popular influencer, I assure you that haters will come to leave their mark. So . . . instead of getting angry at them and starting a war in the Comment section, ignore them . . . this will leave you with beautiful results. Almost always, people are only hating on you because they are jealous of how far you have come, or they want you to respond and react. About .00015% of the time, they are just leaving their opinion and not meaning to be harsh about it. If you are finding that the hate is making you feel utterly discouraged, then take a couple week break or disable the Comments. Stay positive. That's how I personally handle nasty words are not true.

Happy uploading!

My social media:

YouTube: @Rachel Christiana

Instagram: @rachel.wiedrick

Snapchat: @lilac-13

Twitter: @RachelWiedrick