How Much Does It Cost To Start A YouTube Channel?

After working for years with personal brands, small businesses, and large corporations to create video content for YouTube, I can vouch firsthand for the value a healthy YouTube channel can bring. I am often shocked at the apathy around starting and growing a YouTube channel in the small business world. The hesitation usually surrounds the costs or time needed to create the video content to support a YouTube channel. Even as a video professional who knows better, I’ve lacked the necessary dedication to allocate resources to my own channel. However, I realize that not everyone has access to the equipment or software you feel you need to maintain a healthy YouTube channel. Assuming you already have a content plan, I would like to share the costs of starting a channel and give you some options that cost nothing.

First Question: How Much Should You Spend?

A common question is cost: "How much should I spend on starting a YouTube channel?" The great news is YouTube is completely free to use! There is no need to buy a channel or pay a subscription to post your videos. Stop and let that sink in for a moment: with over 122 million active daily users and 500 hours of video uploaded every minute, YouTube is a massive platform full of potential. That's many eyeballs looking for something to watch, and you can get started without spending a dime—at least not right away.

Equipment: What Do You Need?

Camera

The days of viewers tolerating subpar video quality are gone. However, there is no need for an expensive camera right away. Your smartphone is literally all you need to get started. Most new phones can shoot in 4K, and free apps like iMovie (iPhone only) or Capcut are easy enough to navigate that you’ll be editing your footage in no time.    

However, once you're ready to upgrade from a smartphone, you'll want to look for a camera with good autofocus and microphone input. The Canon Rebel series is a solid entry-level choice, costing almost $400 for the new T7i model. I've used the Canon T2i for over ten years as a backup camera, and it's still going strong. If you've got a bigger budget, the Canon 90D is a fantastic option with excellent autofocus that is more than enough for most businesses.

Microphone

Audio from a camera or phone is only so good, and sound quality can make or break a video. While you can start with your phone's built-in mic or the one on your camera, upgrading to a good microphone should be a priority. For smartphones, search “Wireless Lavalier Microphone” on Amazon and find an option compatible with your model phone. If you have a camera with a microphone jack, look for Rode Video Mic. It’s an excellent option to clarify your audio and will only cost you about $200. If you can't afford a mic right now, consider using Adobe's free Speech Enhancement tool to clean up your audio.

Lighting

Good lighting elevates your video quality significantly, making content more visually appealing and professional. While the complexity of lighting setups can vary, a primary light is all you need to get started. Depending on your setup, and if you just need to illuminate a face, you can get by with a dimmable ring light. Also, a shop light from Home Depot pointed at the ceiling is a low-cost solution to light up an entire room.  

Editing Software

Editing software is crucial to refining your videos, and the cost of editing tools varies widely. As mentioned above, Capcut is a free entry-level solution. If you have time to learn a pro tool, I’d suggest DaVinci Resolve, although be advised that it tends to be a resource-heavy program if you are trying to run it on a basic laptop. Once you get the hang of it, editing is not as daunting as it may seem, and good software can make the process smoother. I prefer Final Cut Pro, but I’m hesitant to recommend it because it depends on having an Apple laptop. Recently, Apple released a version for iPad that is about $5 per month, although I have not yet tried it out. Adobe Premiere Pro is also an option; however, it will set you back $30 per month and has a sharp learning curve, but there are lots of tutorials available on YouTube to help you along the way. 

Budgeting: How Much Will It All Cost?

So, how much do you need to get started? Let's break it down:

Camera: $500 (optional at first)

Microphone: $200

Lighting: $50

Editing Software: Free or $5–$30/month

Conclusion: Time to Start

Your total investment should be at most $800, which is more than reasonable for most marketing budgets. The best part? You can begin with your smartphone if you need more time to justify the expense. You don't need to spend thousands or even hundreds of dollars to start. Just start! All you need to do is take the leap. As a seasoned video professional, I can help you navigate the costs and provide tailored advice about creating great content without breaking the bank.

First Steps Of A Good YouTube Strategy

If you're an entrepreneur, you probably want more people to know about your business. Marketing can be pretty expensive, with many moving parts to track. Believe it or not, YouTube is an excellent way to bring awareness to products and services. With the right content and strategy, you can reach a ton of people on YouTube and build a loyal audience in the process.

Success on YouTube is about identifying and building your network while you pursue your dreams. But before you start uploading on your channel, you need good video content and a strategy to create an audience.

Creating A YouTube Strategy

With over 500 hours of video posted every minute, there's a lot of competition waiting for you on YouTube, so you'll need a solid strategy.

Below you'll find the first steps towards building a YouTube marketing strategy to help you optimize your channel, increase subscriptions, and expand your reach.

Identify Your Niche

First, determine who your target audience is. Take some time to study YouTube demographics if you're just getting started on YouTube.

If you're a small business owner, you already know that your video content should focus on your product or service. You'll need to plan out the video content related to your business. For example, suppose you own a coffee shop. In that case, you could create a series of videos educating your customers about beans from various regions and how the growing location affects the taste of a cup of coffee.

Keep in mind that if your targeted audience is young, you'll need to adjust your edits accordingly. Studies show that Gen Z viewers are more prone to seek out short-form content.

Name Your Channel

Your YouTube channel's name can be anything from a person's first and last name (Casey Neistat) to descriptive names representing a channel's general topic (Khan Academy).

Of course, as you are creating that channel to promote your business, you can simply use its name. But you can always start the channel with your name or any other name and then promote your business later on. But, if the sole purpose of the channel is to promote the brand over personality, using your brand's name would be ideal.

Optimize Your Videos

At its core, just like Google, YouTube is a search engine for videos. Videos are ranked by titles, keywords, descriptions, and other characteristics. You need everything set up in your favor to take advantage of their algorithm, so you show up in their recommended videos which account for 70% of what consumers view on the platform.

Optimize your videos for the best chance of appearing in search results and receiving more views. Here are some SEO must-haves to get you started:

Write A Compelling Title

The title is one of the most critical factors in YouTube's algorithm, which viewers consider when clicking on your video.

In YouTube Analytics, you can go to Traffic Sources and see what words people use to reach your channel. It would help if you also took advantage of Google Trends and the Keyword Planner tool in Google Ads. Check to see if you can include any of these prominent search terms in your title.

Create Unique Thumbnails

When it comes to thumbnails, 90% of the best-performing videos on YouTube have one thing in common: they're all customized. Thumbnails are the first thing people see even before reading the title.

Your thumbnail is more likely to stand out if it has unique and creative. Always make sure that the image and title are in sync, don't try to game the system with a clickbait image. Tease enough of the subject of your video to create curiosity. The goal is to entice viewers to click through to your video over the competition. 

Write A Keyword Rich Description

Take advantage of your 5,000-character limit, but provide a quick summary of your video topic in the first few lines of your description. Write in a natural-sounding manner, and be sure to add links to your website and social media accounts.  

If you create a "table of contents" with timestamps, viewers will be able to skip to specific areas of your video.

Create Quality Content

This should be an obvious one, but I have seen some businesses create videos for the sake of making videos. In the long run, they'd have been better off having no videos rather than having the wrong videos. The better your content is, the more people will click through and watch till the end. They may even share your content or subscribe to your channel. 

You'll eventually want to invest in some decent equipment, but don't get bogged down by the gear. The fact is the phone in your pocket can probably shoot some really good-looking video. If you can, though, invest in some audio tech, like a decent microphone. Audio is 50% of video, and poor audio can significantly lower the quality of video content.

Remind Viewers 

There's a reason why most YouTube videos end with "like, share, and subscribe." It's effective and doesn't hurt to ask your viewers to support your growth. People occasionally require a gentle reminder.

Final Words

I realize that all of this could be overwhelming for someone who has never attempted video content creation. But take heart; it is possible. YouTube is full of people just like you who have figured it out. However, if you need guidance around content creation or hands-on assistance creating and maintaining a successful YouTube channel, I'm here to help.

I have been active in marketing for years with extensive experience creating video content for businesses, and I look forward to helping you create a successful YouTube channel. Schedule a free consultation today so we can get started.

How Do You Make A Good Business Video?

Every business should create video content to help educate its audience about its products or services. But with so many videos uploaded to the internet every minute of every day, how do you make a good business video? How do you create video content that will cut through the noise in your industry? How do you make it interesting and entertaining? There is no exact science to making videos that could potentially go viral, but here are some non-negotiables to keep in mind when making your next business video.

Have A Video Strategy

It's one thing to set out to create a business video, and it's an entirely different thing to have a concise video strategy. Too many times, I have seen the battle cry for video content without a clear objective. Because of this lack of planning, I have seen videos fall flat when the intentions to create content were noble. I mean, shouldn't the goal be to create more content - especially video?

Yes. But remember, the goal isn't a video for video's sake. It would help if you had a clear, measurable goal in mind when you go down the path of making a video. You need to have an achievable outcome with each business video project. I can hear some saying right now, well, of course, the goal is to sell more of my product or services - duh. Well then, at what point during the sales process is your potential customer going to see this video? Are you trying to create a lead or persuade a current customer to move over to your competitor? What does your sales process look like, and what is the next step (call to action) in the funnel when they actually view your video?

When your objectives are clearly defined, it'll be so much easier to create video content that moves the business closer to your goals because you'll be making a bridge to where your customer actually is along the sales journey.

Know Your Audience

The question you should ask yourself is, 'who is the video for?' When you understand your audience, it'll help you create the type of video content that will actually get viewed. If you aren't familiar enough with your audience to know what makes them tick, why would they take time out of their busy day to engage with your video? There are so many choices when it comes to content on the internet that you need to understand your audience's goals, dreams, and desires. This understanding of what drives your audience will assist you when planning out video content no matter what the platform. Your business video should educate, inspire or entertain those who already have an interest in what you have to say. Do your research, find out exactly who you are trying to reach, and create video content they will actually want to watch. 

Pick Your Talent Wisely

One of the most common challenges when creating a business video is deciding who is going to be in it. Do you cast it with individuals who work for the company or hire actors or spokespeople? The deciding factor for this question is usually tied to the budget of the video project. Hiring acting talent can add significant cost to a video production, not to mention the tie it takes to cast the needed roles. Many businesses working on a tight budget will opt to use employees in their videos, which can be an intelligent choice - after all, who knows the business better than the people working in it day in and day out?   

Be sure to select someone comfortable in front of the camera. If that person has experience speaking on stage or in front of a camera, even better! No one wants to listen to a person who is unsure of themselves. The spokesperson should be natural and speak to the viewer as if they were talking to a friend. 

Get To The Point Quickly. Most viewers will leave after one minute of watching a video so try to keep your videos short so that they'll stick around until the end of the video. Try to cut out any terminology that may need too much exposition to the viewer. There is no surefire way to get a viewer zoning out than to have someone droning on. You want people to watch your entire video, engage your viewers, use humor, and be excited about the topic. This will at least make an adequate business video.

Keep SEO Top Of Mind

Everyone knows that Google is the largest search engine globally, but who is the second largest? The answer is YouTube. Since Google owns YouTube, they make videos on their platform the most searchable. Do you want more people to find your video? You don't need to tear your hair out; simply utilize SEO (Search Engine Optimization) techniques like having a description and making the title have keywords that search engines will notice. Videos that get views are because of SEO utilization that has been used to make these videos easier for people to search for or stumble upon.

Creating video content is quite the endeavor, with many factors to consider before you ever hit the record button. Much of the planning involved may seem overwhelming on the surface, but the payback can be so rewarding when done correctly. If you're just getting started with video, or are looking for a fresh perspective for your company's business video strategy, contact us, we'd love to speak with you.

YouTube Video Content: Get Your Business Started Quickly

Today the ability to create videos and distribute them at scale is truly a marvel of modern technology. The quality of cameras available on most cell phones only gets better each year, and the convenience of editing video on the very device it was shot is a reality that many of us tend to take for granted. So why is it that so many of us struggle to get started with YouTube video content? Whether your business is new or has been around for generations, the answer is easier than you probably realize.

ROI For YouTube Video Content 

For most entrepreneurs and marketers working in the small business arena, the concern usually surrounds limited resources. Will content creation provide a return on investment needed to justify expending the precious energy, time, and money to make it worthwhile? I can attest that I’ve personally seen businesses get huge results when they take producing YouTube video content seriously. The good news is it doesn’t take as many resources to get started as you may think.

Video Content Strategies

The first strategy I will usually suggest to clients for getting with video or content creation, in general, is to make a list of their most commonly asked questions. Sometimes it’s as easy as looking at the FAQ page on the business’s website if they have one. Think of all the inquiries you may be tired of answering. It’s straightforward to map out a series of videos based on these topics, and you know the videos will be watched over time. The video links themselves can be a great resource for salespeople, service, or any department that is customer-facing.

Another option to figure out what your audience wants to watch is to simply borrow from your competitors. What are others in your industry doing? Is there a way you can do it better? Figure out which of their videos get the most views and engagement, and then make your version.

Some of the safest bets on YouTube are product reviews, how-to videos, and best-of lists. These are a good option even if you don’t have a large catalog of products but if you do it’s a great option. Just be sure to group everything into playlists so it’s easier for viewers to search them out. The “how-to” genre tends to perform well and is an amazing way to showcase products or services while showing authority in your industry.

YouTube Likes Consistency

Before you get started, it’s important to remember to publish your YouTube content regularly as possible; this requires you to plan out your content calendar in advance and stick to the schedule. The more you follow your calendar, you’ll start to see results, as the YouTube algorithms seem to reward consistency. Finally, and most importantly, make sure to optimize your channel and uploads so your video content can be easily found by people researching your topics.

If you’re still not sure how to start creating video content for your type of business, would like an honest evaluation of your YouTube channel, or maybe have questions about successfully running video ads, contact me today. I’m available for consultations, training or can handle the entire video creation process from start to finish.

How to Optimize Your Video’s Searchability

As the number two search engine in the world, YouTube enjoys a spot second only to Google itself, which it conveniently happens to own. How you optimize your video’s searchability is the difference between if it ever gets seen or not. If you’re producing any video that will live there, it’s important to know how to set it up for success by covering the basics of YouTube SEO. Since Google owns YouTube, its results show up in 70% of the top 100 Google, often listed before a traditional blog post or website.

Video Searchability

The average American spends around six hours every day watching videos on the internet; what exactly will make any of them watch yours? Every second, people search for products or solutions to problems solved via Google; they do the same on YouTube. And with over 500 hours of videos uploaded every minute, the brutal truth is that your video has about the same chance of going viral as you do of winning the lottery.

Try it for yourself; look up any product or “how-to” on Google, and you’ll almost always get something from YouTube on the first page. But how do those video results get there?

Video SEO Basics

When people search for a product or subject, they want to know what your video is about from the get. Always remember that you’re creating content for people, not search engines, but you should always be mindful of YouTube SEO when you’re planning your videos. Here are some of the basics of optimizing your YouTube content:

Titles and Description: Include target keywords in your titles and descriptions, and make sure it’s engaging. You can use a tool like this to help you find keyword ideas. YouTube video titles should be somewhere between 40 and 70 characters.

Engagement: YouTube is technically a social media platform, so engagement (likes, comments, views) helps to determine a video’s ranking in search results. Be sure to “like” and respond to comments on videos. If you already have videos uploaded to YouTube, take a look at your analytics in the YouTube Studio. There you’ll get detailed info about your audience’s demographics, location, and watch time.

Categories: Categories like “Automotive,” “How to, and style” help YouTube get a better sense of who may want to watch your video.

Tags: You can also add tags to your videos to give YouTube extra context about your video content. They let you use a lot so add as many as you can think of; just make sure they’re relevant to the subject you’re covering.

Mention Keywords In Your Video: Believe it or not, just saying your target keywords in your video can also help YouTube understand what your video is about.

Thumbnails: Customize your video’s thumbnails. Be sure to use a font and style that is consistent with your brand. It should be easily recognizable to your audience and give them a compelling reason to watch your content.

Playlists: The more content you create, the harder it becomes for people to navigate your channel. Creating playlists helps to organize your videos and YouTube treats it as though you created another set of searchable content.

The ability to create videos has never been easier from both a financial and time-consuming perspective. Be sure you have a plan to optimize your video’s searchability once your content is posted online. If you need help navigating all this, or you’d like an audit of your YouTube channel, contact me, and let’s discuss what’s involved in taking your content to the next level.