Photos and videos are how people express their everyday lives, and YouTube is the central hub for all things video. You can find anything from How To’s, to random things our pets do online. YouTube can be a great way to connect with a large audience of people from all over the world. Hundreds of thousands of hours of YouTube videos are accessed and shared every day, making it one of the biggest platforms to tell a story, send a message, or talk about something you’re passionate about.

You can also share your creative masterpiece to any other social media site. If you’re thinking about starting your own channel, it’s easier than ever to join. Before you get started, think about a few preliminary things to help you be successful.

Questions to Ask Yourself:

1.     Why do I want to start a channel? Are you passionate about a subject and want to share your thoughts with the world? Do you love video production? Do you own a business and want to drive more traffic to your website? If so, then great! YouTube is an excellent tool for you. If you are looking to become famous and get rich quick, then you may be disappointed. There’s no telling what will go viral, and you’ll set yourself up for failure if that’s your measure of success. Instead, set realistic goals so you don’t get disappointed when your cat videos don’t take off like wildfire.
2.     What will my videos be about? There are an infinite amount of things that your videos can be about. The only thing is, you need to make sure that you are passionate about the subject. You’re going to be making videos upon videos on this topic, so make sure it’s something you really love.
3.     Are other YouTubers already doing videos on this topic? Before you get going, research YouTube to see if others are making videos on the same subject that you’re interested in. If so, think about how your channel will be different. What else can you do to separate yourself from the others? For example, if you wanted to have a channel of cats playing the keyboard, you’ll find that other people already have videos like that. You can set yourself apart by having cats play the keyboard with a laser light show while they wear sweater vests. Internet Gold.
4.     How often will I post new videos? You want to gain an audience, which means you need to post things regularly to keep them coming back for more. Look at your schedule to see how much free time you have to create new videos. If you are busy with school or work, try to shoot for once a week or once every two weeks. You want to keep your channel fresh to keep people interested.

Before you are able to post any videos (or even comment on videos), you will need to create a YouTube Channel. Here are the simple steps to creating your own YouTube Channel:

1.     Go to YouTube
2.     Try to post new content to YouTube: You can try to upload your first video, or comment on an existing video, and you’ll be directed to login to your Google Account. (Don’t have a Google Account? Click Here to start.)
3.     After you post, YouTube will automatically create you a channel.
4.     Click on your photo to go to your channel page. Here, you can customize it with banner artwork, a description about who you are, and more.

People want to hear what you have to say. Grab your smart phone, pick a topic, and start creating your own videos!