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9 min
What’s on your bucket list for 2021? If you’re reading this, we bet that you’re contemplating starting a YouTube channel or boosting your existing vlog. Your chances of becoming the next YouTube star are never zero, so why not give it a shot?
You probably already know that the number of vloggers on YouTube is growing every year, as video continues its conquest of the world of online content. Tough though the competition may seem, hard work will always bring rewards. We have put together some tips for successful video blogging in 2021 that will make your job easier!
Decide on a void you’d like to fill. Is there a particular topic that you know really well? Or perhaps a skill that you can teach? The more specific you are with your channel topic, the easier it will be for you to home in on a target audience. The best way to gain viewership is to select a popular niche that is low in competition – something that’s almost impossible in 2021, as you can imagine. But sometimes narrowing down your topic can help to achieve the same effect.
For example, if you’re a wanna-be style maven, you might want to try elaborating on the best outfits for Zoom meetings. If your topic is travel, try exploring staycation (trips within your country or short day trips out of your city) vlogging.
Whatever you choose, be sure you are passionate enough about your topic: this is the only way you will keep yourself enthusiastic enough to keep creating and posting content consistently.
As we’ve said many times before, quality matters when it comes to starting and sustaining a successful channel on YouTube. To compete with thousands of other fellow vloggers, you need to make your videos as appealing as possible. Thanks to technology developments, you no longer need a ton of fancy gear to make your footage look good – in most cases your smartphone will do the job just fine. However, there’s no harm in upgrading to some more professional tools for YouTubers or gearing up with accessories like a good microphone or a set of lighting.
What’s become more complicated is the editing part. While early YouTubers could get away with cutting their clips using simple apps like Windows Movie Maker, 2021 is raising the bar, so it’s time to deploy more advanced tools. Such tools can give you entrance to the world of breathtaking effects, original transitions and vivid titles that will capture your viewers’ attention. To take full advantage of everything editing software has to offer, opt for at least a semi-professional program – but make sure it’s one that won’t require you to spend weeks mastering it. Movavi Video Editor Plus is likely to cover most of your needs – it provides the perfect balance between high-end functionality and a simple, intuitive interface.
How about trying Movavi Video Editor Plus with a 10% blog reader discount?
Try Movavi Video Editor Plus with 10% discount for Windows
Try Movavi Video Editor Plus with 10% discount for Mac
Here’s our user Sandy Saintilus rocking her interior design blog with Movavi Video Editor Plus!
A welcome trailer is the first video your viewers see when they go to your channel’s main page. Basically, it’s an elevator pitch for your channel.
Rule 1: the first video of your trailer should grab people’s attention so they watch it to the end.
Rule 2: the trailer has to explain what to expect from your channel and why people should subscribe to it.
Rule 3: see tip №2 – quality is especially important in this case!
Here’s our own Welcome trailer on Movavi Vlog channel!
Thumbnails are the small clickable images that viewers see in their feeds above or near the title. As we’ve mentioned in our comprehensive guide on nailing your YouTube thumbnails, these seemingly small details are actually important sales tools. As a general rule, it’s best to include your face in the picture, add some text to reflect the content of your video, and use eyecatching colors and graphics.
Let’s take another look at Sandy Saintilus channel. See how she’s using titles, graphics and her own pictures in the thumbnails!
To make the perfect thumbnail, it’s best to use a program that’s designed for working with images, like Movavi Picverse, which you can still get with a 20% blog reader discount!
Try Picverse with 20% discount for Windows
Try Picverse with 20% discount for Mac
The first few seconds of your video often determine whether the viewer will continue watching. So there’s no harm in coming up with an easily recognizable intro that’ll contribute to your branding. You can use dynamic effects and stock sound effects to make it really memorable – and be sure to include your channel’s logo (or yourself, if you’re the only symbol of the channel).
Here’s a tutorial from our Vlog Team to help you create your first intro:
Don’t forget about the outro, either. Ending your video with the right call to action is crucially important for audience retention. Don’t forget to remind them about subscribing to your channel and updates – you can even create a branded graphic subscribe button to emphasize your request!
Of course, you don’t have to create your intros and outs from scratch every time. Once you’ve designed them the way you want, save the templates to your library and apply them to future videos.
Utilize relevant hashtags and keywords to make it easier for your audience to find your channel. We’ve also written an entire article on using YouTube tags. To make your videos even more relevant, you can always look up popular searches for your topic. Try to include appropriate keywords in your titles and descriptions. All these steps will make it much easier for people to encounter your videos in YouTube searches and on search engine websites.
Here’s a brilliant example by our user Wambui, who is a proud owner of the channel “Wambui Made It” – with all the editing done in Movavi Video Editor Plus, by the way! Pay attention to the title of the video: no wonder it has gathered over 237,000 views.
We have actually written a complete guide to analyzing YouTube statistics, and there is every reason you should read it. To make a long story short, the numbers behind your stats will help you understand what really appeals to and engages your audience. You can easily identify the optimal length for your videos, which genres and topics are most effective at grabbing the attention of your viewers, how exactly people usually find your channel, and more. As the competition keeps growing, flexibility is everything in 2021 – so be ready to adapt and experiment as much as you can!
The single most effective way to stay on top of trends is to keep an eye on what others are doing. Check out popular vlogs in your niche and see what others are up to. Bear in mind that quite often channels with 100K+ subscribers have built their audience in the past and are no longer attracting new audience members. So do check the dates of the latest videos and the view stats on them. For example, travel vlogs have suffered a decline in their popularity because of the worldwide lockdowns. On the other hand, TikTok-related content such as cosplay vlogs is on the rise. Remember our user Myth we interviewed the other day?
Sharing is caring! Try reaching out to other YouTubers and offer them ideas for collaboration. Don’t just ask them to share links to your videos. First, explain why the topic of your channel could be interesting to their audience. Second, tell them what they’d gain from being reposted on your channel. The idea of a collaboration is to make it mutually beneficial, so try to highlight how you can help each other increase your outreach. You can also come up with fun joint projects if you have some common ground. The most important thing is, don’t be afraid to approach vloggers at all levels – micro-influencers, YouTube stars, celebrities. The worst thing that can happen is that nothing happens – while the chances of someone accepting your offer are always there!
Post your videos on social media accounts and ask your friends to repost. Create accounts on platforms you haven’t used before (e.g. TikTok) and promote yourself as a vlogger there, too. Check out Facebook groups and forums that are relevant to your topic and participate in conversations. Embed links to your videos in your answers whenever it makes sense to do so (without going overboard!). There are tons of ways to increase your presence in social media for free – but if you don’t feel like you’ve got enough energy to cover them all, you can always opt for paid promotions. Make sure you understand how they work and consult professionals before investing in huge promotion budgets.
Here’s a bit of advice on promoting your channel from Movavi Vlog Team:
Last, but not least: enjoy what you’re doing and have a great 2021!
