AUTHORTUBE — Tips of How to Start an AuthorTube Channel in 2020
It was late fall of 2019 when I decided to take the plunge and commit myself to my first YouTube Channel. What started off as a personal channel for the creation of video projects ended up becoming a large part of my current lifestyle and career choice. After almost a year later, I have come to grow my “personal” channel Baleigh Shortreed into my AuthorTube platform BooksbyBaleigh. While I attended a live-stream, a viewer asked questions about how to start an AuthorTube Channel and whether it could be successful in 2020. With having some experience and recently conducted research on the issue, I compiled a shortlist of common questions and my answers about the topic. I hope that they can help you in deciding if starting an AuthorTube Platform on YouTube is right for you.
Question 1: “SHOULD I EVEN DO THIS?”
Why not? YouTube is considered the second largest search engine in the world as of today. Why can’t your name, thoughts, and content be plastered all over that mighty search engine? If it’s failure or imposter syndrome holding you back, find comfort in knowing that every single YouTuber has felt exactly the same as you do right now. There is no better time like the present to start.
Question 2: “WHERE DO I START?”
Research: don’t underestimate the power of knowledge. If you can discern how YouTube functions and what people want to see, then you can make great content. Worried about equipment? Learn the basics! Start with your phone and sit in front of a well-lit window. These two things can take you miles from the start as long as you have an interesting subject matter to talk about. There is no need to buy the next best camera or studio lights before you have the money. Many people will try to sell you on that. I am here to tell you that you can be successful if you just learn to better your speaking ability and your content matter. Worry about the fancy gimmicks later. Heck, I still film with an iPhone and edit in iMovie and I’ve been here for almost a year now. Be patient with yourself and just practice.
COMBINE MULTIPLE RELATE NICHES TO START
Personally, my channel is tailored to me as I make videos on anything and everything that I like. I tend to focus on content about writing, reading, and personal development as I grow and learn. A great way to develop your AuthorTube Channel may be by combining things you like to watch: writing content, BookTube content, makeup content based on books, filmmaking, etc. Your only limit is your imagination and dedication to your channel.
Question 3: “HOW DO I COME UP WITH IDEAS WHEN I FEEL LIKE EVERYTHING HAS BEEN DONE BEFORE?”
If you find that “everything” on YouTube has been done before, you would be surprised. Whether it’s slime videos or makeup tutorials, there is only a lack of creativity when it comes to creating the next viral video. However, you should know that, while there are trends and YouTube is a very saturated platform, nothing should stop you from making content. Simply put, someone may have made a video like yours, but no one can make the exact video you made. It’s tailored to you, just put your own spin on it! If you are still having trouble, the list below can help you get started.
TRY TRENDING TAGS
The use of trending tags can be a quick way to drum up views on your content. Tags are listed metadata that is attached to a set of questions or actions that are trending at the time of the tag’s popularity. A popular tag for new AuthorTuber’s may be to respond to the AuthorTube Newbie Tag or the Small Youtuber Tag. These are tags with basic personal questions that can help introduce you to your current and future audience.
RESEARCH AND EXPERIMENTS ARE ENTERTAINING
Researching topics and discussing what you learned, or even experimenting with different writing routines can diversify your content and help your channel grow. Creating “original” content isn’t necessarily the goal but rather creating entertaining content is. Just put your own spin on what you like to watch and you will be fine. Here are some video ideas to get you started.
- Learning to Write (Insert Genre Here), Here’s What I learned
- I Tried Writing Like (Insert Author Here)
- I Spent (x Amount of Time) Writing | aka Write-a-thons
- I Read (Insert Book) and Lived/Wrote Like a Character From the Book
- Beta/Alpha Reading for (Insert Author Here)
If you are still unsure about whether creating an AuthorTube Channel is right for you then feel free to complete your own research about the community or message an AuthorTuber of your choice to gain more personal information about their channel and past experiences. Come join our great and supportive community today!
