<aside> 💡 Hi! Welcome to your checklist on things you should consider when launching a YouTube channel—especially if you're a content creator or entrepreneur who wants to start using video to grow your brand. Let's get started!
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[ ] Find a designated space to hold all your YouTube related stuff
This place can be physical or digital, but I prefer to use Notion to hold all my YouTube ideas, video planning, systems, processes, and everything else that's included in my YouTube ecosystem. I created a page in Notion called YouTube Dash and it keeps this aspect of my business organized and less chaotic. I got this idea from MuchelleB on YouTube and you can find the video here.
[ ] Decide what theme(s) you want to share on your channel
I suggest choosing 2-3 themes to center your content around. These themes should connect to the interest of your ideal customer or client. Then you create videos focused on topics that connect to your main themes.
[ ] Create a vision board of what you imagine your channel to look and feel like
Visualize your channel art, your thumbnails, and any other imagery that will be on your channel. Look at other YouTube channels, take screenshots and compile those images on to a digital canvas to really get an idea of the visual aspect of your channel. Even though your channel is a digital environment, it's still somewhere that you're inviting people into—just like your home or your office. So the process of cultivating this space should be as if it were a physical location that your customer was actually walking into. Your YouTube channel is a visual representation and extension of your brand, so treat it as such.
[ ] Watch videos on the topics that you envision creating content around
One of the best ways to learn is by watching. You may have viewed content in the past, but now it's time to watch with a more critical eye. Look at your favorite and new YouTube creators who are discussing the very same thing you want to communicate to your audience. What would you change? What do you want to incorporate? What will you do differently? What can you do better? These questions should help guide you to a level of confidence and comfortability to get started.
[ ] Create a list of YouTube startup expenses
Purchases like a new camera, microphone, tripod, video editing software, and other things are going to be required to launch your channel. Whatever you buy to use for content creation is going to be considered a business expense and that needs to be closely tracked for tax season. By making this list, you can also get a good picture of the investment you're making and financially plan how you will acquire everything you need. Research cost-effective ways to begin if your cashflow is limited. But the point is, you need to track every cent you spend on starting and operating your YouTube channel from here on out.
[ ] Choose your channel name
The way you decide to identify your channel should consider whether or not you're building a personal brand or a business brand. You could desire to do both, but which one should you start with? Do you want do build a business on the back of your personal brand? Meaning all your content is going to be solely focused on you—your interests, your hobbies, your lifestyle—and eventually you'll create a business that caters to the audience you've built. Or do you want to build a personal brand off the back of your business? This means your business and the value you are offer via your business will be in the spotlight and in the forefront for the beginning months of your channel. Then later down the line, you start to craft your personal brand utilizing the strength and rapport that you've built via your business. Eventually, the two will become a benefit to each other, but it's all about deciding how you want to start. This is where you have to ask yourself: will people (my future customers, supporters, clients) really give a 💩 about me or would they much rather get to know the business I'm building?
[ ] Write your "About" section
Don't ignore this part of your channel. Craft something that is short and to the point, but that still allows you to inform your audience of who you are and what they can gain by subscribing. This is also a place to include more links to help you promote or grow other areas of your online presence.
[ ] Connect with a quality graphic designer to create your brand identity (or do it yourself)
Brand Identity is essentially 'how' a business wants to be perceived by customers. It is through brand identity design that a brand strives to communicate clearly with the target audience. Brand identity is the combined message transmitted via the brand name, logo, style and visuals.
Depending on the funds you have available when starting, working with a skilled designer to accomplish this aspect of your channel can be instrumental in making your debut crisp and professional. Your channel art—which consists of your header, icon, and watermark—speaks volumes to your viewer and so do your thumbnails since they are an extension of your branding. However, if the budget isn't there just yet, take matters into your own hands and use something like Canva to create the initial branding assets for your channel. As you grow, you can update your branding. Please make your branding in alignment with your ideal customer or supporter and not only factor in your personal preferences. Remember the vision board you made of your channel during the research and learning phase? It's going to be a great resource to brand your channel.
[ ] Draft launch plan and create YouTube workflow
Think about how and when this launch will happen so that you can start preparing. Your YouTube workflow is how you will create time in your schedule to do the various aspects of creating a video from idea to release. To do this, you'll have to outline your video creation process and then spread out the tasks over a period of time that works best for you.
[ ] Manage expectations
When you've decided that you're ready to enter launch phase, keep in mind that this is a new endeavor you're embarking on and things may not go exactly as planned. Stay fluid and practice flexibility. Set a date to launch and give yourself a full week of focusing on getting your first video uploaded on that date. If things inevitably must shift, feel comfortable to make adjustments, but the idea is to remain focused until that first video is up.
[ ] Create your first video or batch shoot your content
I give both options here because creating quality video content is not easy and trying to prepare at least 4 videos in advance could actually delay your launch by weeks. Assess your content creation skillset, your capacity, and the timeline of when you want to launch. If focusing on getting the first video out and creating videos weekly from there seems more feasible, then go for it. However, you have to make a plan to stay consistent. Batching content ensures that you don't fall off the wagon of creating content to feed your audience weekly, but it can be daunting to do at first. So choose the best route for you.