Starting a YouTube channel can be a rewarding endeavor that will allow you to share your ideas on books, and writing with a whole new audience. It can work in conjunction with your book review web site, or on it’s own. This is something that will take time and hard work, but with these tips you’ll have a strong foundation from the beginning!
It’s easy to say that you need to be consistent and that will get you noticed on YouTube, but that is not always the case. These are some of the areas and things I think you should focus on before starting. I started my YouTube channel about a year and a half ago and it’s been an amazing journey so far!
Define Your Reasons
This sounds cliche I know, but you really do need to take a moment and step back to decide why it is you want to start your channel. Money? Fame? To sell your own books? These are probably not good ideas. Not only will you come across as disingenuous but you’ll have a hard time keeping up with your content. It’s already hard enough to come up with ideas for content, it will be even harder if your love of your topic is not there.
Also beware of trends. Don’t just started a romantasy channel because it’s popular on Tik Tok right now. If it’s not something you love it may not be worth it.
Niche Down
I know you may think it makes sense to do any book reviews and all book related things. Sometimes, this works, most times not. If you post book reviews of all kinds of genres it will be hard to hold your audience. If you have people who watched your first video because it was a small town romance then you post a horror you are trying to fish in too big of a pond and those fish you originally attracted may end up swimming up another channel.
So, think about your reviews. You want to do romance, but this is a HUGE community. Think of what you read the most and go from there. If you like paranormal romance you can start there but then you can niche even more. Do you only read vampire books? Are you interested in historical paranormal or contemporary? As time goes on you can definitely look to different areas in the paranormal niche, and then as your audience grows and they start to know YOU better they will care less about the content. This is when you can expand to other areas.
Research and Plan
If you’re looking at a YouTube channel chances are you are already watching a YouTube channel or two about your topic or something similar. What is it you like best about the channels you already watch? These don’t have to be just reading channels either. Say you watch an art channel and you really like their intros or how they edit their video. Take note of all the things you like.
Then take note of what is missing. This is where your channel will come in. What are the gaps you can fill? Perhaps your topic is mystery and most of the channels you watch are very serious and studious with their reviews. Flip it on it’s head and add your own humour to the mix. You could also do something while doing these reviews. Perhaps while you talk about your books you could combine something else you enjoy like applying make up to match the book. You could draw character art, crochet a matching throw blanket to use while reading the book etc.
In short, figure out what you like about other channels, take note of anything missing and then this is where your channel lives!
Set Up Your YouTube Channel
At this point if you don’t have a YouTube channel, get one. You’ll also want to set up google analytics to save time in the future for when you get monetized. Use a name that is easy to remember, and catches the attention of your intended audience.
Be sure to customize your channel with your own logo and cover art.
Familiarize yourself with YouTube Studio. I wont talk about it much here as you can search YouTube for tons of videos on this already. Be sure to optimize your settings including the channel description and keywords.
Equipment
You will want to either invest in some decent recording equipment, or simply use your phone. As long as your phone is fairly new the microphone and camera on it will probably be just as good if not better than most others you could buy. Remember this is the kind of thing you can always upgrade on later.
Content Schedule
Plan a schedule for your content that is something consistent and something you can maintain. A video every day may be consistent and it may get you lots of views and followers etc. But, if you can’t maintain that then your consistency or quality will begin to fall and you may end up doing more harm than good to your channel.
I would suggest once a week, and no less than once a month. A schedule helps to keep your viewers engaged and it allows them to know when you will be available to them. It’s the same reason why I post to the blog once a week on Thursdays, so you know that’s when it will be updated!
Video Scripting
It may seem silly to write a script when your plan is to just sit and relax and talk about a book you like, but it helps. I don’t know how many times I’ve been about to talk about something and all my ideas just flea my mind. Or, once you’re done you realize you forgot something important you wanted to mention.
If you are not comfortable with a full on script you may wish to do what I do. Make points of the things you want to cover, as well as any notes you have on editing such as transitions. This is a big help when it comes time to speak and your brain goes numb, or when you’re editing the video after!
Create Click-Worthy Thumbnails
Thumbnails are usually the first thing people see. If you’re showing your face this is where you want to put it, this will help develop your branding as well. Keep things consistent here so when your thumbnail shows up in someone’s feed, they know it’s you!
Be sure to keep the text to a minimum, and make sure it is legible and bold so you can view it even when the thumbnail is teeny tiny!
Film and Edit Your Videos
You may not be great at this at first, and that’s ok! As you get going you will get better! This is also where notes in your script will help you to edit more efficiently.
You will want to make sure you film in a well lit and quiet area of your home. Edit out things like ums and ahs that are unnecessary or awkward – or leave these in if they are humorous and that’s what you’re going for!
Keep your pacing in mind and be sure to remove anything that is unnecessary you want people to stay engaged throughout the whole video. While I am editing I will also make note of any funny or good parts I could use for shorts. This is great for your YouTube channel if you want to add shorts, but it’s also good for Instagram reels or TikTok vid’s to help promote your review channel across your socials.
Optimize Video Titles and Descriptions
Create titles and descriptions for your videos that include the key words you are wanting to attract.
You can also set up in settings a generic template for your videos. This helps you to not have to worry about forgetting a link and you can set it up so each video has the same template which will again help with your overall branding!
Engage with Your Audience
Both on and off of YouTube! Respond to your comments. Encourage viewers to leave a comment as well in the section below, ask a question in your video, and ask your audience to share their thoughts. Especially with books people love to talk about their favourites! Ask if your readers have read the same book to tell you what they thought of a certain characters or plot point etc.
As you build a community around your channel this will help you to grow into other areas of interest. It will also help with retention and growth!
Promote Your Videos
Remember those vid ideas I suggested back in editing? This is where they come in handy! Use fun, exciting or even confusing bits from your original video and promote it across your other socials. Encourage people to watch the full video on YouTube!
Collaborate with others in similar niches across YouTube and other platforms. This will help to reach a wider based audience and grow your own community.
Monitor Analytics
This may not be the most exciting part for some but be sure you’re keeping an eye on your stats. You want to pay attention to the videos that worked, and those that didn’t. When did people stop watching? Maybe you can figure out why.
In the beginning this is the best time to experiment in order to find the balance of what works and what you enjoy. Remember, the algorithm’s sole purpose is to keep people on YouTube, so the best thing to do no matter what is to provide value to the person watching your channel!
Stay Consistent, and Evolve!
Consistency is really key when it comes to all socials. YouTube is no different. If your viewers never know when you will be live, or when the next video is coming out etc. They will stop watching!
This however is not a static thing, a one and done as it were. You will need to keep watch and see what works and what doesn’t. If you’re not getting a lot of views consider changing the date or time of your post.
Lastly, don’t be afraid to change and evolve based on your audiences needs, comments and the changing trends.
