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"2024 Approved Rising Tides of Streamers A Guide to Building a Successful Chatter"
Rising Tides of Streamers: A Guide to Building a Successful Chatter
The Guide to Starting a Successful YouTube Gaming Channel
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
Now is the best and easiest time in history for you to start a YouTube gaming channel. Yet a profitable channel? That’s another story. In this article, I am going to highlight the key elements you need to become the best YouTube gamer you can be.
Table of Content:
- Have a Greater Purpose
- Create an Identity
- Type of Gaming Videos
- Have a Budget
- Optimization Matter
- Be Cautious of Content Strike and Demonetization
Starting a gaming channel today will mean that you will be a small fish in a big ocean. The amount of content on YouTube is massive, and in order to stand out, you will need three intangibles:
- Patience
- Consistency
- Creativity
If you are willing to commit to this long term, then it’s the best time in history for you to start a YouTube gaming channel.
The All-in-One Screen Recorder & Video Editor
- Record desktop screen, voiceover, and webcam simultaneously
- Edit recorded clips quickly with a wide range of professional tools
- Built-in plentiful templates and effects
- Export to MP4, MOV, MKV, GIF and multiple formats
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
For macOS 10.12 or later
Secure Download
It’s the best time because you will have so many pioneers and successful creators to draw inspiration and knowledge from. You’ll be standing on the shoulders of giants like PewDiePie, Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, and CinnamonToastKen.
The trail has been blazed and you’re in the new frontier. Now, here’s what you need to know about starting a YouTube gaming channel.
1. Have a Greater Purpose
According to Tubular Insights , 15% of all content on YouTube is related to video games. That’s a lot.
Additionally, as of 2018, YouTube has a new monetization requirement. To enable monetization, you will need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time in the last 12 months.
If you think you can make a few videos and start making money, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to disappoint you. YouTube is fun and a wonderful way to increase the social aspect of gaming and enhance your enjoyment. Approach it the same way you’ve approached gaming all along, as a fun way to spend your time.
Enjoy the journey… and what a journey it can be. Do it for the love of playing games and making videos, and not about getting subscribers or views. If you don’t change your attitude, it’s a grueling climb if all you want is to reach the finish line (which is nowhere in sight).
Why am I telling you this? Well, if you don’t have a greater purpose than simply growing subscribers and making money off YouTube, then you are going to get discouraged and give up. It’s not a get-rich-fast plan.
Here is how you find your greater purpose:
1. Give Value
You want to make good YouTube gaming content like those popular YouTubers that came before you.
But… what makes good YouTube content?
Simply put, good content should exhibit these factors:
Entertaining: Tell a story and sensationalize the emotions that come out of you when you play games.
Educational: Find hidden stages, new tricks, and talk about the lore and history that brought this game to life.
Inspiring: Encourage viewers to try new games and play along. Help people discover their next pastime and thank viewers for spending their time with you.
This is what gives your content value, and creating content with value should be your ultimate purpose. Making your viewers feel good is, in a way, better than money, no?
2. Make YouTube a Part of Your Daily/Weekly Ritual
YouTube should be a part of your regular schedule.
At first, it’ll be easy. Like anything new, your YouTube channel will have a novelty to it. It’s this exciting new project that you have.
But after the first month, that excitement will dampen. By the third month, it’ll become familiar. Here’s where you have to fight the urge to stop. This is where author, Seth Godin calls The Dip .
It’s now working. And like all work, you’ll have to schedule it into your daily life. You’ll have to prioritize YouTube above hanging out with friends, watching another movie, or playing video games without the strain of recording it and being entertaining/educating/inspiring.
However, if you are getting fulfillment from YouTube, you won’t stop even when the going gets hard. Like being a parent, it’s not always fun, but it should always be fulfilling.
Pro Tip: Mark when you are going to be working on YouTube in a calendar, so when someone asks you to hang out or go for dinner, you can check it and let them know you already have plans.
3. Have a Passion to Get Better At Every Step
There are many stages to producing a YouTube video, from pre-production to production to post-production. And within those stages are countless steps.
If YouTube is what you want to do, perhaps the greatest purpose you can have is improving on each of those skill sets along the way.
In the beginning, you will have a surplus of ideas, but once your initial stock of video ideas run dry, you will need to practice coming up with more ideas .
You’ll get better at recording your gameplay, at speaking on camera, at editing your footage, at optimizing your content, and at sharing your videos.
You will enjoy certain steps more than others, but if you are passionate, you will find comfort in striving to improve in each one, little by little.
Pro Tip:Focus on telling a great story . In every video, you should have an objective you want to accomplish. You want to beat a stage, you want to learn a new skill, etc. Once you nail that, all the other elements (screen recording, editing, and your commentary) will fall into place to guide your story from beginning to end.
2. Create an Identity
Your personality and your channel will need to go through a littlebranding exercise . You need to find what sets yourself apart from all the other gaming channels on the Internet. Ask yourself, and be honest with the answer: Why should anyone care about my channel?
1. Be Original
Take inspiration from other YouTubers and adjust it so that it’s unique. You cannot copy the ideas of popular YouTubers, because the public can see that. They can tell the difference between originality and imitation.
Being original doesn’t mean doing something that has never been done before.
Take a look at Jacksepticeye and Markiplier, both are popular YouTubers recognized for their colorful hair, mass use of profanity, and their Let’s Play style of gaming videos. But if you watch their videos, you can see that they are not copying each other but rather adjusting what has proven to be effective to suit their personality.
If something inspires you and you want to make an original version yourself, don’t think that you need to do something completely different, rather ask, how can I make that awesome thing better?
2. Focus on a Specific Aspect of Game
Odds are, you’ll end up playing the same game as other YouTubers. If you’re playing a popular game, then it’s going to be hard for you to establish an audience if your videos are broad.
Consider how your viewers will discover your videos. Are they going to find you through search? If so, what are they searching? There are many aspects to a video game: characters, glitches, stages, etc.
Find a specific aspect of the game to focus on.
Take YouTuber, NoughtPointFourLive, who instead of playing the game via a linear campaign, finds ridiculous situations, odd tricks, and easter eggs in Grand Theft Auto:
3. Hook Audience With Something Funny Or Interesting — And Lead Up To It
Every video you make should tell a story. It doesn’t matter if the storyline is the one in the video game or if it’s happening to you in real life. What matters is that you are aware of where the climax is.
The climax is what your story hinges on: it’s when Mario confronts Bowser.
This is what your audience is watching for. They want to know who wins.
To hook your audience right away, open with the most exciting part. The bit leading up to the climax. But don’t give away the ending. You want to hook them. Give a promise that this video is worth watching and that eventually, it will deliver.
Check out this example from YouTuber, Lachlan playing Fortnite and landing back at Spawn Island, an artillery-filled waiting area for players before the game starts.
This structure can be applied with humor as well as climatic events. If you open with something funny, it gets the viewer engaged immediately. They want to know what led up to that humorous moment.
Take a look at this example from YouTuber, Jelly. He does a great job at injecting humor into his first few seconds of video.
3. Type of Gaming Videos
There are no rules to making gaming videos. As long as it’s worth watching and you aren’t stealing content, that is all that matters. Nevertheless, there are a few standard types of gaming videos that have been established over the years.
1. Let’s Plays
Turn the game on and start playing. Let’s Plays give you a lot of freedom to explore the game and let your personality show in the commentary. You don’t need to play with a strategy, but do have a particular goal in mind (Finishing a level, for example).
Let’s Plays are more about watching you experience the game. A demographic of people watching Let’s Plays are those that don’t have the game themselves, but still want to experience it. Let them live vicariously through you.
2. Reviews
When you’re deciding whether or not to buy a new product where do you go to research? Google and YouTube. If you have a lot of interesting insights after playing a game, making reviews videos might just be your calling. There are many games on the market, and for consumers, it can get overwhelming. Reviews help others decide whether they should invest their money and their time into that specific game or continue searching.
3. Walkthrough
Unlike Let’s Plays and reviews, walkthrough videos are mapped out and structured to help the viewers pass the game while experiencing events, side quests, and characters they would otherwise have missed.
4. Reactions
Misery or excitement, when you genuinely react to an event in a game, the audience gets to experience it along your side. Give the moment a bit of lead up, let people know what you are expecting, and then surprise yourself. Reaction videos are great because they are spontaneous and a wonderful form of presenting your personality.
5. Skills
Video games are hard to master. But if you think you are proficient in an aspect of the game, show off your moves. Is there a particular trick that you can do? Is there a stage you can beat quickly? Are you able to take down your enemy with ease? Prove it.
4. Have a Budget
When you begin your YouTube gaming journey, you are going to see a lot of established YouTubers showing off their gear. It’s easy to get carried away with equipment, but we recommend setting a budget and staying within it to start.
What’s a good budget for YouTubers? Some might say you can do it for $600 and others say $3000. That’s a big range.
What you need to ask yourself is what do you currently have.
Are you starting with nothing? Or do you have some essentials? If you have a computer, which can play the game of your choice, you don’t need to spend $2000 on a new one. Look at what you currently have before buying new stuff.
Here is what you will need to get the best results:
- Microphone (Average cost: $100)
- Webcam (Average cost: $100)
- Editing Software (Average cost: $300)
- PC that can handle recording, editing, rendering, uploading, etc. (Average cost: $2,000)
If you are starting out, all you need is a computer with a capable CPU and GPU, a webcam, a microphone, and a free encoding software, such as OBS , and you will be able to stream.
Even PewDiePie started with a basic gaming setup.
I don’t recommend blowing your life savings on all the equipment you want. Don’t have a powerful computer? There are games such as Minecraft and Roblox that are less taxing to your computer, if you don’t have a powerful one.
There are ways to work around it, if you don’t currently have the funds. Being a YouTuber is all about being resourceful and creative.
You don’t need professional editing software, there are affordable ones such as Wondershare Filmora that have all the capabilities.
1. Many Games Are Free
Here’s the great thing about starting as a video game YouTuber, you don’t need to pay for any games. I’m not only talking about the crappy Flash games on the Internet, but massively popular games such as Fortnite and DOTA are also free to start playing as well.
If you’re strapped for cash. Start your channel playing free games and work your way towards more expensive games.
2. Some Software Are Free As Well
OBS: This streaming software allows you to capture your game in top quality and broadcast it directly to YouTube. It’s a simple setup , and it’s completely free.
Audacity: This audio recording and editing software is great if you want to improve the quality of your audio by removing background noise or combining clips.
GIMP: Probably the closest free product to Photoshop you can find. GIMP will help you perform basic image manipulation. It’s not as user friendly as Photoshop, but you can learn the fundamentals here as you save up for the Creative Cloud subscription plan.
5. Optimization Matters
Gaming is arguably the most popular genre on YouTube. So, how is your little video going to be discovered in this vast sea of gaming content?
The answer: with a good optimization strategy.
1. Tags and Title
When conceptualizing your next video, consider what your viewers are going to search to find it. This will help you focus your gameplay to meet the demand of this untapped (or more specific) audience.
You can use a plugin called VidIQ to see the keyword score by simply searching for the content you think your viewers are interested in watching.
If you’re playing Fortnite, and your keyword is simply “Fortnite” you’re using a highly searched term, but the competition is very high as well. The odds of your ranking is incredibly tough as the overall keyword score is 61/100.
However, if you focus on a more specific aspect of the game to make a video around, such as a character, you can heighten your chance at being discovered.
Take the example below, where I added the keyword “Striker” to the search. Its overall keyword score is 87/100, that’s 26 points better in the keyword score, compared to just “Fortnite.”
This will help you identify the content you should be making and then use that keyword knowledge to write a good title and a list of 5-15 tags.
Few more tips to improving your titles include:
- Avoid uninspiring words like “Fun,” “Exciting,” or “Great.”
- Once you have a title do a quick search to see if it already exists. Common titles make it harder for yours to rank.
- Have the title relate to the game. If there are certain words or phrases that players are familiar with, go ahead and use it.
- Make it click-worthy by promising something unique, but don’t mislead viewers.
2. Create Awesome Thumbnails
It doesn’t matter how awesome your video is, if the thumbnail image is boring, nobody will want to click into it. And if nobody clicks into it, you won’t get any views. Simple.
What makes a good thumbnail image?
- Don’t use the random images YouTube picks for you
- Have an expressive picture of a human face (preferably of yours, because it’s your gaming channel and you’re the star)
Take a look at The Syndicate Project’s thumbnails and how it evokes an intensity that makes you want to click — or scream with excitement. Both good things.
- Don’t want to use your face? Create a character for yourself or to represent your channel. Or used the characters from the actual game.
Check out the colorful thumbnails from VanossGaming, where the owl is the mascot of their channel.
- Use readable text or emojis
If you don’t have Photoshop or don’t have strong design skills, check out Wondershare Pixstudio , a drag-and-drop design tool that makes creating thumbnails easy.
3. Engage with Other Gamers
Don’t forget that YouTube is a social media platform.
It’s all about being a part of a YouTube community, and while you can’t interact with every creator on the platform, you can find those within your niche or specific game and chat with them. Leave a comment if you like their video or have constructive feedback.
Additionally, viewer engagements such as likes and comments have shown to have an indirect effect on your video ranking. That is why you should encourage your viewers to “smash” the like button or join in a conversation by asking them a question in your video.
6. Be Cautious of Content Strike and Demonetization
1. Cause for Demonetization
The YouTube monetization landscape has changed a lot for creators in the past few years. The guidelines are always being adjusted to serve both creators and advertisers. If you’re thinking of making money from YouTube ads, you have to be aware that there are types of content that turn advertisers off, and YouTube knows it. Here are some reasons that YouTube will choose to demonetize your videos:
- Excessive or gratuitous violence
- Hateful content: promotes discrimination or disparages or humiliates and individual or group of people (race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc.)
- Inappropriate use of family entertainment characters
- Incendiary and demeaning content: disrespectful languages that shame or insult an individual or group
2. Avoiding Copyright Strike
Thanks to the fair use doctrine, you’re allowed to take video game content and make videos from it without acquiring permission from the people who made the game.
However, if you step across the fair use line, you can be penalized for violating copyright infringement.
If you get three strikes from YouTube in 90 days, your account and videos will be removed and you won’t be allowed to create a new channel.
Before you publish your video ask yourself these questions, if you answer yes to any of them then you have met fair use standards:
- Is your content creative or educational?
- Is there more original content than copyrighted content?
- Is your video benefiting the original content?
I recommend that you learn more about YouTube copyright , and how to build your content so that it doesn’t get flagged.
Beyond all that, it’s about playing games, having a good time, and meeting awesome people like yourself. Enjoy the journey and take pleasure in every little achievement, be it in the game or on YouTube.
Key Takeaways
- Don’t go into YouTube gaming for the money, but rather to improve your skills and other people’s lives.
- Find something special about your channel that people can’t find anywhere else.
- YouTube gaming can be as cheap and as expensive as you want, create a budget to stay within your limits.
- Understand optimization to improve your chances of viewers finding your content.
- Don’t be hateful or advertisers will avoid you, and don’t steal other people’s content without crediting the original creator.
- Give yourself a unique YouTube gaming channel name .
What’s stopping you from starting your YouTube gaming channel? Let us know in the comment box below!
Best Screen Recorder & Video Editor for Gamers
If you want to record the gameplay and edit it with some text and titles, or creative transitions and effects, I highly recommend you try Wondershare Filmora , which is easy to use yet powerful enough with its editing tools and effects templates. Download the free trial version and get started now.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
Now is the best and easiest time in history for you to start a YouTube gaming channel. Yet a profitable channel? That’s another story. In this article, I am going to highlight the key elements you need to become the best YouTube gamer you can be.
Table of Content:
- Have a Greater Purpose
- Create an Identity
- Type of Gaming Videos
- Have a Budget
- Optimization Matter
- Be Cautious of Content Strike and Demonetization
Starting a gaming channel today will mean that you will be a small fish in a big ocean. The amount of content on YouTube is massive, and in order to stand out, you will need three intangibles:
- Patience
- Consistency
- Creativity
If you are willing to commit to this long term, then it’s the best time in history for you to start a YouTube gaming channel.
The All-in-One Screen Recorder & Video Editor
- Record desktop screen, voiceover, and webcam simultaneously
- Edit recorded clips quickly with a wide range of professional tools
- Built-in plentiful templates and effects
- Export to MP4, MOV, MKV, GIF and multiple formats
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
For macOS 10.12 or later
Secure Download
It’s the best time because you will have so many pioneers and successful creators to draw inspiration and knowledge from. You’ll be standing on the shoulders of giants like PewDiePie, Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, and CinnamonToastKen.
The trail has been blazed and you’re in the new frontier. Now, here’s what you need to know about starting a YouTube gaming channel.
1. Have a Greater Purpose
According to Tubular Insights , 15% of all content on YouTube is related to video games. That’s a lot.
Additionally, as of 2018, YouTube has a new monetization requirement. To enable monetization, you will need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time in the last 12 months.
If you think you can make a few videos and start making money, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to disappoint you. YouTube is fun and a wonderful way to increase the social aspect of gaming and enhance your enjoyment. Approach it the same way you’ve approached gaming all along, as a fun way to spend your time.
Enjoy the journey… and what a journey it can be. Do it for the love of playing games and making videos, and not about getting subscribers or views. If you don’t change your attitude, it’s a grueling climb if all you want is to reach the finish line (which is nowhere in sight).
Why am I telling you this? Well, if you don’t have a greater purpose than simply growing subscribers and making money off YouTube, then you are going to get discouraged and give up. It’s not a get-rich-fast plan.
Here is how you find your greater purpose:
1. Give Value
You want to make good YouTube gaming content like those popular YouTubers that came before you.
But… what makes good YouTube content?
Simply put, good content should exhibit these factors:
Entertaining: Tell a story and sensationalize the emotions that come out of you when you play games.
Educational: Find hidden stages, new tricks, and talk about the lore and history that brought this game to life.
Inspiring: Encourage viewers to try new games and play along. Help people discover their next pastime and thank viewers for spending their time with you.
This is what gives your content value, and creating content with value should be your ultimate purpose. Making your viewers feel good is, in a way, better than money, no?
2. Make YouTube a Part of Your Daily/Weekly Ritual
YouTube should be a part of your regular schedule.
At first, it’ll be easy. Like anything new, your YouTube channel will have a novelty to it. It’s this exciting new project that you have.
But after the first month, that excitement will dampen. By the third month, it’ll become familiar. Here’s where you have to fight the urge to stop. This is where author, Seth Godin calls The Dip .
It’s now working. And like all work, you’ll have to schedule it into your daily life. You’ll have to prioritize YouTube above hanging out with friends, watching another movie, or playing video games without the strain of recording it and being entertaining/educating/inspiring.
However, if you are getting fulfillment from YouTube, you won’t stop even when the going gets hard. Like being a parent, it’s not always fun, but it should always be fulfilling.
Pro Tip: Mark when you are going to be working on YouTube in a calendar, so when someone asks you to hang out or go for dinner, you can check it and let them know you already have plans.
3. Have a Passion to Get Better At Every Step
There are many stages to producing a YouTube video, from pre-production to production to post-production. And within those stages are countless steps.
If YouTube is what you want to do, perhaps the greatest purpose you can have is improving on each of those skill sets along the way.
In the beginning, you will have a surplus of ideas, but once your initial stock of video ideas run dry, you will need to practice coming up with more ideas .
You’ll get better at recording your gameplay, at speaking on camera, at editing your footage, at optimizing your content, and at sharing your videos.
You will enjoy certain steps more than others, but if you are passionate, you will find comfort in striving to improve in each one, little by little.
Pro Tip:Focus on telling a great story . In every video, you should have an objective you want to accomplish. You want to beat a stage, you want to learn a new skill, etc. Once you nail that, all the other elements (screen recording, editing, and your commentary) will fall into place to guide your story from beginning to end.
2. Create an Identity
Your personality and your channel will need to go through a littlebranding exercise . You need to find what sets yourself apart from all the other gaming channels on the Internet. Ask yourself, and be honest with the answer: Why should anyone care about my channel?
1. Be Original
Take inspiration from other YouTubers and adjust it so that it’s unique. You cannot copy the ideas of popular YouTubers, because the public can see that. They can tell the difference between originality and imitation.
Being original doesn’t mean doing something that has never been done before.
Take a look at Jacksepticeye and Markiplier, both are popular YouTubers recognized for their colorful hair, mass use of profanity, and their Let’s Play style of gaming videos. But if you watch their videos, you can see that they are not copying each other but rather adjusting what has proven to be effective to suit their personality.
If something inspires you and you want to make an original version yourself, don’t think that you need to do something completely different, rather ask, how can I make that awesome thing better?
2. Focus on a Specific Aspect of Game
Odds are, you’ll end up playing the same game as other YouTubers. If you’re playing a popular game, then it’s going to be hard for you to establish an audience if your videos are broad.
Consider how your viewers will discover your videos. Are they going to find you through search? If so, what are they searching? There are many aspects to a video game: characters, glitches, stages, etc.
Find a specific aspect of the game to focus on.
Take YouTuber, NoughtPointFourLive, who instead of playing the game via a linear campaign, finds ridiculous situations, odd tricks, and easter eggs in Grand Theft Auto:
3. Hook Audience With Something Funny Or Interesting — And Lead Up To It
Every video you make should tell a story. It doesn’t matter if the storyline is the one in the video game or if it’s happening to you in real life. What matters is that you are aware of where the climax is.
The climax is what your story hinges on: it’s when Mario confronts Bowser.
This is what your audience is watching for. They want to know who wins.
To hook your audience right away, open with the most exciting part. The bit leading up to the climax. But don’t give away the ending. You want to hook them. Give a promise that this video is worth watching and that eventually, it will deliver.
Check out this example from YouTuber, Lachlan playing Fortnite and landing back at Spawn Island, an artillery-filled waiting area for players before the game starts.
This structure can be applied with humor as well as climatic events. If you open with something funny, it gets the viewer engaged immediately. They want to know what led up to that humorous moment.
Take a look at this example from YouTuber, Jelly. He does a great job at injecting humor into his first few seconds of video.
3. Type of Gaming Videos
There are no rules to making gaming videos. As long as it’s worth watching and you aren’t stealing content, that is all that matters. Nevertheless, there are a few standard types of gaming videos that have been established over the years.
1. Let’s Plays
Turn the game on and start playing. Let’s Plays give you a lot of freedom to explore the game and let your personality show in the commentary. You don’t need to play with a strategy, but do have a particular goal in mind (Finishing a level, for example).
Let’s Plays are more about watching you experience the game. A demographic of people watching Let’s Plays are those that don’t have the game themselves, but still want to experience it. Let them live vicariously through you.
2. Reviews
When you’re deciding whether or not to buy a new product where do you go to research? Google and YouTube. If you have a lot of interesting insights after playing a game, making reviews videos might just be your calling. There are many games on the market, and for consumers, it can get overwhelming. Reviews help others decide whether they should invest their money and their time into that specific game or continue searching.
3. Walkthrough
Unlike Let’s Plays and reviews, walkthrough videos are mapped out and structured to help the viewers pass the game while experiencing events, side quests, and characters they would otherwise have missed.
4. Reactions
Misery or excitement, when you genuinely react to an event in a game, the audience gets to experience it along your side. Give the moment a bit of lead up, let people know what you are expecting, and then surprise yourself. Reaction videos are great because they are spontaneous and a wonderful form of presenting your personality.
5. Skills
Video games are hard to master. But if you think you are proficient in an aspect of the game, show off your moves. Is there a particular trick that you can do? Is there a stage you can beat quickly? Are you able to take down your enemy with ease? Prove it.
4. Have a Budget
When you begin your YouTube gaming journey, you are going to see a lot of established YouTubers showing off their gear. It’s easy to get carried away with equipment, but we recommend setting a budget and staying within it to start.
What’s a good budget for YouTubers? Some might say you can do it for $600 and others say $3000. That’s a big range.
What you need to ask yourself is what do you currently have.
Are you starting with nothing? Or do you have some essentials? If you have a computer, which can play the game of your choice, you don’t need to spend $2000 on a new one. Look at what you currently have before buying new stuff.
Here is what you will need to get the best results:
- Microphone (Average cost: $100)
- Webcam (Average cost: $100)
- Editing Software (Average cost: $300)
- PC that can handle recording, editing, rendering, uploading, etc. (Average cost: $2,000)
If you are starting out, all you need is a computer with a capable CPU and GPU, a webcam, a microphone, and a free encoding software, such as OBS , and you will be able to stream.
Even PewDiePie started with a basic gaming setup.
I don’t recommend blowing your life savings on all the equipment you want. Don’t have a powerful computer? There are games such as Minecraft and Roblox that are less taxing to your computer, if you don’t have a powerful one.
There are ways to work around it, if you don’t currently have the funds. Being a YouTuber is all about being resourceful and creative.
You don’t need professional editing software, there are affordable ones such as Wondershare Filmora that have all the capabilities.
1. Many Games Are Free
Here’s the great thing about starting as a video game YouTuber, you don’t need to pay for any games. I’m not only talking about the crappy Flash games on the Internet, but massively popular games such as Fortnite and DOTA are also free to start playing as well.
If you’re strapped for cash. Start your channel playing free games and work your way towards more expensive games.
2. Some Software Are Free As Well
OBS: This streaming software allows you to capture your game in top quality and broadcast it directly to YouTube. It’s a simple setup , and it’s completely free.
Audacity: This audio recording and editing software is great if you want to improve the quality of your audio by removing background noise or combining clips.
GIMP: Probably the closest free product to Photoshop you can find. GIMP will help you perform basic image manipulation. It’s not as user friendly as Photoshop, but you can learn the fundamentals here as you save up for the Creative Cloud subscription plan.
5. Optimization Matters
Gaming is arguably the most popular genre on YouTube. So, how is your little video going to be discovered in this vast sea of gaming content?
The answer: with a good optimization strategy.
1. Tags and Title
When conceptualizing your next video, consider what your viewers are going to search to find it. This will help you focus your gameplay to meet the demand of this untapped (or more specific) audience.
You can use a plugin called VidIQ to see the keyword score by simply searching for the content you think your viewers are interested in watching.
If you’re playing Fortnite, and your keyword is simply “Fortnite” you’re using a highly searched term, but the competition is very high as well. The odds of your ranking is incredibly tough as the overall keyword score is 61/100.
However, if you focus on a more specific aspect of the game to make a video around, such as a character, you can heighten your chance at being discovered.
Take the example below, where I added the keyword “Striker” to the search. Its overall keyword score is 87/100, that’s 26 points better in the keyword score, compared to just “Fortnite.”
This will help you identify the content you should be making and then use that keyword knowledge to write a good title and a list of 5-15 tags.
Few more tips to improving your titles include:
- Avoid uninspiring words like “Fun,” “Exciting,” or “Great.”
- Once you have a title do a quick search to see if it already exists. Common titles make it harder for yours to rank.
- Have the title relate to the game. If there are certain words or phrases that players are familiar with, go ahead and use it.
- Make it click-worthy by promising something unique, but don’t mislead viewers.
2. Create Awesome Thumbnails
It doesn’t matter how awesome your video is, if the thumbnail image is boring, nobody will want to click into it. And if nobody clicks into it, you won’t get any views. Simple.
What makes a good thumbnail image?
- Don’t use the random images YouTube picks for you
- Have an expressive picture of a human face (preferably of yours, because it’s your gaming channel and you’re the star)
Take a look at The Syndicate Project’s thumbnails and how it evokes an intensity that makes you want to click — or scream with excitement. Both good things.
- Don’t want to use your face? Create a character for yourself or to represent your channel. Or used the characters from the actual game.
Check out the colorful thumbnails from VanossGaming, where the owl is the mascot of their channel.
- Use readable text or emojis
If you don’t have Photoshop or don’t have strong design skills, check out Wondershare Pixstudio , a drag-and-drop design tool that makes creating thumbnails easy.
3. Engage with Other Gamers
Don’t forget that YouTube is a social media platform.
It’s all about being a part of a YouTube community, and while you can’t interact with every creator on the platform, you can find those within your niche or specific game and chat with them. Leave a comment if you like their video or have constructive feedback.
Additionally, viewer engagements such as likes and comments have shown to have an indirect effect on your video ranking. That is why you should encourage your viewers to “smash” the like button or join in a conversation by asking them a question in your video.
6. Be Cautious of Content Strike and Demonetization
1. Cause for Demonetization
The YouTube monetization landscape has changed a lot for creators in the past few years. The guidelines are always being adjusted to serve both creators and advertisers. If you’re thinking of making money from YouTube ads, you have to be aware that there are types of content that turn advertisers off, and YouTube knows it. Here are some reasons that YouTube will choose to demonetize your videos:
- Excessive or gratuitous violence
- Hateful content: promotes discrimination or disparages or humiliates and individual or group of people (race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc.)
- Inappropriate use of family entertainment characters
- Incendiary and demeaning content: disrespectful languages that shame or insult an individual or group
2. Avoiding Copyright Strike
Thanks to the fair use doctrine, you’re allowed to take video game content and make videos from it without acquiring permission from the people who made the game.
However, if you step across the fair use line, you can be penalized for violating copyright infringement.
If you get three strikes from YouTube in 90 days, your account and videos will be removed and you won’t be allowed to create a new channel.
Before you publish your video ask yourself these questions, if you answer yes to any of them then you have met fair use standards:
- Is your content creative or educational?
- Is there more original content than copyrighted content?
- Is your video benefiting the original content?
I recommend that you learn more about YouTube copyright , and how to build your content so that it doesn’t get flagged.
Beyond all that, it’s about playing games, having a good time, and meeting awesome people like yourself. Enjoy the journey and take pleasure in every little achievement, be it in the game or on YouTube.
Key Takeaways
- Don’t go into YouTube gaming for the money, but rather to improve your skills and other people’s lives.
- Find something special about your channel that people can’t find anywhere else.
- YouTube gaming can be as cheap and as expensive as you want, create a budget to stay within your limits.
- Understand optimization to improve your chances of viewers finding your content.
- Don’t be hateful or advertisers will avoid you, and don’t steal other people’s content without crediting the original creator.
- Give yourself a unique YouTube gaming channel name .
What’s stopping you from starting your YouTube gaming channel? Let us know in the comment box below!
Best Screen Recorder & Video Editor for Gamers
If you want to record the gameplay and edit it with some text and titles, or creative transitions and effects, I highly recommend you try Wondershare Filmora , which is easy to use yet powerful enough with its editing tools and effects templates. Download the free trial version and get started now.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
Now is the best and easiest time in history for you to start a YouTube gaming channel. Yet a profitable channel? That’s another story. In this article, I am going to highlight the key elements you need to become the best YouTube gamer you can be.
Table of Content:
- Have a Greater Purpose
- Create an Identity
- Type of Gaming Videos
- Have a Budget
- Optimization Matter
- Be Cautious of Content Strike and Demonetization
Starting a gaming channel today will mean that you will be a small fish in a big ocean. The amount of content on YouTube is massive, and in order to stand out, you will need three intangibles:
- Patience
- Consistency
- Creativity
If you are willing to commit to this long term, then it’s the best time in history for you to start a YouTube gaming channel.
The All-in-One Screen Recorder & Video Editor
- Record desktop screen, voiceover, and webcam simultaneously
- Edit recorded clips quickly with a wide range of professional tools
- Built-in plentiful templates and effects
- Export to MP4, MOV, MKV, GIF and multiple formats
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
For macOS 10.12 or later
Secure Download
It’s the best time because you will have so many pioneers and successful creators to draw inspiration and knowledge from. You’ll be standing on the shoulders of giants like PewDiePie, Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, and CinnamonToastKen.
The trail has been blazed and you’re in the new frontier. Now, here’s what you need to know about starting a YouTube gaming channel.
1. Have a Greater Purpose
According to Tubular Insights , 15% of all content on YouTube is related to video games. That’s a lot.
Additionally, as of 2018, YouTube has a new monetization requirement. To enable monetization, you will need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time in the last 12 months.
If you think you can make a few videos and start making money, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to disappoint you. YouTube is fun and a wonderful way to increase the social aspect of gaming and enhance your enjoyment. Approach it the same way you’ve approached gaming all along, as a fun way to spend your time.
Enjoy the journey… and what a journey it can be. Do it for the love of playing games and making videos, and not about getting subscribers or views. If you don’t change your attitude, it’s a grueling climb if all you want is to reach the finish line (which is nowhere in sight).
Why am I telling you this? Well, if you don’t have a greater purpose than simply growing subscribers and making money off YouTube, then you are going to get discouraged and give up. It’s not a get-rich-fast plan.
Here is how you find your greater purpose:
1. Give Value
You want to make good YouTube gaming content like those popular YouTubers that came before you.
But… what makes good YouTube content?
Simply put, good content should exhibit these factors:
Entertaining: Tell a story and sensationalize the emotions that come out of you when you play games.
Educational: Find hidden stages, new tricks, and talk about the lore and history that brought this game to life.
Inspiring: Encourage viewers to try new games and play along. Help people discover their next pastime and thank viewers for spending their time with you.
This is what gives your content value, and creating content with value should be your ultimate purpose. Making your viewers feel good is, in a way, better than money, no?
2. Make YouTube a Part of Your Daily/Weekly Ritual
YouTube should be a part of your regular schedule.
At first, it’ll be easy. Like anything new, your YouTube channel will have a novelty to it. It’s this exciting new project that you have.
But after the first month, that excitement will dampen. By the third month, it’ll become familiar. Here’s where you have to fight the urge to stop. This is where author, Seth Godin calls The Dip .
It’s now working. And like all work, you’ll have to schedule it into your daily life. You’ll have to prioritize YouTube above hanging out with friends, watching another movie, or playing video games without the strain of recording it and being entertaining/educating/inspiring.
However, if you are getting fulfillment from YouTube, you won’t stop even when the going gets hard. Like being a parent, it’s not always fun, but it should always be fulfilling.
Pro Tip: Mark when you are going to be working on YouTube in a calendar, so when someone asks you to hang out or go for dinner, you can check it and let them know you already have plans.
3. Have a Passion to Get Better At Every Step
There are many stages to producing a YouTube video, from pre-production to production to post-production. And within those stages are countless steps.
If YouTube is what you want to do, perhaps the greatest purpose you can have is improving on each of those skill sets along the way.
In the beginning, you will have a surplus of ideas, but once your initial stock of video ideas run dry, you will need to practice coming up with more ideas .
You’ll get better at recording your gameplay, at speaking on camera, at editing your footage, at optimizing your content, and at sharing your videos.
You will enjoy certain steps more than others, but if you are passionate, you will find comfort in striving to improve in each one, little by little.
Pro Tip:Focus on telling a great story . In every video, you should have an objective you want to accomplish. You want to beat a stage, you want to learn a new skill, etc. Once you nail that, all the other elements (screen recording, editing, and your commentary) will fall into place to guide your story from beginning to end.
2. Create an Identity
Your personality and your channel will need to go through a littlebranding exercise . You need to find what sets yourself apart from all the other gaming channels on the Internet. Ask yourself, and be honest with the answer: Why should anyone care about my channel?
1. Be Original
Take inspiration from other YouTubers and adjust it so that it’s unique. You cannot copy the ideas of popular YouTubers, because the public can see that. They can tell the difference between originality and imitation.
Being original doesn’t mean doing something that has never been done before.
Take a look at Jacksepticeye and Markiplier, both are popular YouTubers recognized for their colorful hair, mass use of profanity, and their Let’s Play style of gaming videos. But if you watch their videos, you can see that they are not copying each other but rather adjusting what has proven to be effective to suit their personality.
If something inspires you and you want to make an original version yourself, don’t think that you need to do something completely different, rather ask, how can I make that awesome thing better?
2. Focus on a Specific Aspect of Game
Odds are, you’ll end up playing the same game as other YouTubers. If you’re playing a popular game, then it’s going to be hard for you to establish an audience if your videos are broad.
Consider how your viewers will discover your videos. Are they going to find you through search? If so, what are they searching? There are many aspects to a video game: characters, glitches, stages, etc.
Find a specific aspect of the game to focus on.
Take YouTuber, NoughtPointFourLive, who instead of playing the game via a linear campaign, finds ridiculous situations, odd tricks, and easter eggs in Grand Theft Auto:
3. Hook Audience With Something Funny Or Interesting — And Lead Up To It
Every video you make should tell a story. It doesn’t matter if the storyline is the one in the video game or if it’s happening to you in real life. What matters is that you are aware of where the climax is.
The climax is what your story hinges on: it’s when Mario confronts Bowser.
This is what your audience is watching for. They want to know who wins.
To hook your audience right away, open with the most exciting part. The bit leading up to the climax. But don’t give away the ending. You want to hook them. Give a promise that this video is worth watching and that eventually, it will deliver.
Check out this example from YouTuber, Lachlan playing Fortnite and landing back at Spawn Island, an artillery-filled waiting area for players before the game starts.
This structure can be applied with humor as well as climatic events. If you open with something funny, it gets the viewer engaged immediately. They want to know what led up to that humorous moment.
Take a look at this example from YouTuber, Jelly. He does a great job at injecting humor into his first few seconds of video.
3. Type of Gaming Videos
There are no rules to making gaming videos. As long as it’s worth watching and you aren’t stealing content, that is all that matters. Nevertheless, there are a few standard types of gaming videos that have been established over the years.
1. Let’s Plays
Turn the game on and start playing. Let’s Plays give you a lot of freedom to explore the game and let your personality show in the commentary. You don’t need to play with a strategy, but do have a particular goal in mind (Finishing a level, for example).
Let’s Plays are more about watching you experience the game. A demographic of people watching Let’s Plays are those that don’t have the game themselves, but still want to experience it. Let them live vicariously through you.
2. Reviews
When you’re deciding whether or not to buy a new product where do you go to research? Google and YouTube. If you have a lot of interesting insights after playing a game, making reviews videos might just be your calling. There are many games on the market, and for consumers, it can get overwhelming. Reviews help others decide whether they should invest their money and their time into that specific game or continue searching.
3. Walkthrough
Unlike Let’s Plays and reviews, walkthrough videos are mapped out and structured to help the viewers pass the game while experiencing events, side quests, and characters they would otherwise have missed.
4. Reactions
Misery or excitement, when you genuinely react to an event in a game, the audience gets to experience it along your side. Give the moment a bit of lead up, let people know what you are expecting, and then surprise yourself. Reaction videos are great because they are spontaneous and a wonderful form of presenting your personality.
5. Skills
Video games are hard to master. But if you think you are proficient in an aspect of the game, show off your moves. Is there a particular trick that you can do? Is there a stage you can beat quickly? Are you able to take down your enemy with ease? Prove it.
4. Have a Budget
When you begin your YouTube gaming journey, you are going to see a lot of established YouTubers showing off their gear. It’s easy to get carried away with equipment, but we recommend setting a budget and staying within it to start.
What’s a good budget for YouTubers? Some might say you can do it for $600 and others say $3000. That’s a big range.
What you need to ask yourself is what do you currently have.
Are you starting with nothing? Or do you have some essentials? If you have a computer, which can play the game of your choice, you don’t need to spend $2000 on a new one. Look at what you currently have before buying new stuff.
Here is what you will need to get the best results:
- Microphone (Average cost: $100)
- Webcam (Average cost: $100)
- Editing Software (Average cost: $300)
- PC that can handle recording, editing, rendering, uploading, etc. (Average cost: $2,000)
If you are starting out, all you need is a computer with a capable CPU and GPU, a webcam, a microphone, and a free encoding software, such as OBS , and you will be able to stream.
Even PewDiePie started with a basic gaming setup.
I don’t recommend blowing your life savings on all the equipment you want. Don’t have a powerful computer? There are games such as Minecraft and Roblox that are less taxing to your computer, if you don’t have a powerful one.
There are ways to work around it, if you don’t currently have the funds. Being a YouTuber is all about being resourceful and creative.
You don’t need professional editing software, there are affordable ones such as Wondershare Filmora that have all the capabilities.
1. Many Games Are Free
Here’s the great thing about starting as a video game YouTuber, you don’t need to pay for any games. I’m not only talking about the crappy Flash games on the Internet, but massively popular games such as Fortnite and DOTA are also free to start playing as well.
If you’re strapped for cash. Start your channel playing free games and work your way towards more expensive games.
2. Some Software Are Free As Well
OBS: This streaming software allows you to capture your game in top quality and broadcast it directly to YouTube. It’s a simple setup , and it’s completely free.
Audacity: This audio recording and editing software is great if you want to improve the quality of your audio by removing background noise or combining clips.
GIMP: Probably the closest free product to Photoshop you can find. GIMP will help you perform basic image manipulation. It’s not as user friendly as Photoshop, but you can learn the fundamentals here as you save up for the Creative Cloud subscription plan.
5. Optimization Matters
Gaming is arguably the most popular genre on YouTube. So, how is your little video going to be discovered in this vast sea of gaming content?
The answer: with a good optimization strategy.
1. Tags and Title
When conceptualizing your next video, consider what your viewers are going to search to find it. This will help you focus your gameplay to meet the demand of this untapped (or more specific) audience.
You can use a plugin called VidIQ to see the keyword score by simply searching for the content you think your viewers are interested in watching.
If you’re playing Fortnite, and your keyword is simply “Fortnite” you’re using a highly searched term, but the competition is very high as well. The odds of your ranking is incredibly tough as the overall keyword score is 61/100.
However, if you focus on a more specific aspect of the game to make a video around, such as a character, you can heighten your chance at being discovered.
Take the example below, where I added the keyword “Striker” to the search. Its overall keyword score is 87/100, that’s 26 points better in the keyword score, compared to just “Fortnite.”
This will help you identify the content you should be making and then use that keyword knowledge to write a good title and a list of 5-15 tags.
Few more tips to improving your titles include:
- Avoid uninspiring words like “Fun,” “Exciting,” or “Great.”
- Once you have a title do a quick search to see if it already exists. Common titles make it harder for yours to rank.
- Have the title relate to the game. If there are certain words or phrases that players are familiar with, go ahead and use it.
- Make it click-worthy by promising something unique, but don’t mislead viewers.
2. Create Awesome Thumbnails
It doesn’t matter how awesome your video is, if the thumbnail image is boring, nobody will want to click into it. And if nobody clicks into it, you won’t get any views. Simple.
What makes a good thumbnail image?
- Don’t use the random images YouTube picks for you
- Have an expressive picture of a human face (preferably of yours, because it’s your gaming channel and you’re the star)
Take a look at The Syndicate Project’s thumbnails and how it evokes an intensity that makes you want to click — or scream with excitement. Both good things.
- Don’t want to use your face? Create a character for yourself or to represent your channel. Or used the characters from the actual game.
Check out the colorful thumbnails from VanossGaming, where the owl is the mascot of their channel.
- Use readable text or emojis
If you don’t have Photoshop or don’t have strong design skills, check out Wondershare Pixstudio , a drag-and-drop design tool that makes creating thumbnails easy.
3. Engage with Other Gamers
Don’t forget that YouTube is a social media platform.
It’s all about being a part of a YouTube community, and while you can’t interact with every creator on the platform, you can find those within your niche or specific game and chat with them. Leave a comment if you like their video or have constructive feedback.
Additionally, viewer engagements such as likes and comments have shown to have an indirect effect on your video ranking. That is why you should encourage your viewers to “smash” the like button or join in a conversation by asking them a question in your video.
6. Be Cautious of Content Strike and Demonetization
1. Cause for Demonetization
The YouTube monetization landscape has changed a lot for creators in the past few years. The guidelines are always being adjusted to serve both creators and advertisers. If you’re thinking of making money from YouTube ads, you have to be aware that there are types of content that turn advertisers off, and YouTube knows it. Here are some reasons that YouTube will choose to demonetize your videos:
- Excessive or gratuitous violence
- Hateful content: promotes discrimination or disparages or humiliates and individual or group of people (race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc.)
- Inappropriate use of family entertainment characters
- Incendiary and demeaning content: disrespectful languages that shame or insult an individual or group
2. Avoiding Copyright Strike
Thanks to the fair use doctrine, you’re allowed to take video game content and make videos from it without acquiring permission from the people who made the game.
However, if you step across the fair use line, you can be penalized for violating copyright infringement.
If you get three strikes from YouTube in 90 days, your account and videos will be removed and you won’t be allowed to create a new channel.
Before you publish your video ask yourself these questions, if you answer yes to any of them then you have met fair use standards:
- Is your content creative or educational?
- Is there more original content than copyrighted content?
- Is your video benefiting the original content?
I recommend that you learn more about YouTube copyright , and how to build your content so that it doesn’t get flagged.
Beyond all that, it’s about playing games, having a good time, and meeting awesome people like yourself. Enjoy the journey and take pleasure in every little achievement, be it in the game or on YouTube.
Key Takeaways
- Don’t go into YouTube gaming for the money, but rather to improve your skills and other people’s lives.
- Find something special about your channel that people can’t find anywhere else.
- YouTube gaming can be as cheap and as expensive as you want, create a budget to stay within your limits.
- Understand optimization to improve your chances of viewers finding your content.
- Don’t be hateful or advertisers will avoid you, and don’t steal other people’s content without crediting the original creator.
- Give yourself a unique YouTube gaming channel name .
What’s stopping you from starting your YouTube gaming channel? Let us know in the comment box below!
Best Screen Recorder & Video Editor for Gamers
If you want to record the gameplay and edit it with some text and titles, or creative transitions and effects, I highly recommend you try Wondershare Filmora , which is easy to use yet powerful enough with its editing tools and effects templates. Download the free trial version and get started now.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
Now is the best and easiest time in history for you to start a YouTube gaming channel. Yet a profitable channel? That’s another story. In this article, I am going to highlight the key elements you need to become the best YouTube gamer you can be.
Table of Content:
- Have a Greater Purpose
- Create an Identity
- Type of Gaming Videos
- Have a Budget
- Optimization Matter
- Be Cautious of Content Strike and Demonetization
Starting a gaming channel today will mean that you will be a small fish in a big ocean. The amount of content on YouTube is massive, and in order to stand out, you will need three intangibles:
- Patience
- Consistency
- Creativity
If you are willing to commit to this long term, then it’s the best time in history for you to start a YouTube gaming channel.
The All-in-One Screen Recorder & Video Editor
- Record desktop screen, voiceover, and webcam simultaneously
- Edit recorded clips quickly with a wide range of professional tools
- Built-in plentiful templates and effects
- Export to MP4, MOV, MKV, GIF and multiple formats
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
For macOS 10.12 or later
Secure Download
It’s the best time because you will have so many pioneers and successful creators to draw inspiration and knowledge from. You’ll be standing on the shoulders of giants like PewDiePie, Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, and CinnamonToastKen.
The trail has been blazed and you’re in the new frontier. Now, here’s what you need to know about starting a YouTube gaming channel.
1. Have a Greater Purpose
According to Tubular Insights , 15% of all content on YouTube is related to video games. That’s a lot.
Additionally, as of 2018, YouTube has a new monetization requirement. To enable monetization, you will need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time in the last 12 months.
If you think you can make a few videos and start making money, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to disappoint you. YouTube is fun and a wonderful way to increase the social aspect of gaming and enhance your enjoyment. Approach it the same way you’ve approached gaming all along, as a fun way to spend your time.
Enjoy the journey… and what a journey it can be. Do it for the love of playing games and making videos, and not about getting subscribers or views. If you don’t change your attitude, it’s a grueling climb if all you want is to reach the finish line (which is nowhere in sight).
Why am I telling you this? Well, if you don’t have a greater purpose than simply growing subscribers and making money off YouTube, then you are going to get discouraged and give up. It’s not a get-rich-fast plan.
Here is how you find your greater purpose:
1. Give Value
You want to make good YouTube gaming content like those popular YouTubers that came before you.
But… what makes good YouTube content?
Simply put, good content should exhibit these factors:
Entertaining: Tell a story and sensationalize the emotions that come out of you when you play games.
Educational: Find hidden stages, new tricks, and talk about the lore and history that brought this game to life.
Inspiring: Encourage viewers to try new games and play along. Help people discover their next pastime and thank viewers for spending their time with you.
This is what gives your content value, and creating content with value should be your ultimate purpose. Making your viewers feel good is, in a way, better than money, no?
2. Make YouTube a Part of Your Daily/Weekly Ritual
YouTube should be a part of your regular schedule.
At first, it’ll be easy. Like anything new, your YouTube channel will have a novelty to it. It’s this exciting new project that you have.
But after the first month, that excitement will dampen. By the third month, it’ll become familiar. Here’s where you have to fight the urge to stop. This is where author, Seth Godin calls The Dip .
It’s now working. And like all work, you’ll have to schedule it into your daily life. You’ll have to prioritize YouTube above hanging out with friends, watching another movie, or playing video games without the strain of recording it and being entertaining/educating/inspiring.
However, if you are getting fulfillment from YouTube, you won’t stop even when the going gets hard. Like being a parent, it’s not always fun, but it should always be fulfilling.
Pro Tip: Mark when you are going to be working on YouTube in a calendar, so when someone asks you to hang out or go for dinner, you can check it and let them know you already have plans.
3. Have a Passion to Get Better At Every Step
There are many stages to producing a YouTube video, from pre-production to production to post-production. And within those stages are countless steps.
If YouTube is what you want to do, perhaps the greatest purpose you can have is improving on each of those skill sets along the way.
In the beginning, you will have a surplus of ideas, but once your initial stock of video ideas run dry, you will need to practice coming up with more ideas .
You’ll get better at recording your gameplay, at speaking on camera, at editing your footage, at optimizing your content, and at sharing your videos.
You will enjoy certain steps more than others, but if you are passionate, you will find comfort in striving to improve in each one, little by little.
Pro Tip:Focus on telling a great story . In every video, you should have an objective you want to accomplish. You want to beat a stage, you want to learn a new skill, etc. Once you nail that, all the other elements (screen recording, editing, and your commentary) will fall into place to guide your story from beginning to end.
2. Create an Identity
Your personality and your channel will need to go through a littlebranding exercise . You need to find what sets yourself apart from all the other gaming channels on the Internet. Ask yourself, and be honest with the answer: Why should anyone care about my channel?
1. Be Original
Take inspiration from other YouTubers and adjust it so that it’s unique. You cannot copy the ideas of popular YouTubers, because the public can see that. They can tell the difference between originality and imitation.
Being original doesn’t mean doing something that has never been done before.
Take a look at Jacksepticeye and Markiplier, both are popular YouTubers recognized for their colorful hair, mass use of profanity, and their Let’s Play style of gaming videos. But if you watch their videos, you can see that they are not copying each other but rather adjusting what has proven to be effective to suit their personality.
If something inspires you and you want to make an original version yourself, don’t think that you need to do something completely different, rather ask, how can I make that awesome thing better?
2. Focus on a Specific Aspect of Game
Odds are, you’ll end up playing the same game as other YouTubers. If you’re playing a popular game, then it’s going to be hard for you to establish an audience if your videos are broad.
Consider how your viewers will discover your videos. Are they going to find you through search? If so, what are they searching? There are many aspects to a video game: characters, glitches, stages, etc.
Find a specific aspect of the game to focus on.
Take YouTuber, NoughtPointFourLive, who instead of playing the game via a linear campaign, finds ridiculous situations, odd tricks, and easter eggs in Grand Theft Auto:
3. Hook Audience With Something Funny Or Interesting — And Lead Up To It
Every video you make should tell a story. It doesn’t matter if the storyline is the one in the video game or if it’s happening to you in real life. What matters is that you are aware of where the climax is.
The climax is what your story hinges on: it’s when Mario confronts Bowser.
This is what your audience is watching for. They want to know who wins.
To hook your audience right away, open with the most exciting part. The bit leading up to the climax. But don’t give away the ending. You want to hook them. Give a promise that this video is worth watching and that eventually, it will deliver.
Check out this example from YouTuber, Lachlan playing Fortnite and landing back at Spawn Island, an artillery-filled waiting area for players before the game starts.
This structure can be applied with humor as well as climatic events. If you open with something funny, it gets the viewer engaged immediately. They want to know what led up to that humorous moment.
Take a look at this example from YouTuber, Jelly. He does a great job at injecting humor into his first few seconds of video.
3. Type of Gaming Videos
There are no rules to making gaming videos. As long as it’s worth watching and you aren’t stealing content, that is all that matters. Nevertheless, there are a few standard types of gaming videos that have been established over the years.
1. Let’s Plays
Turn the game on and start playing. Let’s Plays give you a lot of freedom to explore the game and let your personality show in the commentary. You don’t need to play with a strategy, but do have a particular goal in mind (Finishing a level, for example).
Let’s Plays are more about watching you experience the game. A demographic of people watching Let’s Plays are those that don’t have the game themselves, but still want to experience it. Let them live vicariously through you.
2. Reviews
When you’re deciding whether or not to buy a new product where do you go to research? Google and YouTube. If you have a lot of interesting insights after playing a game, making reviews videos might just be your calling. There are many games on the market, and for consumers, it can get overwhelming. Reviews help others decide whether they should invest their money and their time into that specific game or continue searching.
3. Walkthrough
Unlike Let’s Plays and reviews, walkthrough videos are mapped out and structured to help the viewers pass the game while experiencing events, side quests, and characters they would otherwise have missed.
4. Reactions
Misery or excitement, when you genuinely react to an event in a game, the audience gets to experience it along your side. Give the moment a bit of lead up, let people know what you are expecting, and then surprise yourself. Reaction videos are great because they are spontaneous and a wonderful form of presenting your personality.
5. Skills
Video games are hard to master. But if you think you are proficient in an aspect of the game, show off your moves. Is there a particular trick that you can do? Is there a stage you can beat quickly? Are you able to take down your enemy with ease? Prove it.
4. Have a Budget
When you begin your YouTube gaming journey, you are going to see a lot of established YouTubers showing off their gear. It’s easy to get carried away with equipment, but we recommend setting a budget and staying within it to start.
What’s a good budget for YouTubers? Some might say you can do it for $600 and others say $3000. That’s a big range.
What you need to ask yourself is what do you currently have.
Are you starting with nothing? Or do you have some essentials? If you have a computer, which can play the game of your choice, you don’t need to spend $2000 on a new one. Look at what you currently have before buying new stuff.
Here is what you will need to get the best results:
- Microphone (Average cost: $100)
- Webcam (Average cost: $100)
- Editing Software (Average cost: $300)
- PC that can handle recording, editing, rendering, uploading, etc. (Average cost: $2,000)
If you are starting out, all you need is a computer with a capable CPU and GPU, a webcam, a microphone, and a free encoding software, such as OBS , and you will be able to stream.
Even PewDiePie started with a basic gaming setup.
I don’t recommend blowing your life savings on all the equipment you want. Don’t have a powerful computer? There are games such as Minecraft and Roblox that are less taxing to your computer, if you don’t have a powerful one.
There are ways to work around it, if you don’t currently have the funds. Being a YouTuber is all about being resourceful and creative.
You don’t need professional editing software, there are affordable ones such as Wondershare Filmora that have all the capabilities.
1. Many Games Are Free
Here’s the great thing about starting as a video game YouTuber, you don’t need to pay for any games. I’m not only talking about the crappy Flash games on the Internet, but massively popular games such as Fortnite and DOTA are also free to start playing as well.
If you’re strapped for cash. Start your channel playing free games and work your way towards more expensive games.
2. Some Software Are Free As Well
OBS: This streaming software allows you to capture your game in top quality and broadcast it directly to YouTube. It’s a simple setup , and it’s completely free.
Audacity: This audio recording and editing software is great if you want to improve the quality of your audio by removing background noise or combining clips.
GIMP: Probably the closest free product to Photoshop you can find. GIMP will help you perform basic image manipulation. It’s not as user friendly as Photoshop, but you can learn the fundamentals here as you save up for the Creative Cloud subscription plan.
5. Optimization Matters
Gaming is arguably the most popular genre on YouTube. So, how is your little video going to be discovered in this vast sea of gaming content?
The answer: with a good optimization strategy.
1. Tags and Title
When conceptualizing your next video, consider what your viewers are going to search to find it. This will help you focus your gameplay to meet the demand of this untapped (or more specific) audience.
You can use a plugin called VidIQ to see the keyword score by simply searching for the content you think your viewers are interested in watching.
If you’re playing Fortnite, and your keyword is simply “Fortnite” you’re using a highly searched term, but the competition is very high as well. The odds of your ranking is incredibly tough as the overall keyword score is 61/100.
However, if you focus on a more specific aspect of the game to make a video around, such as a character, you can heighten your chance at being discovered.
Take the example below, where I added the keyword “Striker” to the search. Its overall keyword score is 87/100, that’s 26 points better in the keyword score, compared to just “Fortnite.”
This will help you identify the content you should be making and then use that keyword knowledge to write a good title and a list of 5-15 tags.
Few more tips to improving your titles include:
- Avoid uninspiring words like “Fun,” “Exciting,” or “Great.”
- Once you have a title do a quick search to see if it already exists. Common titles make it harder for yours to rank.
- Have the title relate to the game. If there are certain words or phrases that players are familiar with, go ahead and use it.
- Make it click-worthy by promising something unique, but don’t mislead viewers.
2. Create Awesome Thumbnails
It doesn’t matter how awesome your video is, if the thumbnail image is boring, nobody will want to click into it. And if nobody clicks into it, you won’t get any views. Simple.
What makes a good thumbnail image?
- Don’t use the random images YouTube picks for you
- Have an expressive picture of a human face (preferably of yours, because it’s your gaming channel and you’re the star)
Take a look at The Syndicate Project’s thumbnails and how it evokes an intensity that makes you want to click — or scream with excitement. Both good things.
- Don’t want to use your face? Create a character for yourself or to represent your channel. Or used the characters from the actual game.
Check out the colorful thumbnails from VanossGaming, where the owl is the mascot of their channel.
- Use readable text or emojis
If you don’t have Photoshop or don’t have strong design skills, check out Wondershare Pixstudio , a drag-and-drop design tool that makes creating thumbnails easy.
3. Engage with Other Gamers
Don’t forget that YouTube is a social media platform.
It’s all about being a part of a YouTube community, and while you can’t interact with every creator on the platform, you can find those within your niche or specific game and chat with them. Leave a comment if you like their video or have constructive feedback.
Additionally, viewer engagements such as likes and comments have shown to have an indirect effect on your video ranking. That is why you should encourage your viewers to “smash” the like button or join in a conversation by asking them a question in your video.
6. Be Cautious of Content Strike and Demonetization
1. Cause for Demonetization
The YouTube monetization landscape has changed a lot for creators in the past few years. The guidelines are always being adjusted to serve both creators and advertisers. If you’re thinking of making money from YouTube ads, you have to be aware that there are types of content that turn advertisers off, and YouTube knows it. Here are some reasons that YouTube will choose to demonetize your videos:
- Excessive or gratuitous violence
- Hateful content: promotes discrimination or disparages or humiliates and individual or group of people (race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc.)
- Inappropriate use of family entertainment characters
- Incendiary and demeaning content: disrespectful languages that shame or insult an individual or group
2. Avoiding Copyright Strike
Thanks to the fair use doctrine, you’re allowed to take video game content and make videos from it without acquiring permission from the people who made the game.
However, if you step across the fair use line, you can be penalized for violating copyright infringement.
If you get three strikes from YouTube in 90 days, your account and videos will be removed and you won’t be allowed to create a new channel.
Before you publish your video ask yourself these questions, if you answer yes to any of them then you have met fair use standards:
- Is your content creative or educational?
- Is there more original content than copyrighted content?
- Is your video benefiting the original content?
I recommend that you learn more about YouTube copyright , and how to build your content so that it doesn’t get flagged.
Beyond all that, it’s about playing games, having a good time, and meeting awesome people like yourself. Enjoy the journey and take pleasure in every little achievement, be it in the game or on YouTube.
Key Takeaways
- Don’t go into YouTube gaming for the money, but rather to improve your skills and other people’s lives.
- Find something special about your channel that people can’t find anywhere else.
- YouTube gaming can be as cheap and as expensive as you want, create a budget to stay within your limits.
- Understand optimization to improve your chances of viewers finding your content.
- Don’t be hateful or advertisers will avoid you, and don’t steal other people’s content without crediting the original creator.
- Give yourself a unique YouTube gaming channel name .
What’s stopping you from starting your YouTube gaming channel? Let us know in the comment box below!
Best Screen Recorder & Video Editor for Gamers
If you want to record the gameplay and edit it with some text and titles, or creative transitions and effects, I highly recommend you try Wondershare Filmora , which is easy to use yet powerful enough with its editing tools and effects templates. Download the free trial version and get started now.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Navigating the Numbers Game: A Guide to YT Stardom
Create High-Quality Video - Wondershare Filmora
An easy and powerful YouTube video editor
Numerous video and audio effects to choose from
Detailed tutorials provided by the official channel
Technological advances are offering numerous platforms opportunities to gain recognition. Both the young and the old throng on the internet for all sorts of information. Be it educational, promotional, research, entertainment, among many others. In fact, the recent hit by the COVID-19 pandemic saw learning institutions find help via internet learning. Therefore, more awareness surrounds the media platform, including websites and streaming services. YouTube is available for both learning and promotional events. The platform is easy to use and widely accessible by millions of viewers and promoters. But there is one driving force for promotors – to hit YouTube 1000 subscribers. Attaining this number comes with endless benefits, as this article explains.
In this article
02 What will you get when you reach your 1000 subscribers’ milestone?
03 How to get 1000 subscribers for your YouTube channel?
Why 1000 subscribers?
Subscribers hold a special place for your YouTube channel. They make it grow and spend more time watching than viewers who are not subscribed. You need 1,000 subscribers to monetize your channel. You’ll start earning as a creator and even apply for YouTube’s Partner Program. You can finally make money through ads, channel memberships, and subscriptions.
Here’s the kicker! As the channel owner, you’ll have more connections, and that means many viewers on the line. Of course, those who love what you do will tell their friends, and the channel goes on for more prospective subscribers and viewers. Nonetheless, you’ll get enormous people to engage in a conversation with. The fun will only go on if more viewers are on board. Remember, you want to garner as many peoples’ opinions as possible. So, the best platform for this is your channel. Eventually, you’ll sell your brand and continue to grow in your market niche.
What will you get when you reach your 1000 subscribers’ milestone?
Every creator is relieved when they reach the 1k subscribers’ milestone. Expect lots of goodies in store for you.
1) You become part of the Opal club
It is good to feel honored as part of the Opal Club. This is a club reserved for creators whose channels have hit the 1,000 to 9,999 subscribers’ mark. And from the Opal Club, you get in-depth information on how to grow your community. Interacting with your viewers is a great avenue to escalate your channel.
It is also a quick way to get discovered. The Club will enlighten you on how to use metadata and collaborate to get more views.
2) Easily apply for YouTube Partner Program
1,000 subscribers is a ticket for you to apply for YouTube Partner Program. However, you also need to get at least 4,000 hours of views from your subscribers. But being that you have reached the 1k mark, you can take other steps to gain the 4,000 hours of views. These could be keeping up with publishing your videos, linking your Google AdSense account, and many more.
3) Some congratulation email is good enough
It feels good to get a pat on the back for a job well done! You’ll get a congratulatory email for your efforts. That would be a great motivation for you to even aim higher the mark. Likewise, your ranking will start escalating as compared to a content creator who hasn’t reached the 1,000-subscriber level.
How to get 1000 subscribers for your YouTube channel?
Now that you’ve seen what comes with 1K subscribers, our focus is to find ways to get to that number.
1) Consider your audience first, not revenue
Remember, it’s the audience that will help you generate revenue. So, if you are a new creator, think of what you can give to your audience instead of what you are getting. What is of value to your audience is more important as they’ll hang around your channel for passion. You can take advantage and tune your ideas to what most viewers like to get.
2) Put in resources to encourage subscriber sign-ups
Focus on getting traffic to your channel. There are several ways to encourage your viewers to subscribe, such as the use of animations on videos. It will not only attract their attention, but you’ll realize many viewers coming over. Several resources are available over the net. Just find what suits you best, or use several options to see which gig fetches the most clicks.
3) Properly advertise your videos
The best way to get more users to subscribe to your channel is to engage them. Make the videos enticing such that when a user views one video, they end up clicking and viewing the next 5 or 10 of your other videos. Let it be enticing and corresponds to the topic of the moment.
4) Add a good channel description
A viewer should know what your channel is all about just by a glance. And the best part to put emphasis on is the channel description. Let them know what you are offering and how it will be of benefit. More so, make it simple to understand so that they don’t waste time trying to figure out what your channel is about.
5) Focus on YouTube content that works
Put double efforts into the content that works for you. Check out which videos perform better than others and add value to them. Sorting them by “most popular video” will help you organize your lines and perform much better while focusing on valuable stuff.
6) A call to action is good enough
Most creators forget this important part. After an introduction and putting up memorable videos, ensure you remind your viewers to subscribe to your channel. You can add a subscribe button to the end of the screen. It is even better to use graphics and animations to attract them to the action.
7) Use a pinned comment
Most viewers want to get answers to their questions or run to the comment section for more opinions. One tactic to gain more subscribers is to write a comment and pin it to your videos. Your pinned comment will appear at the top of the comment list, whereby everyone who has watched the video can’t miss coming across it. It is good, to be honest, and asking for them to subscribe is the best you can do after an engaging video shot.
8) Add value to other channels
Don’t be selfish and want users to subscribe to your channel for nothing. Try to engage also in other people’s works and efforts. You can watch content that appeals to you and engage the community by creating a conversation. Find out what others like, and you might just attract a new subscriber to your channel so simply.
9) Let your homepage be intuitive
Your homepage should be welcoming to both the tech gurus and beginners. Not all YouTube users have mastered the art of navigation on web pages or clicks. It is a good idea to use a channel trailer and a better description of what your channel does and how to reach important buttons. The homepage should not be crowded. You can use links to reach other pages as well.
10) Be innovative
Your video is your voice. You should create a video that attracts your audience by doing it right. Perhaps you don’t know how to come up with a compelling piece. You can engage the best video creator to walk you through the line.
Bonus Tips: Recommended Video Editor – Filmora
Filmora Video Editor comes enriched with stunning video editing effects to help you create amazing videos. The user interface is intuitive, enabling both professional editors and beginners to navigate swiftly. You can use animated elements, filters, overlays, and other editing features to transform your video into any good piece you want. You can easily facilitate communication with the community via its selection of titles.
The process of creating a compelling video is painless, with only 3 steps process. Easily drag and drop moving graphics to the video interface and make your video well organized.
Key Features of Wondershare Filmora
- Easily remove unwanted background noise
- Use the Picture-in-Picture to layer multiple video clips
- Export your videos at a high resolution of up to 4K
- Use zooming movements to still footage
- Make use of more than 800 stunning effects for advanced creativity
- Make use of more than 800 stunning effects for advanced creativity
Conclusion
● Getting to YouTube 1000 subscribers needs some tactics. You have the highlight from this article and probably just getting ready to attain your first 1k subscribers. The beauty is that it comes with its benefits. Once you hit the mark, you’ll start to monetize and get other favors that you couldn’t get while you were below the mark. Nonetheless, ensure you focus on important aspects like engaging your viewers via quality videos. Are you still wondering how to attain that? The best video creator – Filmora – just got you covered. It will make it easy for you to compose videos that sell your brands simply and professionally.
Technological advances are offering numerous platforms opportunities to gain recognition. Both the young and the old throng on the internet for all sorts of information. Be it educational, promotional, research, entertainment, among many others. In fact, the recent hit by the COVID-19 pandemic saw learning institutions find help via internet learning. Therefore, more awareness surrounds the media platform, including websites and streaming services. YouTube is available for both learning and promotional events. The platform is easy to use and widely accessible by millions of viewers and promoters. But there is one driving force for promotors – to hit YouTube 1000 subscribers. Attaining this number comes with endless benefits, as this article explains.
In this article
02 What will you get when you reach your 1000 subscribers’ milestone?
03 How to get 1000 subscribers for your YouTube channel?
Why 1000 subscribers?
Subscribers hold a special place for your YouTube channel. They make it grow and spend more time watching than viewers who are not subscribed. You need 1,000 subscribers to monetize your channel. You’ll start earning as a creator and even apply for YouTube’s Partner Program. You can finally make money through ads, channel memberships, and subscriptions.
Here’s the kicker! As the channel owner, you’ll have more connections, and that means many viewers on the line. Of course, those who love what you do will tell their friends, and the channel goes on for more prospective subscribers and viewers. Nonetheless, you’ll get enormous people to engage in a conversation with. The fun will only go on if more viewers are on board. Remember, you want to garner as many peoples’ opinions as possible. So, the best platform for this is your channel. Eventually, you’ll sell your brand and continue to grow in your market niche.
What will you get when you reach your 1000 subscribers’ milestone?
Every creator is relieved when they reach the 1k subscribers’ milestone. Expect lots of goodies in store for you.
1) You become part of the Opal club
It is good to feel honored as part of the Opal Club. This is a club reserved for creators whose channels have hit the 1,000 to 9,999 subscribers’ mark. And from the Opal Club, you get in-depth information on how to grow your community. Interacting with your viewers is a great avenue to escalate your channel.
It is also a quick way to get discovered. The Club will enlighten you on how to use metadata and collaborate to get more views.
2) Easily apply for YouTube Partner Program
1,000 subscribers is a ticket for you to apply for YouTube Partner Program. However, you also need to get at least 4,000 hours of views from your subscribers. But being that you have reached the 1k mark, you can take other steps to gain the 4,000 hours of views. These could be keeping up with publishing your videos, linking your Google AdSense account, and many more.
3) Some congratulation email is good enough
It feels good to get a pat on the back for a job well done! You’ll get a congratulatory email for your efforts. That would be a great motivation for you to even aim higher the mark. Likewise, your ranking will start escalating as compared to a content creator who hasn’t reached the 1,000-subscriber level.
How to get 1000 subscribers for your YouTube channel?
Now that you’ve seen what comes with 1K subscribers, our focus is to find ways to get to that number.
1) Consider your audience first, not revenue
Remember, it’s the audience that will help you generate revenue. So, if you are a new creator, think of what you can give to your audience instead of what you are getting. What is of value to your audience is more important as they’ll hang around your channel for passion. You can take advantage and tune your ideas to what most viewers like to get.
2) Put in resources to encourage subscriber sign-ups
Focus on getting traffic to your channel. There are several ways to encourage your viewers to subscribe, such as the use of animations on videos. It will not only attract their attention, but you’ll realize many viewers coming over. Several resources are available over the net. Just find what suits you best, or use several options to see which gig fetches the most clicks.
3) Properly advertise your videos
The best way to get more users to subscribe to your channel is to engage them. Make the videos enticing such that when a user views one video, they end up clicking and viewing the next 5 or 10 of your other videos. Let it be enticing and corresponds to the topic of the moment.
4) Add a good channel description
A viewer should know what your channel is all about just by a glance. And the best part to put emphasis on is the channel description. Let them know what you are offering and how it will be of benefit. More so, make it simple to understand so that they don’t waste time trying to figure out what your channel is about.
5) Focus on YouTube content that works
Put double efforts into the content that works for you. Check out which videos perform better than others and add value to them. Sorting them by “most popular video” will help you organize your lines and perform much better while focusing on valuable stuff.
6) A call to action is good enough
Most creators forget this important part. After an introduction and putting up memorable videos, ensure you remind your viewers to subscribe to your channel. You can add a subscribe button to the end of the screen. It is even better to use graphics and animations to attract them to the action.
7) Use a pinned comment
Most viewers want to get answers to their questions or run to the comment section for more opinions. One tactic to gain more subscribers is to write a comment and pin it to your videos. Your pinned comment will appear at the top of the comment list, whereby everyone who has watched the video can’t miss coming across it. It is good, to be honest, and asking for them to subscribe is the best you can do after an engaging video shot.
8) Add value to other channels
Don’t be selfish and want users to subscribe to your channel for nothing. Try to engage also in other people’s works and efforts. You can watch content that appeals to you and engage the community by creating a conversation. Find out what others like, and you might just attract a new subscriber to your channel so simply.
9) Let your homepage be intuitive
Your homepage should be welcoming to both the tech gurus and beginners. Not all YouTube users have mastered the art of navigation on web pages or clicks. It is a good idea to use a channel trailer and a better description of what your channel does and how to reach important buttons. The homepage should not be crowded. You can use links to reach other pages as well.
10) Be innovative
Your video is your voice. You should create a video that attracts your audience by doing it right. Perhaps you don’t know how to come up with a compelling piece. You can engage the best video creator to walk you through the line.
Bonus Tips: Recommended Video Editor – Filmora
Filmora Video Editor comes enriched with stunning video editing effects to help you create amazing videos. The user interface is intuitive, enabling both professional editors and beginners to navigate swiftly. You can use animated elements, filters, overlays, and other editing features to transform your video into any good piece you want. You can easily facilitate communication with the community via its selection of titles.
The process of creating a compelling video is painless, with only 3 steps process. Easily drag and drop moving graphics to the video interface and make your video well organized.
Key Features of Wondershare Filmora
- Easily remove unwanted background noise
- Use the Picture-in-Picture to layer multiple video clips
- Export your videos at a high resolution of up to 4K
- Use zooming movements to still footage
- Make use of more than 800 stunning effects for advanced creativity
- Make use of more than 800 stunning effects for advanced creativity
Conclusion
● Getting to YouTube 1000 subscribers needs some tactics. You have the highlight from this article and probably just getting ready to attain your first 1k subscribers. The beauty is that it comes with its benefits. Once you hit the mark, you’ll start to monetize and get other favors that you couldn’t get while you were below the mark. Nonetheless, ensure you focus on important aspects like engaging your viewers via quality videos. Are you still wondering how to attain that? The best video creator – Filmora – just got you covered. It will make it easy for you to compose videos that sell your brands simply and professionally.
Technological advances are offering numerous platforms opportunities to gain recognition. Both the young and the old throng on the internet for all sorts of information. Be it educational, promotional, research, entertainment, among many others. In fact, the recent hit by the COVID-19 pandemic saw learning institutions find help via internet learning. Therefore, more awareness surrounds the media platform, including websites and streaming services. YouTube is available for both learning and promotional events. The platform is easy to use and widely accessible by millions of viewers and promoters. But there is one driving force for promotors – to hit YouTube 1000 subscribers. Attaining this number comes with endless benefits, as this article explains.
In this article
02 What will you get when you reach your 1000 subscribers’ milestone?
03 How to get 1000 subscribers for your YouTube channel?
Why 1000 subscribers?
Subscribers hold a special place for your YouTube channel. They make it grow and spend more time watching than viewers who are not subscribed. You need 1,000 subscribers to monetize your channel. You’ll start earning as a creator and even apply for YouTube’s Partner Program. You can finally make money through ads, channel memberships, and subscriptions.
Here’s the kicker! As the channel owner, you’ll have more connections, and that means many viewers on the line. Of course, those who love what you do will tell their friends, and the channel goes on for more prospective subscribers and viewers. Nonetheless, you’ll get enormous people to engage in a conversation with. The fun will only go on if more viewers are on board. Remember, you want to garner as many peoples’ opinions as possible. So, the best platform for this is your channel. Eventually, you’ll sell your brand and continue to grow in your market niche.
What will you get when you reach your 1000 subscribers’ milestone?
Every creator is relieved when they reach the 1k subscribers’ milestone. Expect lots of goodies in store for you.
1) You become part of the Opal club
It is good to feel honored as part of the Opal Club. This is a club reserved for creators whose channels have hit the 1,000 to 9,999 subscribers’ mark. And from the Opal Club, you get in-depth information on how to grow your community. Interacting with your viewers is a great avenue to escalate your channel.
It is also a quick way to get discovered. The Club will enlighten you on how to use metadata and collaborate to get more views.
2) Easily apply for YouTube Partner Program
1,000 subscribers is a ticket for you to apply for YouTube Partner Program. However, you also need to get at least 4,000 hours of views from your subscribers. But being that you have reached the 1k mark, you can take other steps to gain the 4,000 hours of views. These could be keeping up with publishing your videos, linking your Google AdSense account, and many more.
3) Some congratulation email is good enough
It feels good to get a pat on the back for a job well done! You’ll get a congratulatory email for your efforts. That would be a great motivation for you to even aim higher the mark. Likewise, your ranking will start escalating as compared to a content creator who hasn’t reached the 1,000-subscriber level.
How to get 1000 subscribers for your YouTube channel?
Now that you’ve seen what comes with 1K subscribers, our focus is to find ways to get to that number.
1) Consider your audience first, not revenue
Remember, it’s the audience that will help you generate revenue. So, if you are a new creator, think of what you can give to your audience instead of what you are getting. What is of value to your audience is more important as they’ll hang around your channel for passion. You can take advantage and tune your ideas to what most viewers like to get.
2) Put in resources to encourage subscriber sign-ups
Focus on getting traffic to your channel. There are several ways to encourage your viewers to subscribe, such as the use of animations on videos. It will not only attract their attention, but you’ll realize many viewers coming over. Several resources are available over the net. Just find what suits you best, or use several options to see which gig fetches the most clicks.
3) Properly advertise your videos
The best way to get more users to subscribe to your channel is to engage them. Make the videos enticing such that when a user views one video, they end up clicking and viewing the next 5 or 10 of your other videos. Let it be enticing and corresponds to the topic of the moment.
4) Add a good channel description
A viewer should know what your channel is all about just by a glance. And the best part to put emphasis on is the channel description. Let them know what you are offering and how it will be of benefit. More so, make it simple to understand so that they don’t waste time trying to figure out what your channel is about.
5) Focus on YouTube content that works
Put double efforts into the content that works for you. Check out which videos perform better than others and add value to them. Sorting them by “most popular video” will help you organize your lines and perform much better while focusing on valuable stuff.
6) A call to action is good enough
Most creators forget this important part. After an introduction and putting up memorable videos, ensure you remind your viewers to subscribe to your channel. You can add a subscribe button to the end of the screen. It is even better to use graphics and animations to attract them to the action.
7) Use a pinned comment
Most viewers want to get answers to their questions or run to the comment section for more opinions. One tactic to gain more subscribers is to write a comment and pin it to your videos. Your pinned comment will appear at the top of the comment list, whereby everyone who has watched the video can’t miss coming across it. It is good, to be honest, and asking for them to subscribe is the best you can do after an engaging video shot.
8) Add value to other channels
Don’t be selfish and want users to subscribe to your channel for nothing. Try to engage also in other people’s works and efforts. You can watch content that appeals to you and engage the community by creating a conversation. Find out what others like, and you might just attract a new subscriber to your channel so simply.
9) Let your homepage be intuitive
Your homepage should be welcoming to both the tech gurus and beginners. Not all YouTube users have mastered the art of navigation on web pages or clicks. It is a good idea to use a channel trailer and a better description of what your channel does and how to reach important buttons. The homepage should not be crowded. You can use links to reach other pages as well.
10) Be innovative
Your video is your voice. You should create a video that attracts your audience by doing it right. Perhaps you don’t know how to come up with a compelling piece. You can engage the best video creator to walk you through the line.
Bonus Tips: Recommended Video Editor – Filmora
Filmora Video Editor comes enriched with stunning video editing effects to help you create amazing videos. The user interface is intuitive, enabling both professional editors and beginners to navigate swiftly. You can use animated elements, filters, overlays, and other editing features to transform your video into any good piece you want. You can easily facilitate communication with the community via its selection of titles.
The process of creating a compelling video is painless, with only 3 steps process. Easily drag and drop moving graphics to the video interface and make your video well organized.
Key Features of Wondershare Filmora
- Easily remove unwanted background noise
- Use the Picture-in-Picture to layer multiple video clips
- Export your videos at a high resolution of up to 4K
- Use zooming movements to still footage
- Make use of more than 800 stunning effects for advanced creativity
- Make use of more than 800 stunning effects for advanced creativity
Conclusion
● Getting to YouTube 1000 subscribers needs some tactics. You have the highlight from this article and probably just getting ready to attain your first 1k subscribers. The beauty is that it comes with its benefits. Once you hit the mark, you’ll start to monetize and get other favors that you couldn’t get while you were below the mark. Nonetheless, ensure you focus on important aspects like engaging your viewers via quality videos. Are you still wondering how to attain that? The best video creator – Filmora – just got you covered. It will make it easy for you to compose videos that sell your brands simply and professionally.
Technological advances are offering numerous platforms opportunities to gain recognition. Both the young and the old throng on the internet for all sorts of information. Be it educational, promotional, research, entertainment, among many others. In fact, the recent hit by the COVID-19 pandemic saw learning institutions find help via internet learning. Therefore, more awareness surrounds the media platform, including websites and streaming services. YouTube is available for both learning and promotional events. The platform is easy to use and widely accessible by millions of viewers and promoters. But there is one driving force for promotors – to hit YouTube 1000 subscribers. Attaining this number comes with endless benefits, as this article explains.
In this article
02 What will you get when you reach your 1000 subscribers’ milestone?
03 How to get 1000 subscribers for your YouTube channel?
Why 1000 subscribers?
Subscribers hold a special place for your YouTube channel. They make it grow and spend more time watching than viewers who are not subscribed. You need 1,000 subscribers to monetize your channel. You’ll start earning as a creator and even apply for YouTube’s Partner Program. You can finally make money through ads, channel memberships, and subscriptions.
Here’s the kicker! As the channel owner, you’ll have more connections, and that means many viewers on the line. Of course, those who love what you do will tell their friends, and the channel goes on for more prospective subscribers and viewers. Nonetheless, you’ll get enormous people to engage in a conversation with. The fun will only go on if more viewers are on board. Remember, you want to garner as many peoples’ opinions as possible. So, the best platform for this is your channel. Eventually, you’ll sell your brand and continue to grow in your market niche.
What will you get when you reach your 1000 subscribers’ milestone?
Every creator is relieved when they reach the 1k subscribers’ milestone. Expect lots of goodies in store for you.
1) You become part of the Opal club
It is good to feel honored as part of the Opal Club. This is a club reserved for creators whose channels have hit the 1,000 to 9,999 subscribers’ mark. And from the Opal Club, you get in-depth information on how to grow your community. Interacting with your viewers is a great avenue to escalate your channel.
It is also a quick way to get discovered. The Club will enlighten you on how to use metadata and collaborate to get more views.
2) Easily apply for YouTube Partner Program
1,000 subscribers is a ticket for you to apply for YouTube Partner Program. However, you also need to get at least 4,000 hours of views from your subscribers. But being that you have reached the 1k mark, you can take other steps to gain the 4,000 hours of views. These could be keeping up with publishing your videos, linking your Google AdSense account, and many more.
3) Some congratulation email is good enough
It feels good to get a pat on the back for a job well done! You’ll get a congratulatory email for your efforts. That would be a great motivation for you to even aim higher the mark. Likewise, your ranking will start escalating as compared to a content creator who hasn’t reached the 1,000-subscriber level.
How to get 1000 subscribers for your YouTube channel?
Now that you’ve seen what comes with 1K subscribers, our focus is to find ways to get to that number.
1) Consider your audience first, not revenue
Remember, it’s the audience that will help you generate revenue. So, if you are a new creator, think of what you can give to your audience instead of what you are getting. What is of value to your audience is more important as they’ll hang around your channel for passion. You can take advantage and tune your ideas to what most viewers like to get.
2) Put in resources to encourage subscriber sign-ups
Focus on getting traffic to your channel. There are several ways to encourage your viewers to subscribe, such as the use of animations on videos. It will not only attract their attention, but you’ll realize many viewers coming over. Several resources are available over the net. Just find what suits you best, or use several options to see which gig fetches the most clicks.
3) Properly advertise your videos
The best way to get more users to subscribe to your channel is to engage them. Make the videos enticing such that when a user views one video, they end up clicking and viewing the next 5 or 10 of your other videos. Let it be enticing and corresponds to the topic of the moment.
4) Add a good channel description
A viewer should know what your channel is all about just by a glance. And the best part to put emphasis on is the channel description. Let them know what you are offering and how it will be of benefit. More so, make it simple to understand so that they don’t waste time trying to figure out what your channel is about.
5) Focus on YouTube content that works
Put double efforts into the content that works for you. Check out which videos perform better than others and add value to them. Sorting them by “most popular video” will help you organize your lines and perform much better while focusing on valuable stuff.
6) A call to action is good enough
Most creators forget this important part. After an introduction and putting up memorable videos, ensure you remind your viewers to subscribe to your channel. You can add a subscribe button to the end of the screen. It is even better to use graphics and animations to attract them to the action.
7) Use a pinned comment
Most viewers want to get answers to their questions or run to the comment section for more opinions. One tactic to gain more subscribers is to write a comment and pin it to your videos. Your pinned comment will appear at the top of the comment list, whereby everyone who has watched the video can’t miss coming across it. It is good, to be honest, and asking for them to subscribe is the best you can do after an engaging video shot.
8) Add value to other channels
Don’t be selfish and want users to subscribe to your channel for nothing. Try to engage also in other people’s works and efforts. You can watch content that appeals to you and engage the community by creating a conversation. Find out what others like, and you might just attract a new subscriber to your channel so simply.
9) Let your homepage be intuitive
Your homepage should be welcoming to both the tech gurus and beginners. Not all YouTube users have mastered the art of navigation on web pages or clicks. It is a good idea to use a channel trailer and a better description of what your channel does and how to reach important buttons. The homepage should not be crowded. You can use links to reach other pages as well.
10) Be innovative
Your video is your voice. You should create a video that attracts your audience by doing it right. Perhaps you don’t know how to come up with a compelling piece. You can engage the best video creator to walk you through the line.
Bonus Tips: Recommended Video Editor – Filmora
Filmora Video Editor comes enriched with stunning video editing effects to help you create amazing videos. The user interface is intuitive, enabling both professional editors and beginners to navigate swiftly. You can use animated elements, filters, overlays, and other editing features to transform your video into any good piece you want. You can easily facilitate communication with the community via its selection of titles.
The process of creating a compelling video is painless, with only 3 steps process. Easily drag and drop moving graphics to the video interface and make your video well organized.
Key Features of Wondershare Filmora
- Easily remove unwanted background noise
- Use the Picture-in-Picture to layer multiple video clips
- Export your videos at a high resolution of up to 4K
- Use zooming movements to still footage
- Make use of more than 800 stunning effects for advanced creativity
- Make use of more than 800 stunning effects for advanced creativity
Conclusion
● Getting to YouTube 1000 subscribers needs some tactics. You have the highlight from this article and probably just getting ready to attain your first 1k subscribers. The beauty is that it comes with its benefits. Once you hit the mark, you’ll start to monetize and get other favors that you couldn’t get while you were below the mark. Nonetheless, ensure you focus on important aspects like engaging your viewers via quality videos. Are you still wondering how to attain that? The best video creator – Filmora – just got you covered. It will make it easy for you to compose videos that sell your brands simply and professionally.
- Title: "2024 Approved Rising Tides of Streamers A Guide to Building a Successful Chatter"
- Author: Thomas
- Created at : 2024-05-31 12:48:20
- Updated at : 2024-06-01 12:48:20
- Link: https://youtube-help.techidaily.com/2024-approved-rising-tides-of-streamers-a-guide-to-building-a-successful-chatter/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
