By Shree:
In an age of competition and market saturation, social media and YouTube are no different. It seems like every other day there is a new famous YouTuber, streamer or social media star that just popped up out of thin air. But they were there all along, you just didn’t see the years of grind they put in to get to the level of becoming a household name. So the saying “OG YouTubers” are now defunct, since new creators are constantly succeeding in a competitive market, which means, you too can make a name for yourself in this space.
An argument can be made that some Tiktok and YouTube stars seem to have become successful overnight, while that may be true in very rare cases, the exceptions do not make the norm. The truth is, most successful creators had to put in years of work, making videos and social media posts to get to where they are today. The key is consistency.
Consistency has helped online creators become famous Filmmakers [David Sandberg, Dan Trachtenberg], Artists [Joji Miller, Lil Nas X], Political commentators [Hasan Piker], Actors [Addison Rae, Anna Akana, Jimmy Tatro], and Authors [Lindsay Ellis]. Never having a platform before the internet, they have successfully used YouTube, Twitch, Podcasts, and other Social Media to market their own work and build a career using their online presence.
But how does one develop this consistency? In this article I talk about how you too can post daily on YouTube and Social Media, even if you have a hectic schedule.
1. Build a Content Bank.
When I first started out I had planned over 50 videos in advance, and with time I started shooting 2-3 videos a week before editing and publishing them. This was because of the pandemic and the free time I had received, so you don’t have to start right away by planning 50 videos or posts. Start by planning 5-10 posts on a niche or genre that you are proficient in, and build up on that.
Some genres that are very popular on YouTube, Twitch and all forms of Social Media are finance, gaming, cooking, fitness, lifestyle and fashion, movies and TV, daily vlogs, comedy, challenges, reactions, true crime, productivity, and how-to tutorials.
2. Keep your room in order.
When filming, you need a good backdrop and your gears ready or close by. Having your own studio is great but not feasible for anyone without a large bank account. So keep your room tidy, or at least a corner where you can sit down and gather your thoughts. Have your camera gear, computer or mobile tripod nearby or fixed where you need them. Doing so saves time and helps you spend more time on your content rather than appearances.
3. Give at least 1-2 hours a day for your content.
Social media and YouTube may seem daunting, but consistency is key. I’ve never spent more than 2 hours a day on my YouTube videos, whether it’s filming or editing them. The same goes for my social media and blog posts. I can carve less than an hour everyday and get several posts, shorts, reels and articles done. The key is consistency. Because I’ve been doing this for a while, I don’t have to spend hours trying to understand an editing software or worry too much about topics. My hands have become really fast at typing and video editing because of doing it daily for just 1-2 hours a day.
You will achieve this too once you start and keep doing it everyday, turning it into a part of your daily routine.
4. Follow other people’s strategies.
I call this “piggybacking”. If you’re very new to marketing as a creator, everything might be a bit too daunting for you. In that instance, look at other creators in your field, especially creators who are very good at marketing themselves. Whether you are a writer, musician, painter, medical student or comedian, look at others in your field who are online and posting on their channels and social media. See how they post and how often. This could give you an idea of what kind of posts work in generating clicks and views, and you can utilize their strategy until you find your own style.
You can also look into free tools such as Google Trends or Keyword Research tools on YouTube such as VidIQ or Tubebuddy to see what is currently trending in your niche.
5. Develop your personality, fashion and speech.
Whether you post written or visual content, personality and style go a long way. Looks and money can hold people’s attention only in the short term, contrary to popular belief, but a good sense of humor, a magnetic personality and original ideas can make a creator stand out in the long run.
Make sure, if you are appearing in videos and photos, that you are presenting yourself in an approachable manner [good fashion sense, tidy room etc.]. Having an idea in mind on how you want to look for your videos [aka picking out your clothes beforehand, easy makeup and hairstyles etc.].
Your script can also be planned beforehand, either in full or just using talking points so you don’t have to worry too much about what you have to say. Also making sure that your words and demeanor are cheery and funny can have a positive impact, otherwise a gloomy and disrespectful attitude could give a negative impression.
6. Utilize apps that can schedule posts.
YouTube has its own built-in feature that can help you schedule your videos and shorts for a later date. This is a great feature but many social media sites like Instagram do not have this. Luckily, there are many free and paid apps that help you schedule your posts for a later date. Buffer, Hootsuite, and Planoly are a few examples that help you schedule posts for your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. This helps you automate your posts and have more time in the long run to make more content.
7. Have a team.
This is the ultimate solution for people who have an extra income and a hectic schedule. Having a video editor, assistant, camera crew and manager helps you delegate work that could otherwise take up your whole day. While it’s great to have a team, vetting your members is key as they can make or break your content. Make sure to train your team members to understand your style and work with them actively so they understand what you want in your content. I personally have an editor for now as my schedule is not very hectic, and I plan to expand my team as I go along.
I cannot stress this enough, do this only when you have the available extra income, because doing it initially when you’re not earning enough from your work is not sustainable. Learn the necessary skills and work on your own, and add more people as you grow.
In the end, no matter how much a creator does a good job with their work, self-marketing is key and social media allows us to market our works and make a name for ourselves. Remain consistent in your posts by following these tips and let me know what other arenas I can help you out with in the comments below.
