Now that vlogging has become a viable career option, you are probably wondering if it is right for you. Back in the day, you probably would have been scoffed at for even mentioning vlogging. But now, so many vloggers have passionate fans all over the world. It’s no wonder that many people are turning to YouTube for their careers.
If you are one such hopeful vlogger, you will find these tips really helpful to start and keep your channel going. For starters, we’ll check out the various dos and don’ts of daily vlogging. Then, we’ll check out some useful video editing tools that will make your vlogging life a lot easier.
Do’s of Vlogging
Figure out your niche
There are plenty of vloggers on YouTube, so you’re in for some tough competition. However, like with every other YouTube channel, you’ll need to find a niche that works for you. Your niche should match your personality and interests, or you’ll quickly run out of ideas to keep your channel going. Most importantly, your niche should click with your target audience so you have a significant number of viewers for every video.
Plan out your day before filming
If you’re going to make daily vlogs, you should have a thorough understanding of what your day will look like. You should know where you will go that day, what you will eat, where you will eat, which route you will take to your destination, etc. Planning your day is tantamount to planning content for any other kind of video. If you have planned everything for the day beforehand and you have a vision for the vlog, it gets easier to film and edit the video.
As far as possible, don’t film at night or pull all-nighters, as it will cause you more stress. However, it would be okay to do so if you’re filming at night and resting during the day. Some video content creators prefer filming at night because there will be less noise caused by external sources, like neighbors and the general daytime bustle.
Set a goal for your channel
To have a successful vlogging channel, you should have an end goal in mind. Think to yourself: for how long do I want to vlog daily? After how many subscribers or views will I cut down on daily vlogs? Daily vlogging is a good way to drum up viewership and subscribers, but it can be physically, mentally, and emotionally taxing over the long term. Once you reach your goals, you can cut down on the daily vlogs and start posting vlogs on alternate days or even on a weekly basis. If you feel like you can continue vlogging daily, feel free to do so. Just make sure you keep setting new goals to achieve for your YouTube channel.
Carry your camera with you EVERYWHERE
For a daily vlogger, it is absolutely essential to carry your camera around with your wherever you. You just never know what is going to happen. If you have a camera on you at all times, you can be ready to capture anything on film. If you’re out and about by yourself, it would be more feasible to carry around a simpler camera. If you are moving about with your crew, maybe you can carry around some more equipment for better-quality visuals and audio.
Start by vlogging weekly
It’s not easy to push out content on a daily basis, so increase the frequency gradually. Start with posting vlogs weekly for a few months. Like this, you’ll get more time to figure out what kind of vlogs you want to make, experiment with the content and format, seek feedback from your viewers, and analyze the data and feedback. You can also figure out how much pre-production and post-production work is involved. When you’re ready, you can start vlogging daily.
Pacing yourself is important since you’re better prepared for the workload of daily vlogging and you won’t get burned out easily.
Use templates, presets, and shortcuts
When it comes to vlogging daily, you need to work smarter, not harder. Use any method you can to cut down on the time you spend editing videos. Firstly, create and store templates that you want to use in your videos. Add presets and effects that you like and want to keep using in your videos. Learn editing shortcuts and hotkeys (for the video editing software you are using) that will help you speed up your editing process.
Research and watch other daily vloggers
Like any other business, you need to keep an eye on your competition. Not to copy them, but to take inspiration, learn, strategize, and improve. You can also reach out to your favorite vlogger to network. It is common for YouTubers in similar genres to network, become friends, support, and collaborate with each other. Just make sure that your content is unique and offers something of value to your specific viewers.
Dont’s of Vlogging
Spend too much time on preparing the script/making the video
Daily vlogs are not like other kinds of video content. It’s where you can freely speak your mind and show your personality. Vlogs are where you can be your most authentic self. So, you don’t need a hard core script, like the ones used for video essays, for example. However, you should have an outline of what the final vlog should look like. For example, make an outline of:
- The key points you want to talk about
- The things you want to say/express/record
- Where you want the cuts to be
Similarly, don’t spend too much time trying to perfect your video. If you take too much time to edit and cut together the video, you won’t be able to post it on your video channel on time. Remember, it is better to finish your video than to perfect it.
Filming EVERYTHING
A daily vlog doesn’t mean you should record every second or every minute of every single day. Not everything is important or worth watching and you need to know what activities fall under which category. Remember that every minute your camera is rolling adds to the video editing time. If you can afford it, you can outsource the video editing work to a third party companies. If you can’t, then you’ll need to film just enough content (A-roll and B-roll) to make your vlogs interesting to watch.
Forget to label your content
The more you film, the more content you will have and the more difficult it will be to organize and manage the footage. Sometimes, you may need to make a callbackto something shown in a previous video, and at times like this, it helps to have labeled content. At first, it may seem tedious and pointless, but when you have gigabytes’ worth of video content, it will save you hours (potentially) when you have to look for a specific clip.
Worry too much about equipment
To make a vlog, you only really need a camera, a microphone (even a simple pair of earphones will do), decent enough video editing software, and an internet connection. You don’t really need high-end equipment for making daily vlogs. Even if you have more equipment and you forget to carry one of them with you, as long as you have your camera, there’s no need to abandon your project.
Truth be told, you don’t even need a separate camera, microphone, or even a computer system for this. All of this can also be done on a smartphone or tablet. Don’t forget what is most important: filming the video, telling a story, editing the video, and uploading it to YouTube.
What you should focus on, however, is the audio quality. It won’t matter how good your visuals are. If the audio is bad, it ruins the whole video. So, even if you don’t have a boom mic or a professional microphone, you can still get good audio by taking some precautions, like filming in a quiet place.
Neglecting your health and well-being
Daily vlogging is no easy task, especially if you are doing all the work on your own. Don’t push yourself to the point where you burn out mentally and physically. You know yourself and how much effort you can put in before the work starts taking a toll. Pace yourself, plan everything properly, and outsource some of the work so you have some time to relax.
It’s always good to take some time off to recalibrate yourself, revisit your goals, and consider if your chosen life path is making you happy. If you feel like everything is in order and you are feeling fulfilled, you can continue as you were. If not, it would be a good time to rethink things. There’s no shame in choosing not to continue doing something that makes you miserable.
Forgeting your audience
As a content creator, you get to make videos that truly interest you. However, it will all be meaningless if no one else is watching your content. If you want viewers to keep coming back to your channel and consuming more of your videos, it would be best for you to understand your target audience, find out what they like, and create content accordingly.
So, where do you go from here?
Daily vlogging can be rewarding on a good day, but it is extremely demanding. It calls one to be dedicated, carefully plan out the content, and maintain a work-life balance. So, start slow, use the best tools, and look for ways to help you cut away all the unnecessary elements that may increase your workload. Never forget your audience and create content that vibes with them. Take care of your physical and mental well-being, and always remember this: daily vlogging is about consistency, not perfection.
Pace yourself and take the time to learn, grow, and enjoy the experience.