How to Start a YouTube Channel in 2023
Become a YouTube Creator. Or more to the point, I’ve created a small YouTube Channel. It’s early days and I have a mighty total of 8 subscribers.
Just so you know, the subscribers’ identities are completely unknown to me. Except for the last one, YouTube doesn’t provide me with that information. So if you’d like to subscribe, I won’t be any the wiser who the subscribers are, unless you tell me. Are you one of the 8? If so, thank you thank you.
“The moment you start worrying about people’s opinion, then you definitely by default are not a creator. You’re doing it for the wrong reasons. (What is the right reasons?) To let it out…”
will.i.am
Yes, I can’t believe I’m writing this post. And yes, I might be crazy. It’s true. But the good news, or not-so-good news, is that I’ll be sharing my crazy wild YouTube channel journey with you, once a week. I’ll also share the thumbnails I’m creating for the channel, time permitting. And if you’d like to give me constructive feedback thanks to your experience as a YouTube creator, I’d be happy to receive it.
This past week marked a major turning point in my life for a number of reasons. One of them is that last Saturday, I completed a 5-Day YouTube Challenge that blew the socks off me. As a result of that, I’m now creating minimally edited videos each week for. the channel.
Any burning questions?
If you’re looking for answers on this topic or anything communication related, what’s your question? Your feedback will help me craft posts and YouTube content that directly answer your specific question. If you have a specific question, and you don’t mind sharing it with me, email me at on my contact page . You’re also welcome to add it to the comments on this post.
Getting my thrills learning again
I feel like I’ve entered a new season of my life. In truth, it is. It’s the same thrilling feeling I had in 1998 when I went back to university as a single mother, freshly divorced. I knew back then that graduating with a relevant university degree would open employment doors that weren’t opening for me at that time, simply because I didn’t have a degree. I completed my studies at the end of 2000 and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies the following year.
But I have to acknowledge, lest anyone wrongly assume that I ever had it easy. I wish I did. Those university study years from 1998 to 2000 were extremely tough as a single parent with two little boys. Because of what I went through in those years, before and after, my sons, as do I, know a lot about grief, sorrow, hardship, and financial stress, what it means to go without, and not have enough food in the cupboards. I remember many times praying for food and help to pay the rent and so on. Miracles from heaven happened. Thank goodness those excruciating hard days as a young mother are over. I’m very grateful.
Despite the financial distress, however, I still remember how excited I was to be a learner again. My goals and dreams for education and gaining a qualification fueled that excitement. To bring it back to the present, that’s how I feel now. Excited about all that I’m learning, nervous about whether I can juggle this new project in my spare time, and praying that I don’t give up when the going gets tough on this journey.
My excitement is also mixed with the knowledge that the YouTube creator’s journey is, more often than not, tough, uncomfortable, and at times, lonely. You can feel like no one is watching your videos for a long time. So I’ll also get to experience invisibility I guess.
Reality check in place. This is a long game and my reasons for doing a YouTube Channel are many. That’s for another post.
Delivered on its promise
If you’d like to check out a free class on creating a Youtube Channel, I highly recommend Think Media‘s courses.
I don’t normally comment publicly like this on any training or courses I’ve done in the past or present. But I want to share my experience here because the YouTube Video Challenge that I did last week lived up to its promise.
One of the key engaging features of the Challenge was seeing the enthusiasm and participation of like-minded people internationally. There was high engagement with the team running the Challenge with an amazing sense of community and connection. We weren’t left to our own devices trying to figure out things as a beginner. And it was intensive and interactive with a daily challenge and feedback at the end of each session.
So, this skeptic jumped right in. Fully engaging and committing to doing the work. I did it all. Followed all the instructions. I was reminded that like blogging, you learn about creating on YouTube, by DOING it even starting as a beginner, a novice. There’s power in that.
The Act of Doing can be your super power, seriously.
Past experiences
I was initially skeptical about doing video challenges like the one I did last week. I did an email video challenge in 2017 inside a private Facebook Group but the engagement between the participants was frankly non-existent. So I’ve ignored every video challenge since.
My turning point
By the time last Saturday was over, I was a changed woman. Suddenly fearless, and crazy enough to just do it and get creative on YouTube. Check out my post here to read the details. That was Saturday 29 July 2023, Australia timezone.
I created this thumbnail below for the very first video I did last Saturday. This was the 3rd or 4th iteration or version. The one before that looked like a mugshot, but it took me 24 hours to recognise that. I was just so excited with the fun I had on how to create a YouTube video thumbnail. The title for last Saturday’s video on YouTube is: How to Overcome the Fear of Making Videos on YouTube
There’s no hiding behind any faceless channel. Doing this in my spare time after hours and on Saturdays. As if my life wasn’t busy enough. YouTube Channel @viennarichards
Why?
Why not? I have a creative bent. As a communicator, this is part of my artistic expression. Part of my creativity is sewing clothes and costumes, well I used to do many years ago. But it’s not practical for me to do that anymore given my work. Instead creating graphics and digital and online assets is a faster way for me to express my creativity and see the fruits of it in the finished product, these days.
At this scary beginning stage of my life as a YouTube creator, I have a total of 8 subscribers. Some people would laugh and be embarrassed by this disclosure. But the reality is we all have to start somewhere, and this is my starting block. Nothing to be ashamed of at all.
One of the happy parts about this journey is that I’ve joined an incredibly engaging community with Think Media. There’s no way I would be creating my small YouTube channel without access to a community of people and expert YouTube mentors and gurus like Think Media to learn from. Many are also YouTube creators as well. Isn’t that great?
If you are worried about what others might think, I’ve been there. That’s what holds most people back from creating a YouTube Channel or doing something they really want to create. But the quote by will.i.am at the start of this post is my final answer to any such fears.
So why not let it out? Focusing on that creative desire, and helping others by sharing what I know, regardless of my channel size, takes away any concern about the opinions of others. I hope my experience provides insights for you too.
The YouTube channel is a chance for me to share all my experience and skills using video. So I’m loving the experimentation with YouTube, and thinking of ways to share my knowledge. At the same time, I’m operating within the constraints of doing this in the weekends and after hours, and using just myself to create content. So that’s exciting to see what I learn and do.
Goalwise, I’m focused on a simple goal to post once a week, and more, if time permits.
Subscribe to my YouTube channel
This is the latest version of the thumbnail for this week’s video. Check out the video once it uploads on Saturday. Wish me luck!
So, how do you start a YouTube Channel and become a YouTube creator? By doing it. Taking action. Simply press the record button on your phone video camera and recording videos, if that’s all you have to work with. My phone camera is what I’m using. Obviously, it’s a good idea beforehand to know what you want to talk about. And yes, I’m being serious about this simple answer. The simple things often confound people, until we do it.
If creating videos is not your thing, but you still want to improve your communication skills, check out this post
If you’d like to support and encourage my creative journey, I’d love that. Thank you. You can do that by subscribing and watching my videos at my YouTube Channel @viennarichards
Can the YouTube creator see who watches their video? No. YouTube analytics doesn’t show me who watches the videos, so you can watch them privately and anonymously without me, the YouTube creator and channel owner knowing who it is. You’re not identified.
And if you’d like to have your own YouTube creator journey, why not? I highly recommend this free class to learn more, go here. If you’d like to go straight to joining the VRA Academy, go here to see a special promotional offer.
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