There’s a reason the vast majority of new YouTubers give up before seeing real success – they’re all making the same, common mistakes. Let’s review these mistakes so you don’t make them and can focus on making quality YouTube videos and growing your channel!
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YouTube is the second largest search engine and it’s owned by Google which is the largest search engine. There are endless opportunities for earning an income by creating content that ranks on these two search engines. I wrote a post all about starting a successful YouTube channel, including the planning, setup, equipment guide, and some tips on content creation. You can set up your own YouTube channel in under an hour by following all of my steps. But I’d highly recommend reading this post first to avoid the most common pitfalls for beginner YouTubers.
I’ve made my share of mistakes since starting my own channel in 2022, but I’ve been able to identify them, correct course, and grow my channel to 83,000 subscribers in a year and a half! In that short time, I’ve noticed some major trends among the aspiring YouTubers in various groups I’m in. I see the same mistakes being made over and over, and they’re probably not what you think.
In this video, I shared a little bit of my backstory and how I grew my channel.
The Most Common Mistakes YouTubers Make
The biggest mistake I see new content creators make is thinking they’re going to…
1. Get Rich Quick
Starting a YouTube channel is *not* a get-rich-quick scheme. Online businesses in general do not work like this. And that’s what your YouTube channel is – an online business. Like all new businesses, it will take consistent, hard work and you’ll have to invest some money and a ton of time before you see any success.
You need 1,000 subscribers or 4,000 watch hours within 12 months to get monetized and start earning ad revenue on YouTube – this can feel like a really long time when you’re not yet getting paid.
Unless you already have a huge, well-known brand that is searched on Google a lot – monetization will not happen overnight. Even if you have large social media platforms established, you’ll likely find there is very little crossover with YouTube. You have to build a brand new audience from scratch. I had over 40,000 followers on Instagram and a very strong presence there when I started my YouTube channel and promoted my launch on that platform – only a couple hundred of my Instagram followers subscribed. This is normal.
If you’re not willing to put in lots of hours with no pay in the beginning, starting a YouTube channel won’t be a good fit for you.
2. No Target Audience
A lot of creators make this mistake when starting a new YouTube channel – maybe they invest in a nice camera, spend hours on a logo, and create quality video content – but they have no target audience. They create videos covering a really wide range of topics to try to appeal to everyone and end up appealing to no one.
The algorithms for Google and YouTube can be confusing, and they change periodically. So it’s impossible to nail down an exact formula for making a successful video. But, we do know that Google and YouTube consistently favor content creators who pick a niche, stick to it, and establish themselves as an expert on the topics in that niche. Search engines are far more likely to rank content from these creators in search results, which is the goal.
This doesn’t mean you can’t create general lifestyle kind of content, but it’s not a good idea when you’re first getting started.
Lifestyle vlogs perform well for creators who already have a loyal fan base with several thousand regular viewers. The best way to grow a loyal fan base is to start by adding value with quality videos in your niche. So pick a niche and stick to it, this is one of the most important things to do when starting your channel. If you can pick a niche without much competition – even better.
3. Unwilling to Invest
Many aspiring YouTubers are unwilling to invest initially and continue investing over time to grow a successful channel. And I’m not just talking about financial investment. We already covered the time investment, which can be especially difficult to commit to initially when there’s no financial return. But it’s also very wise to invest in a good course and some basic equipment if you want to create great content.
I highly recommend this course for beginner YouTubers, it’s the one I took before I started my channel and packs the most bang for your buck as well as membership to an active Facebook group where you can learn from other creators.
As far as equipment goes – it’s possible to start a YouTube channel with nothing but a smartphone. However, this rarely pays off. Successful channels operating on a smartphone only and getting a lot of views and watch time are the exception – by far.
And when you’re starting a new business, you don’t want to bank on being an exception, you want to play by the rules. As a rule, successful creators have at least basic vlogging-specific equipment – a good camera to ensure audio quality and video quality is a must in my opinion.
4. Focusing on the Wrong Things
I see this all. the. time. I once read that busyness can be a form of laziness. Ouch! I felt that! It’s so easy to get distracted and waste hours on the wrong things instead of doing the main things that need to be done to create content.
The main things I see people wasting time on are branding (logos, colors, aesthetics), other social media platforms, and talking about themselves.
Branding is important, don’t get me wrong. But I have seen people obsess so much over creating a logo that they end up giving up before they even start a channel or blog. I don’t even have a logo! I just use a headshot as a profile photo in place of a logo, it works just fine. In my guide to starting a successful YouTube Channel, I recommend setting a timer for an hour to create your logo/select a profile photo, and create a banner for your channel. Once the hour is up, move on.
As I mentioned earlier, there is very little crossover from other social media channels. Unless you’re making a considerable amount of income on other social media networks, consider pausing all activity on them until you’re monetized on YouTube. Focus on monetizing one thing at a time rather than doing a million things at once or adding new things to your plate.
Last but not least in this section, I see people spending way too much time oversharing personal information to try to connect with an audience. There is a time and place for sharing anecdotes and connecting with your audience, but the primary focus needs to be adding value in the form of education, inspiration, or entertainment related to your niche. For example, music channels become successful by publishing music-related videos, not by constantly sharing personal anecdotes.
5. Low-Quality Content
One of the most difficult mistakes to correct course on is low-quality content. I see so many YouTubers consistently publishing videos that are not good. What I mean is – the audio and/or video quality is bad, there’s little to no natural lighting, the thumbnail of the video and video description aren’t relevant or appealing, the video editing is awkward, video titles and relevant keywords are lacking, and the content isn’t interesting.
This all goes back to mistake #3 – unwillingness to invest in what it takes to be successful and develop skills over time.
This is why taking a course is so important. It’s best to learn from some of the most successful YouTubers, and then do what they teach! But taking a course is no guarantee. I am always stumped to see people in groups who have taken courses but refuse to follow the steps in the courses or invest in the recommended equipment, and then wonder why they are not having success.
A good course will teach you how to create quality content starting with your very first video. The course I recommend is such a powerful tool that walks you through creating a brand, setting up your channel, learning to film beautiful videos, becoming familiar with the editing process, creating an attractive thumbnail, choosing a relevant title, etc.
6. Imposter Syndrome
I thought about making this number one on the list but decided to save the most common mistake for last.
Imposter syndrome is defined as the persistent inability to believe that one’s success is deserved or has been legitimately achieved as a result of one’s own efforts or skills.
When it comes to creating YouTube videos, imposter syndrome is so common because what a creator shows on the screen is only a portion of their life – as it should be! However, it’s really easy to fall into the trap of thinking it’s somehow dishonest to not *literally and figuratively* air all of one’s dirty laundry.
I think this happens so often these days because there are creators who do just that…and yes, some of it is relatable and many times they grow a large, loyal following by doing so.
But it’s just not smart and it’s not a good business strategy. Think about it, how would you feel if you showed up for dental work and your dentist got up and walked out because he felt like an imposter after indulging in some candy over the weekend? LOL, crazy right?
Now, I do think it’s possible to be a massive hypocrite and portray a totally inaccurate picture of what your life is like, which is another reason it’s best to avoid creating lifestyle videos, especially in the beginning.
Choosing a niche is a great way to stay focused on adding value rather than any negative comments you get on your videos or worrying about whether or not you’re an imposter. Later on, once you’ve built some confidence, you can evaluate your situation and decide if creating lifestyle content is something you can do genuinely, shaking off any criticism you receive…and yes, there will be plenty of it! That comes with the territory of putting yourself out there, especially online.
How to Start a Successful YouTube Channel
Now, if I haven’t scared you off or made you rethink this whole YouTube thing – you may be ready to think about getting started! And the good news is that I have a blog post to help you out if this is your first YouTube channel.
Check out my post and check into this course to make sure you have a solid foundation for your new channel. Allow yourself a decent amount of time to work through the course, create and edit your first videos, and be prepared for your channel launch.
And remember, growing an online presence doesn’t happen overnight – so you need a long-term vision that potentially includes 6-12 months of not seeing any profit for your work – but in time the hard work you put in will pay off!
Basic Vlogging Equipment for YouTube
- vlogging camera
- memory cards
- extra batteries
- basic tripod
- Macbook Pro (I’d highly recommend using all apple products)
- adaptor
- external hard drive
Upgraded Vlogging Equipment
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How to Start A Successful YouTube Channel