Starting a YouTube channel is a great way to share knowledge and build an audience to market to. Creating a YouTube channel doesn’t have to be complex. Keeping it simple will make it fun and entertaining without it feeling like a job. To create a successful Youtube channel, you need to have a few important ingredients to ensure you are creating good content and it is getting shown to a large audience. In this article, we will give three tips to help boost the success of your own YouTube channel.
Having Great Sound Quality Will Set You Apart
If you are looking for how to start a YouTube channel, it is obvious that it must have great visuals in every video. The part that most creators overlook is the audio. It is common to see a great video, but the audio then falls short. Bad audio can be distracting and cause your audience to lose interest fast.
Great audio in a YouTube video is all about getting the right equipment. Getting the best microphone for YouTube will require you to use either a shotgun microphone, lavalier mic, or condenser microphone. These types of mics will help you create clean audio that sounds great in a range of shooting situations. The end result will be audio that your audience can understand clearly allowing them to enjoy the content they are being shown.
Shotgun microphones are great for recording the audio of an individual in front of the camera. A shotgun mic can be pointed at your subject while still picking up the sound clearly without interference from surrounding noises. It is also good for recording dialogue if you are by yourself.
Lavalier mics are small microphones that clip to the lapel or shirt of your interviewee. They do not need to be plugged into the camera, but work wirelessly. These are great for recording interviews with more than one person or if you are not physically next to the person.
Condenser microphones record even better quality audio that can catch subtle sounds and with little background noise. They are also good for picking up human voices in recordings. The only drawback is these mics require phantom power from a device, so they can work. This can be a problem as many cameras do not have this type of power supply.
One thing to pay close attention to is the amount of background noise taking place when recording. The background noise or ambient noise level can be controlled by the type of mic you are using. For example, a shotgun mic will help eliminate background noise, while a lavalier mic will allow for more ambient noise. A condenser mic, on the other hand, will pick up everything close to the microphone.
When on a production, big or small, it is important to stay organized. One easy way to stay organized is with a call sheet. A call sheet is a list of the scenes being shot each day. It includes the scene number, the location, time required for setup, a list of equipment needed for each scene, and call times. Call sheets don’t have to be complicated. You can easily find a free call sheet template and adjust it to fit it to your needs. Having a call sheet will make sure you have all the right gear for each scene, including audio gear. A simple call sheet template will save time in scene setup and keep the production on schedule.
What is the Best Microphone for Each Scene
If your YouTube channel only shoots interviews, you might be able to get away with only having one type of microphone. However, if each video is drastically different, chances are each scenario you are shooting might require different microphones. Let’s look at different scenes and the type of microphone that might best fit.
For indoor interviews, such as a podcast, a condenser mic works well. This helps to capture audio with accuracy and clarity. However, these mics are usually only used in a studio setting.
For single-person interviews, a shotgun mic will help eliminate surrounding noise. The microphone itself should be placed directly in front of the subject, about one foot away from their face. Using this microphone type will allow for a crisp, clean sound to be produced.
For a group of people or one person talking amongst many people, a lavalier mic can come in handy. This type of microphone will help capture the dialogue perfectly while filtering out background noise and other sounds not easily recognized by the human ear. However, if you are interviewing only one person who is near the camera, a shotgun mic would work better if placed close to the subject.
If you are shooting a scene outdoors with considerable ambient noise and voices, a shotgun mic can help filter out some of the background noise. A shotgun microphone will allow you to stand far away from your subject and still have a crisp, clear recording. A lavalier mic would work well for recording the voices, but if there is loud ambient noise, it would not be the best microphone to use. If you consider these tips when recording your next video, you will notice the difference in improved audio quality.
Optimize Your YouTube Channel Page and Video Descriptions
Now that you have completed some videos, we need to get as many people as possible to see them. One of the best ways to do this is to optimize your written content on your YouTube channel page and for your video descriptions. Optimizing content for specific keywords will bring in the right audience that is interested in the content you are making.
When writing content, it is imperative that you do keyword research and look at YouTube analytics. This will help you know what phrases YouTube users are typing in when looking for videos like yours. If your video is on how to make connections on Zoom meetings, some words, and phrases that people might search include Zoom introductions, making business connections, remembering people you meet, etc. Write content that includes several of these keywords to optimize your channel page.
While writing the description for each video, it is important that you use words and phrases that will interest the person viewing the video. The more time a viewer spends watching on YouTube, the higher chance they have of watching one or more of your videos. Include one or two sentences explaining what your video is about and what type of audience it is for. If you want people to watch an entire video, then it must be interesting enough for them to continue watching. You can also include a link in the description that takes users to your YouTube channel page or your website. The goal is to get them to subscribe to your channel.
In Conclusion
By following these three simple tips, you can improve the audio quality of your YouTube videos. It is important to make sure your audio gear is organized in your call sheet template. Additionally, optimizing your written content for specific keywords and writing interesting video descriptions will help you bring in more viewers. Remember to always do your research beforehand so that you know what type of audience you are targeting with your content.
