What skills do you need to be a YouTuber?

  • By: Preetam
  • Date: June 27, 2021
  • Time to read: 9 min.

Are you an aspiring YouTuber? It’s important to know that not everyone is able to achieve success on the platform. 

There are many skills needed in order to be successful on YouTube.

It’s not just about creating videos and getting views. 

You should be consistent in the video creation of what people want & reach the right people. 

That’s why it takes a well-rounded skill set to shine as a successful YouTuber for a long time.

In this blog post, I’m going to discuss some of the essential skills needed to become a youtuber.

Who is a YouTuber & what does a YouTuber do?

YouTube is a video-sharing website.

Youtube influencers are people who have established themselves on YouTube by publishing popular videos that generate an enthusiastic following in their niche community, often called subscribers or viewers.

A YouTuber’s job can include creating unique compelling content which could be educational or entertaining. 

As a YouTuber, you can either do it as a hobby or make money from it. Some use it as a part of their business’s marketing strategies.

You can also use it directly to earn money from it. 

Here are some ways to make money as a YouTuber. –

  • Become a youtube partner to earn from the ads
  • Partner with brands & earn money to promote their products.
  • Earn from affiliate marketing for products you recommend
  • Get paid for your work through fan funding or crowdfunding.

Skills to become a successful YouTuber

YouTube is a lucrative space for video creators to earn and market themself. But, with great opportunity comes a great need for skills. 

Here is a list of the most important skills you need to become a YouTuber.

Proper understanding of the platform

YouTube is basically a social media platform. It is important to know the ins and outs of YouTube. 

More importantly, you need to have a clear idea of who your audience is. 

This will help you better understand how to produce engaging content for your viewers. 

This, in turn, helps increase exposure on YouTube as well as attract potential advertisers.

Good Research Skills

YouTube is a huge platform with many different channels. It can be exhausting to keep up with all of them. 

You must produce good quality content to reach the right people.

That doesn’t mean any content that is good is enough. 

Create what people want and what they will love to see. And here comes the need for good research skills.

With good research skills, you find what content will resonate the most with your viewers. 

This will even make the process easier for you.

Here are a few ways to use your research skill to improve our YouTube channel.

  • YouTube offers trending videos & curated lists for you to explore the site more easily. Use this to understand what is trending on the platform and create content accordingly.
  • Use search operators on google to find and explore specific topics. This will allow you to gain valuable insight into the content people are searching for related to that topic.
  • YouTube also has suggested playlists. This allows you to discover new channels, video genres, or even just get ideas for potential collaborations with other creators who have similar styles. Use these as inspiration!
  • It’s important not only to know how to create unique content but also when it is appropriate and necessary. Some events can create some pressure on your side from peers or followers. Don’t worry about following trends during an event if it doesn’t feel right! It’s better to put out true & unfiltered scenes occasionally to get close to your audience. Even if they are not on the trend!
  • Watch tutorials or read articles about how other people produce quality content so that you know what works and what doesn’t work when producing your own video.

One important thing to note while getting the best out of your research is this. 

Never ever copy other’s content. 

Get inspired. But, don’t replicate the exact same content. 

It can lead you to legal trouble as well as earn a bad reputation.

Video Scripting Skills

For any video to be better on-screen, a proper script is a must. 

Even to appear natural & spontaneous in a video, an excellently crafted script is necessary.

Good video scripting includes two parts – Video scriptwriting & Video script reading.

To be a good scriptwriter, you need to be good at storytelling. 

When you can read your written scripts in a smooth flowing way, your videos will be very natural.

Here are a few tips to develop your video script writing skills that hold user attention.

  • Find the right topic using your strong research skills
  • Create a proper outline including – the hook, introduction, body & conclusion.
  • Create a hook that grabs the attention of your viewers
  • Make your content useful & engaging to keep your audience captivated throughout the video.
  • Include a call to action to drive your desired output.
  • Make sure your video is not too long & not too short.
  • Create your content in such a way that it is conversational.

Video making skills

You need to be good at video making to be a good video creator. 

Simple, isn’t it?

You may need good tools, accessories & the ability to shoot the video professionally. 

Yes, editing is the biggest part of a final video. But, even an excellent editor couldn’t make a very low-standard video seem interesting & engaging.

So, the execution of the video-making process is as important as any other part.

Video editing skills

Making videos come alive takes skillful hands behind the camera lens. 

Video editing skills are necessary to make your videos look professional. 

There are many video editing apps available on the internet that you can use for free. 

Some of them include

  • Shortcut
  • Apple iMovie
  • Lightworks
  • Filmora 9

& more…

You need good editing skills to make the video feel familiar with a timeline. 

You must know the hack of placing clips together to tell a story within one cohesive unit of time.

If “editing” feels too complicated then just consider these tips:

  • Use short cuts & animations when possible
  • Know how to use filters & transitions in order to tell a cohesive story with your videos.
  • Get proper knowledge of lighting tricks & how to create seamless transitions.

Ability to create unique content

Users love fresh ideas and originality so they can enjoy them even more than something old or recycled. 

If at all possible refrain from using someone else’s work without giving credit where it is due. It is important to ensure copyright infringement.

Creating unique and quality content that matches the current trend is a great skill. 

You need to do what your competitors do, yet not copy them. Seems contradictory, doesn’t it?

Get inspired by what others do. See how the content flows. The way they captivate the audience. 

The emotion they induce. Understand all that and base your content on these abstract pillars. 

This way you can avoid copying others’ content, knowingly or unknowingly.

Analytic skills

Youtube has a strong system to help you analyze the impact of your videos. 

There are analytical tools that can help you measure the effectiveness of your channel. These include:

– Total number of subscribers

– Average view count per video

– Number of average views in a day, month, or year

– Percentage of bounce rate (Views from people who watch one video)

– Viewer retention percentage – The amount left over after subtracting bounces and first-minute viewers from total views for a given time period.

The more analytic skills you have, the better off you are with regard to content creation.

You will be able to understand how much people like what they see on screen. 

You know which videos get higher viewer retention and engagement rates than others.

Information is power. And this extensive analytics information can help you create better content. 

With this, you can tell what your viewers want and need. Now, you can create content that resonates with them. 

This improves your views, reach & creates an authority on the subject.

What skills do you need to be a YouTuber?

Marketing skills

Not even the best video can reach more people by just uploading it. You need to market it. 

Place it in front of the right people.

Being a YouTuber is not just about creating content, but also about marketing it appropriately for success. 

There are many ways of doing this with some being more effective than others. 

The key really is to do something that works best for the individual creator’s goals.

Here are a few ways to market your published youtube videos for success-

  • Be active on one or two other social media platforms as well. Share your videos there and get traffic.
  • Look for your niche-related questions on platforms like Quora. Give your youtube video as an answer to people’s doubts. But, be careful not to spam. First, develop your authority, then market your works.
  • Collaborate with fellow creators. This way their audience can become yours & vice versa. So, everyone can get good reach.
  • Do paid promotion for your videos on YouTube. This way, you’ll be able to drive traffic.

Marketing skills are an integral part of any successful YouTuber. 

If you don’t have the chops, you can always hire someone to do it for you.

Networking skills

Unless you connect with people, your success will reach an endpoint someday. 

Networking is as important as any other aspect of success as a YouTuber.

You must interact with your audience regularly to be in the game. 

Reply to comments, accept feedback & redefine your works based on that.

You can also create a community supporting your Youtube channel on other social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, etc… There you can give your viewers a chance to communicate with you.

This can improve your connection with real people. 

People will start to see the real human behind the digital screen. 

This can build unmatchable trust in you.

Also, networking help reaches the next levels of your career. 

You can connect with influential people or brands. 

This helps to generate good leads for your content creation career.

In addition, you can directly understand from your viewers what they wish to know from you. 

This can aid you in creating fresh & most-expected content for your audience.

What makes a YouTuber successful?

If you are asking what makes a YouTuber successful, it’s content. It is the most important thing for any channel to be successful.

Creating quality videos and having consistency in releasing them will make your subscribers grow exponentially over time. 

There are many other skills that can help with this process. 

But without great content, there isn’t a way to stand successful in the long run.

Is it hard to become a YouTuber?

Behind every YouTuber is a long journey of struggle and hard work. 

Becoming an established YouTube star isn’t easy. 

But it’s worth the sacrifice if you’re passionate about your craft!

It takes years to find success on Youtube. Investments need to be made. 

Processes to follow in order for that first video ever created. & much more, all before crafting something so simple as their signature intro sequence.

So, if your question is ‘Is it hard to become a YouTuber?’.

The answer is No. Anyone can become a YouTuber!

But, a successful YouTuber – you ask?

Then the answer is YES! Very hard, indeed. But not impossible.

Your hard work and dedication can get you to reach any height if done properly.

Summary

Now you know how to create a successful youtube channel. 

And the best way is by understanding your audience, expertise, and interest.

With these skills in hand, you can become an expert on whatever content strategy you choose!

If all this sounds like it’s too much for just one person to handle then you can always hire someone to assist you in certain works!

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