One of the most common questions I always get aside from "What kind of camera do you use?" is "What are some tips you have on starting a YouTube Channel." My strongest and foremost advice is to just start one and to keep at it. Even if you think your life is boring, as long as you have passion, you will have an audience. Don't do it for the profits at first, because trust me, there will be no profits for a very long time. Convey your passion in a creative way and the universe will grant you an audience. Separate yourself from saturated fields by putting yourself out there in a personable way that others can relate to. Don't be afraid to be vulnerable. Don't attempt to present a perfect portrayal of yourself. I've cried at airports for the whole world to see (Actually, not that many people saw that one video, but if you did, consider yourself lucky) The equipment and fancy editing will come later as you develop your craft. Don't worry about those things yet. (Please don't use a GoPro as your primary camera though. Nobody will watch that for long) Your passion will grow and your audience will feed off it. Opportunities will spring forth. You will get a lot of free stuff and meet people unimaginable to you prior to YouTube. I've stepped foot on many grounds and slept in many beds that I would never be able to afford in real life. I've met some of the biggest celebrities and highly respected individuals known and unknown. Some of them I felt I had no business and complete unworthiness of their presence. Some of my best friends have been a direct result of YouTube. And none of these opportunities would have been possible if I didn't make those unwatchable videos many years ago and uploaded them onto the platform. But more importantly, I kept at it. Not for the money, because there isn't much money right now, but the possibilities are out there. So if you want to start your own YouTube channel, it's not going to be easy. But don't treat it like a full time job, treat it as a serious hobby, but don't have expectations and compare yourself to the biggest and established entertainers who have a team working with them. Did you know that 60% of all YouTube videos get less than 500 views in their entire lifetime? Did you know that most YouTube videos only get a 25% viewer retention rate? I'm no where near as far reaching as I want to be, but I've been doing this long enough to understand that success doesn't come over night. Don't be too obsessed over numbers like subscribers and viewers at first. When I first made videos for friends and family I was happy if a video did 200 views in its lifetime. Now, I get a million views a month. Which honestly, isn't all that great, but it'll grow over time. So the key is to just put yourself out there, make videos that you enjoy making, and over time you'll grow. So if you want to start a YouTube channel, just do it and keep doing it.
