my tell-all guide to starting a youtube channel
everything i learned when creating my own channel
My first love was performing; my second was technology. So you can imagine my joy as a ten-year-old in Ohio logging onto YouTube for the first time. It was a creative introvert’s dream—an endless space to make whatever you wanted and be completely yourself. I was instantly hooked and became determined to find my place in that world. I had to. So that is where my journey began…
…and then promptly ended. I started a channel at ten and stopped making videos by twelve. Here is my first lesson— consistency is key. I was a child, so there’s no point is rehashing the past and asking myself why I had to stop posting, but occasionally I like to think of what life would’ve been like if I hadn’t stopped. Flash forward to around sixteen years later— I am doing YouTube as my full time job. Ten-year-old me would be proud, eighteen-year-old me would be insanely confused and twenty-three-year-old me would be relieved it actually worked out. (I am currently twenty-seven by the way).
I have touched on my journey to becoming a YouTuber and how all of those pieces fit together to make a perfect storm that is known today as my corner of the internet, so, if you are interested, you can read that here. And if you don’t have time for the backstory— TLDR: I started my YouTube channel in 2020, went full time at the beginning of 2023 and am approaching my fifth year total of posting (and just entered my third year of doing it full time). At the time of writing this, I currently have 77,000 subscribers and have posted 408 videos.
I am still on a personal journey of growing and improving my channel, but over the course of these past five years, I have learned a thing or two that I want to share, especially for anyone starting their channel or in the beginning stages. I asked my YouTube subscribers and Instagram followers what their most pressing questions were when wanting to start a channel and picked around twenty of the most asked and most important ones.
So let’s get into it. I will potentially make this in a video format soon, but wanted to have it in written form for all my fellow visual people out there. And if you want to check out my YouTube channel— you can here.
Getting Started & Overcoming Fears
1. How did you get over the initial hump/anxiety of filming and posting for the first time? How much planning did you do?
It took about two months from the moment I wanted to start a channel to the day I actually posted my first video. I will say, I was semi used to putting myself out there because the year was 2020 and I had been (unsuccessfully) posting a lot of TikToks. After the idea of joining YouTube popped into my head, I filmed two videos before I filmed the one that actually became my first upload. I would recommend this to anyone starting a channel because it gets some of the nerves out.
One was a video of me dressing up and going to get coffee and the other was me at a farmers market. Both never saw the light of day, but it helped me learn the process and get used to talking to a camera. After I finally created a video that I was proud of, I showed my boyfriend at the time and my roommate. I figured if I could sit in a room with them and show them this vulnerable video I made myself, how much harder could posting it on the internet be? They both sat through the whole thing and none of us ran out of the room or threw up, so I decided it was time to rip the bandaid off and post. I would recommend giving yourself a month or two maximum to let yourself plan and practice, but no longer than that. The only way to learn is to do, so just post!
2. How can I be confident speaking to a camera, and what are your tips for speaking clearly and confidently?
Similarly to my advice above, the only way to improve is to just start doing it. My best tip is to treat the camera like a personal friend. I think a big pitfall of getting camera shy, or struggling with what to say, is seeing the camera as a lens into thousands of peoples’ homes. While this might be the case, thinking this way can be inhibiting to making what you want to say feel clear and personal. Think about how much more relaxed and clear your thoughts are around your best friend versus in a job interview or public speaking.
My other piece of advice is to really be aware of what you are actually saying. The worst feeling is going to edit a piece of footage and realize that you completely misspoke, maybe using the wrong name, word, etc., and now you have to put that little text on the screen clarifying what you meant or end up scrapping it all together. I have gotten a lot better at this by making sure I am engaged while speaking and constantly asking myself — would someone else in the room understand me if I was talking to them right now? Don’t be afraid to repeat a phrase if you don’t think it was clear the first time. If I say a phrase and think it doesn’t make sense or I didn’t pronounce a word clearly enough, I will repeat it and then edit out the bad takes in post production. I do a lot of editing to remove my filler words, breaths, mistakes, etc. and make it seem like a lot of what I am saying is a spur-of-the-moment thought, but in reality it sometimes takes a couple of takes.
4. How did you get over feeling shy or embarrassed to film in public?
This is a great question because, in all honesty, I still am a little shy to film in public. My biggest fear is bothering people or accidentally filming others more-so than feeling embarrassed, but it’s still a fear. My biggest advice is to remember no one is thinking about you as much as you do— good or bad. If someone sees you walking by talking to a camera, if they even notice, they most likely won’t think about it for more than a minute afterward. I have found if you mind your own business, no one pays it much mind. Practice filming in public in spaces you are already pretty comfortable in in the first place or with a friend and then work your way up to being completely out of your comfort zone.
4. What do you wish you would’ve known at the beginning?
I wish I would’ve known that having low views is not a sign to quit. In the first year of my channel, I took a break from February to April due to feeling discouraged from my lack of subscribers and views. The biggest reason for not achieving your dreams isn’t failing. People hardly ever fail, they usually just quit before they can succeed. My videos when I started were not amazing— the first fifty were borderline questionable, but I had to unlock my true talent for YouTube by continuing to work hard for it. Thank goodness I pushed past it and started posting again. If you work hard and whole heartedly commit to something, there is no way it won’t work out. It might not be how you pictured it, but it will work out.
Content Creation Process & Planning
1. Do you start with a plan and storyboard, or do you just record a lot and create the magic in editing?
I would say a mixture of both, but more frequently leaning toward the latter. It really depends on the type of video! For my vlogs, which is the most common type of video on my channel, I typically record and then create a better storyline to make it more interesting in editing. I will have ideas of certain things I want to film or talk about, but I mostly let my day or week inform me on what I film as it goes. For my more themed videos, like Exploring NYC or a YouTube tips video, I have the entire thing completely formatted and storyboarded and for my more reflective videos I work off of a script. I think there is a time and place for both, but that is the system that currently works for me!
2. How do you figure out what to film? What inspires your video ideas?
Typically, I split my content into two categories. One is for my existing audience and the other is for the algorithm and new viewers to find me. All of my videos can perform well with both groups, but certain types of videos tend to perform better with one or the other. For example, my videos discussing moving, money & YouTube are interesting to my existing subscriber base, but the majority of my views come from new viewers and are found better through the algorithm. Meanwhile, other videos like Q&As or vlogs that are documenting my daily life are intended for my existing audience because these videos are created around the premise that you already know who I am.
The way I specifically plan my videos is I start by looking at the month ahead. I see if there are any major events coming up— i.e. a trip, vacation, auditions, shows, etc— and set any vlogs I know will want to include those. After those are set, I brainstorm any new ideas for videos or vlogs that I have recently had. Then from there I browse YouTube and see what the current popular videos are. Are there any trends I can make my own? Are there any content gaps of videos people want but don’t exist? And lastly, I go through my own page to see what videos performed well and I haven’t done in a while. A vlog channel can get somewhat monotonous, so I try to create variety within my vlogs as much as possible. Every month I try to include at least one full week in my life, a reset video and some sort of searchable video.
4. What does a typical filming and posting schedule look like?
This has changed slightly over the years, but currently my schedule is a video every Sunday and every other Wednesday. I posted twice a week on Tuesdays and Fridays for years, but as my videos started to get longer and more in depth that got harder to keep up with, so I have cut down from eight to six videos a month in 2025.
Here is a picture of my filming and posting schedule from earlier this year. I use Notion to plan out my filming dates, posting dates and any due dates for brand deals. (I did a lot of brand deals this month and this is how I stayed organized).
Oddly enough, I don’t schedule my editing in my Notion calendar, I schedule my editing in Google Calendar because it makes more sense to me. This is my average workload for a month posting and filming wise, but add about 15-30 hours of editing a week as well. I try to give myself around five days a month where I don’t have to film anything. I call these my ugly days because I can look as terrible as I want and no one has to see me— I can just have my head in my laptop and edit without worrying about any filming.
Filming Gear & Workflow
What camera and equipment do you use, and how do you manage transferring footage to your computer for editing?
I use four cameras on a weekly basis and all for different reasons.
Canon M50 with a EF-M 11-22mm Lens: This is my camera and lens I use for all of my indoor filming. Anything you see in my apartment is filmed on this camera. I have had it now for four years and it’s a staple for my channel. Every once in a while I will take it to the park or on a trip, but for the most part it stays put in my apartment.
DJI Osmo Pocket 3: I bought this camera last June and it is one of the most popular cameras on the market for vloggers right now. I will use this camera for on the go footage. It has a built in gimbal which makes it incredibly smooth and easy to film on the go. I use this specifically for my trying NYC and exploring NYC videos and any vlogs I want a higher quality video on when out and about.
My iPhone 15: Okay quick controversial opinion, I kind of hate the iPhone 15 in general, so if you are buying a new iPhone… get the 16 or the 14. In general though, the iPhone takes great footage and I use my camera to film b-roll or quick clips of me talking when I am out and about. I typically use this when I am on the go and don’t want to bring a whole camera with me, I will record in .5 on the back camera and it works great!
Canon G7x Mark II: This was my first vlog camera that I bought when starting my channel. I filmed all my videos on it for the first year and it worked great! It’s a point and shoot camera, which means you can’t change the lens, but it’s small, compact and great for on-the-go. I don’t really use this anymore for vlogging because of my DJI camera, but I do use this camera all the time for pictures. It takes amazing photos and I have become our friend groups designated photographer.
Rode VideoMicro Microphone: I always have this attached to the top of my Canon M50. It gives better sound quality and helps eliminate background noise, however, it does create a slight “shhh” sound that I remove in Final Cut Pro when editing.
LensGo Wireless Microphone: I use this microphone with my Canon M50 or my iPhone when I want something attached to me and wireless. It’s a cheaper alternative to the Rode wireless microphones and works pretty well. I will say it is a very sensitive mic, I need to learn and see if I can fix the settings on it because I much prefer my DJI wireless microphone that came with my DJI Osmo Pocket 3.
These are the cameras I have been using for years and work well for me, but I will say, I am thinking of buying new equipment this year. When I first started YouTube, Canon was the leading brand for vloggers. However, in the past 3 years, the ideal brand has shifted from Canon to Sony and I have been considering making the switch. I have had my eye on the Sony ZV-E10 for months and may purchase it in the next few months. As a vlogger, some important aspects to me when filming are recording in low light and having good enough sound from the body of the camera that you don’t need to add a mic. Sony has seemingly become the leading brand for both of these things, so if I make the switch I will let you all know.
As far as uploading my footage to my computer— for my cameras I connect them to my MacBook Pro with a USB cable and import the footage using Image Capture. Canon has it’s own software you can also import through, but since getting a new laptop two years ago I never redownloaded it back onto my computer. (I’m lazy). I upload my iPhone footage via AirDrop. However, I don’t upload everything directly to my computer because it takes up too much space. I would recommend using an external hard drive or SSD to store all of your footage on so you, one, don’t run out of space and, two, you can protect your footage and save it. I also store my Final Cut libraries on my SSD when editing.
My favorite SSD is the Samsung T7 Shield. I have filled up five of these and they are the absolute best. I prefer an SSD over an external hard drive because they are faster, smaller and generally more reliable. However, they are also more expensive. An affordable external hard drive is the LaCie Mini. I have never used it myself, but I have friends who love it!
FTC disclaimer: some of the links in this post may be affiliate links which means i receive a small commission. it is no cost to you to use the links, it is totally free.
2. What editing program do you use?
I use Final Cut Pro X. Before starting my channel I was already an iMovie girl, so Final Cut Pro just made sense when it came time to upgrade. I also liked that you could do a 90 day free trial before buying it. It is a one time purchase of $300 and that felt more worth it to me than paying monthly for the rest of my life for Adobe Premiere.
3. What are your typical editing hours?
I don’t have a consistent schedule week to week of when I edit because I plan my editing hours around my filming schedule and life schedule. I typically edit for about 15-30 hours a week, usually during the day on weekdays. An average video will take me anywhere between 8 and 20 hours to edit depending on the length and content and I try to schedule when and what I am going to edit at the beginning of the week in my Google Calendar. However, even though I have been doing this for five years, it is still hard for me to gage how long editing something will take.
4. How do you choose music, and when do you decide to include speaking versus b-roll?
Truthfully, I choose my music purely based on vibes. I am naturally drawn to more jazz, retro and upbeat music as opposed to the traditional vlogger lo-fi beats (there is a time and place for that though). Music tends to take me a while to pick out because I go through a lot of trial and error, especially when picking an intro song. I want my music to stand out, but also seamlessly blend in and not pull too much focus. I use music to emphasize points and move my vlog along, so it is a lot of listening and waiting until I find a song that just feels right. My formula is typically engaging songs at the beginning, steady beats in the middle and calmer, slower music at the end to subtly give a beginning middle and end of the vlog. I get all of my music through Epidemic Sound and I could not say more amazing things about them.
For a free 30-day trial to Epidemic Sound, I have a link for you here.
When making a video I film as much as possible and then make all of my speaking vs. b-roll decisions post production. I typically have an idea in mind when I am filming of how I want the video to look, but I get most of my ideas on the spot while I am editing. For example, in this YouTube video, I had no idea what I wanted the intro to look like until I started editing, I just filmed a handful of clips and put it together in post production. A good rule of thumb is to have multiple clips of both speaking and b-roll, so when it comes time to edit you have options.
To read the rest consider subscribing to my Substack!
Subscriptions help support my content and my YouTube channel will always be free! Here is a look ahead at what’s behind the paywall:
Growth and Strategy
Best posting practices
What to post when you have no ideas
How long does it take to grow?
Short Form vs Long Form
How to find your niche?
Monetization and Sponsorships
How to secure brand deals
How much money I made from brand deals and my rates starting out
What is a media kit?
Is management worth it?
How much does it cost to start a channel?
An Adsense breakdown
What are usage rights?
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to uninterrupted to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.