Learning to create a YouTube channel may seem more difficult than getting into other social media. However, nothing is impossible!
Fun fact: YouTube is the second most visited website in the world behind Google, which is none other than YouTube’s parent company.
Fun suggestion: your brand should be there.
The ability to target your audience on YouTube is enormous. It is the most popular social platform among American adults, and almost 75% of Americans use this video site, compared to 69% who use Facebook.
More than half of these users visit YouTube every day. Wouldn’t it be great if they took a look at your content during their visit?
Fortunately, creating a YouTube account is not very complicated. Creating a YouTube channel that is successful takes a little more effort … but don’t worry, we’re taking care of everything too.
How to create a new YouTube channel in 5 simple steps
The success of a YouTube channel begins with creation of one YouTube channel. Here’s how to create your account.
Step 1: Create a Google account
If you are using Gmail, Google Maps or Google Play, you probably already have a Google account … so take the next step.
If you start from scratch, click here to create a new Google account.
The name and email address will not be publicly associated with your brand, so don’t worry about using them. It’s just your key to opening the YouTube door.
Step 2: Create a YouTube account
With your Google account, you automatically have a personal YouTube account. But to use YouTube for your business, you must create a brand account.
Just go to the page of your YouTube account, click Create Chain, and then enter a name for your brand account. Let’s go!
When you create a brand account on YouTube, you can give administrator access to multiple people and personalize the name and appearance of the account so that they match your brand.
Another advantage of branded accounts is that they allow you to access YouTube Analytics, which provides very useful information about the audience watching your videos and the most popular content. (For more information, see our publication on the use of YouTube for marketing purposes.)
Step 3: customize your YouTube channel
It’s time to take ownership of this new social media profile.
In the dashboard of your string, click on Personalization. Navigate through the three tabs (Page-up, Branding and General Information) to enter information that will help you optimize your channel so that your audience can find out.
When you provide this information, use descriptive keywords that will help your account appear in the searches.
Keywords may include the themes of your channel, your industry, questions that your content may answer or the products presented.
Under Branding, you will have the option of uploading the banner and icons of your chain to give it a unique appearance. An appearance that ideally aligns with your brand and allows you to visually associate this YouTube account with your other social media platforms and your presence on the web.
Step 4: upload your first YouTube video
All of this is exciting. You are about to become a YouTube content creator!
To put your first video online, click the Create button in the upper right corner and follow the instructions.
Step 5: Give visibility to your YouTube channel
As the old saying goes: if you have exceptional content on YouTube but no one sees it … what good is it ?
To get views and subscribers, you need to optimize your channel and videos for them to be discovered. We offer you a full guide on promoting your YouTube channel if you want to explore the issue further. In the meantime, here is a 30 second summary:
Optimize the titles of your videos
Use concise and descriptive titles that include keywords adapted to Google referencing. Titles are the first thing users see, but they also help the search engine understand the subject of your videos. So make sure that all of your titles are impactful and intriguing, but also clear, and integrate keywords.
Optimize your YouTube description
It is also important to be clear, concise and descriptive in this section. Be sure to put your keywords forward and add links to other playlists.
Another tip to use for your video descriptions ? Create “chapters” with a time stamp to help spectators find what they are looking for.
Add tags (in moderation)
Even if it may be tempting to fill this section with “click traps” type tags, be sure to include only tags that apply to your content. Be honest and favor quality over quantity. The goal is to target spectators who are really interested in content like yours.
Tags also help YouTube’s algorithm understand the subject of your content. Be sure to add one or two categories to help the search engine make your videos available to the right audience.
Do cross-promotion
Add a link to your YouTube channel on your other social media profiles, website and email signature to let your existing fans know that you are launching a video empire.
Understand the algorithm
If you haven’t already, now is the time to familiarize yourself with the YouTube algorithm. This AI determines not only the research results, but also the recommendations for the very important “To Follow” sidebar.
9 tips for launching a YouTube channel
1. Use an attractive banner and miniatures for your channel
The banner and miniatures in your chain are your showcase, so get noticed!
An effective miniature must be clear and precise, and it works in conjunction with the title of the video. But it must also stand out.
Miniatures are the means by which spectators decide what they will watch when they go through research results. This means that you should not only explain the subject of your video. You also have to stand out from the competition.
And many of your competitors are very visible.
Evaluate what others are doing and try to stand out. For example, choose a separate color palette or opt for minimalism to stand out in an ocean of fluorescent colors and Impact font.
2. Choose the perfect string icon
The icon in a string is similar to your own logo on YouTube. It must match your brand and complete the banner of your chain.
When choosing an icon, follow YouTube image dimension recommendations to avoid deformation. Preview your chain on several devices to verify that everything is fine.
The YouTuber J.J. McCullough uses a cartoon caricature of itself as a logo to represent both its banner and its personality.
3. Create playlists
Organize and create video playlists on YouTube is the best way to hold your viewer on your page.
YouTube playlists not only organize your related content in an ordered list, but they also read automatically. Once a video ends, the next one starts … and so on. This reduces the chances of a viewer changing channels.
Financial Advisor Max Mitchell, for example, adds all of his TFSA videos to a playlist, so spectators can relax and find out about tax-free savings accounts for hours.
4. Create an ad tape for your channel
When someone finds your channel for the first time, a channel trailer is a way for them to get a glimpse of your content. Take care of your trailer.
Just like the big names in Hollywood made you want to see Avengers: Tokyo Drift, you can give your audience a taste that will make them addicted.
Start from the principle that the viewer is a complete stranger, so introduce yourself and tell him exactly why he should subscribe. Be brief and concise: let him know what your content looks like and when he can hope to see new online releases, as Yoga with Adriene does on his channel.
5. Create quality content consistently
It will seem obvious, but we will still say it: spectators want to watch quality videos.
But the features of an excellent YouTube video are a little different from the features, for example, of a video that would be unanimous in a festival of foreign films.
According to the Search Engine Journal, successful YouTube videos are characterized by intros that attract attention, attractive branding, good background music and clear sound.
Calls to action are also important. Whether your goal is to encourage your audience to go to your website, increase the number of subscribers or spark a conversation in comments, an appropriate call for action can help you get there.
As with any social media content, there is no perfect formula for a successful YouTube video. Some brands thrive on smart, very well-produced content, while others gain ground by being raw, without filters and authentic.
The YouTube Vanity Fair is a source of inspiration. It goes beyond what you can read in the magazine’s portraits and offers videos of actors who tell everything they do in a day or go to the lie detector.
Discover some catchy content ideas on other social media platforms to feed your experimentation.
6. Program your videos
Give your videos the best chance of succeeding by publishing them at the right time: when spectators are online and ready to watch them.
Analyzes in your channel will tell you whether there is a specific day of the week or time that tends to get a strong audience or a strong commitment.
Once you have obtained this information, you can regularly publish within this time, using programming tools such as Hootsuite.
Learn more about planning YouTube videos.
7. Surround your audience
It is difficult to create convincing content if you do not know who it is for, so make sure you have a good idea of the personality of your audience before you get started.
Who are they ? What do they like ? (Why don’t they call me ?!)
Once you have some videos to your credit, check if you have achieved your goal by immersing yourself in your YouTube Analytics dashboard. Concrete figures will tell you if, how and when your videos have an impact.
8. Experience advertising on YouTube
If you don’t get the reach you want with simple organic content, it may be time to invest in a promotional campaign.
YouTube ads fall into four categories:
- In-stream announcements disabled
- In-stream announcements that cannot be disabled (including bumper ads)
- Video Discovery announcements
- Illustrated or textual announcements (superpositions, banners)
For more information on YouTube ad formats and their use, see our detailed guide on YouTube advertising.
9. Ask spectators to subscribe
When someone subscribes to your channel (and presses this button), they receive an alert when you put a new video online. Increasing the number of your subscribers is therefore the best way to increase your organic reach.
It’s not for nothing that “Don’t forget to subscribe” is the signature of choice for YouTubers, big and small.
Of course, increasing the number of your subscribers is easier said than done. Our full guide How to seduce more subscribers on YouTube will help you.
Once you have reached 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of viewing in the year, you will be able to register as a YouTube partner and monetize your channel. To find out more about the YouTube Partner Program, click here.
This is just the tip of the iceberg to create a successful YouTube channel. If you want to know more, see these articles in our blog: Increase the number of views on YouTube, 23 tips to promote your YouTube channel and How to become a marketing master on YouTube.
