Last Saturday, I rode across a beautiful trail at Kent Island,
Maryland. My goal was to view the Chesapeake Bay at the end of the trail.
In this video, you'll learn how I plan and film my YouTube videos
while I take you on a bicycle tour across Kent Island.
My goal for this trip was to drive to Kent Island across the Chesapeake Bay bridge,
then ride the trail to see the view at the end of the pier.
My goal for each video is to choose a topic that my audience is interested in. To achieve that,
I'll conduct a poll on my community tab or ask questions in my Facebook group. Alternatively,
I'll read the comments under my videos or read the comments under my competitor's videos. I'll
also go into my YouTube analytics and study the top 10 videos that got the most traffic.
I'll also check the audience tab to see which videos are currently growing my YouTube channel
and also look at other channels that my audience watches.
After I've chosen a theme for my next video, I'll do keyword research to see what kind of
phrases people are typing into the YouTube search engine. YouTube search bar gives
you a bunch of keyword suggestions, but if you want to go deeper, I highly recommend
getting the keyword research tool TubeBuddy. It gives you the ability to quickly get a
keyword score of very good or excellent, the search volume, the number of videos in search,
and also related keyword phrases that you can use for your videos.
You'll also be able to check out the results so you can quickly see the titles and thumbnails that
your competitors are using. During my keyword research, I look for keyword phrases that
have a high search volume and low competition because they're easier to rank for in search.
Instead of thinking about a solo video, think about a series of videos that can
be linked to each other so people will binge watch multiple videos in a row.
Open a Google doc and list the titles for all the specific keyword phrases that you've researched.
Make sure these keyword phrases have a good, very good, or excellent score from TubeBuddy.
Select the best keyword phrase that aligns with your video content. Typically,
I'll create a video title that has the main keywords at the beginning of the title
and then an emotional trigger at the end.
The keyword phrase for this video's title could be "How I plan and film my YouTube video."
Then an emotional trigger could be "So I can get more views."
If no one clicks on your thumbnail, then no one's going to watch your video and you'll have
done all that work in vain. Since most people are visual creatures, you want to create an
attractive thumbnail that adds some curiosity or mystery to it. Use contrasting colors, bold text,
few words and include your face with an expression that signifies the content of your video.
Avoid including the same words as your title, or even better, don't include any words.
If you can't afford Photoshop, don't want learn it, and just want free online graphic software,
I highly recommend using Canva. They have a bunch of free templates that you can customize to your
liking. I'll place a link on how you can use Canva in the description below this video.
Typically, I'll create two or three different thumbnails then ask my wife or my YouTube
or Facebook audience to see which thumbnail they prefer. I'll then split test them using
TubeBuddy split testing feature. Most of the time the audience chooses the right thumbnail,
but sometimes the other thumbnail gets more traffic, so I choose that thumbnail.
After creating the title and thumbnail for my video, I'll create a script to flush out the
content for my title. Typically, I'll create a series of bullet points in a Google doc
so it'll be easy to follow when I'm filming my video. When I first started creating videos, I'd
write the script word for word of what I'd say in the video. It was evident to the audience that I
was reading from a script. I highly recommend just creating a series of bullet points, then follow
those points when you're recording the video. What it I usually do is memorize a few sentences
from my script that's on my phone, then I'll speak them in the video, pause,
memorize a few more sentences on my phone, and then keep on recording the video.
Make sure your camera is at eye level and look directly into the lens. Don't make the mistake
of looking at the flip screen instead of directly looking at the lens because you won't connect
with your audience. Before you record your whole video, record a test clip to make sure that your
video and audio quality is great. There's been many times where I've recorded a whole video,
then discovered afterwards that the video was blurry or I didn't have the audio plugged in.
Another filming tip is to film in segments. This makes a video editing process easier
because you have a small clip which will load faster than one long clip.
If you need to edit a particular segment, you can just go to that particular clip
instead of scrubbing through the whole video. Before you film each clip,
smile and then press record. This will help you to relax while you deliver your content.
It will also to make it easier for your audience to watch and digest your content.
If you want to keep your audience's attention, you can switch positions,
zoom in, zoom out, use B-roll, transitions, et cetera. You can also try different environments
to switch it up. For example, I often film some clips outside while I'm out and about
and include it in my video. This helps to break up the monotony
of your audience just watching a talking head video by you switching different scenes.
The purpose of batch scripting and batch filming your videos is that you stay in the flow and save
a ton of time. I usually find that once I start recording my videos, I get into the flow of things
so it's easier to film one video after another. You also save time because you have the lights
and camera already set up and ready to go. Instead of writing a script for one video,
write a script for two or three videos. Instead of filming one video, film two or three videos. This
will save you the stress of keeping up with your upload schedule for your channel so you'll be able
to spend more time for your next set of videos. After you've filmed your video, you're ready to
download it to your computer and edit it in your favorite editing software.
I use ScreenFlow for the Mac, but there's also free editing software you can use such as iMovie
for the Mac or DaVinci Resolve. If you want to use online video editing software, I highly recommend
inVideo or Kapwing. I'll place links to these review videos in the description below this video.
If you optimize your videos correctly, they'll be discovered in the search engines. Place your
main keyword phrase at the beginning of your title and then an emotional trigger at the end,
but make sure you also summarize the content of your video in your description. Include keywords
in your description that you couldn't fit in your title. Also include video chapters or timestamps
in your description because this will help your video be discovered in Google and YouTube search.
Your audience will be able to jump that particular segment in your video that they're most interested
in. If you want to get my video upload checklist so you can correctly optimize your videos,
click the link in the description below this video.
After you've published your video, monitor your video's performance in YouTube analytics.
YouTube's algorithm follows the audience. If your audience loves your video,
you'll get a lot of traffic. Most importantly, look at the clickthrough rate and the watch time.
YouTube says that if you get a high clickthrough rate and a high average view duration,
then more of your videos will be suggested. If your video does well, then double down
that video by creating more videos based upon that specific topic. Approach the video from a
different angle by providing related content and also create a different title for it.
After you've published enough videos, got 1,000 subscribers, and 4,000 watch hours,
you're ready to monetize your channel and earn a passive income.
Watch the video on the screen right now on how to monetize your YouTube videos in 2022 and beyond.