- Every gaming channel on YouTube has one major problem.
How can they stand out
and actually get people to give their videos a chance?
Well, if you're a gaming channel,
there's actually four things you can do
to solve that problem.
Mastering them can help you grow incredibly quickly
in the increasingly competitive space
that is gaming on YouTube.
Number one is confidence.
And this could mean a few different things,
and I promise that none of your interpretations are invalid.
But one example of confidence could be the confidence
that you are actually good
at the game you're trying to play.
A lot of gaming creators struggle here
because they see channels playing the game
that they would like to play
but at an incredibly high skill level.
So say you would like to make a channel
around your favorite MMO,
and you see other channels have been playing it
for quite a long time
and you're still kind of in the mid-game,
you're learning the ropes yourself.
That's okay because nothing is stopping you
from helping the players who are brand new to the scene.
Take everything that you've learned so far
to get to the point you are at in your game.
You can help new players.
Have the confidence to give beginners the advice
that got you to where you are at least.
Over time, you're gonna get better at this game.
And as your skill level evolves, so will your content.
But then you have certain games
that focus more on design skills rather than combat skills.
Take The Sims for example.
How are you supposed to stand out in a space
where creators who have been around for years
have mastered creating spectacular builds?
Well, practice for one.
Art is very subjective.
And if you really feel like you're missing something
and you're not quite at that skill level yet,
then take some time to learn
how to design a little bit better every single day.
I guarantee you though,
a lack of design skill did not stop these players
who are big now from getting started in the first place.
And just like our MMO example,
these Sims channels likely continue to improve
as designers as time went on.
And as they improved, so did their videos.
So when it comes to your confidence as a designer
or at your skill level in the game you wanna play,
I want you to internalize that you are indeed good enough
and you can always continue to get better.
But we're not even done on the subject of confidence
because we haven't even discussed being on mic
or being on camera in your gaming videos.
This, of course, also comes down to practice.
Do not let this stop you from starting in the first place
because I promise you
nobody likes their first YouTube videos.
Heck, I was an experienced YouTube creator
when I started here at VidIQ,
and I hate looking back at my old VidIQ videos.
And one day I'll probably hate these videos too.
Start small, give yourself time,
and understand that you are good enough
to start doing any of these things on your channel.
(gentle music)
The second thing you need as a creator is insight,
specifically insight into exactly the kind of person
you would like to have watching your videos
in the first place.
It may not seem this way at first,
but you do not wanna make videos for just anybody.
There's not a lot of crossover in fans of The Sims 4
and fans of Final Fantasy 14.
There's some, don't get me wrong,
but not enough to have consistent growth
across your entire channel
because even though they have some similarities,
they are two completely different types of games.
So insights, let me give you an example.
Let's say Sims 4 is in fact your favorite type of game.
Nice.
We now have one insight about your ideal viewer
because ideally The Sims 4 is also their favorite game.
But what if you took this a step further
and said, well, wait, no.
Not only is my ideal viewer someone who likes The Sims 4,
they like The Sims 4, but they hate decorating.
Instead, they're much more interested
in starting a new game, rolling up a new family,
and challenging themself in all kinds of fun
and interesting ways.
If you're a fan of The Sims,
you know it's have the most money,
make the most babies, that sort of thing.
That alone is an entire YouTube channel,
and it will give you a very clear place to start
when you're thinking of new video ideas day after day,
week after week.
And as this channel begins to grow and grow,
in the future you can consider other games
that are kinda like The Sims 4,
but they also allow the audience who plays that game
to challenge themselves in all kinds of fun ways.
Just like with confidence,
it's important to start small when it comes
to the type of person you would like watching your content.
Patience is the third thing that gaming creators need,
and I'm actually talking
about two different types of patience.
I'd first caution you to just be patient with yourself
and the process that is YouTube.
Growth will start slow, and there is a lot to learn.
Just know that your favorite gaming creators weren't
automatically good overnight, so give yourself time.
The second type of patience though is going to be patience
with regards to learning new YouTube skills.
Just learning the skill of video editing
on its own is a whole entire thing.
With thumbnails, it's not just an eye for design you need
but it's also understanding thumbnail strategy as well.
And again, this won't be something you can
just snap your fingers and learn in an afternoon.
Whatever area you feel like needs the most work,
dedicate some time to learning the necessary skills.
The fourth thing, and I would say for gaming creators
the most important thing for growing fast
on YouTube these days is going to be diversification.
It is critical
that gaming channels learn to diversify their content.
On YouTube alone,
you have the ability to post long form videos,
live streams, and short vertical videos.
I certainly don't wanna burn you out,
but you should be using as many of these features
as possible, whatever makes sense for your channel.
That's because there are different types of viewers
for different types of content.
And there's a lot of crossover of course.
For example, you might find
that your shorts viewers might also not mind if you're live,
checking out one of your live streams.
Your long form viewers who are watching shorts one day
might stop scrolling if they hear your voice
and they see one of your funny clips pop up.
But then also there's viewers who just watch shorts
and that's it.
They'll also be viewers that only care to watch you live.
So on YouTube,
I would encourage you to develop a content strategy
around all three different types of content.
Let's say you just play one game in your channel,
so your long form videos are about strategy,
tips and tricks for getting better at the game.
Your live streams are an opportunity
for you to hang out with your audience
and play the game yourself
as you continue to think of new strategies you can share
and you get better at the game yourself live.
And your YouTube shorts can just be the clips
from your live streams that are especially funny
or informative.
All three of these different types of content distribute
all around YouTube in their own way.
So figuring out the right way
to leverage each one of these types of content is going
to blow up your channel in terms of views and subscribers.
By the way, if you feel like you're just starting out
on your YouTube gaming journey,
then I want you to go to this video right here
because we break down step by step
how to actually start a gaming channel.