How to start a vlog: everything you need to know

Develop a niche.

Unless you’re the most fascinating and famous person in the world, you aren’t going to snag a huge or even medium audience on your winning personality alone. You need a subject matter that viewers are interested in and will come to rely on you for.

Decide what type of content you plan to specialize in and make sure there’s an audience for it. Fast cooking, quick home improvement tricks, makeup tutorials, gaming, fitness, and travel vlogs are all great video subjects likely to garner an interested audience.

Make sure your niche isn’t oversaturated with other vloggers and select a trending topic that you’re passionate about. It’ll come through in your work and keep you engaged and excited to come up with new video ideas.

Identify and speak to your target audience.

Once you know your niche, you can begin to identify your target audience. Think about who will be interested in what you’re showcasing. Make sure your video, graphics, and written and spoken language appeal to them. For example, the tone, graphics, and attitude of a vlog about Formula 1 racing would look, sound, and feel very different than one showcasing the fine art of knitting.

Deliver value.

The key to great content, whether blogging or vlogging, is to provide value. Value can be in the form of education (like how to naturally get rid of mice or change your car’s oil or play guitar) or entertainment (think commentary, music, or your own version of “Saturday Night Live”).

In either case, it has to be compelling enough that the viewer feels they get value out of the time they spend watching you. Schmooze ‘em or lose ‘em.

Maintain pro video quality.

Nowadays you can make a top-quality, full-length film on your iPhone or Android using your smartphone’s video camera, so there’s no excuse for poor-quality video. Successful vloggers know it’s critical that videos are clean and clear with great audio and visuals. (We’ll get into the tools to help you do this later in this article.)

Be distinctive.

As the saying goes, everything’s been done before. But it hasn’t been done in your unique style. Adding your own personal touch to video blogging can be the thing that makes your chocolate chip cookie tutorial stand out from the gazillion others out there. (Remember the chef who got 740K views for telling viewers to just “Put the f*cking turkey in the oven”? Case in point!)

Find ways to make yourself or your channel or show stand out. Low-hanging-fruit opportunities include video titles (utilizing search engine optimization so they can get found via Google search), your video intro (create a trademark opener), your video outro (leave a lasting goodbye), and any catchphrases that you can coin and perpetuate. (Hello, Cardi B’s “Okurrr.”)

Publish and promote consistently.

The concept “Out of sight, out of mind” is real. Uploading videos on a consistent basis is a crucial part of building a strong following. Make sure you have enough good topics to cover on your vlog to create new content regularly. Create a content schedule to keep yourself on track and develop franchises (like tips, reviews, or recipes) that people can come to expect when they watch your vlog.

Now that you know what to publish, let’s address where  to publish.

Best practices for top-quality vlog production.

Once you know your subject matter, style, and preferred platform, it’s time to get to production. Let’s cover the basics on how to do it right.

Have the right equipment.

If you’re just joining the world of new vloggers and aren’t sure of your level of commitment, don’t bother investing in a lot of equipment just yet. You don’t need to be a top-notch filmmaker to create a top-notch vlog. A quality smartphone camera will get you started and may even be enough for the long haul. The more you get into vlogging, the more you’ll learn what you need to create your dream vlogs.

Depending on what you’re vlogging about, you may find you need some or all of the following:

• A high-quality vlogging camera (and tripod):  Depending on your video subject matter, you may want to consider a camera that features an external microphone port (to add better sound capture), an LCD screen that can flip to the front (so you can see yourself as you film), an AF system (to refocus the camera if you’re on the move), and 4K video (so you can crop and reframe your video and still get quality output). Do your research; there are tons of camera reviews online.
• A quality vlogging microphone:  A great microphone results in better sound quality and eliminates more outside noise, which creates a dramatically better listening experience for the viewer. The best microphone depends on the type of video you’re shooting. Learn more about various types of mics and why you might choose one over another.
• Lighting: Even the best camera in the world can’t make a poorly lit environment look good. When you start vlogging, seek natural light (outside or near windows inside) and play around with the best angles and locations for optimal lighting. If you find you want the freedom to vlog anywhere at any time, invest in lighting – consider getting a ring light. This is a good starter version if you’re planning on focusing your face in front of the camera.
• Video editing software: Editing your video clips is essential for getting your final cut just right. This is where the post-production fun happens. With Adobe Express’ video editor, you can add creative transitions to your clips, use timeline markers to perfectly align your footage with other video elements, and make use of the Adobe Stock library to add additional video clips or music. New to video editing? Not a problem - video editing is simple and intuitive in Adobe Express with drag and drop functionality for ease of use. Even adding captions to your vlog content is about to become pain-free with the ability to automatically generate captions (coming soon).

Make sure your vlog channel is well-branded.

If you’re investing in outstanding vlog content, you should put similar effort into branding your vlog channel. This is also easily done with free online tools. At a minimum, you need:

• A logo, which you can create with free logo-making tools.
• A channel banner. Channel banners are especially important for YouTube channels. Use free templates to easily craft one for any platform or tap any of the templates in this blog post to customize them.

How to generate revenue through your vlog.

Maybe you’re starting a vlog just for fun and have no expectation of compensation other than accolades from your friends and family. But if you’re serious about vlogging, you should think about how to monetize your vlogs and earn some money.

There are many ways to get paid through vlogging that don’t include selling yourself into a pay-per-view boxing match like Logan Paul. All of them start with making great content. People won’t begin to throw money at you until you have an audience they want to reach. So build your content library with an eye on attracting an audience the following ways:

• Learn and use SEO best practices for your vlog platform.  Think titles, tags, video descriptions, and thumbnails to accompany the uploading of your video file. Use a free thumbnail design template to make it simple. These give your content a better chance of being discovered by users through an online search.
• Market your content across social media platforms,  using free social media graphics templates to create epic, well-branded posts. Ongoing promotion on your social media accounts that includes links to your vlog will drive traffic to your channel.
• Optimize your watch time.  Video platforms track watch hours and like content that keeps viewers watching. Keep your vlog at a length that people will want to sit through. For an idea of what works in your niche, check out other popular YouTubers in the space and see how long their YouTube videos are. Notice what they do that you find compelling.

Once you get an established audience, you can optimize any or all of these revenue streams:

• Ads:  These are short videos automatically surfaced by Adsense on your vlog platform if you link it to your account. Learn more about Adsense and how to use it to generate revenue.
• Affiliate partnerships:  This is where you get a kickback for selling something. Amazon has easy affiliate opportunities, but you can also do deals directly with brands where you get paid for each product you sell (this works best when you review the product). Here’s how to make money through affiliate marketing.
• The sale of your own products: Make, promote, and sell your own stuff and all the profits go into your pocket!
• Sponsored videos/brand ambassador: You can get someone to pay you for talking about or using their brand or products! Learn all about how to be a brand ambassador here.