Why Vlogging is the Worst Way to Start a YouTube Channel

About a month ago my team and I were filming at ConvertKit's Craft + Commerce event and I was asked along with Levi Allen to give a workshop on why video is the biggest opportunity on the web right now and how to take advantage of it.

What follows is an hour long conversation about how to get more comfortable filming, why vlogging may not be the best format for you, which platform you should be focusing on, and what gear we recommend for video creation these days.

Special thanks to ConvertKit for letting me film and publish this on my channel. If you're interested in attending next year, check out the highlight video Levi filmed and edited here.

Since this is such a long video, I also made a full table of contents to help you jump around to topics that are most important to you.

Table of Contents

  • 2:35 — Making Casual, Less Polished Videos
  • 5:18 — How Video Builds More Trust than Blogging or Podcasting
  • 9:06 — The Opportunity of Growth in Video
  • 10:19 — How to Create Engaging & Entertaining Videos
  • 11:27 — How YouTube Algorithm is Penalizing Short, Concise Videos
  • 12:49 — Why Each Video You Make Should Only Solve 1 Problem
  • 14:33 — Why Vlogging is the Worst Way to Start on YouTube
  • 15:54 — How to Make Instagram or Snapchat Stories People Want to Watch
  • 18:00 — Getting Over the “Awkwardness” of Vlogging in Public
  • 19:58 — Pretending You’re Recording for 1 Person
  • 20:24 — When It Doesn’t Make Sense to Vlog
  • 25:29 — How Live Video is Different
  • 28:39 — Why Your Vlogs May Get Less Views Than Other Videos
  • 29:57 — YouTube Trailer Strategy
  • 32:47 — Authentically Asking for a Call to Action During a Video
  • 34:55 — What Video Analytics To Actually Check
  • 35:35 — How to Properly End a Video
  • 36:56 — Put Your Videos Where Your Audience is: Private vs. Public Hosting
  • 39:50 — How to Drive Traffic to Long Interviews or Audio Podcasts
  • 42:41 — What You HAVE to Do to “Go to the Next Level”
  • 46:49 — Audio Gear Recommendations for Vlogging & Filming Yourself
  • 50:35 — Lighting Advice & Gear
  • 52:42 — Camera Settings, Lenses, & Where to Place It
  • 54:54 — How to Minimize Shadows & Make Your Lighting Look Natural
  • 1:00:08 — How to Choose the Right Video Platform to Focus On

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Filming, YouTube, My YouTube VideosCaleb WojcikBeginner / Hobbyist