Perhaps you are a blogger and want another platform to air your views on? Maybe your opinions are too long for a tweet? Do you want to connect with a community that shares your interests?
Whatever the reason, more and more people are uploading content to YouTube. You may have heard of Pewdepie, the gamer who was the first to reach a million subscribers, or Zoella, the award-winning lifestyle vlogger who’s made millions. As a bookworm, I remember the very lively Christine Riccio (or polandbananasBOOKS as she’s known on YouTube) was the first channel I ever came across that discussed books. I’m camera shy, but I often wonder what inspires people to blog about their life or interests this way, so I was inspired to write some tips for anyone else that was thinking about venturing into YouTube, or the ever-growing book community, affectionately known as BookTube.
Getting Started
Get An Account and Pick Up Your Camera
It’s so easy to make an account, simply head to YouTube and sign up! There’s no need to rush out buying any expensive equipment as most smartphones or decent digital cameras will be good enough, especially if you want to practice or are just starting out.
Make A Video To Introduce Yourself
A good idea for a video is a short video about who you are, what your channel is about, and what you would like to do. If you want a channel about books and reading and want to be part of Booktube, then do a “meet the booktuber” video and tag it as such.
Good Quality Sound
Your content is not going to be at it’s best if people cannot hear what you’re saying. It sounds simple but eliminate background noise such as loud traffic by closing the window or move noisy pets to a different room. If you need to, it might be worth buying a good microphone, for example, one that you can mount on your camera.
Don’t Think You Have To Invest In Expensive Editing Software
You may want to further down the line, but programs such as Windows Movie Maker, iMovie, or Adobe Spark (for short videos) are free.
Make Use of Keywords
Use relevant keywords in your video titles, your description, and your tags. YouTube works a bit like a search engine, don’t forget, it is the second most visited website on the web after Google!
Creating Content
Get Some Ideas For Regular Content
If you’re wanting to be part of Booktube, then the following video ideas are useful:
- Bookhauls: Show what books you’ve recently purchased.
- Weekly / Monthly Reading Vlogs: Post updates with how your reading is going or review a particular book.
- Monthly Wrap Ups: End the month with a wrap up of what you’ve read that month and what you want to read next.
These sort of things will get you in the habit of uploading regularly. If you appear to be an active member of the community, then people will be more likely to watch your videos and subscribe.
If You’re Stuck For Ideas…
If you’re stuck for ideas try a “Top 5” video of your favourite books, movies, or characters. For example Top 5 Villains, Top 5 Romantic Couples, and 5 Books To Read For Halloween / Christmas / The Holidays
Reaction Videos
Reaction videos are a good way to stay current. You could discuss a new trailer, new book cover reveal, or a piece of news or gossip that is relevant to what you like to use your channel for.
An Expert Opinion
I was lucky enough to be given some great advice about building your channel and uploading from Ricky who is the YouTuber behind the gaming channel LuckyEevee. His Tekken videos have gained him over 10,000 subscribers.
LuckyEevee
Well, my first tip is to always show appreciation to your viewers. Your viewers are the ones that keep your channel alive and they’re the ones who will tell their friends about your videos and possibly score you more subscribers. If you can build that connection with those that watch your videos then you will find your channel will grow significantly quicker!
And my second tip would be to keep about uploads coming as frequently as possible (without overdoing it!). More videos = more views = better channel appearance to new people who view your channel. Also, if people stumble across your channel and see that you’re uploading frequently then they’re more likely to subscribe and keep checking out your stuff as opposed to someone who uploads once every month.
A bonus tip would be to enjoy it! There have been a few times where I‘ve felt like maintaining a YouTube channel is a job (and I already work a full time job!) and I find it negatively affects everything – from the quality of my uploads, to how I engage with my viewers. For me, my channel is a hobby which I’m lucky enough to get a bit of extra cash from each month. If ever you feel like you’re getting bored/exhausted from uploading frequently then be honest with your viewers and explain that you just need to take a little break, but will be back with more content soon after. Always keep your viewers up-to-date with stuff using the community wall on your channel!
Olivia
Blogger turned BookTuber Olivia was also kind enough to share a tip to anyone wanting to start their own BookTube. You can also find Olivia at her blog.
I think my advice to anyone starting up would be: share your own videos but also check out other Booktube newbies videos via the booktube newbie tag! Some of the friends you make starting out will be your greatest support and friends later down the line, and it’s so nice to immediately get involved in the community.
