Does Your Youtube Video Look Like This ?

Having good, quality made videos on your channel is crucial if you want to attract more views and subscribers. There is nothing worse than starting to watch a video that is badly filmed, with poor content and editing (if any). If you want to learn how to make a Youtube video properly, I suggest you watch this demo video I did, learn from the mistakes and ensure you don't apply any of them to your videos. (Make Sure You Watch The Video To The End) This example, takes all the bad points I have witnessed over the years, watching Youtube videos. And you will be amazed how many people still upload content to their channels, containing some or all of these cringe worthy errors.

Pretty Bad Wasn't It ? Now I understand this video example was a little extreme, but I still see these elements of terrible video making on a daily basis. And it is so frustrating when you are searching for a particular video, on a subject that could be quite obscure. But eventually, you find that one video you are looking for, that will show you how to do a certain task, or watch that rare footage of something you've been wanting to see for ages. Only to find the footage is similar to the example you have just had the misfortune to sit through. Are you then likely to visit this channel again... No !

I will start by listing the terrible mistakes that were introduced during the filming of this video and the additional errors that were made once the video was uploaded to Youtube : (1) Terrible video quality You can immediately notice that the overall quality of this video is very grainy and the sound is slightly out of sync with the video. I understand not everybody has access to top of the range video equipment. But if you are serious about building a good subscriber base for your channel, it may be beneficial to invest in a decent camera, that captures good quality audio and video. (2) Poor sound quality Poor sound quality is something I witness regularly. Not always down to the capabilities of the camera either. It can be something as simple as wind noise, drowning out what the film maker is saying or just the fact they are too far away from the camera for the sound to be picked up. Carry out a simple 10sec test clip prior to filming and play it back just to check sound levels are good for your chosen location. (3) Bad choice of room lighting The room lighting for this video is too dark and the viewer has difficulty seeing what is going on in the video. Either chose a room with natural light or turn some lights on, checking on your screen prior to recording. Again, try a simple test clip to see how the video views on a larger laptop or pc screen. (4) Little or no preperation prior to filming There is nothing worse than sitting through 2 mins of cameras being setup, positioned on a tripod (if at all) or shuffling chairs around to make sure the film maker is in shot. Do all this prior to making your recording. (5) Bad camera work The camera work is not good really is it ? You can't see any parts of the camera being reviewed, most of the time out of shot and very often out of focus. Make sure your lighting, camera angles etc. are correct before filming and constantly watch on your screen how the recording is going, ensuring everything is in shot and clear to see. (6) No knowledge of the subject Do Your Homework ! Prior to any video you make, have an idea of what you are going to say or talk about. If you're doing a product review, ensure you know all the details (Notes out of camera shot are a usefull aid). The more information you have about a product the more interesting the review will be to the viewer. Plus it will have more value as a source of information about the product. (7) No video editing prior to upload You may find it usefull to shoot several clips of your video. Whether it be from different angles or just with a change of narrative. That way you can pick and chose what features in your video. Plus you can edit out any mistakes, add music, titles and screen transistions, which adds interest to your video instead of one continuous clip. (8) Non descriptive video title This video has been uploaded to youtube, without any thought of a title. It just contains the image file name, which Youtube will add as default. Anybody searching for your subject matter is not going to be immediately drawn to PICT0002.wav as it says absolutely nothing about the content of your video.

(9) No video description The description section allows you to sell your video to the potential subscriber, giving them an insight into what they can expect to see. Don't waste this opportunity to add a short description about the content of your video. You can also add links to blogs or websites you may have. Note: The text I have added in the description of this video is just a link back to this post and not intended as a description of the video content. (10) No video tags No tags have been added to this video which means if any potential subscribers submit a search for anything related to the content of the video (e.g Canon Powershot Digital Camera), it will either rank very low down the list or not at all, making it very difficult to find. Make good use of this section, including relevant tags (See a seperate post on chosing video tags HERE)