As a podcaster, a blogger or any other content marketer, you know you need to use video, and you're wondering if it's still possible in this day and age to start a really great YouTube Channel. 
After all, the biggest online trend today is video and if you haven't started a YouTube channel by now you might be afraid that it's already too late.
It's not!
The best time to start a YouTube channel is today. YouTube makes a huge investment in helping creators develop their content creations skills in a number of different ways. In this episode I share my experience with taking courses in YouTube's Creator Academy, participating in a special Creator Day Event in D.C. and I'll introduce you to some of the best people to follow when it comes to making your YouTube channel the best that it can be.
YouTube Creator Academy
The YouTube Creator Academy is the first place I recommend that a new or budding YouTube creator can start if they want to know how to learn YouTube from scratch. When you start learning from the academy, keep in mind you are getting it directly from the horses mouth so to speak. YouTube is going tell you exactly what you need to do in order to rank your videos in YouTube search, how to track your progress using Analytics in the Creator Studio App (or on desktop), when to monetize your channel and how to grow and engaged subscriber base.
Watch this video for an introduction and step-by-step instructions for taking a course in the YouTube's Creator Academy.
YouTube Creator Day D.C.
As you progress in your YouTube journey, you'll reach certain achievement levels on the platform. Reaching the Opal level means that you have between one thousand to ten thousand subscribers. When that happens, there's a chance you'll get invited by YouTube to attend a local Creator Day event. I got invited to attend Creator Day D.C. and it was a pretty cool experience.
Four people from YouTube spent most of the day presenting to about 75 of us a more advanced level of the training material you can find in the Creator Academy. By far, my favorite part of the day was listening to two YouTubers they brought in to talk to the group. We got introduced to Malinda Kathleen Reese and Rocky from I Love Basketball TV. Here's a video from Malinda, who is super talented and creates parodies of pop songs if they were translated by Google. She's absolutely hilarious!
Tools for New and More Advanced YouTubers
When you want to start a great YouTube channel you are going to need a little help to be sure you are on the right track. For that, I recommend using Morning Fame.
As you progress and have at least a dozen videos on your channel, you'll start to develop a rhythm and maybe even see some patterns. That's where TubeBuddy comes into play. You'll here from a host of YouTube guru's who also recommend using TubeBuddy and it's really a no-brainer once your channel gets established.
YouTube Guru's, Tube Ritual and Facebook Groups
Who should you follow on YouTube to keep up with the trends and get the best tips and tutorials? Well, there's your's truly of course but you need to subscribe to these channels too:
- Derral Eves
- Roberto Blake
- Nick Nimmin
- Brian G. Johnson
- Tim Schmoyer
- Owen Hemsath aka Owen Video
- Sunny Lenarduzzi
- Lisa Irby
Get Brian G. Johnson's book called Tube Ritual: Jumpstart Your Journey to 5000 YouTube Subscribers. It made me very happy and it will make you smile like I am in this image. Apparently, it makes your hair stand up on the top of your head too.
Of course you don't have to follow everyone I listed here, just start with the one that resonates with you most and don't give up. You can do this!
Recommended Gear List
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