Look at all of your favorite channels and see how they brand themselves. You’ll find that virtually every popular channel has a custom look that helps identify themselves.

Your profile image can be a picture of you if you are the focus, or your logo if you are not the focus.

If you are creating your own art, YouTube recommends that the image be 2560 X 1440 px. This is the size of the image that will appear on the TV. All text and logos should appear in the center of the image in a 1546 X 43 px rectangle. [1] X Research source Channel art can be commissioned from a variety of sources including oDesk and Elance. If you can, create a basic banner to get by for a while, and then use your first ad earnings to invest in commissioned art.

Make sure to link to your company website, blog, Facebook page, Twitter account, and any other place on the web where you have a presence.

The equipment isn’t necessarily expensive. A stand-alone webcam will work better than virtually any built-in webcam, and will only set you back a few meals out. If you’re filming actors or anything other than yourself, you’ll want a decent camcorder. Taking videos with your phone is convenient, but if you want to keep an audience you’ll need better production values than that. If you’re going to be recording your screen, find a good screen recording program such as Camtasia or the free Open-Broadcasting-Software(which can also do live streams). Filming your computer screen with a camera while you use it will make it nearly impossible to see what’s going on.

Youtube doesn’t allow videos longer than 15 minutes unless you meet specific guidelines. Keep this in mind when writing your script, and break up long videos into a series. See this guide for detailed instructions on writing your first script.

While preparing to shoot, make sure that the lighting is good enough so that everything can be seen. Do a test shoot with the camera to check the lighting.

Remember, don’t read off your script! You want your talking to feel natural, and people will be able to tell when you’re reading off a page. If you’re directing other actors, check out this guide on good movie directing techniques.

Use transitions to hide cuts between takes and to take the viewer from one scene to the next. Continuously review your video as you are editing it. Make adjustments to the timing of scenes so that you don’t linger too long on one or leave another too soon. There are a variety of guides on wikiHow for using different video editing programs, including Windows Movie Maker, Avidemux, Adobe Premiere, and more. There are also guides on general editing practices that can help you with the basics of editing.

If your intro is too long, it will drive away a large portion of your potential viewers. If you have a log or other Channel art, make sure to include it in the introduction. You can use Adobe Premiere or Sony Vegas to add professional effects and transitions to your videos.

If your account is not verified, you will only be able to choose from a few preset thumbnail options. Make sure you verify your account by submitting your phone number. Custom thumbnails allow you to create a “Title Screen”. This can have text on it, your logo, a screenshot from the video, or anything else to help draw the viewer in. A popular strategy is to include the title of the video as well as some custom graphics. See this guide for details on adding thumbnails to uploaded videos or videos you’ve added in the past.

Make sure that your tags are accurate, or you will draw in viewers that don’t want to see your content. This will end up driving more people away.

Try to release videos during prime time for your main audience. This is usually around lunchtime or after dinner for whatever timezone you are most popular in. Releasing at a good time of the day will help ensure that the most people see it.

You can use the end screen to link to other videos on your channel as well. This can be useful for people that arrive at your video without visiting your channel, or to draw attention to an old video that is still relevant. Just make sure that your video isn’t constantly obscured by the end screen.

When making a video with a guest appearance, it will help if you can be in the same room as the other person, but you can record clips remotely and splice them together to great effect. Reach out to as many people in your niche as possible, but don’t neglect creating your own content. You aren’t likely to get positive responses from other creators until you have a decent amount of your own content.

Twitter is another way to stay connected with your audience. Beyond tweeting new releases, you should be interacting with your more loyal viewers and other content creators. Retweet good videos that you find, and respond to inquiries from your fans. Behind-the-scenes looks at your process are a great way to let viewers feel more involved.

You can add a YouTube widget to your blog that will allow readers to quickly subscribe to your YouTube channel without having to search for it. The Google Developers site has detailed instructions on embedding the widget on any website.

Many music labels purchase views to ensure that new songs start off with high amounts of views. Videos that have lots of views are more likely to be viewed by real viewers, as the number of views acts as a sort of validation about how good the video is. [2] X Research source Make sure that the service you choose offers real views, where each view stays and watches the entire video. YouTube frowns upon the purchasing of views.

Howcast Make Magazine Houdini Khan Academy

PewDiePie Rooster Teeth Total Biscuit CaptainSparklez Angry Joe Dream Tommyinnit

Weylie Zoe Sugg Patricia Bright Cute Girls Hairstyles

Jash Nerdist JennaMarbles Just For Laughs Gags CollegeHumor HolaSoyGerman Prank vs Prank Shane (Or Shane Dawson TV)

The Slow Mo Guys Android Authority Household Hacker DigitalRev TV Pocketnow