Beginner-Friendly Guide On How to Start and Grow Your Vlogging Channel

Vlogging is one of the best, if not the best, go-to strategy for businesses and brands to exponentially grow their engagement and presence online. 

Not only is it a powerful medium for storytelling, advertisement and entertainment, but it is also exceedingly effective as a tool for self-expression and community building. 

For these reasons, and because of the low barrier of entry to vlogging, there has never been a better time to jump on the vlogging bandwagon to increase your presence and influence on the internet. 

What Is Vlogging

Vlogging as a word is a shortened version of Video Blogging and refers to making videos and posting them regularly on the internet. 

Differences Between Blogging And Vlogging

Types Of Vlogging

There are many different types of vlogs on the internet catering to different audiences and niches.

Some popular types of vlogs on the internet are:

• Technology Vlogs

Technology Vlogs sometimes referred to as tech vlogs, focus primarily on Technology topics and explore recent product releases in the tech world.

Technology vlogs can cover niches like consumer tech, product reviews, cyber security, emerging technologies, tutorials etcetera.

• Travel Vlogs

Travel vlogs, as the name suggests, focus mainly on travel. Exploring different destinations around the world.

A perfect example of a travel vlogger is Itchy Boots.

• Fitness Vlogs

Fitness Vlogs are aimed at teaching people different exercise routines, they can also focus on sharing a person’s fitness journey.

• Food Vlogs

A food vlog covers food, this can be in the form of the best restaurants or places to eat, different diet regimes, or food travel;

The best example of a food Vlogger is Mark Wiens on YouTube.

• Business Vlogs
• Educations Vlogs

To mention a few.

How To Use Vlogging To Increase Your Influence And Presence On The Internet 

Starting a vlog can be immensely rewarding for your brand, helping you to connect with audiences across different demographics.

There are several ways a vlog can help you to do this.

Depending on your target audience, here are a few ways you can use a vlog to increase your presence online;

1. Share your expertise on topics you have a vast depth of knowledge on
2. Document your travels if you are of the travelling persuasion
3. Show people your exquisite palette if you are a food or wine connoisseur 

But I digress, what you need to know is how to start.

Well, in this blog article, I’ll delve into how to start and grow your vlogging channel. 

Here’s how you start.  

Step 1. Research and Establish Your Niche

Knowing what topic to base your blog on can be overwhelming, especially in this day and age where everyone has multiple interests and different facets to their life. 

However, you must figure out a main theme for your vlog as it narrows down your audience demographic and ensures you are not aiming blindly at the ginormous target of people that is the internet.

For one, the algorithms that run the video serving processes across different social media platforms like a topic-focused vlog as it makes it way easier for algorithms to find the target audience; 

How To Choose A Niche For Your Vlog

Consider your interests and areas of expertise:

1. Do you spend most of your time travelling, you might want to start a travel vlog and share your adventures
2. Are you enthusiastic about food, start a food vlog
3. Are you a sports buff, focus your content on that area
4. Do you enjoy tech-based topics and find a lot of joy in new tech releases, start a tech vlog. 

At the end of the day, a niche attracts an audience that shares similar interests as you and makes it that much easier to connect with them. 

Step 2. Buy Vlogging Equipment 

You have heard it said, a great tool is better than a good tool, and a tool is better than no tool at all.

The same principle applies to vlogging, you want to ensure that you can get your hands on the best possible gear within your budget range.

Gear doesn’t make a vlogger, that is true, but a vlogger still needs gear to vlog. What then do you need?

Invest in a decent vlog camera, this post I wrote on finding the perfect YouTube camera can help you get started in that regard.  

You will also need an external microphone, The Boya BY-MM1 is a good budget option. Click on the link to read my review of it. 

In addition, you will need:

• A mini-tripod like the Ulanzi MT-11 to hold your camera
• A standard tripod to help you shoot talking head videos 
• Some lighting accessories for shooting in dark rooms

Step 3. Vlog and Stay Consistent 

Consistency is the life and soul of a vlog. Think about it, if your favourite vlogger uploaded their videos once a year you wouldn’t like them very much, right?

In that same vein, you want to develop, over time, a predictable vlog schedule so your audience knows when to expect new vlog content from you.

And once you develop your vlog schedule, you want to stick to it come what may so that you develop trust between yourself and the people who consume your content. 

How To Stay Consistent On Your Vlog

• Create a vlog content calendar
• Plan your content so you don’t burn out
• If you can, create content in batches so you don’t run out of vlogs on days when you have no idea what to vlog about
• Mix up your vlog content without departing from the vlog’s main theme (Do behind the scenes and questionnaires to enrichen your content mix)

Step 4. Learn How To Make Engaging Videos 

Once you have established your niche, got your hands on decent vlogging equipment and start your vlogging journey.

You need to start learning how to make engaging videos. 

People know and respect good content quality because it shows them that the vlogger takes themselves seriously and is willing to put in the work.

Watch vlogging tutorials, videography styles and different vlogging creation techniques to expand your vlogging knowledge.

Also, ensure that you experiment with different videography techniques like compositions and camera movements.

It may take some time, but as you continue to practice, you will get better. 

Related: Common videography techniques to Bring your videos to life

Step 5. Learn How To Edit Videos

A video is made in the edit. That’s something you will come to learn as you continue on your vlogging endeavour.

Editing is the art form that concerns itself with sprucing up video files straight out of the camera and turning them into ready-to-watch and ready-to-share vlogs.

If you have the financial muscle you can choose to outsource your video editing but my advice is to learn to edit your videos yourself.

This makes it so you own the entire production cycle of your vlog. In future, if your vlog grows enough, you may outsource video editing.

But at that point, you will have already established your video editing style (each vlogger develops a style over time) and that will make it easier for your outsourced vlog edits to maintain a familiar feel with the audience. 

Related: Master Video Editing; Useful Tips, Tools and Techniques For Beginners

Step 6. Choose your preferred Vlogging platform 

I admit that this step should have come earlier, but no matter, you get my point.

Do your research and choose your preferred vlogging platform. In time you may branch out to other vlogging platforms to grow your audience base.

But in the beginning, the best policy is to stick to one vlogging platform until you gain traction. 

The Best Vlogging Platforms On The Internet

1. Youtube
2. Vimeo
3. Twitch
4. Instagram
5. Facebook
6. Tiktok
7. Daily Motion

Each of these vlogging platforms has its strengths and weaknesses, so you must research each and find one on which you are comfortable to host your vlog. 

Step 7. Engage with Your Audience 

As your vlog starts to gain traction, it is important to remember to engage with your audience.

Your aim is to foster a communal feeling amongst the people that consume your vlog content. You do this by;

How To Engage With Your Vlog Audience

• Being active in the comments and answering questions
• Doing questionnaires 
• Asking for vlog topic recommendations from your audience so they can they are part of the content creation 
• Hosting occasional live streams with your audience. 
• Doing occasional giveaways to appreciate your audience

Step 8. Analyze And Grow Your Channel

All major vlogging platforms have content analytics tools that can help you better understand and analyse the growth and impact of your vlog. 

Delve into the data to see:

• Which vlog topics do well in your niche. 
• The age and geography demographic of your audience 
• The gender balance of your audience 
• And so on…

Understanding your vlog analytics will help you strategise your vlog content to fit your audience demographics.

This in turn will accelerate the growth of your vlog. 

Related: How To Use YouTube Studio: A Comprehensive Tour By A Monetized YouTuber

Summary

Beginning and growing a vlog can seem daunting, especially for those would-be vloggers looking on from the sidelines.

But with the right mindset and approach, it can be done. 

Research and establish a niche, invest in the right vlogging equipment, plan your content, be consistent, engage with your audience and analyse your vlog data to produce audience-specific content. 

In time, you can create a thriving vlog that will resonate with your audience and increase your presence and influence on the web. 

Start today, the world is yours for the taking. 

P.S: The world won’t be taken lightly, it will require a lot of work. But it can be taken alright.