The BIGGEST Mistakes New YouTubers Make
And How To CORRECT Them!
Let’s be honest, your first hundred YouTube videos will more than likely be terrible. It’s hard to make good content, especially when you’re just starting out. But, let me reveal the mistakes I made over my decade long journey on YouTube, so you don’t make them too. And, maybe, you might just set yourself up for success. ✅
MISTAKE #1 - Being a Copycat YouTuber
Copying YouTubers who found success, doing a certain type of content, sounds like a no brainer. Why innovate, when you could leech off of what is already doing well, right? Well, while it’s possible to do well in the short term copying someone else’s content, it’s not a sustainable strategy. The YouTubers you’re mimicking will ALWAYS be better at their job than you. They will ALWAYS have more respect than you, because they paved the way, while you’re just following in their footsteps. No one likes a copycat. Just look at pathetic YouTubers like Brent Rivera, who not only steal ideas, but neglect giving any credit to the people who inspired them:
While this may be an extreme example of what a Copycat YouTuber looks like, many people base their entire channels off of ideas that have already been done before. For example, the self-improvement niche has been POPPING OFF as of late, with people like Hamza Ahmed absolutely killing it. Since many people have recognized his success, they try to replicate it by making boring, recycled self-help videos that are devoid of any personality. They just regurgitate information they learned from Hamza or articles, and use the same Wojak style thumbnails, which are completely overused.
Now, the most common thing I see with people who copy other YouTubers, is that their videos are LIFELESS. It’s hard to connect with someone and their video, when they’re just acting like another person. That being said, it’s important to inject some degree of personality into your videos. Here are some ways to do that:
Choose an editing style that you like. There is no right or wrong answer.
Pick topics that you actually enjoy and relate to. It really shows when someone is passionate about something.
Crack jokes that make YOU laugh. This will help show the audience what your humor is like, and distinguish you from others.
Share personal stories that pertain to the information you’re sharing. This will add weight to what is being said and make it feel less.
Invite your friends into your videos. Having other people there creates a fun dynamic that is hard to recreate. This will help you stand out FAR more.
These are the main ways you can start adding life into your videos. There are certainly more, but be creative in how you express yourself. Don’t be afraid to get inspired by other people, but make sure to put your own PERSONAL TWIST on it! 😁
MISTAKE #2 - Making Common Errors
There are possibly HUNDREDS of different mistakes people can make throughout their content creation journey, but I’m going to cover the main ones here (in no particular order):
1. Long Ahh Titles
Oftentimes, when it comes to titles, people overcomplicate them. For instance, instead of titling your video something like: “How Daily Journaling Can Change Your Level Of Happiness Forever (Full Guide 2023)”, you can shorten it and say something more intriguing like: “Journaling Can Reprogram Your Mind”. You don’t need to be incredibly descriptive with your title. Leave the viewer with some degree of curiosity. Make them wonder what you’re going to say. Also, make sure that you’re including the most important keyword at the very beginning. In this case, the video is about journaling, so it’s at the beginning. This will help people find the video much easier! Also, keep your title under 75 characters, or they will end up like this:
2. Non-Existent/Poor Thumbnail Design
Especially when you’re just starting off, a lot of amateur YouTubers either don’t make a thumbnail, or make one that is so awful, that people don’t even want to click on it. My recommendation is to start educating yourself on Photoshop and Thumbnail design in general, because it’s one of the most important parts of a video. If someone doesn’t click on your video, it doesn’t matter how good it may be, because the viewer went elsewhere. You don’t want that right? So, to fix that, start by reading the fantastic guide I wrote on how to make KILLER thumbnails: CLICK ME! Once you’re done with that, check out piXimperfect’s FREE Photoshop course on YouTube, so you can start competently using the program, and making amazing thumbnails 🥰
3. Poor Audio Quality
Look, you eventually DO want to get yourself a solid camera, if you want to make YouTube your full-time job. But, what matters way more is that the sound of your video sounds clear and free of noise. My advice is to scroll through Amazon, and find an affordable mic with good reviews. Preferably one with a USB plug so you don’t have to get a whole XLR interface (which will cost you more). Now, with mics in the lower price points, you might be met with a degree of background noise. This is really easy to remove. Simply download Audacity, which is a free audio editing software. TIP: When try to reduce noise, record 10 seconds of silence before starting a video so you can get the background noise on its own. Then, once you finish your whole recording, pop it into Audacity, select the quite 10 seconds and use the following effect:
After that, select the whole recording, then press on “Repeat Noise Reduction”, in the effects tab. That should make your audio noiseless! 👂
4. Awful Composition
The way you compose your shots, while recording, will determine how the viewer perceives what is being shown. It’s important to think about WHAT the main subject is in your shot. If the main subject is you, you’ll need to make sure that you’re placed at the very center of the frame and that your head is close enough to the TOP BORDER. Here’s an example of what I mean:
5. Being Too Random
Sure, it’s good to try different things to see what will work on your channel, but try to stay within a specific niche. What I mean by that is, if you’re making gaming-type videos, don’t change your niche randomly and start making financial advice style videos. The ONLY time you should do this, is if you’re going to go in a different direction with your channel long term. Changing the niche too often will confuse your viewers and often lead to poor viewership in the long term. So, if you’re a commentator YouTuber like Kavos, you’ll stick to commentary-style videos. His viewers would hate it if he randomly just started making Crypto shilling videos (lol).
These are by far the most common errors people make while content creating, so be sure to avoid making them!
MISTAKE #3 - Lack of Consistency
To be completely frank, I much prefer putting out a video that is S Tier quality, than a bunch of videos that kind of suck. However, it’s important to understand that you should have some form of a schedule.
Most YouTubers, who are starting out, lack the motivation to be consistent with their videos, and only end up posting bi-weekly or even every 1-3 months. That’s TERRIBLE for your growth. And, even if you had any viewers in the first place, waiting that long is going to kill their interest in you. If you plan to make a serious living out of YouTube, start setting a time frame for the release of each video. Can you realistically post 1 HIGH QUALITY video a week? Maybe every 2 weeks? Figure out what works best for you, and consider even scheduling into something like Google Calendar to keep yourself accountable!
Another way someone can be inconsistent, is with the QUALITY of their videos. Let’s say you implemented a plan to post one video a week, but end up making the video at the very last minute. Sure, you got your content done on time, but it was rushed because you chose to do something else. Then, maybe the next week you put more effort into the video, and it turns out great. This will create an inconsistency in your videos, that viewers might end up noticing. And, it might result in some viewers unsubscribing from your channel. So, while it’s important to enjoy life and live, try to balance working on your videos as well. It’s good to enjoy the gift of life, but make sure you’re sticking to the schedule YOU set for yourself. If it’s too difficult, change it around so it’s possible for you to be consistent with it. 🤝
Wow, so you read until the end! I definitely have a lot more to write on this topic, but I’ll leave that for another time…
I am so eternally grateful that you gave my article the time of day, and I hoped that it helped you in some way. If you want some more personal coaching, be sure to contact me on discord at: ultraxxiii, and I can help you with bringing your channel to the next level!
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