Your Guide for a successful logging career VBest Practices with Examples

1 INDEX

1. What is Video Blogging ...... 4 2. Pre Prep - TOOLS you need for vlogging...... 10 3. YouTube channel optimization...... 13 4. How to do video interviews...... 17

2 What is Vlogging?

3 n today's digital world where every aspect of your life can be lied about - your real Iname, how you actually look and talk; showing your actual face even in the virtu- al world can make people trust you more. Since the inception of the internet, millions of people from across the globe have been expressing their opinions, conveying their thoughts and giving useful tips to others; using platforms like Blogs and Social Media. However, YouTube was probably the platform which was a Game Changer. Video blogging changed everything!

What is Vlogging?

A video blog/viddeo log/vlog is blog format in which video is the medium instead of text. Vlogs often combine embedded video (or a video link) with supporting text, images, and other metada- ta. It can be uploaded on any popular Social platform that supports video. However, YouTube is the go-to place for almost all. Vlogging is for Everyone

You don’t need a professional camera or high quality production equipment to create an interest- ing Vlog. All you need is a good sense of humor and an ability to freely express yourself. House- wives, teenagers, teachers, sportsman..almost anyone with a penchant for creative self expres- sion can give it a shot!

Business Vlogging is another trend that it fast catching up. Uploading interesting and informative

vlogs about your business and company culture can give customers a sense that they really know you and can trust you.

How to get started?

Before you start creating vlogs, you need to wisely choose the platform where you want to show- case them. Arguably, YouTube is the best platform to get started. It has a vast user base with all kinds of people and is also easy to use. Some of the other platforms that you should keep in your mind before taking the decision are:

4 Making Money ($)

Allmost all the platforms mentioned above have a revenue sharing model with the content cre- ators on their platforms. YouTube shares 55% of the ad revenue with the creators. Of course this can be miniscule in the beginning stages of a vlogger’s career andmight not suffice to cov- er even the production costs (if you have to build custom sets or buy costly editing software etc); it’s a start nonetheless. And setting everything up is pretty simple to! All one needs to do is enroll for the YouTube Partner Program and connect their Google Adsense account.

Types of Vlogging

For any YouTuber, one of the fundamental ways of building a fan base is through consistent video uploads. But coming up with a new idea every week can be incredibly difficult! If you have an understanding of different types of content that is popular with people, it might get a little easier to conceptualize. So here are the different types of vlogs that people follow:

1.Fashion

Sharing beauty tips and reviewing fashion products is a big thing on YouTube! Some of the popular vloggers who are into this type of content are: Michelle Phan, Zoella, Bethany Mota, Carli Bybel etc. Just dropping the name of a beauty product in their vlogs can get them pay- checks worth thousands! That’s how popular they are!

EX: Michelle Phan has the ability to turn herself into Princess Ariel to Khaleesi with simple brush and strokes. Phan is being hailed as the beauty mogul who recently started her own beauty line called “em” in collaboration with L’Oreal. Last year she raised $100 million to value the company “Ipsy” at over $500 million. When you talk about beauty with a brand, Michelle Phan is the first name that strikes immediately.

5 2. Culture:

Most countries from around the world have their own unique culture. There are several vloggers who showcase such uniqueness to people from other parts of the world through their videos on YouTube. Casey Neistat, Casper Lee and Damon Fizzy are some of the examples.

EX: Scott Ackerman’s YouTube channel “Unrested” dares to cover the topics the apologists wont He is a vlogger who dares to dig deep into the horrific underworld of creepypastas from Japan. He shares his stories, and focuses most of his vlogs on Japanese culture and living.

3. Interview:

You don’t have to start your Vlog by interviewing the president. Go out and find a story out of people around you. There are enough stories if told, can create great content material. A good interview should follow a set of guidelines like a vlog, but feel unscripted. As an interviewer your job is to make your subject do the talking, not the other way around.

EX: Marie Forleo’s mission is to help you realize your greatest potential and use your unique talents to change the world. She reaches over 350,000 readers in 193 countries worldwide and leads dynamic training programs that teach individuals to succeed in business and life. She’s been featured in Entrepreneur Magazine, Fast Company, and was named by Oprah as a thought leader for the next generation.

4 Event:

Attending popular events like comic-con, wimbledon etc., and then showcasing it to your follow- ers is also a good way of building a vlogging career. Attending such seminars, events and prod- uct launches can help you showcase the behind the scenes - something that the general populi doesn’t get to see often. Also, because such events will be trending on social media platforms like Twitter, it gives the vlogger an opportunity to piggyback on the popularity.

6 Using your regular smartphone with a high quality camera is all you need to capture interesting moments at an event. With the rise in popularity of short form video platforms like Instagram and Vine, you can even record 15 second/6 second videos and create a montage portfolio to attract more people interested in the topic.

For instance: You can record your college’s lectures and educational seminars and convert them into your personalized video catalog.

5. Tutorials:

YouTube offers a huge audience for Makeup tutorials and product tutorials. Channels like Pixiwoo

(created by sisters Samantha and Nic Chapman) have video tutorials like “POISON IVY Halloween Makeup & Hair Tutorial”, “Snow white winter makeup” etc., that are loved by their predomi- nantly female teenage audience.

Makeup accessory brands love such channels and pay a hefty amount to reach their target audi- ence through these vloggers. However, all videos shouldn’t look promotional. Such product place- ments have to be very subtle in the video, without compromising on the overall theme of the channel.

EX: YouTube channel, “Kipkay” nails the “how to” video concept. It has devoted an entire tab for “how to” tutorials that has a range of videos from buying raw materials – the best meat in the market – to making delicious recipes.

6. Product Review:

YouTubers reviewing electronic equipments, clothing accessories and cosmetic products fall un- der this category. You can review the latest smartphones, ipods, eyeliners etc., and give out inter- esting and useful tidbits that regular people can rely on before buying the product. Tech brands like Apple, Samsung,Sony etc., hire such talents and pay to get their products reviewed. Just think about how happy you get when someone refers you a good product, and now start thinking about how you can make your audience feel the same wIndia who’s word comes to being a holy grail en

7 Creative animated videos are effective and are hard to ignore. They can help you explain a concept in just 60 – 90 seconds and keep your audience engaged. Even brands like Netflix, Heinz, Red bull, Breadcrumb etc., have adopted this method as a means of first touch point with their customers. Addressing social issues and explaining educational content to kids can become much easier through such animated vlogs.

EX: Dominic (aka Domz), the author of Domics has a dedicated this blog to share his comics with the world. His videos include everything from the first experience of moving to a new place to talking about buttocks in animation. Enjoy!

8. SELF Talk:

This is by far the most common type of video that bloggers upload. You just need your webcam, the time and a topic that you have insights about. This type of vlog is jokingly referred to as the “video rant” – the blogger appears to vent out his frustrations while delivering his insights on the subject.

EX: Judy and Benji Travis are daily vloggers from Seattle. This couple was behind the YouTube channel ItsJudysLife (which boasts over 1.2 million subscribers) which raised more than $200,000 for the char- ity Convoy of Hope. Their daily vlogs are just perfect. Naming Your Channel

Now that you have decided the type of Vlogging channel you want to create, you need a nice and catchy name for it. Names can play a huge role in just how successful and popular your channel gets. Here are a few tips that can guide you in the right direction: • The Name should be according to your content. There shouldn’t be a huge disconnect between the theme of content in the channel and its name. • Choose a Name that’s also Visual. • The Name should be unique. • The Name should be easily pronounceable • The Name should have a Domain free

• Check for a name that is not registered as a domain by someone else. This is quite important since you might become a famous channel and want to create a website of your own where you sell merchandise. 8 Pre Prep - TOOLS you need for vlogging

9 emember that most YouTubers that have millions of subscribers now, used basic vid- Reo equipments when they began their YouTube career. But as you grow in popularity, improving the quality of the video and audio can help you reach more people. Here are some of the equipments that are preferred by popular vloggers from across the globe:

• Canon PowerShot ELPH 130 • Canon EOS Rebel T3i • Canon EOS 70D • Sony Alpha a7S • Panasonic Lumix GH4 Mirrorless Camera • Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera • Canon C100 Mark II Cinema Camera (You need to be a pro when you reach this level) • Go Pro For lighting and audio purposes, you can use • Stellar Photo/Video 18 • Zoom H4N Digital Multitrack Recorder

Also,a tripod is a must to avoid unnecessary shakes. In case you do use cameras with inbuilt micro- phone, then you need to be handy with post production to wipe of the noise.

Lighting

If you are reviewing a product or interviewing someone, lighting will play a vital role in the video. You need to have good lighting equipments that can enhance the visibility within your environ-

ment. You can use natural light creatively as well! (Remember what Georges Méliès did by building a glass studio in the movie – Hugo 2011). To better understand the concept of lighting in videos, you need to be aware of these jargons:

• Ambient Light – It’s the light already present in a frame (Before any additional lighting is add- ed)

• Incident Light – Light beaming from a source (Flash from phone, lamp, sun etc.) • Back Light – A light placed at the rear of a subject to light from behind. • Fill Light – A light placed to the side of the subject to fill out shadows and balance the overall visibility of the environment.

10 • Key light- It’s the main light used in your video.

Now, you need to decide what kind of lights you need. Since, you are making Vlogs, you need to have steady lighting. Here are some of the popular equipments used around the world: (Remem- ber, some of these are quite costly. So, choose wisely and carefully.) • Flashpoint Cool Light 4 • Creative Light 33’’ Silver Umbrella • Gaffers tape • Seamless paper background • Flashpoint Cool Light • Westcott 750 Photo Basics 7.5-Foot Light Stand • Creative Light 33’’ Translucent Umbrella • 3 moonlights, at least 150 watt-seconds each

If you are not interested in spending money, use an aluminum foil’s reflection on your face just in case of emergency :)

Software

Post production plays a vital part in deciding how the final product looks like. Although vlogging is meant to be spontaneous, you can’t just upload a video without any editing or sound optimiza- tion. If you are assuming that all famous YouTube vloggers use editing professionals, then you are

wrong! Most vloggers take care of it themselves!

Some popular editing software are: • iMovie • Windows Movie Maker • Avidemux • Adobe Premiere Elements • 3PowerDirector • Aperture 3 – MB957Z/A

11 YouTube Channel Optimization

12 ouTube is a simple platform to use. There are thousands of success stories of ordinary Yfolk turning into superstars using it. One of the common denominators you’ll see in most of their cases is that - they all follow some basic guidelines for success. One of the most important guidelines is - optimizing your channel.

Making the channel look neat and interesting to people is how you can start optimizing your channel. Here are some useful tips that can guide you to optimize your channel better:

Channel Icon

It’s the picture that represents your YouTube channel. You can take some inspiration from You- Tube channels such as Vice, IGN etc. to create a catchy/attention grabbing image. Make sure that your Channel icon is Round or square in shape that renders properly at 98×98 pixels.

And, it’s best to upload an 800×800 image in any of the following formats: JPG, GIF, BMP or PNG

YT -Channel Art

You can call it the cover photo of YouTube. Just like on Facebook, you need to choose an image which exemplifies your content and characteristics. Upload an image that’s at least 2560x1440px and file size not bigger than 2 MB. If you want to add some text like your channel name or future video announcement, then the saf-

est area to do that is 1546x423px, centered on the image. You can go 507px right and 507px left to flex your text depending on your screen size.

YT- Channel Description

It describes what your YouTube channel is all about to your audience. It’s shown in the ‘About’ tab of the channel, and you can periodically add/remove information to highlight a new series that you’re about to do or a famous event you’re about to attend. You can also explain what the

audience can expect from the channel and when (Example: A new video every wednesday) “You can include up to 1000 characters and add links of your other Social Media profiles/blog/ personal website.“

13 YT -Custom Thumbnails

This is one of the most important factors which decide the clickability of your video. Make sure you choose a vibrant looking picture relating to your video. Provide a simple text on your thumb- nail describing the title of your video. (A viewer can pick top goals in EPL just by looking at the thumbnails featuring in sports category)

Note: Picture specs are 1280×720 (16:9 ratio) as a .JPG, .GIF, .BMP, or .PNG under 2MB. Also; add relevant and descriptive keywords in your title; which will help your video, stand out in random YouTube searches.

YT -Featured Video or Playlist

You can add a video trailer to your channel to give an introduction about your videos to newer audience. Whenever someone lands on your channel page, Featured Video starts playing auto- matically. Using playlist feature can help you organize your similar videos for easy viewing.

YT -CARDS

Cards can help you promote your merchandise, blog or other videos in your channel. You can

choose HoverCards, which pop up when someone hovers his/her mouse over the channel icon on the watch page. Cards work well on mobiles whereas annotations work better on desktop.

YT -Watermark

If you feel that your video is being copied or embedded in various other websites (Facebook Free- booting), then you can watermark them to promote your brand even when the video is not being

played on YouTube. These watermarks can be displayed at the bottom right hand corner of the player. Now that you have fine-tuned your YouTube channel’s visual appeal, you need to makeit search-friendly! That’s where Metadata comes into the picture. Metadata is the cumulative of YouTube video’s title, description, tags, category and thumbnails.

14 Metadata

MetaData plays a vital role in your YouTube channel’s search optimization. Here is a brief expla- nation on how you can improve your Metadata.

1. Improve Your Video Title

The title of your video describes your content. Make sure that your video title has the same text as your thumbnail as it generates more clicks. Also, naming your video file will give you an additional advantage.

2. Describe Your Video

As only the first few lines or 160 characters will appear in search results and above the fold on a watch page, you need to place your top keywords right at that place. You can also add links on your blog, websites and your other videos or channels you own.

3. Tag Your Video

Choose right tags and relevant keywords to make your video search engine friendly. Some sug- gested tags will include brand name, product offering or be a compilation. Make sure to use quo-

tations (“xxx”), and avoid using commas. Avoid generic tags or tags that are not relevant to your video as Google’s algorithm detects the relation of your tags with your content. You can always change it manually when the video is up- loaded. If you follow the above mentioned tips and tricks, you can make your YouTube channel reach more

users.

15 How to do video interviews

16 nterviewing people is one of the fastest ways to create video content for your site. IIt also happens to be one of the easiest because, let's face it; the subject does all the talking. More often than not, the vlogger fails to squeeze out any semblance of quality information so the interview is filled with fluff and the interviewee has no incentive to share the interview or even associate with you.

Here are a few pointers you need to remember

The whole agenda of vlogging is to have a presence in the video. Describing the entire summary in the video of the interview taken through email can go terribly wrong. But to get video inter- viewing right, there’s a few things you need to know. Here are 5 tips to make video interviews for your site run smoother: Smart Questions

People that you’re interviewing will often ask you for a list questions in advance. It’s an under- standable request, but resist if you can. Supplying questions in advance is a bad idea. If you ask boring questions, you’re going to get boring answers. And nobody has time for boring content. Ask your interviewee direct and detailed questions.

Small Talk

Once you get the interviewee on the other line, start with a few minutes of talking about where they’re from, their family, or even the weather (as cliché as it might be). This makes them feel more comfortable talking with you and they’ll open up and tell you more of their secrets.

Set Expectations

Right before you start the interview, give them a roadmap of where you intend to take the inter- view. Get over the idea that people need to be ‘camera perfect’. For most of us, being in front of a camera feels strange.

Introduce Them

One of the most impolite things you can do in an interview is starting off by asking them to intro- duce themselves. Prior to conducting the interview, spend at least an hour learning about your interviewee. Read 17 their about page. Look through their latest blog posts. Try to figure out what they’ve been doing lately through Twitter or Facebook. Then write a 2-3 sentence introduction that walks the reader/lister/viewer through who the inter- viewee is, why they’re important, and why the audience should pay attention.

Don't Stop Recording

Finally, once the questions are over, say “Great, that’s the end of the interview,” but don’t turn the camera off just yet! Why? Because 9 times out of 10 the conversation will continue. You’ll often get some of the best material of all when your interviewee thinks the camera’s switched off! YouTube Engagement

Finally, you really need to like engaging and interacting with your vlog audience. Your YouTube channel’s growth depends on whether or not people watch your vlogs, and they’ll watch your vid- eos more if you engage with them on YouTube and on social media.

Joey Graceffa (5,631,132 subscribers) recently said that, after uploading the video on his You- Tube channel, he starts focusing on the comments and on his Twitter feed. And don’t just link to your Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram pages; encourage your audience to get involved. When you get great comments and questions, give those viewers shout-outs in your vlogs.

Hey, Are We Done Yet?

Yes. This completes this guide for your vlogging instructions. All you need to do is go out with your camera, and capture something which intrigues you to the bottom of your heart. Not shoot- ing places around you is a content marketing crime. Stay vigilant and watch for opportunities; sometimes creating one won’t hurt. Just ramble on with your camera capture your imagination.

18 Happy Vlogging......

Writen by: Akshay Chandra

I am a proud alumni of Symbiosis Institute of Media Communication (Pune) and currently working for Vidooly. Being YouTube certified adds an advantage as I have written many blogs and marketing guides on YouTube and its optimization process.

19 Vidooly is a cloud based tool that can help you optimize your YouTube channel and get more views and subscribers.

20