Thinking About Starting a YouTube Channel? Here’s My Story and Advice for Success

Have you ever considered creating your own YouTube channel and sharing your content? Or maybe you already have one but are struggling to get subscribers or views? If so, continue to read, and I’ll share my experience—maybe there’s something here that can help you. I run a YouTube channel called “Intune & Vita Doctrina,” which features various types of content, mostly Microsoft Intune training videos. I recently reached 4,500 subscribers and about 30,000 views per month. I’ll guide you through starting a channel, what to consider, how to earn money, and how to build a brand.

Start your own personal YouTube channel is free and fairly easy; follow these simple steps:

1. Sign in to YouTube on a computer.
2. Click your profile picture > Settings.
3. Click Add or manage your channel(s).
4. Click Create a channel.
5. You’ll be asked to create a channel.
6. Check the details and confirm to create your channel.

Congratulations! You have just started your own YouTube channel! It’s that easy.

Channel Name

A good first question is whether to focus on videos you like or videos that generate more views. I battled this question and ended up choosing videos that I enjoyed myself. I may have lost out on a few views, but I had more fun doing those videos. You can, of course, do a mix of both. Often, I find the videos I like the most get the least views, and vice versa. Sometimes, you have to give subscribers the videos you know they want.

Choosing a Name

When you have answered the first question, you are ready to choose a name for your channel, which is important. Consider these pointers:

1. Keep it short and memorable: A concise name is easier to remember and share. However, my name may not be perfect for remembering.
2. Make it descriptive: Ensure it reflects the content you’ll be creating. Here, my channel name is pretty good; it is about Intune, and it is pretty clear.
3. Check availability: Ensure the name isn’t already used on YouTube or other social media platforms to prevent a mixup.
4. Future-proof it: Choose a name that allows for content expansion in case you want to branch out into related topics. I changed once; at the start, I didn’t know it would be only about Intune. You can change it later, but it’s better to get it right first, of course.

You will need to set a name for the channel. As mentioned above, you can change the name later. Still, I think it is a good idea to get it right from the start. If you have a single topic, then maybe set a name related to that.

Now that you have decided on your audience and have a good name, evaluate whether you have all the skills needed to produce your content. You might find that you need to sharpen the axe a bit before creating videos.

Creating Banner and Picture Image

Once you have a name for your channel, you need a banner and a channel picture. Preferably, these match your channel name in some way. The banner image will only appear when someone visits your channel. The channel picture, on the other hand, will appear on all your videos.

• The picture should be in .png or .gif format. I recommend PNG. Its size must be at least 96×96 pixels and no bigger than 4MB.
• The banner image is a bit special. It needs to display equally well on large TV screens as well as smaller mobile phones. For that reason, use an image that’s at least 2048×1152 pixels and 6MB or less.

Video Format

You can create traditional videos, so-called shorts, or the best combination of both.

Shorts are limited to 60 seconds, and videos must be in vertical orientation, with a 9:16 aspect ratio and a resolution of 1080 pixels by 1920 pixels. Traditional YouTube videos have nearly no restrictions. However, one restriction I find difficult to break is that they can’t be longer than a shocking 12 hours and no larger than 256GB. In other words, what limits YouTube does have for traditional videos are pretty generous.

Shorts usually generate more views than normal videos, so they could be a good way to attract viewers to your channel for more content.

You will probably need some sort of video editing software. It’s not so important which one. Just choose one that you can manage and be good at. A popular option is TechSmith’s Camtasia, which works well for tutorial videos.

If you have no previous experience editing videos, it would be a good idea to find free online courses for the tool you chose. I suggest looking for free videos on YouTube. For example, I learned Camtasia on my own by just playing around with it and following tutorial videos.

I took a 20-hour Udemy course on Adobe Premiere Pro and learned from there. You can also find tons of training material for free on YouTube.

It is not so important which tool you use as long as you know how to use it. For example, make sure you know how to perform such video editing tasks as removing backgrounds, adding sound, cropping images, cutting parts, making transitions, etc.

Younger generations seem to prefer to edit on mobile phones or tablets using software like CapCut, which is paid software but allows you to do pretty much anything with the free version.

I’m using TechSmith’s Camtasia to record my computer screen since it offers quite a few professional features for that purpose. However, I use Adobe Premiere Pro to edit my videos afterward.

Now that we have our YouTube channel and the skills to create our videos, it’s time to move on to the next step: creating content.

It can be frustrating in the beginning to have good ideas but not feel like the video mirrors what you want to show. There are no real shortcuts — it’s all about learning by doing. My first videos were simple, and they gradually became more advanced as I learned more.

It’s good to have an intro for the video that quickly does two things: most importantly, it should capture the viewer’s attention so they want to continue watching, and it should also let the viewer know what the video is about, since the title alone can’t (and shouldn’t) tell the whole story.

The Video Creating Process

When I get an idea for a video, I create a basic script that includes an introduction and the video’s main message. In my case, this is often teaching a feature in Microsoft Intune. Then I set up for recording, which for me means putting up a green screen behind myself, trying to get the best lighting possible in the room, and making sure no family member will disturb me during the recording. Since it’s not live, I usually start recording as soon as possible, capturing both my screen and my face as I speak about my actions on-screen. If something doesn’t go as planned — which happens often — I repeat the content (sometimes more than once) and cut out the extra takes during editing.

Once everything is recorded, I export the video in a high-quality format and then move on to editing. This includes removing the background, adding effects, enhancing the sound, and cutting out sequences to ensure the video flows well and looks and sounds as polished as possible.

Most viewers look at the content and decide within a few seconds if they will continue watching. That is why the beginning of the video is so essential to capture the user’s attention and keep them there. We have to be fast, as they probably have suggestions for other videos to look at. We are lucky they clicked on ours; now we need to convince them to stay!

In my example, I tested once to ask my viewer a question. It was a video about Windows Updates, so I knew from the start that the viewer was interested in that. There exist two types of Windows Updates, so my early question to the viewer was, what is the difference between those two updates?  It worked 🙂

That video became one of my most viewed. Most of my videos drop from 100% the first second down to below 20% after 30 seconds. This video kept 58% of viewers after 30 seconds, which might not sound like much. However, it is a good number, at least for my channel.

Something I have noticed that is critical for getting many views is the timing of posting the video. For example, I do mostly technical learning videos, and those get the most views Monday through Friday. You always get one or two days’ extra boost from YouTube when your videos are visible, as seen in the image below for one of my videos.

This means that for me, it is best to post on a Tuesday and enjoy more views on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. I also sometimes do retro gaming playthroughs, which are more popular on weekends, so those videos are better for me to post a Saturday morning or maybe late on Friday.

The day to post and the time of day are important. If you are making videos for a certain geographic location, maybe mostly US visitors, then try to post during the waking hours of the US. You will also learn and notice this by reading your stats from previous videos.

Geographical Considerations

My videos are global but in English, and I get the most views from the US (18%), India (11,5%), the United Kingdom (7,2%), Germany (4,9%), Canada (3,9%), and so on. I can’t pick a time when everyone is awake, but for me, it is best to target when the US and India are awake, so I need to find a golden middle ground.

Many YouTubers post a certain amount of videos per week or month and always on a specific day and time so their subscribers know in advance when it should arrive. That is a good practice; however, when I started my YouTube channel, I didn’t want to chain myself to being forced to produce content. Instead, I wanted to produce and post when it was convenient for me. As you can see, it is easy for you to be more serious, better, and professional than myself 🙂

The last and most fun step is to upload the video to YouTube!

Once you’ve uploaded and posted your new video on your channel, YouTube will give it a one to two-day boost, and the more people who click and watch, the greater the chance that YouTube will continue to show your content in search results. YouTube doesn’t do this out of kindness. It’s done because if your videos get more views, Google earns more money from advertisements.

The first few hours are especially important, and as we discussed earlier, the timing of your video’s release is crucial if you want to maximize views. If you can promote your videos on other platforms and drive traffic to YouTube, you’ll likely see a spike in views and potentially trigger a snowball effect.

If you’re active on other social media platforms and have a warm network of people who respect and like you, and if your content interests them, they will likely check it out. For example, I’m in a Facebook group about Microsoft Intune, where I help a lot of people with their questions. Often, I reply with a video link to my YouTube channel that I know will help answer their questions. It’s a win-win situation—they get the help they need, and I get more viewers.

I post on Facebook, X (formerly known as Twitter), and LinkedIn, which works well for my type of content. Maybe Instagram or another social media platform will work better for you — just be sure to post where it feels relevant and where you have an audience. If you have a YouTube channel about Taylor Swift, for instance, you might have already interacted with other fans in different forums, so be sure to promote your videos there.

To start to earn money, you need to have certain amounts of subscribers and views.

Prerequisite Requirements

Before getting subscribers/views, verify you live in a country and meet all the rules to be able to monetize your videos. Here are short descriptions of them:

• Follow the YouTube channel monetization policies: These are a collection of policies and guidelines that allow you to monetize on YouTube, and compliance with them is required when you accept a partner agreement with YouTube.
• Live in a country/region where the YouTube Partner Program is available: YouTube includes most countries worldwide in this program, but there are some exceptions. To be sure your country is on the list, verify here.
• No active Community Guidelines strikes on your channel: You cannot have a history of violating YouTube’s Community Guidelines rules or posting illegal or copyrighted content.
• Make sure you have 2-Step Verification turned on for your Google Account: You need MFA set up to secure your YouTube account.
• Have advanced features access on YouTube.
• Have one active AdSense for YouTube account linked to your channel, or be ready to set one up in YouTube Studio if you don’t already have one. It’s easy to set up an account here, and you can also specify where the money will be deposited.

Subscribers & Views Requirements

To even start to earn money on your videos, you have to meet these requirements:

1. Your channel needs to have at least 1,000 Subscribers
2. Either:
   • Your account should have accumulated 4,000 public watch hours on long-form videos in the last 365 days
     or
   • Have received 10 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days

When you reach 1,000 subscribers, you will get an email similar to the one below:

It is supposed to be easier to get many views on Shorts, but I have more experience with long-form videos. Below are my current stats of views and duration (mine go down during weekends and holidays since my content is more work-related).

You can get more details from here, such as seeing how many views per hour or minute your videos receive. After a few weeks or months, you can also easily see at what times and days most of your viewers look at your content.

Once you have met all the above requirements to monetize your channel, you have to decide how you want to earn money. The most common ones are Watch Page Ads for longer-form videos and Shorts Feeds Ads for shorts.

The next level, which I haven’t yet reached, is available to channels with over 10,000 subscribers. At that stage, you can link an e-commerce site to your page, such as for branded merchandise. While I don’t currently have such a shop, and it’s not a goal for me, this feature could be quite valuable for those who do take advantage of it.

There could be many reasons to start or grow your YouTube channel — money, building a social network, sharing knowledge, or promoting something. Whatever your reason, make sure to have fun! If posting a certain number of videos per week or month starts to feel like an obligation, rethink your strategy.

It’s hard to predict which videos will succeed. Some of my favorites attract fewer viewers, while videos I didn’t like much have done well. There isn’t always a clear logic — timing or luck could play a role. It can be slow at first, but if you post regularly, learn new video effects, and improve your timing, you’ll succeed in your YouTube adventure.

It’s not always easy. Remember: “If it was easy, everyone would be doing it,” and you are not everyone.

Want to know more or have YouTube-related advice of your own? Please let us know in the comments!