Tips for Creating Better YouTube Videos

This page contains a few general tips for creating YouTube videos which are more likely to attract attention, ratings and positive comments.

Before you start, get hard-skinned. YouTube users will quickly let you know if your video sucks. Even good videos get negative comments. If you think this might upset you, find another hobby.

Have a plan. Think about what type of videos you want to make and what audience to target. Don't just try to copy the most popular users — this may not be the best style for you. Remember that YouTube is huge, with lots of different styles and niches. You might be better off targeting a small interest group than the more general-interest market. For example, "About me" or "my house" are topics which are too general and unlikely to be searched for. "Bungy jumping" or "bass guitar solo" are topics which stand some chance of being found by people who are specifically searching for them.

Speaking of searching, use tags and descriptions properly. Unless you are already a popular user, the only way people are going to find your videos is by searching. This means the words you use for tags and descriptions are critical — make them match the content of your video.

Make some test videos. Show them to friends and family and make sure you get honest feedback. Your friends will probably be a lot kinder than YouTube users so be realistic.

Keep your videos short. Once you have made your point, move on or end the video. If your video only has one gag (e.g. "Look at the cute baby" or "My friend can't sing"), you should be able to make the video less than a minute long. For blog-style videos, try very hard not to repeat yourself or spend any more time than necessary talking about the same topic.

Learn about video-making. If your videos look like they were made by a professional they will do better on YouTube. Read the tutorials on this website and be prepared to spend time practicing. Ask questions in our forum, and make sure you ask for feedback about your videos.