With the continued rise of the video blogging culture in Uganda, it’s completely understandable for any tech-savvy adult to be enticed by the idea of starting a YouTube channel. After all, it’s a fun and interactive hobby with the potential to turn you into a popular online personality —with the added benefit of helping you meet new people, get free stuff from companies, and of course, earn a pretty impressive income.
Alexa ranks YouTube the second most popular website in Uganda, after Google. The site has come a long way, as it today functions not just as a vehicle for content-creators to showcase their creations, or to share information but increasingly also as a money-making platform. Various YouTube stars now dedicate all their working time to it.
Makeuseof notes the things you want to consider before starting a YouTube Channel as follows:
- Niche
Filmora says in this post that “A niche is what makes your channel unique.” While that is not an all-sufficient definition, it captures what you should do when considering a niche. A niche is simply what you want to focus your content on.
It could be tech, fashion, health, wellness, sports, or any other thing.
However, when choosing a niche, make sure that it is something that you are very comfortable discussing.
- Frequency
This is another thing that is of utmost importance. You want to plan how frequently you will be creating and posting videos before you start your channel.
You can definitely adjust your frequency as you go along, but knowing it ahead of time, helps you plan and informs other decisions.
- Equipment
The pieces of equipment you are going to need are both dependent on your niche and your budget. The former is going to dictate more because a gaming vlogger and a reaction vlogger might both need a screen for their content while a beauty blogger might not. This is why it is quite important to define your niche before anything.
- Promotion Strategy
Unfortunately, you are not going to start your blog and get millions of subscribers instantly, unless it is high-in-demand content with no coverage at all.
If you are not in that class, you will have to define a promotion strategy that will put you in the face of people that are interested in your type of content.
Advertising, SEO and social media strategies are all promotion strategies that you can adopt for your channel.
- Revenue/Earning Strategy
It is important that you enjoy what you are doing with YouTube, but it is also very important to make revenue. Running a YouTube channel costs money and you need to at least make that money back or you will run into debt.
Creating attractive videos that provide value on YouTube also takes a lot of time and effort, so you need to define your revenue strategy.
Above, I have defined various ways that YouTube creators in Nigeria can make money. Study it properly, look at what you think can work for you, and run with it,
Personally, I’d advise that you combine two or more strategies that will work for you.
- Defining Your Goals
It is also very important to define your goals when you are starting out on YouTube. State your short-term goals, mid-term goals, and your long-term goals.
When you set your goals, strive very hard to meet them. For it is in so doing that you truly grow your channel and your revenue.
YouTube is a great platform for content creators to share their content while earning good revenue at the same time. But starting a YouTube channel requires the proper amount of research and doing things the right way.
Selecting a profitable niche, defining your goals, and providing value are steps that one can take to grow one’s channel and brand.
How to create a YouTube channel in Uganda – a step-by-step guide:
- Create a Google account.
Google is YouTube’s parent company. Therefore, you must create a Google account before you open your YouTube channel. However, if you have a Gmail account, you can skip to the next step.
To create a Google account:
(i). Go to the Google Accounts page
(ii). Click the “Create Account” option
(iii). Fill in your details and select a password.
The account you have created allows you to access all Google services such as YouTube and Gmail. At this point, you can use your YouTube account and upload videos. However, for visibility and monetisation, follow the subsequent steps. - Customise your channel.
Customisation helps your channel to stand out. If you used your real names to create a Google account, you need to create a separate channel to give your new brand autonomy. Depending on your needs, you can either use your name as a brand or pick your preferred brand name for your channel.
To customise your channel:
(i). On your browser, click YouTube
(ii) Log in using your Google Account’s details
(iii) Go to the channel’s page
(iv) Create a new brand’s channel
When creating a new channel, the name you choose should reflect what you are offering. However, you can still use your real names if you do not have a brand name. - Polish-up your profile
Your channel’s icon, profile pic and banner players a huge role in viewership. Therefore, you must tweak these details and make your channel stand out from the rest. You can hire the services of a graphic designer to create a good logo and banner or you can do it yourself.
To polish-up your channel’s profile:
(i) Go to YouTube
(ii) Tap your profile’s icon
(iii) Select “Your Channel” option
(iv) Click “Customise Channel”
(v) Edit your channel’s icon by uploading a different picture
(vi) Change the “Channel Art” by uploading your preferred image.
You can only edit Step 3 on your computer. Also, only use high-quality pictures to avoid a pixelated profile and unattractive channel’s art. - Fill out the About/Description section. Remember this is the goal/purpose or what the channel has to offer to the vierwers.
- Add channel links, for example Facebook and Twitter links if you have created some already.
- Add channel Trailor.
The trailer allows you to create a good impression of the channel. While you can use the trailer’s slot to highlight a new video, using it to introduce yourself to potential subscribers helps in growing your channel. If you are uncertain about your creative direction as a YouTuber, using this slot to highlight your most recent project is advisable. Also, the channel’s trailer is not permanent. You can easily re-do it in future if you wish. - Add your contact details
- Create channel username/URL
To your growth.
