Hmmm… where to begin?
First of all, I feel like my creative juices are flowing. I have so many ideas for videos right now… it’s kind of overwhelming. I am constantly writing ideas down and planning them out. It’s exciting (and reassuring) to know that I have content for a while.
I’m still playing with formats. I am loving doing the vlog-style videos (and my most successful video this month was in that format).
The shorter days and lack of light is making it really challenging to shoot. Even with my lights, I fear that my videos this month don’t look as good simply because they aren’t lit as well. And I learned a very valuable (though painful) lesson this month making this interview video. The sound is terrible, and the views on the video sadly, reflect that. I can’t do something like this again until I have a mic setup, because, frankly, it’s kind of embarrassing. I maybe shouldn’t have published it.
On the downside, both views and viewers were down this month, even though I managed to make 4 videos, AND I also achieved my goal of making a new channel trailer (go, me!). I didn’t yet make it to 200 subscribers. But I’m trying!
Here are my stats for November:
| Subscribers | Watch time | Views | Average View Duration | Likes | Dislikes | Comments | Shares | # of videos | |
| Mar-17 | 22 | 1126 | 483 | 2.19 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 2 | |
| Apr-17 | 83 | 2074 | 1221 | 1.41 | 22 | 2 | 7 | 14 | 5 |
| May 17 | 117 | 2024 | 1040 | 1.56 | 21 | 0 | 22 | 35 | 6 |
| Jun 17 | 130 | 2342 | 1207 | 1.56 | 32 | 0 | 13 | 7 | 5 |
| July 17 | 136 | 2355 | 1361 | 1.43 | 14 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 4 |
| Aug 17 | 155 | 3226 | 1919 | 1.4 | 27 | 1 | 8 | 18 | 6 |
| Sept 17 | 170 | 2538 | 1504 | 1.4 | 27 | 0 | 3 | 12 | 3 |
| Oct 17 | 182 | 2524 | 1552 | 1.37 | 16 | 4 | 5 | 16 | 3 |
| Nov 17 | 192 | 2235 | 1312 | 01:42 | 18 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 4 |
Making the YouTube channel trailer was A LOT of work, as I had to go back through all my old footage and pull clips. I’d love to hear your thoughts on it, I think it turned out pretty well. I may still make a new one in 6 months, though, as the sound isn’t amazing. Again.
Goals for the next month:
- Get to 200 subscribers! Ugh. Again. I think I can, I think I can…
- Learn how to close caption my videos. I know that videos with subtitles do better–but I haven’t yet figured out how to do this.
- I need to start thinking about creating a bumper for my videos.
See you in a month!
Hey Rebecca, I’ve been an email subscriber of yours for years and really enjoy and value your social media insights. I’m a film producer in LA, not a cook (or vegan), so I’ve been following your adventures in YouTube for the social media value. While I’m pretty pathetic on social media, I do know something about creating quality video. I’d be happy to give you some tips on how to make your videos sound better. I’m not a professional sound person (though one of my producing partners on a past feature has won two Oscars for production sound), but I do own some sound gear and have shot numerous interviews myself and would be happy to share some tips that could help your sound. Please feel free to email me… Best, Mark
Thank you, that’s very kind. Shall we write a blog post together?
Ha ha! I don’t know about that; you’re the blogger. And I’m not an expert, but I know enough to get me in trouble. I suppose it depends on what you think your readers already know and if I could provide any useful knowledge.
Nice work. I’m having a hard time starting a Youtube channel of my own. I don’t like to see myself on video or hear my voice recorded. Did you run into the same issue? If so, how did you get over it?
I get it. It’s a tough one. I have a background as a performer, so it doesn’t bother me terribly much. But I understand how many people don’t like it.
I would maybe start by doing vlogs that don’t feature your face too much. Like maybe do an intro, but then cut away to other shots that don’t feature your face. That might be less painful just to start. I think you will get used to it eventually, you just gotta practice. And realize that at first, you aren’t going to be amazing, and that’s okay. Aim for progress, not perfection.