Interested in becoming a YouTube food video star but don't know where to begin? Seasoned YouTube videographer Eve Martel shares her tips for starting a YouTube food channel for your food blog. Before you know it, you'll be hearing Lights! Camera! Action! and watching your subscriber count rise.
The moment has come. After hearing again and again that video content is where it’s at, you've finally decided to launch your own YouTube food channel.
As a food blogger, it’s important to keep expanding your brand and think of fresh ways to share your ideas. And what better way than to give them life through video?! But before spending your tax return money on equipment and expensive software, read these 10 tips that will help you be the best YouTuber you can be.
10 Things to Know Before Starting a YouTube Channel
1. Have a schedule
The YouTube algorithm really loves creators who publish often and who have a set schedule. Pick a publishing day you’re comfortable with and stick to the plan religiously. Remember that it’s better to publish one great weekly video than to crank out many just to have a bigger output.
To make your subscribers aware of your channel’s schedule, remind them verbally in your videos and include the info on your channel art. And if you don’t want to commit to a day yet, at least mention that you’ll publish new content every week. (Because you will, right?)
2. Pick a niche
People love to come back to a channel when they know they’ll find a specific type of content. To help grow your channel faster, decide from the start what the main subject of your videos is going to be. Baking, budget cooking, keto, family recipes … the choices are plentiful and inspiring. A niche can also be about the tone of your content. For exemple, you could bring humour to every video or be the channel that merges scientific talk and gluten-free recipes.
3. Don’t go equipment crazy
Sure, you need to produce quality images and sound. But buying the latest and greatest won't guarantee that you’ll make it big on YouTube. Start with what you have or borrow a friend’s camera for the first few months. If you stay the course, start buying better equipment bit by bit.
When I started my lifestyle channel, I used my point and shoot and told myself I’d buy new equipment every time my subscriber count rose by 500 people. It was a great way to stay motivated! Two years later, I have a Canon 70D, a couple of lenses, a good microphone and I switched my editing software from iMovie to Final Cut Pro. And now I can also use this great equipment to make content for my new food channel.
4. Focus on appetite appeal
Make every shot the most scrumptious it can be. Take the time to plan out your video so each part is pleasing to the eye: use nice pots and pans, set the light right, and keep the area you’re filming in clean. You want people’s mouths to water when they watch your recipes being made! You should also take the time to create appealing channel art that makes it clear that your channel is about food.
5. Plan how you’ll share on social media
When filming is done, it doesn't mean the work is over. You're going to need a few pictures to create a deliciously inviting thumbnail for each video. In addition to the thumbnail, I always take a dedicated picture for Instagram and my Facebook page. Since I often embed my videos in a blog post, I also make sure I have many images available to use in the post and to make a vertical visual that will be pinned on Pinterest.
6. Think globally
YouTube brings the world together, but not everyone cooks in the same way! To help attract worldwide subscribers to your channel, share measurements in both imperial and metric. If you’re using local ingredients like maple syrup, curd cheese or Saskatoon berries, suggest an alternative that non-Canadians could use as a substitute. On my channel, If possible, I also give vegetarian ingredient alternatives when there’s meat in a recipe.
7. Follow the trends
Just like in the blog world, it’s important to provide ideas that are inspired by what people are currently searching for. So follow the seasons and get inspired by what’s fresh and current.
You can also keep an eye on YouTube trending videos and join in the fun! For example, you could do a video inspired by the 100-layer trend (100 layers of frosting, anyone?) or have your partner or a sibling do the voice-over of one of your videos in a funny fashion, another recent trend.
8. Think series
A good week of themed recipes is a great way to bring attention to your channel and get new subscribers. You could do an all-vegan week, a cooking with the family week, a 5-day empty-the-fridge challenge, or anything else that inspires you. This gets people in the habit of checking out your channel every day, a thing that YouTube loves to reward with better ranking (and thus more eyes on your content).
9. Get personal
One of the reasons why YouTube is so popular is the connection that creators develop with their subscribers. So show your face in the videos, ask people to comment with suggestions, and make sure to read and reply to the comments people leave you. Creating an active community around your channel is essential to its growth.
10. It’s all about the data, baby
You should always optimize the title, description and tags of your videos with the correct keywords. Think of these three things as your SEO rocket boosts. Youtube analytics also offers key insights about how people consume your content. Use this information to tweak your videos and make them more relevant than ever to subscribers.
Happy filming!
More Reading on Video Blogging
- How To Make a Cooking Video: Getting Comfortable on Camera
- How To Make a Cooking Video
- What NOT To Do When Making a Video for Your Blog
- Getting Started with YouTube and Video Blogging
Pin For Later
10 Things to Know Before Starting a YouTube Channel was written by Eve Martel. Eve has been a content creator and a blogger for the last 10 years. After 16 years spent working for top advertising agencies, she made the jump and left her job as Content Director at Sid Lee Montreal to dedicate herself to her blog, Tellement Swell, and to her two YouTube channels. Her latest project, Top Yummy, is a food channel that shares easy and delicious recipes that anyone can cook. She’s also a writer for Tourisme Montréal and Muramur. Find her on Instagram and Twitter @evemartel and follow the Instagram of her projects, @tellementswell and @topyummy.
You can unsubscribe any time!
These are all great points to keep focused. It can be so easy to be distracted and include every topic.
Keeping things simple, clean and organized seems to be the way to go.
I haven’t delved into the video segments yet but will keep all this in mind.
Thanks so much Eve! Great tips for a YouTube newbie like myself.
Glad you found it helpful Lyndsay! Eve knows her stuff and is so generous with her tips!
Thank you so much for sharing…