How To Become A Successful Youtube Vlogger: Lessons That I’ve Learned

“Be consistent,” someone once told me. And I tried. Didn’t work out.

“Collaborate with another successful Youtuber,” another person said. And it worked. But just for a while.

And then I tried other things. Tried harder to become a successful Youtube Vlogger. Some things worked and others didn’t. But over time, despite the fact that I am still learning, I gained some useful vlogging lessons that helped me through my Youtube journey.

So in this blog, I am going to share all of that with you.

Before anything, let’s understand one thing…

What kind of Youtube Game you are into — of being a vlogger, or a filmmaker Youtuber.

The difference between the two is: A vlogger is someone who vlogs about their personal life. They may or may not be daily vloggers, regardless, but they talk about what’s happening with them at the moment.

A filmmaker Youtuber, on the other hand, is someone who makes videos about a general topic. Their videos don’t share their personal story and they are rather educating (about a topic).

Care for more explanation?

A Travel Vlogger, for example, would talk about their own personal journey — conversations with other fellow travellers during the trip; where they ate, what they ate; where they slept, and how much for… and so on and so forth.

A Travel Filmmaker Youtuber, on the other hand, would focus more on educating their audience. Their video will feel more like a destination guide, a documentary rather.

If both — the vlogger and the filmmaker — are talking about, say, the journey from Destination A to Destination B, the vlogger would show more of a personal story. He or she would focus on personal challenges they faced during the journey and what made them love or hate the trip. Whereas the filmmaker would focus more on factual information. Their Youtube video won’t be a personal account.

So, before we start with our top tips on how to become a successful Youtuber, try to understand the distinction between the two. Understand your style and liking, and work in that direction.

A vlogger needs to be consistent. They may not have to give a lot of consideration to SEO. Their success or failure depends on how efficiently they make people interested in their personal life. I would classify Mumbaikar Nikhil or MSK Vlogs in this category. My Youtube videos also fall into the same category.

A Filmmaker Youtuber, on the other hand, may not have to be very consistent. Their success or failure depends on the quality of the content and the SEO. People may not be very interested in the face behind their channel, but the information their channel generates.

How To Become A Successful Youtube Vlogger

I agree with the fact that getting famous on Youtube demands consistency but I also believe that it demands more than just that.

I have seen people having kickass content, being super-consistent but still stuck at the same follower count for years (I have experienced it once myself, we will discuss it later in the article).

And I have seen people having not-so-impressive content and still growing from 10,000 to 100,000 followers mark in just a few months. And this gets me questioning consistency.

Of course, consistency is the key to grow your Youtube Channel but to grow from nothing to something, you need to be more than just consistent.

Stand Apart From The Crowd, And Not In The Crowd. Be Unique.

Had I started travel vlogging 7 years ago, when there were hardly any travel Youtubers, my content would have been unique.

Had I started moto vlogging 5 years ago, when there was hardly anyone doing it, my content would have been unique.

But not anymore!

Today, I can find more motovloggers than there are people on Indian streets.

I am sure the term motovlogging didn’t exist 10 years ago. Today you type Motovlog on Google and you find over 10,000 searches. From best practices to start a motovlogging channel to the best cameras for motovlogging, experts have discussed it all.

Having said that, starting a Youtube channel isn’t enough. You need to stand apart from the crowd.

How? By finding the gap.

Let me give you an example…

I started travel blogging in 2016. 2 Years later, in 2018, I felt a need to start a Youtube channel. But as I said, the need wasn’t enough. I needed something more than that, something that can give me that initial first push.

Almost 1 year later, of a constant hunt, in 2019, I finally got that inevitable push for my Youtube Channel.

Jawa Motorcycles was relaunching in India. And I knew if I happen to buy one of the first few Jawa Motorcycles and start making videos about the capabilities of the new Jawa motorcycles, the videos will do good. And they did.

For those who don’t know, Jawa Motorcycles were really popular in India during the 70s. Think of the brand as a popular cult. But later, the company shut down. In 2019, they relaunched. And I used it to my advantage.

Now think of it this way… if Royal Enfield shuts down tomorrow and renters India 30 years later, all Royal Enfield fans would go crazy about the news. Any content about the new Royal Enfields would go viral. The same thing was bound to happen for Jawa Motorcycles.

I got my Jawa 42 on 7th April 2019 (I was the first 10 owners in India and the first one in Haryana) and as soon as I got it, I started making Youtube videos about the new Jawa Motorcycles.

For about the next 6 months, I was the only Jawa owner who was actively vlogging about his experiences with the new Jawa. Those 6 months got me from ZERO Youtube Followers to 30,000 Youtube followers. I even got my Channel monetized within 2 days.

6 months later, my Youtube Channel lost that charm, because Footloose Dev wasn’t the only Jawa Youtuber anymore. There were many others. My Youtube success story started fading away.

During the next one and a half years, my channel only grew from 30,000 followers to 36,000 followers. And I lost interest.

In the back of my mind, I knew that I don’t only want to continue the same strategy and end up being a motorcycle reviewer. I wanted to make travel videos.

But my travel videos weren’t doing good.

It was time for another push.

In May 2021, another push happened.

In May 2021, after struggling to find THAT UNIQUE, I rented an old Himachali House in Kullu Manali and started vlogging about A SOLO GUY LIVING IN AN OLD WOODEN HOUSE IN A JUNGLE IN THE MOUNTAINS. The idea was unique, and it did fine.

Soon, I took the next step, rented another property, and made Youtube videos about it. And that worked fine too — my second step towards becoming a successful Youtube Vlogger.

Another step, and I am now making videos about such offbeat properties around Manali that can be rented for long stays.

During the Coronavirus Pandemic, when a lot of people are working from home and thinking about relocating and working from the mountains, any information about such cool stays was bound to do good.

I saw a gap in the information, I filled it, and it worked in my favor to becoming a successful Youtube vlogger.

Understand The Demand. Try To Supply.

If there’s one thing that can make you a successful Youtuber it is, telling people what they want to listen to.

I understand you love riding motorcycles hence want to vlog about it, but there no need for it in the market anymore. We already have hundreds of Youtubers vlogging about their motorcycle adventures. Internet today is full of riders doing Manali to Leh.

But there’s no one Overlanding and vlogging about it. No full-time Indian Youtuber owns a caravan or a 4*4 with a rooftop tent setup. No one, so far, has rented a campervan, drove from Manali to Leh, and vlogged about it. No one has told the public how much it may cost and what challenges there can be for a similar experience. So you can be the first one, and I guarantee it will go viral — especially after Covid-19 when everyone’s avoiding group tours and doing solo/family road trips.

So yea, try finding a gap and try filling it.

Other Things To Keep In Mind To Become Famous On Youtube

• Optimize Your Youtube Videos. I am talking about SEO here. While uploading a Youtube video, make sure you include all the important factors in your video such as title, file name, tags, and descriptions. Keep the title, the description, and the tags as relating as you can.
• Carry Small Equipment. I once read somewhere “the best camera is the one you can carry everywhere,” and I cannot agree more. Always invest in equipment that is easy to carry and handle, especially if you’re new in the field. Think of it this way… if you’re starting a new Youtube Channel and you are not very comfortable with vlogging in public, you are more likely to vlog if your camera is of a smaller size (a GoPro, for example). Carrying a full-size Nikon DSLR and vlog in public takes a lot of courage but carrying a Gopro 9 that is one-third the size of a full-size DSLR doesn’t. I also shoot 90 percent of my Youtube Videos with a Gopro. READ Photography tips for beginners.

• Be Consistent. Consistency is the key to any successful business, and to become a successful Youtube vlogger, it is no different. To make people interested in your lifestyle will take some time.
• Interact With Your Audience. I have seen budding vloggers not paying too much attention to the comments, and it can be a fatal mistake. Think of your subscribers as your virtual family. Reply to their comments. Let them be a part of your virtual life. Over time, when your audience is a few hundred thousand followers big, I understand it won’t be possible to reply to everybody, but in the beginning, make sure you reply to each and every comment. Respect your first few thousand followers.
• Share Your Video On Social Media. The thing with social media and video hosting platforms is that they work best when connected. I have nearly 45 thousand followers on Facebook and about 18 thousand followers on Instagram. Even if 10 percent of the total 45+18 thousand followers see my Youtube video I get 6300 views right away — this is on top of what Youtube Organic search and my current subscriber base will generate for me.
• Be Real. Don’t Hide your Emotions. Through your Youtube videos, you let your audience know you as a person. Vlogging is like your diary. You show your emotions and the real side of your personality, and you will do good. You try to fake it, and people will eventually know.
• Grow Your Audience With Right Collabs. Once you will gain a few thousand followers on Youtube, chances are that you will be reached out by brands to do paid promotion. Don’t fall for every opportunity you will get. Make sure to partner only with brands that closely resonate with your channel. For further reading, check this Blogging Resource.
• Focused on Engaged Audience. One of the biggest mistakes that most Youtubers and Instagrammers do today is that they run behind numbers. Don’t do that. Focus on the quality of your audience and their engagement towards your content. It’s better to have 2000 active followers with 200 comments on each video rather than having 200,000 followers with only 20 comments per video. Most brands also only work with influencers who have comparatively better engagement.
• Don’t Expect Success Overnight. As mentioned above, to become a successful Youtuber you need time and patience. In most cases, it takes at least a few weeks to monetize your channel and gain the first 1000 followers (given, you have rich/desirable content). So don’t lose patience, keep working and wait for the success to happen.
• Enjoy The Journey. As it goes with any profession, if you’re not enjoying making and editing videos, you are not going to be a very successful Youtube vlogger. So before anything, ensure that it is your passion and not just an excuse to be able to quit your full-time job.

Minimum Eligibility Requirements To Become A YouTuber

1. Follow all the YouTube monetization policies.
2. Live in a country where the YouTube Partner Program is available.
3. Have more than 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months.
4. Have more than 1,000 subscribers.
5. Have a linked AdSense account.

Cheers to Life! Happy Youtubing!!

That’s all in this blog on How To Become A Successful Youtube Vlogger. If you have more tips and suggestions, please leave a comment below. If you want to connect with me, please do so on Instagram.