Ready to give your brand a boost online?
Whether you're a business owner, a marketer, or someone who really enjoys creating and sharing content, you should consider using vlogs to tell your story.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about vlogging, from what it is to how to create your first video blog with Animoto's simple video editor By the end, you'll be equipped to start increasing your revenue, audience, and online exposure through engaging vlogs.
TLDR: A vlog is a powerful way to share your story, grow an audience, and even earn income. This guide breaks down how to create your own vlog in 5 simple steps:
- Plan Ahead
- Define your niche
- Find inspiration
- Outline your content
- Gather Your Gear
- A simple video editor
- Camera & tripod
- Microphone
- Present and Record
- Edit Your Video
- Trim and arrange
- Add enhancements and music
- Optimize for platforms
- Share Your Way to Success
What is a vlog?
A vlog is a video that documents a person's life, experiences, or a specific topic, typically shared online. It's essentially a video version of a traditional blog, offering a more engaging and personal content format. Vlogs can range in length from a few minutes to an hour, depending on the content. They stand out from other video content because they follow a creator narrating a story or experience, building a personal connection with viewers.
Every week, 23.2% of internet users worldwide watch vlogs.
Why should you start vlogging? (The benefits of vlogging)
Getting started with vlogging may seem like a significant investment of time and money. And it can be, but it doesn't have to. Plus, the benefits vastly outweigh the start-up challenges.
- Cost-Effective Start: You can begin with minimal gear, using just your smartphone camera, a video editor (like Animoto), and your time.
- Builds Stronger Audiences: Video fosters authentic relationships, increasing trust and loyalty with viewers.
- Preferred Content Format: Video is the dominant content format online, with platforms like YouTube being the second-most visited website globally.
- Key Metrics: Video content consistently demonstrates high ROI for marketers, leading to better engagement and conversions.
- Potential for Profit: Top vloggers can earn substantial income annually, highlighting the significant monetization potential. For example, a recent study showed that video has the best ROI (return on investment) for marketers advertising their business. The top YouTubers are consistently making eight figures a year. That could be you!
How to make a vlog in 5 easy steps
Vlogging is as easy as five simple steps. And depending on your niche, you can choose how complicated you want to make each step.
Many people find success with an amateur style of vlogging. Others prefer to go the more professional route. Whatever your preference, these five steps will teach you how to make a vlog, even if you've never done it before.
1. Plan ahead (define your niche)
Successful vlogs start with clear planning.
- Identify Your Niche: What kind of vlogger will you be? A travel vlogger, a beauty guru, a tech reviewer? Choosing a specific topic helps you find your voice and build a strong online personality.
- Find Inspiration: Watch other creators in your chosen niche. Learn from their successes and identify what makes their content engaging, then adapt it to your unique style.
- Outline Your Content: Before you start filming, outline your video's flow or even write a script. Planning ensures your vlog stays focused and delivers its message effectively.
2. Gather your gear
The gear you need depends on your vlogging style, but some key pieces are essential.
- Camera: Your smartphone is a great starting point, but you might consider a dedicated vlogging camera for higher quality as you progress.
- Tripod: A tripod ensures stable, professional-looking footage.
- Microphone: Good audio is crucial! An external microphone vastly improves sound quality.
- Video Editor: Most importantly, you'll need a user-friendly video maker like Animoto to transform your raw footage into an engaging vlog.
3. Present and record
Presentation is everything. Make your vlog visually appealing, so set up a decent background, show your personal style, and get ready to entertain. Once you're ready to record, engage your audience with your storytelling skills and personality.
4. Edit your video
Once you've recorded your vlog, you'll need to edit it into an engaging format. Chances are that users will find long, uncut videos boring. Get creative and:
- Trim and arrange: Trim unnecessary clips and arrange them logically to tell your story.
- Add enhancements: Incorporate edits, text overlays, and transitions to add a professional touch.
- Music: Animoto allows you to add licensed music tracks and voice-overs to complement your vlog's segments.
- Optimize for Platform: Keep the optimization standards of your chosen sharing platform in mind. For example, use a horizontal aspect ratio for YouTube and a vertical one for TikTok. Animoto makes it easy to adjust your video's aspect ratio with a single click
5. Share your way to success
Once you've recorded and edited your vlog, it’s time to share it. Upload it to YouTube or your favorite video-sharing site. Don't forget to build a strong online presence so that your audience can follow along with you on other platforms.
And finally, track your performance. This way, you can improve as you go.
With these five steps, you'll be a confident vlogger in no time.
How to edit a vlog with Animoto
Trying out new software in an area where you aren't an expert can seem challenging. But if you pick the right tools, you'll conquer that challenge easily.
Using an easy and fun video editor like Animoto will let you enjoy the editing process. And who knows, editing may even become your favorite part of vlogging. Ready to learn how to edit a vlog with Animoto?
Pick a template
Animoto has an extensive template library so it’s easy to get started. You can pick a template based on your vlog's content, your vlogging style, or you can start from scratch if you're feeling brave. Planning to make travel vlogs? Check out our top vlogging templates below.
Drag and drop
Upload all your content into the Animoto online video editor with a simple drag and drop motion. Upload any audio, video, or photos you plan to use. If you need stock content, search through our built-in library of millions of high quality photos, video clips, and graphics from Getty Images.
Customize and optimize
Now for the fun part. Customize your vlog with all of Animoto's editing options. Use video and text styles to add professional effects to your background, text, and transitions. Professional users can use up to eight songs from our Licensed Music Library that complement each segment your vlog. Make sure you optimize your video and format it to suit YouTube, Facebook, or the specific platform where you intend to share your videos.
Export, download, and upload
Once your editing is complete, export and share it with your followers. You can click on the share icon to share your video directly to your social media accounts.
6 vlogging tips for beginners
It's worth noting that you shouldn't be too concerned about creating a vlog with high production value.
Google found that YouTube viewers are 1.6 times more likely to choose a video based on their interests rather than a video's production quality.
With that in mind, we have 6 tips prepared to help make your vlog a masterpiece.
- Define your niche: Figure out the content of your vlogs and stick to it. By mastering one specific topic, you can become your viewers' preferred source for all things fashion, or fitness, or marketing… or whatever you choose.
- Deliver value: Make sure your videos give your viewers something to talk about! Whether you provide helpful tips, great stories, recommendations, or just pure entertainment, make your vlog valuable.
- Understand and address your target audience: As we mentioned, you want to cater to your audience's interest. Ask your viewers for feedback on your videos and what content they want to see next. Once you understand their interests, address them in your vlogs.
- Make quality videos: You don't need to create professional vlogs, but make sure your video is watchable. Good video resolution and sound quality is essential. Appealing presentation is important too. And most of all, make your vlogs entertaining.
- Be unique: The internet is full of video content. You need to make sure your vlogs stand out if you want to succeed. Be yourself and be creative! Offer viewers something they've never seen before, or remix something they have.
- Be consistent: If you want to create a solid online presence and a successful vlog channel, you'll need to show up consistently. Consider uploading videos one day every week, as other vloggers often do. With Animoto, you can duplicate and edit existing videos to speed up the video editing process.
How to make money vlogging
Even if you intend to post vlogs for fun, making some money from your vlog channel can be an added bonus.
The number of YouTube channels earning six figures or more increases by 40% every year.
There are a few ways to turn your vlogs into a source of income, but they come with viewers. Once you have a dedicated audience, people will want to pay you to access your audience.
So, you'll need to start with great content. Then, make sure your vlogs are discoverable with good marketing and SEO optimization. Once you have those down, here's how to make some money vlogging.
- Advertising: If you have a large following, advertisers will want to pay to advertise on your videos to your viewers. Vloggers make money when people see or click on the ad.
- Subscriptions: Depending on which platform you share your vlogs on, you can charge people to subscribe to you and your content. If you become an expert vlogger in your niche, people will be inspired to subscribe to your vlogs.
- Affiliate marketing: Affiliate marketing is when you promote a product for a brand and get paid based on sales from your audience. Affiliate marketing will be your money maker if you plan to create vlogs to review products.
- Sponsored content: Sponsored content is the most lucrative way to make money as a vlogger, but it's reserved for the most popular creators. Once you have a large following, brands will pay you just to mention them or their products in your vlogs.
- Create your own brand: You can create your own business or brand and use your vlogs to promote it. If you have a dedicated audience, they may follow you from your YouTube to your e-commerce site.
5 vlog ideas (and templates!) to inspire you
Are you having trouble getting started? Here are 5 great ideas that you can use to get your vlogging channel started.
Introduce yourself
A great first vlog to create is a video telling your followers all about you. Explain who you are and where you came from, share your likes and dislikes, or share a few interesting facts about yourself. Let your viewers get to know you.
Share a talent
Use your vlog to show off your skills! Your talents make you unique, and being unique online is celebrated! You can also become a known expert on your craft if your vlogs do well.
Give a tour
Give a tour of a space that's important to you. Maybe it's your entire home, a specific room, or even the city you grew up in. Show the internet all the details of your unique space and narrate your video with insider info.
Share your routines
No matter what type of content you produce, you probably have routines within your niche. If you're a beauty vlogger, share a skincare routine. If you're a cooking vlogger, share your Sunday meal prep routine.
Fitness vlogger? Share a workout routine. People watch other people's routines and incorporate them into their lives.
A day in the life
Bring your camera along and film a typical day in your life. Show your favorite spot to get coffee or to go out for dinner with friends. The best part is, every day in the life of a vlogger can be unique!
A vlog example to spark your creativity
Ali Abdaal is a well-known YouTube vlogger with over 2 million subscribers. He has mastered his niche of helping his audience with productivity and financial tips.
In this vlog, he takes us on a tour of his desk. Ali tells a story throughout the video by giving details about his products and sharing the ways he uses his desk space to increase productivity.
This is an excellent example of a great vlog for a few reasons. First, the vlog is engaging and entertaining. It also is unique from other YouTubers' videos but consistent with his other vlogs.
Ali delivers value to his subscribers by showing them how they can set up their deskspace to increase productivity.
Finally, Ali knows his target audience and addresses them and their interests throughout his vlog. After watching his video, you can understand why he has so many subscribers.
It's time to become a vlogger
You don't need expensive gadgets or a video editing education to become the internet's newest vlogger.
Creating great vlogs just takes passion, time, and the right video editor. Start recording your videos and editing your vlog with Animoto!
