Day 1 - Just press record!

Where do you start? Pretty simple - actually record a video. It doesn't matter whether or not it ends up on YouTube, you need to find out whether or not you enjoy video making because that is at the heart and soul of every content creator. 

Day 2 - Start a YouTube channel

If you want to be a YouTuber, you actually need to start your channel. You may not be ready to actually upload a video just yet but at least claim your channel name, and verify your account. name. You want to be all set up to go as you work your way through this 30-day course!

Day 3 - Determine why you want to be a YouTuber

What you need to be thinking about right now is how you can help viewers on YouTube. Who is your ideal target audience, why should they watch your content, and how do you intend to deliver your content?

Day 4 - Niche down

Pick one topic then go two inches wide and a mile deep about it. If you're consistently creating content about a subject that your target audience is interested in, that's going to work a lot better than a scattergun approach.

Day 5 - Unlocking YouTube's most important tool

The first thing you need to do when you start your YouTube channel is to verify it. Once that’s done you'll be able to upload custom thumbnails, upload videos longer than 15 minutes, and all sorts of other good stuff. 

Day 6 - What's your value proposition?

Can you tell someone what your channel is about in less than three seconds or less than ten words? This is your value proposition and it's designed to tell your viewer exactly what your channel is about so that they get it in an instant. 

Day 7 - What's your superpower?

There are lots of channels on YouTube doing exactly the same thing so find out how to differentiate yourself from your competitors. 

Day 8 - Why you need to upgrade your audio

When it comes to YouTube videos there is NOTHING more distracting than terrible audio - find out why a tech upgrade is essential.

Day 9 - How to develop a show formula

A really great YouTube video should always have a beginning, middle, and end so it tells a story of some kind. It's called the show formula, and you’ll find out all about that on Day 9.

Day 10 - An introduction to YouTube analytics

There is two analytics you should start to get familiar with as soon as possible - clickthrough rate and Watch Time. The longer somebody watches your content, the longer they spend on YouTube, and YouTube rewards YOU because of that. Understanding these two analytics is the key to success.

Day 11 - How to customize your YouTube channel

Find out how to customize your YouTube channel to make it as appealing as possible to viewers.

Day 12 - Upload the best YouTube channel banner

Your channel banner is your shop front window. It's an opportunity to reinforce your value proposition visually so that visitors instantly know what you're all about. 

Day 13 - The importance of lighting

Like audio, really terrible lighting is going to ruin your video, no matter how great the idea.

Day 14 - Sizing up your competition

YouTube is not a vacuum. You create content along with thousands of other creators, so make sure to keep tabs on what they're up to. 

Day 15 - YouTube Custom Thumbnail basics

Not only do we dedicate a day to this in the vidIQ Academy course, but we’ve actually got an entire course on the basics of thumbnail creation. So definitely check out all of that good stuff. 

Day 16 - The right time to publish

If truth be told nobody is ever ready to publish their first YouTube video. Which is why you should do that now. You have to gain the experience to get the feedback to understand how the YouTube platform works so that you can improve.

Day 17 - How to tighten up your editing

Of course, you as the hero, along with what you record, are going to bring your content to life. But at the same time, the life and energy and soul and the story of a video undoubtedly comes through in the editing too.

Day 18 - YouTube Channel 'About' section

Remember that value proposition we talked about earlier? Well, this is where you can expand on that - in the channel About section. 

Day 19 - Channel mindset

Get into the habit of making videos on a regular basis and review your work regularly. Challenge yourself to get 1% better at lighting or 1% better at thumbnails. 

Day 20 - Reviewing your content

We take a deep-dive into another metric - average view duration. 

Day 21 - How to use vidIQ

At vidIQ, we have an unbelievable number of tools that will help you on your journey. So if you haven't already downloaded the free vidIQ tool do it now!

Day 22 - Basic Keyword research

Keyword research is something you need to learn in order to improve the discoverability of your own videos. 

Day 23 - Create compelling titles

Naturally, keyword research helps you create compelling titles. In combination with a super-powerful thumbnail, a great title will compel the viewer to click and watch the content. 

Day 24 - Creating an identity

Don't suppress your identity because you are the only person on YouTube who can do what you do. Embrace positivity, and the people who love your content, then support them with everything that you do.

Day 25 - YouTube Playlists

All you ever wanted to know about YouTube Playlists but were afraid to ask.

Day 26 - Video descriptions

Video descriptions not only help you promote each individual video, but you can set a default to include all of the links to all of the things about your channel.

Day 27 - Endscreen and Cards

Cards create an interactive element with your audience so they are incredibly useful. Same thing with end screens. Once people come to the end of your video you can point them into more useful stuff on your channel!

Day 28 - Become part of the YouTube community

You do not work in a YouTube vacuum. There are other creators out there in your space and you should consider them less as competitors and more as potential collaborators. If you become a valued member of a community then eventually you could begin creating conversations with all sorts of people and other video creators.

Day 29 - Finding content that works best for you

Even with a sample size of 10 videos, that’s enough to start looking at your content and asking "What works best for me?" It may be something that you never expected or exactly what you thought was going to happen on your channel. The key thing is when you do something successful do more of it. We call it the double down concept.

Day 30 - Reviewing audience watching habits

You're going to need a regular cadence and output level for your channel. Try and establish a consistent routine with your content so that it creates watching habits with your audience.