I have been on YouTube for a MINUTE, and I have tried almost every method to plan, film, and edit YouTube videos. I want to give you some tips and tricks on how to make YouTube videos in a way that feels easy AND makes your viewers want to watch!

How to Make YouTube Videos | Plan, Film, Edit

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My Journey: Learning How to Make YouTube Videos

It has literally be a JOURNEY. My YouTube process is different depending on my goals and the year.

The biggest question I get from people when they’re just starting out is always about the process behind YouTube videos. If you don’t know what you’re doing, it can feel like it will take over your life!

Back to something I’ve said before…

There are two types of YouTubers.

I have been Type 1 for a long time – and now, I’m moving in to being Type 2.

YouTuber Type 1 is using YouTube as a tool to benefit their business. That type of YouTuber is pumping out content that their ideal client will be searching for and then lead them somewhere off the platform.

YouTuber Type 2, the one I’m moving into, is someone who takes YouTube as their full time job. They are a creator!

The planning, filming, and execution stage for each type of YouTuber is VERY different.

I used to be the type of YouTuber who would plan out my content months and months in advance. I’d sit down and film MONTHS and months worth of content at the same time. This video is being filmed a few days before it’s coming out!

The difference is in the mindset shift between how I used to treat YouTube and how I’m moving into treating YouTube.

Planning Your Content

In the planning phase of your YouTube channel, you NEED to be thinking about content ahead of time. You never want to be deciding what a video is about the day you film.

Regardless of which type of YouTube you fit into, you need to have a plan. Know what type of content is coming next!

Now, the differences.

Type 1 YouTuber Planning Process

If you’re a Type 1 YouTuber who is creating search-driven to bolster your business, you’re going to get burnt out trying to make each video a piece of story-driven art. This is you if you want to catch people on the platform and then send them elsewhere.

As a Type 1 YouTuber, you should be planning out content months in advance and batch filming as much of it as you can.

Type 2 YouTuber Planning Process

If your goal is to actually grow on YouTube itself and make it your full-time job, this if you! You want to put everything you have into creating videos and creating content.

You still need to plan ahead of time, but it likely won’t be months in advance. Additionally, you probably don’t want to be batch filming! The stories are different and the pieces to add to your videos are different. That’s hard to do if you block off seven hours in one day to film multiple videos.

Filming Your Videos

Filming your videos goes by a very similar rule! If you are planning out your videos way in advance, then batch filming them way in advance is easier. Especially if you’re doing sit-down, talking head videos.

But if you’re looking at treating YouTube as a full-time job, then the filming process is going to be much more one at a time. That’s not to say you couldn’t film two or three videos in a day. However, it’s going to be a LOT harder if you’re putting more creativity and effort into your work.

Editing

We HAVE to talk about editing. Editing is something that will be different for every single human being!

If you want to put out YouTube content, then you need to have basic knowledge of a basic editing platform. That way, if you need to turn around a video quickly, you can do it without an editor.

Type 1 vs Type 2 Youtuber

If you are a Type 1 YouTuber and solely using the platform to send people to your business, then I would ABSOLUTELY hire out editing first thing. Find someone who knows the YouTube editing style and call it a day.

If you are a Type 2 YouTuber and focus more on the creative side, I think you should have a bit more control over your editing for a little while. That will allow you to hone in your own editing style AND give you time to find someone you trust to edit the way you do.

There’s a difference in the editing thinking between the types of YouTubers, too. If you’re a Type 1 YouTuber, it’s likely that you think about the editing after the filming. WIth the creative side for Type 2 YouTuber’s, you’ll probably be thinking about the editing as you film. You make decisions about editing and add them into the content creation process as it happens.

The whole point!

If you are YouTuber Type 1, then you need to create good search-worthy content and bust it out as quickly as you can. You shouldn’t worry as much about the storytelling component. If you don’t care about growing on YouTube and are using it mostly as a search-engine, then you should be planning, editing, and cranking it out in the most efficient way possible.

If you are a YouTuber Type 2, then you need to spend a LOT more time in the planning, filming, and editing process yourself. The content on the platform is yours, and it’s what you make it. To really thrive as a creative on the platform, we need the heart behind the content.

What does everybody need? Systems and processes!

EVERY single person who is creating content on YouTube needs a system to help get it done. We’re not robots, and most of us don’t have a team starting out.

I highly recommend ClickUp as a system to plan everything out. It’s what I’ve been using for years now, and I’m able to plan out all of my content, add bullet points, and everything.

If I’m using an editor, I also manage them in ClickUp. 

If you’re not ready for a system as robust as ClickUp, then I would highly recommend Trello. The cost of both is relatively the same, so if you have time to learn ClickUp, I’d go with that one.

If you want to give ClickUp a try, you can get it for free right here!