Last Updated on by Michael Brockbank
One of the things I advise many of my clients to do is create a YouTube channel. It’s a good way to engage more of an audience while giving a platform to store video content. In fact, I’ve seen a variety of clients go on to create impressive channels. Perhaps it’s time I do the same.
After all, I might have some tidbits of information to share with those looking to make a living as a freelance writer. Besides, I want a channel set up so I can teach my mom and dad how to run their own WordPress websites.
If there is one thing I excel at, it’s tutorials.[adrotate banner=”8″]
Why I Haven’t Created a YouTube Channel Yet
So why haven’t I created a YouTube channel for WriterSanctuary yet? Well, I have thousands of excuses, but very few actual reasons.
Normally, I would say it’s because I don’t have time in my day. But in reality, that’s not entirely accurate. In reality, I waste a lot of time during the day…something I am currently working on.
And I am succeeding as each month has been more productive than the last.
Unsure of the Market Value
WriterSanctuary.com really doesn’t get a lot of traffic. And I can chalk some of that up to not having a lot of in-depth content. I’m sure that if I put in as much effort as I do with the health blog, it would be far more successful.
However, the lack of interest is part of what holds me back. Even my brand new gaming blog gets 10 times the traffic of this website – which has been up and running since 2013-ish. Perhaps I’m just not all that helpful.
Eh, I’m sure a lot of it is because I simply cannot compete with the myriad of writing websites that are all over the Internet. When you produce regular content every day, it helps boost search engine results.
And I’m not the most reliable when it comes to WriterSanctuary.
A Bit of a Perfectionist
One thing that stops me from creating a YouTube channel is being such a perfectionist. Everything has to be a certain way or I just won’t do it. And this is true in just about anything in life.
And really, this isn’t something to be proud of. I know lots of people who started YouTube channels with nothing more than a crappy $20 web cam and Microsoft Movie Maker back in the day. Why can’t I?
I tend to put too much into a project. I try to make things far more grandiose than necessary. This is probably because I want to make sure I stand out among the crowd. With so many creators on YouTube, it takes a lot of effort to break into the top positions.
What’s the saying, “Go big or go home?” Unfortunately, I don’t have the finances to “go big” any time in the near future.
See…doing it again. I shouldn’t be thinking about top positions and just focus on helping people.
Adding More to My Plate
One thing I am very worried about is adding too much to my plate. As it stands, I am already behind on finishing my horror novel in Wattpad, developing an RPG game, outlining a Never Winter Nights module, running three blogs all while keeping my daily retainer client happy.
I had one client who had more than 20 website domains. He wanted to do so much with every single one of them, but was unwilling to put in the work or pay someone to do it for him. The end result was 20 websites that went absolutely nowhere.
I don’t want to become that man. I don’t want to worry about 20 things to do in a day that everything suffers because I am overloaded.
But the truth of the matter is, I can still do all of this and be done before 5:30pm. You see, I am exceptionally fast as well as skilled. And I am one of those kind of people who can jump from one task to another very well.
Laziness
Perhaps my biggest downfall is laziness. I come out of the gate strong until about 12:30pm or so…then I started dragging. That’s when I start making excuses like cleaning the kitchen or tending my garden.
The problem is getting started. Once I begin something, I tend to put in the effort until the task is done. I just need that kick-start to get going.
Perhaps getting in some exercise will energize me. After all, I feel like I can take on the world when I work out first thing in the morning. Maybe I just need to get the blood pumping after sitting on my ass all day.[template id=”2087″]
Why I am Setting a YouTube Channel Up Now?
After debating with myself yesterday for quite some time, I decided that perhaps this is a good thing for myself and WriterSanctuary.com. I can start putting together the YouTube channel for the same reason I built this blog.
And because about 85% of people in the United States watch online videos, it might be a good way to drive some marketing.
In a nutshell, it’s the same reasons I give my clients.
To Help Other Writers
I know a lot of people who want to get into freelance writing but don’t know how to go about it. I’ve also seen several people go at it with a certain mindset only to fail. I often think of how I could help those individuals before things go awry.
And since more people would rather watch than read, it only makes sense to take what I’ve learned and put it into a YouTube channel. At least I can accentuate my content here with videos and share it on other social sites.
Even if the YouTube channel doesn’t bring in the bacon, so-to-speak, at least I might be able to help someone get started.
To Help Keep Me Focused
By creating new video content, it’ll go a long way to keep me focused on writing instead of vegging out to Netflix or Hulu after lunch. It may even play a role in helping me maintain this website better than I have.
It’s all about using an audience as a motivator to focus on a particular task. I was using videos to help me lose weight, why not do the same for writing?
As a freelancer, you really don’t have anyone to hold you accountable if you don’t work. Well, unless you’re married – at which point your significant other may start harping on you.
Using an audience as a way to be accountable is beneficial. I mean, I don’t want to look like a fool in front of an audience. Which means I constantly need to bring my “A” game or be labeled a failure.
Market Myself as a Professional
I’ve helped a lot of professionals with online marketing. And yes, a lot of them produced videos and graphic portfolios. It’s a shame I didn’t follow my own advice.
I haven’t done a lot in terms of marketing myself. I probably could be far more successful if I put in as much work for me as I do for clients. However, I didn’t completely ignore my own advice.
If it wasn’t for marketing myself on LinkedIn, I wouldn’t have my current client. A video might help secure more people who are willing to pay down the road…or at least bring in a bit of that YouTube money I keep hearing so much about.
Inspired by One of My Readers
What really lit the fire under me this time was the actions and inspiration of a reader. Chris Desatoff started vlogging recently about his daily experiences and seemed to spark something inside me.
Probably because I see a lot of myself in his videos, especially when I first started writing.
Time to Get Started
So there we have it. Now that we’ve gone over some of the pros and cons, it’s time to start getting creative. In fact, I’ve already started adjusting my schedule so everything flows well.
Let’s cross our fingers and see where this takes us.[template id=”2089″]
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