The Newzoo’s global market games report has estimated the gaming industry to grow by 8.7%, hitting the mark of $218.7 billion in the next three years. Making a career here seems promising if one has enough potential to sustain it.
Starting a gaming YouTube channel can be an exciting venture, but is no cakewalk in the long term, especially when you aim to widen its reach and monetize it later. It comes with a cut-throat competition against several other established YouTubers with an enormous fan base and a good viewer influx.
If you want to achieve good growth and viewer reach, make sure to abide by consistency, optimization and exploration. Before getting started, there are a few key points to note to give your gaming channel a head start towards a systematic beginning.
1. A relevant gaming setup
A well-themed gaming setup helps increase the performance of the gamer. The gaming niche requires appealing facial reactions, elements of humor, and creative commentary to get the audience hooked. The gaming setup directly influences the mood of the video. Teal, purple, pink and blue are usually the gamers’ preferred colors since they go well with the ambience. Ensure high-quality video and audio that complies with the resolution of the game.
A gaming setup should include:
- A webcam
- A High-quality microphone
- A Green screen for a themed background
2. Catchphrase and commentary
Most of the gaming influencers on YouTube have a unique introduction or a catchphrase that associates well with them. It subconsciously fits in the audience’s mind and helps them remember the creator better. This translates into easy personal branding and distinguishes you from other creators. Make sure to come up with a good catchphrase and use it frequently. Along with being a competitive player, having a knack for good speech and humorous commentary always hooks up the audience and keeps them from switching videos out of boredom.
3. Choose the niche wisely.
Pick one video game you are best at and research everything about it. Curate a list of content ideas that haven’t been used before. Diversify your videos into varied areas like playing challenges, cracking challenging levels, trivia about various characters and tools, etc. Longer lifespan games like Minecraft, Fortnite or GTA give you more fields to explore and make content. Shorter lifespan games like Among us are only trending for a while. So if you play them, make sure to make hay while the sun shines.
4. Use a good Gaming video editor
Editing software can help capture high-quality videos. They come with customized features that assist in editing your video with various templates and formatting options. A lot of them even give out expert guidance for high-resolution output. You can pick a good gaming video editor to give your outcome a clean look.
5. Give it an algorithm friendly name
The name of your YouTube channel should be short and easy to pronounce. Optimizing the channel name makes the viewer discover it faster. Conduct keyword research and shortlist the words having higher chances of discovery. The description of your channel should also be search-engine optimized.
6. Compelling Titles and Thumbnails
Choose enticing video titles that drive the viewer to click on your video. The title should be in favor of the algorithm and, at the same time, summarize the video. Your Thumbnails should be attractive enough to contribute to more clicks. One of the ways to have a good thumbnail is eye contact between the person in the thumbnail with that of the viewer. This makes the viewer feel more connected to the creator.
7. Keep up with the community
Updating yourself with new trends and happenings in the gaming industry can give you new ideas for making videos before the trend dies out. Be a part of gaming communities and discord servers to connect with other people in the field. Seek ideas from your peers and bring value to the table by giving out your opinions and feedback. You can even collaborate with other gamers to play challenges and do live streams together.
8. Explore YouTube’s Shorts
YouTube shorts are tempting to binge-watch because of their bite-sized duration and are easier to scroll down to another one. This can get the algorithm in your favor due to the increase in viewership. These YouTube shorts can be a small chunk cut out of your initially posted video, or can even be a new reel. Experiment with YouTube shorts by posting hilarious moments behind the scenes, victory in the game challenges, and much more.
9. Use Analytics
YouTube’s analytics can help you measure your channel performance by giving you a bird’s eye view of your dashboard. Here you can scan and compare the videos with more views and ideas that work better than others. The engagement metrics can help you decide on the next idea that you should work on. This systematic approach enables you to bring in more traffic to your channel and gives the audience the content they prefer.
10. Connect with the audience
Talking to your viewers is one of the most effective ways to know their preferences and make them feel connected to you at the same time. You can do live streams and ask questions to the viewers. Make their replies feel validated and interact with as many people as possible.
11. Consistency is key
The YouTube algorithm works in favor of consistency. Upload a new video at least once a week. Giving out a new video every day doesn’t seem practical, since it only causes burnout. But being frequent in uploading and showing up for your audience helps make better visibility.
This was a mini-guide on how to start your own Gaming YouTube channel. It isn’t as difficult as it seems. All you need to stick with is providing value and churning out creative ideas for the content. Entertaining and educating your viewers is all that matters in the end.