How to Be a YouTube Vlogger: 8 Rules to Achieve a Successful Vlog

So you've been blogging for a while and want to take things to the next level—and honestly what's more next level than vlogging.

In today's internet generation, vlogging is a lucrative way to make money if you know what you're doing.

The problem is that most people have no clue where to begin and what they'll need to sacrifice in order to become a fantastic vlogger.

For those unfamiliar with the term vlog, it means "video blog", which takes your written thoughts and turns them into speech (on camera).

Vlogging vs. Blogging

The concepts among the two platforms are the same but the execution is very different.

Vlogging is much more personal than blogging and not for everyone, however; in today's YouTube era it wouldn't hurt to give it a try.

Do you want to make money vlogging?

Well then get ready to change your style because today's most successful YouTube vloggers are experts in drawing the young female demographic, ages 12-18, which can be unfortunate for current bloggers.

Overall younger millennials and Gen Z prefers multimedia content over written material, but it's not an automatic death sentence.

You don't have to sacrifice your blog content to appeal to the younger masses. For example if you're a tech blogger, then you can definitely vlog about technology.

What you will have to adjust is the presentation.

How you present your material is the difference between earning a few dollars a month versus hundreds to thousands of dollars every month.

If you were a successful blogger, then what made you successful?

It wasn't unoriginal, spun content found on Wikipedia.

Bloggers who or have earned a living writing did so through marketing their niche. Their topic is unique, informative, and can't be found elsewhere.

Keep that in mind when you make your shift into vlogging.

The other thing you'll need is a personality.

Many professional bloggers cannot be vloggers because they don't have an exciting personality that draw people in. Once you're on camera, you have to bring both the knowledge and the likability.

You could be a genius on your niche, but if you aren't interesting, then the audience won't care.

The vloggers I've viewed on YouTube captivated my attention because they had a lot to talk about, they were genuine, and they had mass appeal.

Not all of us are cut out to vlog because we don't have that "It" factor that famous vloggers have.

But that doesn't mean you should stay away from making videos. There are plenty of other things to do on YouTube than vlog.

The 5 Categories of YouTube

You can make skits, tutorials, DIY projects, release your own newsworthy headlines, and people will listen.

Through different venues, you can have a boring personality and be successful at making videos even if it's not a vlog per se.

The downside is that creating technical videos will be more demanding, it'll take longer to produce, and it could cost money versus vlogging.

You'll need a well organized plan and resources if that's the route you want to take, but don't let the cons stop you from trying if that's what you really want to do.

You can blog for free or could pay few dollars every month to create/receive a domain name on platforms like Blogger or WordPress.

The layouts for those sites are not difficult to follow, and there are guides that'll tell you what to do every step of the way. It might take some take getting used to but even amateurs shouldn't have difficultly setting up a blog.

In the vlogger world, you'll probably need to shell out cash for a decent camera (or two).

You're also going to be doing a lot of video editing that'll take longer than a blog, which may also cost you depending on extent of production.

I'd suggest practicing with free editing software before going premium.

There are other things vloggers pay attention to that bloggers wouldn't have to such as lighting and audio that would serve as a wake-up call for present bloggers.

If none of that scared you away, then the first thing I'd recommend is reading/studying extensive tutorials on video editing and composition.

Trust me it'll make a huge difference.

Top tier vloggers are often regarded as internet celebrities (e-celebs) due to their social media influence.

When you're constantly on video and gain tons of views, then you'll eventually gain notoriety. You might be featured in other people's videos and may even develop your own fan base.

Blogs and vlogs are both personal, but a vlog feels far more intimate when you consider your audience.

If that's what you want, then you'll need to brand/promote yourself (a lot). It's no different than what bloggers do, except they'll need to put in a lot more work.

Oh and don't ever ignore these social media platforms:

• Twitter

• Facebook

• Instagram

• Snapchat

• Pinterest

If you have personal websites then I would include that as well.

Some of those platforms above strongly appeal to a younger audience (Snapchat), and chances are you'll have to familiarize yourself with the platform to connect with that demographic.

Twitter, in particular, is an excellent tool to use once you have gained an audience because you can interact with fans, ask them questions, and use them as guides for upcoming topics in your vlogs.

Your high quality blogs better transition over to quality vlogs.

There are exceptions to this rule, but for the most part, the merit of your blogs and vlogs better be excellent, and please know what you're talking about.

If you're discussing the features of the new iPhone 11 but know nothing about technology, then your audience will immediately point it out.

Stick to what you know, translate your blogs into vlogs, and don't try to be something you're not.

Make sure the quality of the video is excellent, look competent on film, and remain calm yet focused.

If you're transitioning from blogging to vlogging because you think you'll make money faster, then you're insane.

In fact, you'll have to do a lot more work before you benefit from it.

The market for vloggers is becoming a saturated wasteland, and you might be better off blogging instead (slightly less stressful).

The time it'll take to perfect your video editing skills, produce strong content, create a voice, and find your audience will take years (just like blogging).

• In fact the majority of new vloggers give up after a month due to mediocre views, tiring hours, awful feedback, and no rewards.

And unlike bloggers/writers, you won't have the benefit of a writing community giving you positive feedback. If you're vlogging on YouTube, prepare to take a huge hit to your self-esteem.

It's one thing getting negative criticism when you're making a ton of money from vlogging, but it's another if you're making pennies and are receiving that same level of criticism.

I mean sure bloggers get critiqued all the time, but the attacks are generally geared toward your "inadequate" content rather than your personality, appearance, and personal life.

Are you sure you're ready to become a vlogger, and will you be doing it full time?

Consistency matters so you'll have to go all in to become a successful vlogger.

I don't see how you can split the time between blogging and vlogging. My recommendation would be either to focus on one of them or split it 70/30.

For transitioning bloggers this means focusing on video blogs the majority of the time with an occasional write up.

Make sure you're 100 percent ready to make the change because you can't go halfway in and expect to succeed.

You should also love being in front of a camera because it doesn't make sense to film yourself multiple times a week if you hate doing it, and your audience will sense your anxiousness.

Bottom line is if you're not feeling it then don't do it.

You have to be comfortable at all times and put everything into it otherwise stick to what you know/do best, and don't waste time or money if you don't have to.