Kickstart Your YouTube Journey with the Best Tools

Kickstart Your YouTube Journey with the Best Tools

Steven Lv12

Kickstart Your YouTube Journey with the Best Tools

YouTube Equipment Starter Guide For Beginners

Sumia Rafique

Feb 19, 2024• Proven solutions

0

If you want to start creating videos and uploading them onto YouTube, you’ll need to have access to some basic equipment. This guide will go over everything you’ll need to be a YouTuber.

Table of Contents YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: CAMERA What To Look For In A Camera As A YouTuberBest Cheap Vlogging CamerasBest Entry-Level and Mid-Range Vlogging Cameras YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LENS The Wide-Angle LensOptical Image Stabilization YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: TRIPOD YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: MICROPHONE YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LIGHT YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: COMPUTER YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: AUDIO Music LibrariesSound Effects

Part 1: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: CAMERA

The best camera for beginners is the one you already have. Most smartphones these days already come equipped with a powerful camera that can record HD videos. If you still want to add a camera to your equipment list as a beginner YouTuber, you should look for a camera with the following eight qualities:

What To Look For In A Camera As A YouTuber

1. Fully articulated screen (flip screen)

2. Good continual auto focus while recording video

3. Good focus priority through face recognition

4. Touch to focus

5. Good low-light performance

6. external mic jack, hot/cold shoe bracket

7. optical image stabilization

8. good battery life

Check out my full list of 10 Things To Look For In A Vlogging Camera to understand the importance of these camera features.

Best Cheap Vlogging Cameras

Below are the best cheap vlogging cameras that you can get for under $500. They all record at least 1080p HD video and all but the Sony Alpha a5100 come with optical image stabilization (if you want OIS with the Sony a5100, you’ll have it get it in the lens).

Camera Release Date Camera Type Flip Screen 4K Price
Yi 4KAction Camera Yi 4K February2017 Action Camera No Yes $169 (MSRP)
NikonCoolpixA900 Nikon A900 February2016 Compact Flip Up Yes $399 (MSRP)
NikonCoolpixB500 Nikon B500 February2016 SLR-like (bridge) Tilting No $250 (MSRP)
PolaroidCube+ Polaroid Cube June2015 Action Camera No No $99 (MSRP)
SonyAlphaa5100 Sony a5100 August2014 Mirrorless Flip Up No $450 (MSRP)
Polaroid Cube Best cheap vlogging camera under $100: Polaroid Cube+ Even before GoPro released their GoPro Session, Polaroid was the first to come out with a 1.4-inch, cube-shaped action camera, small enough to mount on a bike or a helmet. This camera has built-in magnets so that you can attach them to metal surfaces. This action camera is water-resistant, shock-proof, and weather-proof. It can record full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps with its wide-angle lens. You can connect this camera with your phone to preview and take your shots.
Yi 4K Best cheap vlogging camera under $200: Yi 4K At $200, you can record 4K videos with the Yi 4K action camera. Like many other action cameras, this camera is small, durable, and shoots through a wide-angle lens. You won’t be able to take this camera underwater though because it isn’t waterproof. You’ll need to buy the right accessories for that.
Nikon B500 Best cheap vlogging camera under $300: Nikon B500 The Nikon B500 gives you a non-interchangeable zoom lens so that you have more control over how you compose your shots. This camera records full HD 1080p videos at either 30 or 25 fps. You can only set its ISO as high as 3200, so it’s not going to perform the best in low-light conditions. The tilting LCD screen does not have touchscreen and cannot be fully flipped up or flipped to the side, it only tilts. For a camera in its price range, the Nikon B500 offers a lot of features.
Nikon A900 Best cheap vlogging camera under $400: Nikon A900 The Nikon A900 not only comes with a non-interchangeable zoom lens, but it can also record videos in UHD 4K quality. Like the Nikon B500, the A900’s ISO goes only up to 3200, making it a weak performer in poorly lit conditions.
Sony a5100 Best cheap vlogging camera under $500: Sony a5100 Among the cameras listed in our top cheap cameras list, the Sony a5100 is the only one you can interchange lenses with. All Sony E-mount lenses are compatible with this camera. This camera can record up to 1080p videos at 60 fps. Out of all of the above top cheap cameras, this one also auto focuses the best.

Best Entry-Level and Mid-Range Vlogging Cameras

If you have a bigger budget to work with, the following vlogging cameras are great options:

Camera Release Date Camera Type Flip Screen Mic Port Price
CanonEOSM50 Canon M50 February2018 Mirrorless Fully Articulated Yes $-
CanonEOSM100 Canon M100 August2017 Mirrorless Flip Up No $
CanonEOS RebelSL2 Canon SL2 June2017 Compact SLR Fully Articulated Yes $
CanonEOS RebelT7i Canon T7i February2017 Mid-size SLR Fully Articulated Yes $-
CanonEOS80D Canon 80D February2016 Mid-size SLR Fully Articulated Yes $$
Canon M100 Best entry-level mirrorless camera for vlogging: Canon EOS M100 The Canon M100 is a small and powerful camera that can shoot full HD (1080p) videos up to 60 fps. The touchscreen LCD of this camera flips up so that you can see yourself as you vlog in selfie mode.
Canon M50 Best mid-range mirrorless camera for vlogging: Canon EOS M50 The Canon EOS M50 can shoot UHD 4K videos at 23.98 fps. You can also record 120 fps slow-motion videos at 720p. Unlike the M100, which only has a flip up screen, the M50 has a fully articulated screen, so you can use this camera in selfie mode, all while using an on-camera shotgun microphone attached to the camera hot/cold shoe.
Canon T7i Best DSLR camera for daily vlogging: Canon EOS T7i The Canon EOS T7i is a great DSLR camera for daily vlogging. It can record full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps, it can create HDR and time-lapse movies, and it also has a fully articulated screen.
Canon SL2 Best entry-level DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS SL2 The Canon EOS SL2 delivers a lot of power at a low price. This DSLR camera can capture full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps.
Canon 80D Best mid-range DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS 80D The Canon 80D is an exceptional mid-range DSLR vlogging camera with many features. Coming with a 45-point all cross phase detection autofocusing and a dual pixel CMOS AF system, the camera is great at finding the right focus while recording video.

Part 2: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LENS

A lot of compact cameras already come with the lens as a part of the camera body. When it comes to these kinds of cameras, you won’t have to worry about which lens is right for you since the decision has already been made for you!

When you start looking into bigger cameras, though, you’ll have to think about which lens you want to shoot with.

The Wide-Angle Lens

Every YouTuber should have a wide-angle lens. With this kind of lens, you can fit much more of a scene into your camera frame, including your own face when you’re just an arm’s length away from your camera. This is especially important for YouTubers because most YouTubers have to operate their camera on their own, without the assistance of an additional camera person.

Optical Image Stabilization

You should also look for a lens with optical image stabilization if you’re shooting a lot of your YouTube videos handheld.

For more information on camera lenses, check out my Vlogger’s Guide To Camera Lenses .

Part 3: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: TRIPOD

Tripod Tripod If you plan to film yourself talking in front of the same, unchanging background for an extended period of time, it doesn’t make sense to film yourself handheld the entire time. You’ll just end up tiring your arm out and adding distracting shakiness to your footage. A tripod is a great solution to this problem. You can set up your framing once, press record, and leave your camera in its fixed position while you talk with both hands free.
Joby GorillaPod SLR-Zoom Joby GorillaPod With Ballhead When you film yourself handheld, it’s difficult to keep your arm higher up so that your camera shoots down at an ideal angle. You may also notice that a lot of your arm gets into your shot, which you and other viewers might find distracting. Holding your camera up by a GorillaPod, however, can give you the extension you need to get that higher angle shot more easily, all without so much of your arm getting into your shot.

Part 4: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: MICROPHONE

Most vlogging cameras come with a built-in microphone that gets the job done. If you want higher quality audio recordings, though, you should check out the following list of top microphones.

Top Condenser Mics For Music and Singing Top Condenser Mics For Voiceovers-Podcasts, Interviews Top On-Camera Shotgun Mics Top Shotgun Mics Top Low-Profile Lavalier Mics
Audio-Technica AT2035 Rode NT1-A AKG C214 Apogee Mic 96K Blue Yeti Rode NT-USB Blue Snowball Audio-Technica AT2020 Rode Procaster Rode VideoMic Go Shure VP83 Rode VideoMic Pro+ Sennheiser MKE 440 Rode NTG-3 Audio-Technica AT4053B Sennheiser MKH416 Rode SmartLav+ Audio-Technica ATR3350iS Sennheiser ME2

To read more about each of these microphones, check out our post on The 19 Best YouTube Microphones 2018 – Options for Music, Voiceovers, Vlogging, and more!

Part 5: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES

SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES for YouTube Starter

Using your smartphone’s camera to film your YouTube videos is a great idea since it’s light, portable, and most likely always with you. The following six smartphone accessories can help you make better YouTube videos:

  1. Arkon Tripod Mount
  2. FLII Selfie Ring Light
  3. RODE VideoMic Me
  4. Aukey Optic 3-in-1 Smartphone Lens Set
  5. iOgrapher Go for Android and iPhone
  6. Manfrotto TwistGrip System

Read about each one of these items and more in The 9 Best Smartphone Camera Accessories For Vloggers .

Part 6: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LIGHT

Lighting for home living and lighting for filming is very different. If you try to make use of just the lights you have at home, you may find that your footage is too dark, grainy, and orange-tinted.

The solution to this problem is getting additional video lighting equipment with daytime light bulbs.

Daytime Light Bulbs Daytime Light Bulbs Your home is most likely lit with incandescent light bulbs that illuminate orange-tinted light. You can remove those light bulbs and replace them with daytime light bulbs that illuminate more of a white colored light.
On-Camera LED Light On-Camera LED Light If you need more light just in front of the camera and you need this light to be portable, LED lights that attach to your camera’s hot/cold shoe will do the job.
LED Ring Light LED Ring Light If you need more light just in front of the camera, you don’t have a lot of space, and you don’t need this light to be small and portable, an LED ring light is the best piece of equipment for you. You can position your camera inside the circular space of the ring light. This kind of light also gives your eyes the circular shaped highlight that many people like to see.
Softbox Video Light Softbox Video Light If you need more light and have more space, another piece of lighting equipment good for beginners is a softbox video light.
Umbrella Video Light Umbrella Video Light Umbrella video lights are very portable and affordable. The direction of the light from umbrella lights are more difficult to control than the light from softbox video lights.

If you’re looking for recommendations on which piece of lighting equipment to buy, check out my list of the Top 17 Video Lighting Equipment For YouTubers .

Part 7: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: COMPUTER

After you’ve recorded all your footage, you’ll need a computer to edit your video clips together. You can perform basic video editing tasks and upload your video onto YouTube with any computer less than ten years old.

Laptop computers are popular among YouTubers because their portability allows you to work on your videos from anywhere. This way, you can finish and upload your videos more frequently, which is another important part of being a YouTuber.

The following three laptop computers handle video editing very well:

Computers for YouTube Starter

  1. MacBook Pro With Touch Bar
  2. Dell XPS 15
  3. Microsoft Surface Book 2

Read more about these laptop computers for 4K video editing in The Best Laptops for 4K Video Editing .

Part 8: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE

Download Filmora9 Win Version Download Filmora9 Mac Version

FREE VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARES PAID VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARES
OpenShot Video Editor (Windows, Mac, Linux) ShotCut (Windows, Mac, Linux) Hitfilm Express (Windows, Mac) VideoPad Video Editor (Windows) Lightworks (Windows, Mac, Linux) VSDC Video Editor (Windows) Machete Video Editor Lite (Windows) Avidemux (Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD) Read more about each of these softwares in our post about The Best Free Video Editing Software for YouTube . Filmora Video Editor (Windows, Mac) - $40 one year license, $79.99 perpetual license. Free trial Final Cut Pro (Mac) - $299.99, Free trial Vegas Movie Studio (Windows) - $49.99

YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: AUDIO

Music Libraries

Music is an important part of YouTube video creation. Here’s where you can get access to music:

ROYALTY-FREE MUSIC LIBRARIES PAID MUSIC LIBRARIES PAID SUBSCRIPTION MUSIC LIBRARIES
Audionautix Bensound dig.ccMixter Free Music Archive Free Stock Music Incompetech Josh Woodward Moby Gratis Musopen Purple Planet Music TeknoAXE YouTube Audio Library Premium Beat Audio Jungle Audio Network Audio Blocks Epidemic Sound

Sound Effects

Free Sound Effect Sites

  1. Filmstock Sound Effects
  2. Freesound
  3. PacDV
  4. Sound Bible
  5. Sound Gator
  6. Sounds Crate
  7. Zapsplat

author avatar

Sumia Rafique

Sumia Rafique is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Sumia Rafique

Sumia Rafique

Feb 19, 2024• Proven solutions

0

If you want to start creating videos and uploading them onto YouTube, you’ll need to have access to some basic equipment. This guide will go over everything you’ll need to be a YouTuber.

Table of Contents YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: CAMERA What To Look For In A Camera As A YouTuberBest Cheap Vlogging CamerasBest Entry-Level and Mid-Range Vlogging Cameras YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LENS The Wide-Angle LensOptical Image Stabilization YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: TRIPOD YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: MICROPHONE YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LIGHT YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: COMPUTER YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: AUDIO Music LibrariesSound Effects

Part 1: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: CAMERA

The best camera for beginners is the one you already have. Most smartphones these days already come equipped with a powerful camera that can record HD videos. If you still want to add a camera to your equipment list as a beginner YouTuber, you should look for a camera with the following eight qualities:

What To Look For In A Camera As A YouTuber

1. Fully articulated screen (flip screen)

2. Good continual auto focus while recording video

3. Good focus priority through face recognition

4. Touch to focus

5. Good low-light performance

6. external mic jack, hot/cold shoe bracket

7. optical image stabilization

8. good battery life

Check out my full list of 10 Things To Look For In A Vlogging Camera to understand the importance of these camera features.

Best Cheap Vlogging Cameras

Below are the best cheap vlogging cameras that you can get for under $500. They all record at least 1080p HD video and all but the Sony Alpha a5100 come with optical image stabilization (if you want OIS with the Sony a5100, you’ll have it get it in the lens).

Camera Release Date Camera Type Flip Screen 4K Price
Yi 4KAction Camera Yi 4K February2017 Action Camera No Yes $169 (MSRP)
NikonCoolpixA900 Nikon A900 February2016 Compact Flip Up Yes $399 (MSRP)
NikonCoolpixB500 Nikon B500 February2016 SLR-like (bridge) Tilting No $250 (MSRP)
PolaroidCube+ Polaroid Cube June2015 Action Camera No No $99 (MSRP)
SonyAlphaa5100 Sony a5100 August2014 Mirrorless Flip Up No $450 (MSRP)
Polaroid Cube Best cheap vlogging camera under $100: Polaroid Cube+ Even before GoPro released their GoPro Session, Polaroid was the first to come out with a 1.4-inch, cube-shaped action camera, small enough to mount on a bike or a helmet. This camera has built-in magnets so that you can attach them to metal surfaces. This action camera is water-resistant, shock-proof, and weather-proof. It can record full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps with its wide-angle lens. You can connect this camera with your phone to preview and take your shots.
Yi 4K Best cheap vlogging camera under $200: Yi 4K At $200, you can record 4K videos with the Yi 4K action camera. Like many other action cameras, this camera is small, durable, and shoots through a wide-angle lens. You won’t be able to take this camera underwater though because it isn’t waterproof. You’ll need to buy the right accessories for that.
Nikon B500 Best cheap vlogging camera under $300: Nikon B500 The Nikon B500 gives you a non-interchangeable zoom lens so that you have more control over how you compose your shots. This camera records full HD 1080p videos at either 30 or 25 fps. You can only set its ISO as high as 3200, so it’s not going to perform the best in low-light conditions. The tilting LCD screen does not have touchscreen and cannot be fully flipped up or flipped to the side, it only tilts. For a camera in its price range, the Nikon B500 offers a lot of features.
Nikon A900 Best cheap vlogging camera under $400: Nikon A900 The Nikon A900 not only comes with a non-interchangeable zoom lens, but it can also record videos in UHD 4K quality. Like the Nikon B500, the A900’s ISO goes only up to 3200, making it a weak performer in poorly lit conditions.
Sony a5100 Best cheap vlogging camera under $500: Sony a5100 Among the cameras listed in our top cheap cameras list, the Sony a5100 is the only one you can interchange lenses with. All Sony E-mount lenses are compatible with this camera. This camera can record up to 1080p videos at 60 fps. Out of all of the above top cheap cameras, this one also auto focuses the best.

Best Entry-Level and Mid-Range Vlogging Cameras

If you have a bigger budget to work with, the following vlogging cameras are great options:

Camera Release Date Camera Type Flip Screen Mic Port Price
CanonEOSM50 Canon M50 February2018 Mirrorless Fully Articulated Yes $-
CanonEOSM100 Canon M100 August2017 Mirrorless Flip Up No $
CanonEOS RebelSL2 Canon SL2 June2017 Compact SLR Fully Articulated Yes $
CanonEOS RebelT7i Canon T7i February2017 Mid-size SLR Fully Articulated Yes $-
CanonEOS80D Canon 80D February2016 Mid-size SLR Fully Articulated Yes $$
Canon M100 Best entry-level mirrorless camera for vlogging: Canon EOS M100 The Canon M100 is a small and powerful camera that can shoot full HD (1080p) videos up to 60 fps. The touchscreen LCD of this camera flips up so that you can see yourself as you vlog in selfie mode.
Canon M50 Best mid-range mirrorless camera for vlogging: Canon EOS M50 The Canon EOS M50 can shoot UHD 4K videos at 23.98 fps. You can also record 120 fps slow-motion videos at 720p. Unlike the M100, which only has a flip up screen, the M50 has a fully articulated screen, so you can use this camera in selfie mode, all while using an on-camera shotgun microphone attached to the camera hot/cold shoe.
Canon T7i Best DSLR camera for daily vlogging: Canon EOS T7i The Canon EOS T7i is a great DSLR camera for daily vlogging. It can record full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps, it can create HDR and time-lapse movies, and it also has a fully articulated screen.
Canon SL2 Best entry-level DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS SL2 The Canon EOS SL2 delivers a lot of power at a low price. This DSLR camera can capture full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps.
Canon 80D Best mid-range DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS 80D The Canon 80D is an exceptional mid-range DSLR vlogging camera with many features. Coming with a 45-point all cross phase detection autofocusing and a dual pixel CMOS AF system, the camera is great at finding the right focus while recording video.

Part 2: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LENS

A lot of compact cameras already come with the lens as a part of the camera body. When it comes to these kinds of cameras, you won’t have to worry about which lens is right for you since the decision has already been made for you!

When you start looking into bigger cameras, though, you’ll have to think about which lens you want to shoot with.

The Wide-Angle Lens

Every YouTuber should have a wide-angle lens. With this kind of lens, you can fit much more of a scene into your camera frame, including your own face when you’re just an arm’s length away from your camera. This is especially important for YouTubers because most YouTubers have to operate their camera on their own, without the assistance of an additional camera person.

Optical Image Stabilization

You should also look for a lens with optical image stabilization if you’re shooting a lot of your YouTube videos handheld.

For more information on camera lenses, check out my Vlogger’s Guide To Camera Lenses .

Part 3: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: TRIPOD

Tripod Tripod If you plan to film yourself talking in front of the same, unchanging background for an extended period of time, it doesn’t make sense to film yourself handheld the entire time. You’ll just end up tiring your arm out and adding distracting shakiness to your footage. A tripod is a great solution to this problem. You can set up your framing once, press record, and leave your camera in its fixed position while you talk with both hands free.
Joby GorillaPod SLR-Zoom Joby GorillaPod With Ballhead When you film yourself handheld, it’s difficult to keep your arm higher up so that your camera shoots down at an ideal angle. You may also notice that a lot of your arm gets into your shot, which you and other viewers might find distracting. Holding your camera up by a GorillaPod, however, can give you the extension you need to get that higher angle shot more easily, all without so much of your arm getting into your shot.

Part 4: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: MICROPHONE

Most vlogging cameras come with a built-in microphone that gets the job done. If you want higher quality audio recordings, though, you should check out the following list of top microphones.

Top Condenser Mics For Music and Singing Top Condenser Mics For Voiceovers-Podcasts, Interviews Top On-Camera Shotgun Mics Top Shotgun Mics Top Low-Profile Lavalier Mics
Audio-Technica AT2035 Rode NT1-A AKG C214 Apogee Mic 96K Blue Yeti Rode NT-USB Blue Snowball Audio-Technica AT2020 Rode Procaster Rode VideoMic Go Shure VP83 Rode VideoMic Pro+ Sennheiser MKE 440 Rode NTG-3 Audio-Technica AT4053B Sennheiser MKH416 Rode SmartLav+ Audio-Technica ATR3350iS Sennheiser ME2

To read more about each of these microphones, check out our post on The 19 Best YouTube Microphones 2018 – Options for Music, Voiceovers, Vlogging, and more!

Part 5: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES

SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES for YouTube Starter

Using your smartphone’s camera to film your YouTube videos is a great idea since it’s light, portable, and most likely always with you. The following six smartphone accessories can help you make better YouTube videos:

  1. Arkon Tripod Mount
  2. FLII Selfie Ring Light
  3. RODE VideoMic Me
  4. Aukey Optic 3-in-1 Smartphone Lens Set
  5. iOgrapher Go for Android and iPhone
  6. Manfrotto TwistGrip System

Read about each one of these items and more in The 9 Best Smartphone Camera Accessories For Vloggers .

Part 6: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LIGHT

Lighting for home living and lighting for filming is very different. If you try to make use of just the lights you have at home, you may find that your footage is too dark, grainy, and orange-tinted.

The solution to this problem is getting additional video lighting equipment with daytime light bulbs.

Daytime Light Bulbs Daytime Light Bulbs Your home is most likely lit with incandescent light bulbs that illuminate orange-tinted light. You can remove those light bulbs and replace them with daytime light bulbs that illuminate more of a white colored light.
On-Camera LED Light On-Camera LED Light If you need more light just in front of the camera and you need this light to be portable, LED lights that attach to your camera’s hot/cold shoe will do the job.
LED Ring Light LED Ring Light If you need more light just in front of the camera, you don’t have a lot of space, and you don’t need this light to be small and portable, an LED ring light is the best piece of equipment for you. You can position your camera inside the circular space of the ring light. This kind of light also gives your eyes the circular shaped highlight that many people like to see.
Softbox Video Light Softbox Video Light If you need more light and have more space, another piece of lighting equipment good for beginners is a softbox video light.
Umbrella Video Light Umbrella Video Light Umbrella video lights are very portable and affordable. The direction of the light from umbrella lights are more difficult to control than the light from softbox video lights.

If you’re looking for recommendations on which piece of lighting equipment to buy, check out my list of the Top 17 Video Lighting Equipment For YouTubers .

Part 7: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: COMPUTER

After you’ve recorded all your footage, you’ll need a computer to edit your video clips together. You can perform basic video editing tasks and upload your video onto YouTube with any computer less than ten years old.

Laptop computers are popular among YouTubers because their portability allows you to work on your videos from anywhere. This way, you can finish and upload your videos more frequently, which is another important part of being a YouTuber.

The following three laptop computers handle video editing very well:

Computers for YouTube Starter

  1. MacBook Pro With Touch Bar
  2. Dell XPS 15
  3. Microsoft Surface Book 2

Read more about these laptop computers for 4K video editing in The Best Laptops for 4K Video Editing .

Part 8: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE

Download Filmora9 Win Version Download Filmora9 Mac Version

FREE VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARES PAID VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARES
OpenShot Video Editor (Windows, Mac, Linux) ShotCut (Windows, Mac, Linux) Hitfilm Express (Windows, Mac) VideoPad Video Editor (Windows) Lightworks (Windows, Mac, Linux) VSDC Video Editor (Windows) Machete Video Editor Lite (Windows) Avidemux (Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD) Read more about each of these softwares in our post about The Best Free Video Editing Software for YouTube . Filmora Video Editor (Windows, Mac) - $40 one year license, $79.99 perpetual license. Free trial Final Cut Pro (Mac) - $299.99, Free trial Vegas Movie Studio (Windows) - $49.99

YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: AUDIO

Music Libraries

Music is an important part of YouTube video creation. Here’s where you can get access to music:

ROYALTY-FREE MUSIC LIBRARIES PAID MUSIC LIBRARIES PAID SUBSCRIPTION MUSIC LIBRARIES
Audionautix Bensound dig.ccMixter Free Music Archive Free Stock Music Incompetech Josh Woodward Moby Gratis Musopen Purple Planet Music TeknoAXE YouTube Audio Library Premium Beat Audio Jungle Audio Network Audio Blocks Epidemic Sound

Sound Effects

Free Sound Effect Sites

  1. Filmstock Sound Effects
  2. Freesound
  3. PacDV
  4. Sound Bible
  5. Sound Gator
  6. Sounds Crate
  7. Zapsplat

author avatar

Sumia Rafique

Sumia Rafique is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Sumia Rafique

Sumia Rafique

Feb 19, 2024• Proven solutions

0

If you want to start creating videos and uploading them onto YouTube, you’ll need to have access to some basic equipment. This guide will go over everything you’ll need to be a YouTuber.

Table of Contents YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: CAMERA What To Look For In A Camera As A YouTuberBest Cheap Vlogging CamerasBest Entry-Level and Mid-Range Vlogging Cameras YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LENS The Wide-Angle LensOptical Image Stabilization YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: TRIPOD YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: MICROPHONE YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LIGHT YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: COMPUTER YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: AUDIO Music LibrariesSound Effects

Part 1: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: CAMERA

The best camera for beginners is the one you already have. Most smartphones these days already come equipped with a powerful camera that can record HD videos. If you still want to add a camera to your equipment list as a beginner YouTuber, you should look for a camera with the following eight qualities:

What To Look For In A Camera As A YouTuber

1. Fully articulated screen (flip screen)

2. Good continual auto focus while recording video

3. Good focus priority through face recognition

4. Touch to focus

5. Good low-light performance

6. external mic jack, hot/cold shoe bracket

7. optical image stabilization

8. good battery life

Check out my full list of 10 Things To Look For In A Vlogging Camera to understand the importance of these camera features.

Best Cheap Vlogging Cameras

Below are the best cheap vlogging cameras that you can get for under $500. They all record at least 1080p HD video and all but the Sony Alpha a5100 come with optical image stabilization (if you want OIS with the Sony a5100, you’ll have it get it in the lens).

Camera Release Date Camera Type Flip Screen 4K Price
Yi 4KAction Camera Yi 4K February2017 Action Camera No Yes $169 (MSRP)
NikonCoolpixA900 Nikon A900 February2016 Compact Flip Up Yes $399 (MSRP)
NikonCoolpixB500 Nikon B500 February2016 SLR-like (bridge) Tilting No $250 (MSRP)
PolaroidCube+ Polaroid Cube June2015 Action Camera No No $99 (MSRP)
SonyAlphaa5100 Sony a5100 August2014 Mirrorless Flip Up No $450 (MSRP)
Polaroid Cube Best cheap vlogging camera under $100: Polaroid Cube+ Even before GoPro released their GoPro Session, Polaroid was the first to come out with a 1.4-inch, cube-shaped action camera, small enough to mount on a bike or a helmet. This camera has built-in magnets so that you can attach them to metal surfaces. This action camera is water-resistant, shock-proof, and weather-proof. It can record full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps with its wide-angle lens. You can connect this camera with your phone to preview and take your shots.
Yi 4K Best cheap vlogging camera under $200: Yi 4K At $200, you can record 4K videos with the Yi 4K action camera. Like many other action cameras, this camera is small, durable, and shoots through a wide-angle lens. You won’t be able to take this camera underwater though because it isn’t waterproof. You’ll need to buy the right accessories for that.
Nikon B500 Best cheap vlogging camera under $300: Nikon B500 The Nikon B500 gives you a non-interchangeable zoom lens so that you have more control over how you compose your shots. This camera records full HD 1080p videos at either 30 or 25 fps. You can only set its ISO as high as 3200, so it’s not going to perform the best in low-light conditions. The tilting LCD screen does not have touchscreen and cannot be fully flipped up or flipped to the side, it only tilts. For a camera in its price range, the Nikon B500 offers a lot of features.
Nikon A900 Best cheap vlogging camera under $400: Nikon A900 The Nikon A900 not only comes with a non-interchangeable zoom lens, but it can also record videos in UHD 4K quality. Like the Nikon B500, the A900’s ISO goes only up to 3200, making it a weak performer in poorly lit conditions.
Sony a5100 Best cheap vlogging camera under $500: Sony a5100 Among the cameras listed in our top cheap cameras list, the Sony a5100 is the only one you can interchange lenses with. All Sony E-mount lenses are compatible with this camera. This camera can record up to 1080p videos at 60 fps. Out of all of the above top cheap cameras, this one also auto focuses the best.

Best Entry-Level and Mid-Range Vlogging Cameras

If you have a bigger budget to work with, the following vlogging cameras are great options:

Camera Release Date Camera Type Flip Screen Mic Port Price
CanonEOSM50 Canon M50 February2018 Mirrorless Fully Articulated Yes $-
CanonEOSM100 Canon M100 August2017 Mirrorless Flip Up No $
CanonEOS RebelSL2 Canon SL2 June2017 Compact SLR Fully Articulated Yes $
CanonEOS RebelT7i Canon T7i February2017 Mid-size SLR Fully Articulated Yes $-
CanonEOS80D Canon 80D February2016 Mid-size SLR Fully Articulated Yes $$
Canon M100 Best entry-level mirrorless camera for vlogging: Canon EOS M100 The Canon M100 is a small and powerful camera that can shoot full HD (1080p) videos up to 60 fps. The touchscreen LCD of this camera flips up so that you can see yourself as you vlog in selfie mode.
Canon M50 Best mid-range mirrorless camera for vlogging: Canon EOS M50 The Canon EOS M50 can shoot UHD 4K videos at 23.98 fps. You can also record 120 fps slow-motion videos at 720p. Unlike the M100, which only has a flip up screen, the M50 has a fully articulated screen, so you can use this camera in selfie mode, all while using an on-camera shotgun microphone attached to the camera hot/cold shoe.
Canon T7i Best DSLR camera for daily vlogging: Canon EOS T7i The Canon EOS T7i is a great DSLR camera for daily vlogging. It can record full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps, it can create HDR and time-lapse movies, and it also has a fully articulated screen.
Canon SL2 Best entry-level DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS SL2 The Canon EOS SL2 delivers a lot of power at a low price. This DSLR camera can capture full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps.
Canon 80D Best mid-range DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS 80D The Canon 80D is an exceptional mid-range DSLR vlogging camera with many features. Coming with a 45-point all cross phase detection autofocusing and a dual pixel CMOS AF system, the camera is great at finding the right focus while recording video.

Part 2: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LENS

A lot of compact cameras already come with the lens as a part of the camera body. When it comes to these kinds of cameras, you won’t have to worry about which lens is right for you since the decision has already been made for you!

When you start looking into bigger cameras, though, you’ll have to think about which lens you want to shoot with.

The Wide-Angle Lens

Every YouTuber should have a wide-angle lens. With this kind of lens, you can fit much more of a scene into your camera frame, including your own face when you’re just an arm’s length away from your camera. This is especially important for YouTubers because most YouTubers have to operate their camera on their own, without the assistance of an additional camera person.

Optical Image Stabilization

You should also look for a lens with optical image stabilization if you’re shooting a lot of your YouTube videos handheld.

For more information on camera lenses, check out my Vlogger’s Guide To Camera Lenses .

Part 3: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: TRIPOD

Tripod Tripod If you plan to film yourself talking in front of the same, unchanging background for an extended period of time, it doesn’t make sense to film yourself handheld the entire time. You’ll just end up tiring your arm out and adding distracting shakiness to your footage. A tripod is a great solution to this problem. You can set up your framing once, press record, and leave your camera in its fixed position while you talk with both hands free.
Joby GorillaPod SLR-Zoom Joby GorillaPod With Ballhead When you film yourself handheld, it’s difficult to keep your arm higher up so that your camera shoots down at an ideal angle. You may also notice that a lot of your arm gets into your shot, which you and other viewers might find distracting. Holding your camera up by a GorillaPod, however, can give you the extension you need to get that higher angle shot more easily, all without so much of your arm getting into your shot.

Part 4: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: MICROPHONE

Most vlogging cameras come with a built-in microphone that gets the job done. If you want higher quality audio recordings, though, you should check out the following list of top microphones.

Top Condenser Mics For Music and Singing Top Condenser Mics For Voiceovers-Podcasts, Interviews Top On-Camera Shotgun Mics Top Shotgun Mics Top Low-Profile Lavalier Mics
Audio-Technica AT2035 Rode NT1-A AKG C214 Apogee Mic 96K Blue Yeti Rode NT-USB Blue Snowball Audio-Technica AT2020 Rode Procaster Rode VideoMic Go Shure VP83 Rode VideoMic Pro+ Sennheiser MKE 440 Rode NTG-3 Audio-Technica AT4053B Sennheiser MKH416 Rode SmartLav+ Audio-Technica ATR3350iS Sennheiser ME2

To read more about each of these microphones, check out our post on The 19 Best YouTube Microphones 2018 – Options for Music, Voiceovers, Vlogging, and more!

Part 5: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES

SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES for YouTube Starter

Using your smartphone’s camera to film your YouTube videos is a great idea since it’s light, portable, and most likely always with you. The following six smartphone accessories can help you make better YouTube videos:

  1. Arkon Tripod Mount
  2. FLII Selfie Ring Light
  3. RODE VideoMic Me
  4. Aukey Optic 3-in-1 Smartphone Lens Set
  5. iOgrapher Go for Android and iPhone
  6. Manfrotto TwistGrip System

Read about each one of these items and more in The 9 Best Smartphone Camera Accessories For Vloggers .

Part 6: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LIGHT

Lighting for home living and lighting for filming is very different. If you try to make use of just the lights you have at home, you may find that your footage is too dark, grainy, and orange-tinted.

The solution to this problem is getting additional video lighting equipment with daytime light bulbs.

Daytime Light Bulbs Daytime Light Bulbs Your home is most likely lit with incandescent light bulbs that illuminate orange-tinted light. You can remove those light bulbs and replace them with daytime light bulbs that illuminate more of a white colored light.
On-Camera LED Light On-Camera LED Light If you need more light just in front of the camera and you need this light to be portable, LED lights that attach to your camera’s hot/cold shoe will do the job.
LED Ring Light LED Ring Light If you need more light just in front of the camera, you don’t have a lot of space, and you don’t need this light to be small and portable, an LED ring light is the best piece of equipment for you. You can position your camera inside the circular space of the ring light. This kind of light also gives your eyes the circular shaped highlight that many people like to see.
Softbox Video Light Softbox Video Light If you need more light and have more space, another piece of lighting equipment good for beginners is a softbox video light.
Umbrella Video Light Umbrella Video Light Umbrella video lights are very portable and affordable. The direction of the light from umbrella lights are more difficult to control than the light from softbox video lights.

If you’re looking for recommendations on which piece of lighting equipment to buy, check out my list of the Top 17 Video Lighting Equipment For YouTubers .

Part 7: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: COMPUTER

After you’ve recorded all your footage, you’ll need a computer to edit your video clips together. You can perform basic video editing tasks and upload your video onto YouTube with any computer less than ten years old.

Laptop computers are popular among YouTubers because their portability allows you to work on your videos from anywhere. This way, you can finish and upload your videos more frequently, which is another important part of being a YouTuber.

The following three laptop computers handle video editing very well:

Computers for YouTube Starter

  1. MacBook Pro With Touch Bar
  2. Dell XPS 15
  3. Microsoft Surface Book 2

Read more about these laptop computers for 4K video editing in The Best Laptops for 4K Video Editing .

Part 8: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE

Download Filmora9 Win Version Download Filmora9 Mac Version

FREE VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARES PAID VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARES
OpenShot Video Editor (Windows, Mac, Linux) ShotCut (Windows, Mac, Linux) Hitfilm Express (Windows, Mac) VideoPad Video Editor (Windows) Lightworks (Windows, Mac, Linux) VSDC Video Editor (Windows) Machete Video Editor Lite (Windows) Avidemux (Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD) Read more about each of these softwares in our post about The Best Free Video Editing Software for YouTube . Filmora Video Editor (Windows, Mac) - $40 one year license, $79.99 perpetual license. Free trial Final Cut Pro (Mac) - $299.99, Free trial Vegas Movie Studio (Windows) - $49.99

YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: AUDIO

Music Libraries

Music is an important part of YouTube video creation. Here’s where you can get access to music:

ROYALTY-FREE MUSIC LIBRARIES PAID MUSIC LIBRARIES PAID SUBSCRIPTION MUSIC LIBRARIES
Audionautix Bensound dig.ccMixter Free Music Archive Free Stock Music Incompetech Josh Woodward Moby Gratis Musopen Purple Planet Music TeknoAXE YouTube Audio Library Premium Beat Audio Jungle Audio Network Audio Blocks Epidemic Sound

Sound Effects

Free Sound Effect Sites

  1. Filmstock Sound Effects
  2. Freesound
  3. PacDV
  4. Sound Bible
  5. Sound Gator
  6. Sounds Crate
  7. Zapsplat

author avatar

Sumia Rafique

Sumia Rafique is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Sumia Rafique

Sumia Rafique

Feb 19, 2024• Proven solutions

0

If you want to start creating videos and uploading them onto YouTube, you’ll need to have access to some basic equipment. This guide will go over everything you’ll need to be a YouTuber.

Table of Contents YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: CAMERA What To Look For In A Camera As A YouTuberBest Cheap Vlogging CamerasBest Entry-Level and Mid-Range Vlogging Cameras YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LENS The Wide-Angle LensOptical Image Stabilization YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: TRIPOD YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: MICROPHONE YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LIGHT YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: COMPUTER YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: AUDIO Music LibrariesSound Effects

Part 1: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: CAMERA

The best camera for beginners is the one you already have. Most smartphones these days already come equipped with a powerful camera that can record HD videos. If you still want to add a camera to your equipment list as a beginner YouTuber, you should look for a camera with the following eight qualities:

What To Look For In A Camera As A YouTuber

1. Fully articulated screen (flip screen)

2. Good continual auto focus while recording video

3. Good focus priority through face recognition

4. Touch to focus

5. Good low-light performance

6. external mic jack, hot/cold shoe bracket

7. optical image stabilization

8. good battery life

Check out my full list of 10 Things To Look For In A Vlogging Camera to understand the importance of these camera features.

Best Cheap Vlogging Cameras

Below are the best cheap vlogging cameras that you can get for under $500. They all record at least 1080p HD video and all but the Sony Alpha a5100 come with optical image stabilization (if you want OIS with the Sony a5100, you’ll have it get it in the lens).

Camera Release Date Camera Type Flip Screen 4K Price
Yi 4KAction Camera Yi 4K February2017 Action Camera No Yes $169 (MSRP)
NikonCoolpixA900 Nikon A900 February2016 Compact Flip Up Yes $399 (MSRP)
NikonCoolpixB500 Nikon B500 February2016 SLR-like (bridge) Tilting No $250 (MSRP)
PolaroidCube+ Polaroid Cube June2015 Action Camera No No $99 (MSRP)
SonyAlphaa5100 Sony a5100 August2014 Mirrorless Flip Up No $450 (MSRP)
Polaroid Cube Best cheap vlogging camera under $100: Polaroid Cube+ Even before GoPro released their GoPro Session, Polaroid was the first to come out with a 1.4-inch, cube-shaped action camera, small enough to mount on a bike or a helmet. This camera has built-in magnets so that you can attach them to metal surfaces. This action camera is water-resistant, shock-proof, and weather-proof. It can record full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps with its wide-angle lens. You can connect this camera with your phone to preview and take your shots.
Yi 4K Best cheap vlogging camera under $200: Yi 4K At $200, you can record 4K videos with the Yi 4K action camera. Like many other action cameras, this camera is small, durable, and shoots through a wide-angle lens. You won’t be able to take this camera underwater though because it isn’t waterproof. You’ll need to buy the right accessories for that.
Nikon B500 Best cheap vlogging camera under $300: Nikon B500 The Nikon B500 gives you a non-interchangeable zoom lens so that you have more control over how you compose your shots. This camera records full HD 1080p videos at either 30 or 25 fps. You can only set its ISO as high as 3200, so it’s not going to perform the best in low-light conditions. The tilting LCD screen does not have touchscreen and cannot be fully flipped up or flipped to the side, it only tilts. For a camera in its price range, the Nikon B500 offers a lot of features.
Nikon A900 Best cheap vlogging camera under $400: Nikon A900 The Nikon A900 not only comes with a non-interchangeable zoom lens, but it can also record videos in UHD 4K quality. Like the Nikon B500, the A900’s ISO goes only up to 3200, making it a weak performer in poorly lit conditions.
Sony a5100 Best cheap vlogging camera under $500: Sony a5100 Among the cameras listed in our top cheap cameras list, the Sony a5100 is the only one you can interchange lenses with. All Sony E-mount lenses are compatible with this camera. This camera can record up to 1080p videos at 60 fps. Out of all of the above top cheap cameras, this one also auto focuses the best.

Best Entry-Level and Mid-Range Vlogging Cameras

If you have a bigger budget to work with, the following vlogging cameras are great options:

Camera Release Date Camera Type Flip Screen Mic Port Price
CanonEOSM50 Canon M50 February2018 Mirrorless Fully Articulated Yes $-
CanonEOSM100 Canon M100 August2017 Mirrorless Flip Up No $
CanonEOS RebelSL2 Canon SL2 June2017 Compact SLR Fully Articulated Yes $
CanonEOS RebelT7i Canon T7i February2017 Mid-size SLR Fully Articulated Yes $-
CanonEOS80D Canon 80D February2016 Mid-size SLR Fully Articulated Yes $$
Canon M100 Best entry-level mirrorless camera for vlogging: Canon EOS M100 The Canon M100 is a small and powerful camera that can shoot full HD (1080p) videos up to 60 fps. The touchscreen LCD of this camera flips up so that you can see yourself as you vlog in selfie mode.
Canon M50 Best mid-range mirrorless camera for vlogging: Canon EOS M50 The Canon EOS M50 can shoot UHD 4K videos at 23.98 fps. You can also record 120 fps slow-motion videos at 720p. Unlike the M100, which only has a flip up screen, the M50 has a fully articulated screen, so you can use this camera in selfie mode, all while using an on-camera shotgun microphone attached to the camera hot/cold shoe.
Canon T7i Best DSLR camera for daily vlogging: Canon EOS T7i The Canon EOS T7i is a great DSLR camera for daily vlogging. It can record full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps, it can create HDR and time-lapse movies, and it also has a fully articulated screen.
Canon SL2 Best entry-level DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS SL2 The Canon EOS SL2 delivers a lot of power at a low price. This DSLR camera can capture full HD 1080p videos at 60 fps.
Canon 80D Best mid-range DSLR camera for vlogging: Canon EOS 80D The Canon 80D is an exceptional mid-range DSLR vlogging camera with many features. Coming with a 45-point all cross phase detection autofocusing and a dual pixel CMOS AF system, the camera is great at finding the right focus while recording video.

Part 2: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LENS

A lot of compact cameras already come with the lens as a part of the camera body. When it comes to these kinds of cameras, you won’t have to worry about which lens is right for you since the decision has already been made for you!

When you start looking into bigger cameras, though, you’ll have to think about which lens you want to shoot with.

The Wide-Angle Lens

Every YouTuber should have a wide-angle lens. With this kind of lens, you can fit much more of a scene into your camera frame, including your own face when you’re just an arm’s length away from your camera. This is especially important for YouTubers because most YouTubers have to operate their camera on their own, without the assistance of an additional camera person.

Optical Image Stabilization

You should also look for a lens with optical image stabilization if you’re shooting a lot of your YouTube videos handheld.

For more information on camera lenses, check out my Vlogger’s Guide To Camera Lenses .

Part 3: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: TRIPOD

Tripod Tripod If you plan to film yourself talking in front of the same, unchanging background for an extended period of time, it doesn’t make sense to film yourself handheld the entire time. You’ll just end up tiring your arm out and adding distracting shakiness to your footage. A tripod is a great solution to this problem. You can set up your framing once, press record, and leave your camera in its fixed position while you talk with both hands free.
Joby GorillaPod SLR-Zoom Joby GorillaPod With Ballhead When you film yourself handheld, it’s difficult to keep your arm higher up so that your camera shoots down at an ideal angle. You may also notice that a lot of your arm gets into your shot, which you and other viewers might find distracting. Holding your camera up by a GorillaPod, however, can give you the extension you need to get that higher angle shot more easily, all without so much of your arm getting into your shot.

Part 4: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: MICROPHONE

Most vlogging cameras come with a built-in microphone that gets the job done. If you want higher quality audio recordings, though, you should check out the following list of top microphones.

Top Condenser Mics For Music and Singing Top Condenser Mics For Voiceovers-Podcasts, Interviews Top On-Camera Shotgun Mics Top Shotgun Mics Top Low-Profile Lavalier Mics
Audio-Technica AT2035 Rode NT1-A AKG C214 Apogee Mic 96K Blue Yeti Rode NT-USB Blue Snowball Audio-Technica AT2020 Rode Procaster Rode VideoMic Go Shure VP83 Rode VideoMic Pro+ Sennheiser MKE 440 Rode NTG-3 Audio-Technica AT4053B Sennheiser MKH416 Rode SmartLav+ Audio-Technica ATR3350iS Sennheiser ME2

To read more about each of these microphones, check out our post on The 19 Best YouTube Microphones 2018 – Options for Music, Voiceovers, Vlogging, and more!

Part 5: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES

SMARTPHONE ACCESSORIES for YouTube Starter

Using your smartphone’s camera to film your YouTube videos is a great idea since it’s light, portable, and most likely always with you. The following six smartphone accessories can help you make better YouTube videos:

  1. Arkon Tripod Mount
  2. FLII Selfie Ring Light
  3. RODE VideoMic Me
  4. Aukey Optic 3-in-1 Smartphone Lens Set
  5. iOgrapher Go for Android and iPhone
  6. Manfrotto TwistGrip System

Read about each one of these items and more in The 9 Best Smartphone Camera Accessories For Vloggers .

Part 6: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: LIGHT

Lighting for home living and lighting for filming is very different. If you try to make use of just the lights you have at home, you may find that your footage is too dark, grainy, and orange-tinted.

The solution to this problem is getting additional video lighting equipment with daytime light bulbs.

Daytime Light Bulbs Daytime Light Bulbs Your home is most likely lit with incandescent light bulbs that illuminate orange-tinted light. You can remove those light bulbs and replace them with daytime light bulbs that illuminate more of a white colored light.
On-Camera LED Light On-Camera LED Light If you need more light just in front of the camera and you need this light to be portable, LED lights that attach to your camera’s hot/cold shoe will do the job.
LED Ring Light LED Ring Light If you need more light just in front of the camera, you don’t have a lot of space, and you don’t need this light to be small and portable, an LED ring light is the best piece of equipment for you. You can position your camera inside the circular space of the ring light. This kind of light also gives your eyes the circular shaped highlight that many people like to see.
Softbox Video Light Softbox Video Light If you need more light and have more space, another piece of lighting equipment good for beginners is a softbox video light.
Umbrella Video Light Umbrella Video Light Umbrella video lights are very portable and affordable. The direction of the light from umbrella lights are more difficult to control than the light from softbox video lights.

If you’re looking for recommendations on which piece of lighting equipment to buy, check out my list of the Top 17 Video Lighting Equipment For YouTubers .

Part 7: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: COMPUTER

After you’ve recorded all your footage, you’ll need a computer to edit your video clips together. You can perform basic video editing tasks and upload your video onto YouTube with any computer less than ten years old.

Laptop computers are popular among YouTubers because their portability allows you to work on your videos from anywhere. This way, you can finish and upload your videos more frequently, which is another important part of being a YouTuber.

The following three laptop computers handle video editing very well:

Computers for YouTube Starter

  1. MacBook Pro With Touch Bar
  2. Dell XPS 15
  3. Microsoft Surface Book 2

Read more about these laptop computers for 4K video editing in The Best Laptops for 4K Video Editing .

Part 8: YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARE

Download Filmora9 Win Version Download Filmora9 Mac Version

FREE VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARES PAID VIDEO EDITING SOFTWARES
OpenShot Video Editor (Windows, Mac, Linux) ShotCut (Windows, Mac, Linux) Hitfilm Express (Windows, Mac) VideoPad Video Editor (Windows) Lightworks (Windows, Mac, Linux) VSDC Video Editor (Windows) Machete Video Editor Lite (Windows) Avidemux (Windows, Mac, Linux, BSD) Read more about each of these softwares in our post about The Best Free Video Editing Software for YouTube . Filmora Video Editor (Windows, Mac) - $40 one year license, $79.99 perpetual license. Free trial Final Cut Pro (Mac) - $299.99, Free trial Vegas Movie Studio (Windows) - $49.99

YOUTUBE EQUIPMENT: AUDIO

Music Libraries

Music is an important part of YouTube video creation. Here’s where you can get access to music:

ROYALTY-FREE MUSIC LIBRARIES PAID MUSIC LIBRARIES PAID SUBSCRIPTION MUSIC LIBRARIES
Audionautix Bensound dig.ccMixter Free Music Archive Free Stock Music Incompetech Josh Woodward Moby Gratis Musopen Purple Planet Music TeknoAXE YouTube Audio Library Premium Beat Audio Jungle Audio Network Audio Blocks Epidemic Sound

Sound Effects

Free Sound Effect Sites

  1. Filmstock Sound Effects
  2. Freesound
  3. PacDV
  4. Sound Bible
  5. Sound Gator
  6. Sounds Crate
  7. Zapsplat

author avatar

Sumia Rafique

Sumia Rafique is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Sumia Rafique

Tailored Tunes: Creating Custom Youtube Playlists

How to Create a Playlist on YouTube

author avatar

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Want to watch the missed-out episodes of your favorite serial? As well know it irritates to find out every single episode on order? But why to worry when YouTube has a separate playlist on your famous tv-series. Want to watch new trending music of 2020? YouTube has a playlist for it. Missing comedy videos from the favorite show on TV? YouTube has a playlist on it. Need to know different ideas about marketing on improving your brand? Yes, you got my point. There is a playlist on YouTube for that as well.

Create Playlist on YouTube

Although it isn’t the latest one on the Internet, it is still the unbeatable application that brings everything in a single screen from trending tunes, entertaining videos, industry backgrounds, and the latest news to your notice that happens every second. Especially if you are an individual with a marketing background or a brand developer, YouTube playlists can do a lot from its side? Need to know what are its benefits and how to create a playlist on YouTube? You are in the right spot.

What is a YouTube Playlist?

Irritated from surfing over the Internet for videos related to your concept or topic you are searching for? Else are you a party-hard person who needs continuously playing of fantastic music to keeping the fun going? YouTube playlists are the better option: a collection of videos that keep playing in order, sequentially, and play one after another automatically unless you change it manually.

What is YouTube Playlist

It is closely related to the music playlists like the ones we find in Spotify and Apple music. Different playlists on YouTube are available in all genres, like entertainment, fun, relaxation, thrilling, and educational niches. Do you have a monotonous routine at the office? Let’s play something crazy and fun-filled like the comedy series or bloopers? Need some workout ideas? Check out the compilation of different custom fitness workouts as a playlist on YouTube. Whatever you want, you can find everything in YouTube playlists.

It is a fantastic app that can do wonders that one could think. Besides being used for the fun-filled purposes, they are content curation tools that can be used by marketers as a platform to attract customers and engage with them with various product videos under a single roof called playlists.

If you are a tricky person who has a changing mindset and different mood-offs, you can create your playlists that combine all your favorite videos from varied niches.

Difference between a Channel and a Playlist on YouTube

There are times where one gets confused with the YouTube channels and playlists. While some say they are similar, the fact is both are different. A person with a specific name creates a channel, and it is the place where the person posts all the videos or uploads them for his/her subscribers to get likes and more audience.

What is YouTube Channel

But YouTube playlists are auto-generated contents that consist of videos from different channels but with the same content concept. For example, a PewDiePie channel will have his uploaded videos. Still, PewDiePie playlists will have all his videos and the ones similar to his stream but off the channel. Likewise, self-created playlists will have videos that you have saved to see them later or often.

YouTube Playlist vs. YouTube Channel

What are the benefits of a playlist on YouTube?

There are various YouTube and video creators who have undervalued playlists’ importance, and hence the hidden benefits are often off-screen. So, we have listed the top 5 reasons why YouTube playlists are essential and how a YouTuber can benefit from playlists.

1. YouTube playlists help you organize videos in order

YouTube these days appears scattered with numerous information where some are important at the critical instances of time. You also have some playlists that are the effective ones grouped based on a common theme. Suppose your company focuses on selling musical equipment. In that case, you can make separate playlists for a guitar or pianos so that viewers can come across different equipment styles, available variants allowing them to navigate through various parts in your channel. Alongside this, you can tell your viewers what the YouTube channel or the organization is all about at first glance as the first impression is the best expression!

2. Increase the rank of your video

If your video gets added to a playlist, there are high chances for it to be in the YouTube watchlist even it is less popular but related to the ones that the audience prefers. In turn, this act raises your video’s rank as the “total watch time” is a vital factor that drives your video to the highly ranked video list.

3. Playlists account to discoverability and improve visibility on search engines

Apart from being enlisted as single videos, individual videos indexed in playlists get opportunities to appear on the search engines based on the keywords. Playlists are bread slices packed with jam as keywords providing likelihood to emerge on multiple times. But to catch the gain of this method, one has to enrich the video with an outstanding keyword, titles, or description and optimize the video with remarkable SEO techniques.

4. Get more views

When your video comes under a theme and is categorized, the YouTube algorithm places it over with the other related to each other. The next time, your video will appear on the right sidebar below the “related videos.” As the video plays automatically, one after the other, the number of views increases. “Amazing playlists can make viewers watch it longer!”

5. Playlists are best for video SEO

Such playlists can boost and help one to reach your YouTube channel. Especially when it comes to educators or artists, they provide value and save time. Playlists get ranked for keywords that help your audience in reaching you on YouTube.

How to Make a YouTube Playlist?

Surprised to know that a simple playlist has handy benefits that you weren’t aware of still now? Are you excited and eager to create your playlists on YouTube? Here is a step-by-step guide that will guide you on how to make a playlist on YouTube.

1. Open your channel page on YouTube

To start with, open your YouTube channel page and tap the “Customize Channel” button.

2. Create your YouTube playlist

Now, find or select the video you wish to add to the playlist. To save it, click on the “Plus” icon. You can click on “Watch later” that will add the video to your already created playlist from the drop-down.

Create New YouTube Playlist

3. Give the playlist a name

Name your new YouTube playlist and make sure it fulfills the criteria of a maximum of 150 characters. Specify the privacy level and make it to the public so that anyone can view it. Once satisfied, tap the “Create” option.

Create a Name for Playlist

4. Your YouTube playlist is now live

You have successfully made the playlist and added the video to find by clicking on the “Library” option.

Tips to Improve Your Video SEO

As said before, to improve your video playlist and bring it to rank, optimizing your playlists with SEO is mandatory.

1. Make use of appealing titles and depiction

While many viewers don’t prefer reading through the entire description, the title and the Metadata are the major factors that attract viewers at first glance. Hence, pay attention and spend time to build and craft an appealing title. Give importance to the thumbnail image and ensure that it is engaging.

2. Concentrate on keywords

Surf through the various playlists and find keywords used in popular videos related to your niche. Remember, keywords can be included in your titles and increase the chances of increasing the ranking of the video.

3. Prefer the optimal video hosting platform

Set a goal and choose a wise video hosting platform to gain traffic and generate new leads. Before deciding with the right one, consider making trails or find a review from the Internet.

Conclusion

So, now you know every nook and corner on the answers to how to make YouTube playlists and create them through a simple guide yourself. Besides using it for product marketing or brand deliverance, you can use it to make your YouTube channel a popular one. Yes, do you have a collection of videos to showcase the world? Upload them on YouTube as a playlist and optimize it with SEO tips discussed today. Maybe it is an ASMR video or a vlogging one. It can help in reaching your YouTube target audience for sure!

author avatar

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Want to watch the missed-out episodes of your favorite serial? As well know it irritates to find out every single episode on order? But why to worry when YouTube has a separate playlist on your famous tv-series. Want to watch new trending music of 2020? YouTube has a playlist for it. Missing comedy videos from the favorite show on TV? YouTube has a playlist on it. Need to know different ideas about marketing on improving your brand? Yes, you got my point. There is a playlist on YouTube for that as well.

Create Playlist on YouTube

Although it isn’t the latest one on the Internet, it is still the unbeatable application that brings everything in a single screen from trending tunes, entertaining videos, industry backgrounds, and the latest news to your notice that happens every second. Especially if you are an individual with a marketing background or a brand developer, YouTube playlists can do a lot from its side? Need to know what are its benefits and how to create a playlist on YouTube? You are in the right spot.

What is a YouTube Playlist?

Irritated from surfing over the Internet for videos related to your concept or topic you are searching for? Else are you a party-hard person who needs continuously playing of fantastic music to keeping the fun going? YouTube playlists are the better option: a collection of videos that keep playing in order, sequentially, and play one after another automatically unless you change it manually.

What is YouTube Playlist

It is closely related to the music playlists like the ones we find in Spotify and Apple music. Different playlists on YouTube are available in all genres, like entertainment, fun, relaxation, thrilling, and educational niches. Do you have a monotonous routine at the office? Let’s play something crazy and fun-filled like the comedy series or bloopers? Need some workout ideas? Check out the compilation of different custom fitness workouts as a playlist on YouTube. Whatever you want, you can find everything in YouTube playlists.

It is a fantastic app that can do wonders that one could think. Besides being used for the fun-filled purposes, they are content curation tools that can be used by marketers as a platform to attract customers and engage with them with various product videos under a single roof called playlists.

If you are a tricky person who has a changing mindset and different mood-offs, you can create your playlists that combine all your favorite videos from varied niches.

Difference between a Channel and a Playlist on YouTube

There are times where one gets confused with the YouTube channels and playlists. While some say they are similar, the fact is both are different. A person with a specific name creates a channel, and it is the place where the person posts all the videos or uploads them for his/her subscribers to get likes and more audience.

What is YouTube Channel

But YouTube playlists are auto-generated contents that consist of videos from different channels but with the same content concept. For example, a PewDiePie channel will have his uploaded videos. Still, PewDiePie playlists will have all his videos and the ones similar to his stream but off the channel. Likewise, self-created playlists will have videos that you have saved to see them later or often.

YouTube Playlist vs. YouTube Channel

What are the benefits of a playlist on YouTube?

There are various YouTube and video creators who have undervalued playlists’ importance, and hence the hidden benefits are often off-screen. So, we have listed the top 5 reasons why YouTube playlists are essential and how a YouTuber can benefit from playlists.

1. YouTube playlists help you organize videos in order

YouTube these days appears scattered with numerous information where some are important at the critical instances of time. You also have some playlists that are the effective ones grouped based on a common theme. Suppose your company focuses on selling musical equipment. In that case, you can make separate playlists for a guitar or pianos so that viewers can come across different equipment styles, available variants allowing them to navigate through various parts in your channel. Alongside this, you can tell your viewers what the YouTube channel or the organization is all about at first glance as the first impression is the best expression!

2. Increase the rank of your video

If your video gets added to a playlist, there are high chances for it to be in the YouTube watchlist even it is less popular but related to the ones that the audience prefers. In turn, this act raises your video’s rank as the “total watch time” is a vital factor that drives your video to the highly ranked video list.

3. Playlists account to discoverability and improve visibility on search engines

Apart from being enlisted as single videos, individual videos indexed in playlists get opportunities to appear on the search engines based on the keywords. Playlists are bread slices packed with jam as keywords providing likelihood to emerge on multiple times. But to catch the gain of this method, one has to enrich the video with an outstanding keyword, titles, or description and optimize the video with remarkable SEO techniques.

4. Get more views

When your video comes under a theme and is categorized, the YouTube algorithm places it over with the other related to each other. The next time, your video will appear on the right sidebar below the “related videos.” As the video plays automatically, one after the other, the number of views increases. “Amazing playlists can make viewers watch it longer!”

5. Playlists are best for video SEO

Such playlists can boost and help one to reach your YouTube channel. Especially when it comes to educators or artists, they provide value and save time. Playlists get ranked for keywords that help your audience in reaching you on YouTube.

How to Make a YouTube Playlist?

Surprised to know that a simple playlist has handy benefits that you weren’t aware of still now? Are you excited and eager to create your playlists on YouTube? Here is a step-by-step guide that will guide you on how to make a playlist on YouTube.

1. Open your channel page on YouTube

To start with, open your YouTube channel page and tap the “Customize Channel” button.

2. Create your YouTube playlist

Now, find or select the video you wish to add to the playlist. To save it, click on the “Plus” icon. You can click on “Watch later” that will add the video to your already created playlist from the drop-down.

Create New YouTube Playlist

3. Give the playlist a name

Name your new YouTube playlist and make sure it fulfills the criteria of a maximum of 150 characters. Specify the privacy level and make it to the public so that anyone can view it. Once satisfied, tap the “Create” option.

Create a Name for Playlist

4. Your YouTube playlist is now live

You have successfully made the playlist and added the video to find by clicking on the “Library” option.

Tips to Improve Your Video SEO

As said before, to improve your video playlist and bring it to rank, optimizing your playlists with SEO is mandatory.

1. Make use of appealing titles and depiction

While many viewers don’t prefer reading through the entire description, the title and the Metadata are the major factors that attract viewers at first glance. Hence, pay attention and spend time to build and craft an appealing title. Give importance to the thumbnail image and ensure that it is engaging.

2. Concentrate on keywords

Surf through the various playlists and find keywords used in popular videos related to your niche. Remember, keywords can be included in your titles and increase the chances of increasing the ranking of the video.

3. Prefer the optimal video hosting platform

Set a goal and choose a wise video hosting platform to gain traffic and generate new leads. Before deciding with the right one, consider making trails or find a review from the Internet.

Conclusion

So, now you know every nook and corner on the answers to how to make YouTube playlists and create them through a simple guide yourself. Besides using it for product marketing or brand deliverance, you can use it to make your YouTube channel a popular one. Yes, do you have a collection of videos to showcase the world? Upload them on YouTube as a playlist and optimize it with SEO tips discussed today. Maybe it is an ASMR video or a vlogging one. It can help in reaching your YouTube target audience for sure!

author avatar

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Want to watch the missed-out episodes of your favorite serial? As well know it irritates to find out every single episode on order? But why to worry when YouTube has a separate playlist on your famous tv-series. Want to watch new trending music of 2020? YouTube has a playlist for it. Missing comedy videos from the favorite show on TV? YouTube has a playlist on it. Need to know different ideas about marketing on improving your brand? Yes, you got my point. There is a playlist on YouTube for that as well.

Create Playlist on YouTube

Although it isn’t the latest one on the Internet, it is still the unbeatable application that brings everything in a single screen from trending tunes, entertaining videos, industry backgrounds, and the latest news to your notice that happens every second. Especially if you are an individual with a marketing background or a brand developer, YouTube playlists can do a lot from its side? Need to know what are its benefits and how to create a playlist on YouTube? You are in the right spot.

What is a YouTube Playlist?

Irritated from surfing over the Internet for videos related to your concept or topic you are searching for? Else are you a party-hard person who needs continuously playing of fantastic music to keeping the fun going? YouTube playlists are the better option: a collection of videos that keep playing in order, sequentially, and play one after another automatically unless you change it manually.

What is YouTube Playlist

It is closely related to the music playlists like the ones we find in Spotify and Apple music. Different playlists on YouTube are available in all genres, like entertainment, fun, relaxation, thrilling, and educational niches. Do you have a monotonous routine at the office? Let’s play something crazy and fun-filled like the comedy series or bloopers? Need some workout ideas? Check out the compilation of different custom fitness workouts as a playlist on YouTube. Whatever you want, you can find everything in YouTube playlists.

It is a fantastic app that can do wonders that one could think. Besides being used for the fun-filled purposes, they are content curation tools that can be used by marketers as a platform to attract customers and engage with them with various product videos under a single roof called playlists.

If you are a tricky person who has a changing mindset and different mood-offs, you can create your playlists that combine all your favorite videos from varied niches.

Difference between a Channel and a Playlist on YouTube

There are times where one gets confused with the YouTube channels and playlists. While some say they are similar, the fact is both are different. A person with a specific name creates a channel, and it is the place where the person posts all the videos or uploads them for his/her subscribers to get likes and more audience.

What is YouTube Channel

But YouTube playlists are auto-generated contents that consist of videos from different channels but with the same content concept. For example, a PewDiePie channel will have his uploaded videos. Still, PewDiePie playlists will have all his videos and the ones similar to his stream but off the channel. Likewise, self-created playlists will have videos that you have saved to see them later or often.

YouTube Playlist vs. YouTube Channel

What are the benefits of a playlist on YouTube?

There are various YouTube and video creators who have undervalued playlists’ importance, and hence the hidden benefits are often off-screen. So, we have listed the top 5 reasons why YouTube playlists are essential and how a YouTuber can benefit from playlists.

1. YouTube playlists help you organize videos in order

YouTube these days appears scattered with numerous information where some are important at the critical instances of time. You also have some playlists that are the effective ones grouped based on a common theme. Suppose your company focuses on selling musical equipment. In that case, you can make separate playlists for a guitar or pianos so that viewers can come across different equipment styles, available variants allowing them to navigate through various parts in your channel. Alongside this, you can tell your viewers what the YouTube channel or the organization is all about at first glance as the first impression is the best expression!

2. Increase the rank of your video

If your video gets added to a playlist, there are high chances for it to be in the YouTube watchlist even it is less popular but related to the ones that the audience prefers. In turn, this act raises your video’s rank as the “total watch time” is a vital factor that drives your video to the highly ranked video list.

3. Playlists account to discoverability and improve visibility on search engines

Apart from being enlisted as single videos, individual videos indexed in playlists get opportunities to appear on the search engines based on the keywords. Playlists are bread slices packed with jam as keywords providing likelihood to emerge on multiple times. But to catch the gain of this method, one has to enrich the video with an outstanding keyword, titles, or description and optimize the video with remarkable SEO techniques.

4. Get more views

When your video comes under a theme and is categorized, the YouTube algorithm places it over with the other related to each other. The next time, your video will appear on the right sidebar below the “related videos.” As the video plays automatically, one after the other, the number of views increases. “Amazing playlists can make viewers watch it longer!”

5. Playlists are best for video SEO

Such playlists can boost and help one to reach your YouTube channel. Especially when it comes to educators or artists, they provide value and save time. Playlists get ranked for keywords that help your audience in reaching you on YouTube.

How to Make a YouTube Playlist?

Surprised to know that a simple playlist has handy benefits that you weren’t aware of still now? Are you excited and eager to create your playlists on YouTube? Here is a step-by-step guide that will guide you on how to make a playlist on YouTube.

1. Open your channel page on YouTube

To start with, open your YouTube channel page and tap the “Customize Channel” button.

2. Create your YouTube playlist

Now, find or select the video you wish to add to the playlist. To save it, click on the “Plus” icon. You can click on “Watch later” that will add the video to your already created playlist from the drop-down.

Create New YouTube Playlist

3. Give the playlist a name

Name your new YouTube playlist and make sure it fulfills the criteria of a maximum of 150 characters. Specify the privacy level and make it to the public so that anyone can view it. Once satisfied, tap the “Create” option.

Create a Name for Playlist

4. Your YouTube playlist is now live

You have successfully made the playlist and added the video to find by clicking on the “Library” option.

Tips to Improve Your Video SEO

As said before, to improve your video playlist and bring it to rank, optimizing your playlists with SEO is mandatory.

1. Make use of appealing titles and depiction

While many viewers don’t prefer reading through the entire description, the title and the Metadata are the major factors that attract viewers at first glance. Hence, pay attention and spend time to build and craft an appealing title. Give importance to the thumbnail image and ensure that it is engaging.

2. Concentrate on keywords

Surf through the various playlists and find keywords used in popular videos related to your niche. Remember, keywords can be included in your titles and increase the chances of increasing the ranking of the video.

3. Prefer the optimal video hosting platform

Set a goal and choose a wise video hosting platform to gain traffic and generate new leads. Before deciding with the right one, consider making trails or find a review from the Internet.

Conclusion

So, now you know every nook and corner on the answers to how to make YouTube playlists and create them through a simple guide yourself. Besides using it for product marketing or brand deliverance, you can use it to make your YouTube channel a popular one. Yes, do you have a collection of videos to showcase the world? Upload them on YouTube as a playlist and optimize it with SEO tips discussed today. Maybe it is an ASMR video or a vlogging one. It can help in reaching your YouTube target audience for sure!

author avatar

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Want to watch the missed-out episodes of your favorite serial? As well know it irritates to find out every single episode on order? But why to worry when YouTube has a separate playlist on your famous tv-series. Want to watch new trending music of 2020? YouTube has a playlist for it. Missing comedy videos from the favorite show on TV? YouTube has a playlist on it. Need to know different ideas about marketing on improving your brand? Yes, you got my point. There is a playlist on YouTube for that as well.

Create Playlist on YouTube

Although it isn’t the latest one on the Internet, it is still the unbeatable application that brings everything in a single screen from trending tunes, entertaining videos, industry backgrounds, and the latest news to your notice that happens every second. Especially if you are an individual with a marketing background or a brand developer, YouTube playlists can do a lot from its side? Need to know what are its benefits and how to create a playlist on YouTube? You are in the right spot.

What is a YouTube Playlist?

Irritated from surfing over the Internet for videos related to your concept or topic you are searching for? Else are you a party-hard person who needs continuously playing of fantastic music to keeping the fun going? YouTube playlists are the better option: a collection of videos that keep playing in order, sequentially, and play one after another automatically unless you change it manually.

What is YouTube Playlist

It is closely related to the music playlists like the ones we find in Spotify and Apple music. Different playlists on YouTube are available in all genres, like entertainment, fun, relaxation, thrilling, and educational niches. Do you have a monotonous routine at the office? Let’s play something crazy and fun-filled like the comedy series or bloopers? Need some workout ideas? Check out the compilation of different custom fitness workouts as a playlist on YouTube. Whatever you want, you can find everything in YouTube playlists.

It is a fantastic app that can do wonders that one could think. Besides being used for the fun-filled purposes, they are content curation tools that can be used by marketers as a platform to attract customers and engage with them with various product videos under a single roof called playlists.

If you are a tricky person who has a changing mindset and different mood-offs, you can create your playlists that combine all your favorite videos from varied niches.

Difference between a Channel and a Playlist on YouTube

There are times where one gets confused with the YouTube channels and playlists. While some say they are similar, the fact is both are different. A person with a specific name creates a channel, and it is the place where the person posts all the videos or uploads them for his/her subscribers to get likes and more audience.

What is YouTube Channel

But YouTube playlists are auto-generated contents that consist of videos from different channels but with the same content concept. For example, a PewDiePie channel will have his uploaded videos. Still, PewDiePie playlists will have all his videos and the ones similar to his stream but off the channel. Likewise, self-created playlists will have videos that you have saved to see them later or often.

YouTube Playlist vs. YouTube Channel

What are the benefits of a playlist on YouTube?

There are various YouTube and video creators who have undervalued playlists’ importance, and hence the hidden benefits are often off-screen. So, we have listed the top 5 reasons why YouTube playlists are essential and how a YouTuber can benefit from playlists.

1. YouTube playlists help you organize videos in order

YouTube these days appears scattered with numerous information where some are important at the critical instances of time. You also have some playlists that are the effective ones grouped based on a common theme. Suppose your company focuses on selling musical equipment. In that case, you can make separate playlists for a guitar or pianos so that viewers can come across different equipment styles, available variants allowing them to navigate through various parts in your channel. Alongside this, you can tell your viewers what the YouTube channel or the organization is all about at first glance as the first impression is the best expression!

2. Increase the rank of your video

If your video gets added to a playlist, there are high chances for it to be in the YouTube watchlist even it is less popular but related to the ones that the audience prefers. In turn, this act raises your video’s rank as the “total watch time” is a vital factor that drives your video to the highly ranked video list.

3. Playlists account to discoverability and improve visibility on search engines

Apart from being enlisted as single videos, individual videos indexed in playlists get opportunities to appear on the search engines based on the keywords. Playlists are bread slices packed with jam as keywords providing likelihood to emerge on multiple times. But to catch the gain of this method, one has to enrich the video with an outstanding keyword, titles, or description and optimize the video with remarkable SEO techniques.

4. Get more views

When your video comes under a theme and is categorized, the YouTube algorithm places it over with the other related to each other. The next time, your video will appear on the right sidebar below the “related videos.” As the video plays automatically, one after the other, the number of views increases. “Amazing playlists can make viewers watch it longer!”

5. Playlists are best for video SEO

Such playlists can boost and help one to reach your YouTube channel. Especially when it comes to educators or artists, they provide value and save time. Playlists get ranked for keywords that help your audience in reaching you on YouTube.

How to Make a YouTube Playlist?

Surprised to know that a simple playlist has handy benefits that you weren’t aware of still now? Are you excited and eager to create your playlists on YouTube? Here is a step-by-step guide that will guide you on how to make a playlist on YouTube.

1. Open your channel page on YouTube

To start with, open your YouTube channel page and tap the “Customize Channel” button.

2. Create your YouTube playlist

Now, find or select the video you wish to add to the playlist. To save it, click on the “Plus” icon. You can click on “Watch later” that will add the video to your already created playlist from the drop-down.

Create New YouTube Playlist

3. Give the playlist a name

Name your new YouTube playlist and make sure it fulfills the criteria of a maximum of 150 characters. Specify the privacy level and make it to the public so that anyone can view it. Once satisfied, tap the “Create” option.

Create a Name for Playlist

4. Your YouTube playlist is now live

You have successfully made the playlist and added the video to find by clicking on the “Library” option.

Tips to Improve Your Video SEO

As said before, to improve your video playlist and bring it to rank, optimizing your playlists with SEO is mandatory.

1. Make use of appealing titles and depiction

While many viewers don’t prefer reading through the entire description, the title and the Metadata are the major factors that attract viewers at first glance. Hence, pay attention and spend time to build and craft an appealing title. Give importance to the thumbnail image and ensure that it is engaging.

2. Concentrate on keywords

Surf through the various playlists and find keywords used in popular videos related to your niche. Remember, keywords can be included in your titles and increase the chances of increasing the ranking of the video.

3. Prefer the optimal video hosting platform

Set a goal and choose a wise video hosting platform to gain traffic and generate new leads. Before deciding with the right one, consider making trails or find a review from the Internet.

Conclusion

So, now you know every nook and corner on the answers to how to make YouTube playlists and create them through a simple guide yourself. Besides using it for product marketing or brand deliverance, you can use it to make your YouTube channel a popular one. Yes, do you have a collection of videos to showcase the world? Upload them on YouTube as a playlist and optimize it with SEO tips discussed today. Maybe it is an ASMR video or a vlogging one. It can help in reaching your YouTube target audience for sure!

author avatar

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Also read:

  • Title: Kickstart Your YouTube Journey with the Best Tools
  • Author: Steven
  • Created at : 2024-06-19 02:39:08
  • Updated at : 2024-06-20 02:39:08
  • Link: https://youtube-clips.techidaily.com/kickstart-your-youtube-journey-with-the-best-tools/
  • License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
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Kickstart Your YouTube Journey with the Best Tools