Starting Up: The Guide to YouTube Fame in Gaming

The Guide to Starting a Successful YouTube Gaming Channel

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Now is the best and easiest time in history for you to start a YouTube gaming channel. Yet a profitable channel? That’s another story. In this article, I am going to highlight the key elements you need to become the best YouTube gamer you can be.

Table of Content:

1. Have a Greater Purpose
2. Create an Identity
3. Type of Gaming Videos
4. Have a Budget
5. Optimization Matter
6. Be Cautious of Content Strike and Demonetization

Starting a gaming channel today will mean that you will be a small fish in a big ocean. The amount of content on YouTube is massive, and in order to stand out, you will need three intangibles:

- Patience

- Consistency

- Creativity

If you are willing to commit to this long term, then it’s the best time in history for you to start a YouTube gaming channel.

The All-in-One Screen Recorder & Video Editor

• Record desktop screen, voiceover, and webcam simultaneously
• Edit recorded clips quickly with a wide range of professional tools
• Built-in plentiful templates and effects
• Export to MP4, MOV, MKV, GIF and multiple formats

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Secure Download

It’s the best time because you will have so many pioneers and successful creators to draw inspiration and knowledge from. You’ll be standing on the shoulders of giants like PewDiePie, Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, and CinnamonToastKen.

The trail has been blazed and you’re in the new frontier. Now, here’s what you need to know about starting a YouTube gaming channel.

1. Have a Greater Purpose

According to Tubular Insights , 15% of all content on YouTube is related to video games. That’s a lot.

Additionally, as of 2018, YouTube has a new monetization requirement. To enable monetization, you will need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time in the last 12 months.

If you think you can make a few videos and start making money, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to disappoint you. YouTube is fun and a wonderful way to increase the social aspect of gaming and enhance your enjoyment. Approach it the same way you’ve approached gaming all along, as a fun way to spend your time.

Enjoy the journey… and what a journey it can be. Do it for the love of playing games and making videos, and not about getting subscribers or views. If you don’t change your attitude, it’s a grueling climb if all you want is to reach the finish line (which is nowhere in sight).

Why am I telling you this? Well, if you don’t have a greater purpose than simply growing subscribers and making money off YouTube, then you are going to get discouraged and give up. It’s not a get-rich-fast plan.

Here is how you find your greater purpose:

1. Give Value

You want to make good YouTube gaming content like those popular YouTubers that came before you.

But… what makes good YouTube content?

Simply put, good content should exhibit these factors:

Entertaining: Tell a story and sensationalize the emotions that come out of you when you play games.

Educational: Find hidden stages, new tricks, and talk about the lore and history that brought this game to life.

Inspiring: Encourage viewers to try new games and play along. Help people discover their next pastime and thank viewers for spending their time with you.

This is what gives your content value, and creating content with value should be your ultimate purpose. Making your viewers feel good is, in a way, better than money, no?

2. Make YouTube a Part of Your Daily/Weekly Ritual

YouTube should be a part of your regular schedule.

At first, it’ll be easy. Like anything new, your YouTube channel will have a novelty to it. It’s this exciting new project that you have.

But after the first month, that excitement will dampen. By the third month, it’ll become familiar. Here’s where you have to fight the urge to stop. This is where author, Seth Godin calls The Dip .

It’s now working. And like all work, you’ll have to schedule it into your daily life. You’ll have to prioritize YouTube above hanging out with friends, watching another movie, or playing video games without the strain of recording it and being entertaining/educating/inspiring.

However, if you are getting fulfillment from YouTube, you won’t stop even when the going gets hard. Like being a parent, it’s not always fun, but it should always be fulfilling.

Pro Tip: Mark when you are going to be working on YouTube in a calendar, so when someone asks you to hang out or go for dinner, you can check it and let them know you already have plans.

3. Have a Passion to Get Better At Every Step

There are many stages to producing a YouTube video, from pre-production to production to post-production. And within those stages are countless steps.

If YouTube is what you want to do, perhaps the greatest purpose you can have is improving on each of those skill sets along the way.

In the beginning, you will have a surplus of ideas, but once your initial stock of video ideas run dry, you will need to practice coming up with more ideas .

You’ll get better at recording your gameplay, at speaking on camera, at editing your footage, at optimizing your content, and at sharing your videos.

You will enjoy certain steps more than others, but if you are passionate, you will find comfort in striving to improve in each one, little by little.

Pro Tip:Focus on telling a great story . In every video, you should have an objective you want to accomplish. You want to beat a stage, you want to learn a new skill, etc. Once you nail that, all the other elements (screen recording, editing, and your commentary) will fall into place to guide your story from beginning to end.

2. Create an Identity

Your personality and your channel will need to go through a littlebranding exercise . You need to find what sets yourself apart from all the other gaming channels on the Internet. Ask yourself, and be honest with the answer: Why should anyone care about my channel?

1. Be Original

Take inspiration from other YouTubers and adjust it so that it’s unique. You cannot copy the ideas of popular YouTubers, because the public can see that. They can tell the difference between originality and imitation.

Being original doesn’t mean doing something that has never been done before.

Take a look at Jacksepticeye and Markiplier, both are popular YouTubers recognized for their colorful hair, mass use of profanity, and their Let’s Play style of gaming videos. But if you watch their videos, you can see that they are not copying each other but rather adjusting what has proven to be effective to suit their personality.

If something inspires you and you want to make an original version yourself, don’t think that you need to do something completely different, rather ask, how can I make that awesome thing better?

2. Focus on a Specific Aspect of Game

Odds are, you’ll end up playing the same game as other YouTubers. If you’re playing a popular game, then it’s going to be hard for you to establish an audience if your videos are broad.

Consider how your viewers will discover your videos. Are they going to find you through search? If so, what are they searching? There are many aspects to a video game: characters, glitches, stages, etc.

Find a specific aspect of the game to focus on.

Take YouTuber, NoughtPointFourLive, who instead of playing the game via a linear campaign, finds ridiculous situations, odd tricks, and easter eggs in Grand Theft Auto:

3. Hook Audience With Something Funny Or Interesting — And Lead Up To It

Every video you make should tell a story. It doesn’t matter if the storyline is the one in the video game or if it’s happening to you in real life. What matters is that you are aware of where the climax is.

The climax is what your story hinges on: it’s when Mario confronts Bowser.

This is what your audience is watching for. They want to know who wins.

To hook your audience right away, open with the most exciting part. The bit leading up to the climax. But don’t give away the ending. You want to hook them. Give a promise that this video is worth watching and that eventually, it will deliver.

Check out this example from YouTuber, Lachlan playing Fortnite and landing back at Spawn Island, an artillery-filled waiting area for players before the game starts.

This structure can be applied with humor as well as climatic events. If you open with something funny, it gets the viewer engaged immediately. They want to know what led up to that humorous moment.

Take a look at this example from YouTuber, Jelly. He does a great job at injecting humor into his first few seconds of video.

3. Type of Gaming Videos

There are no rules to making gaming videos. As long as it’s worth watching and you aren’t stealing content, that is all that matters. Nevertheless, there are a few standard types of gaming videos that have been established over the years.

1. Let’s Plays

Turn the game on and start playing. Let’s Plays give you a lot of freedom to explore the game and let your personality show in the commentary. You don’t need to play with a strategy, but do have a particular goal in mind (Finishing a level, for example).

Let’s Plays are more about watching you experience the game. A demographic of people watching Let’s Plays are those that don’t have the game themselves, but still want to experience it. Let them live vicariously through you.

2. Reviews

When you’re deciding whether or not to buy a new product where do you go to research? Google and YouTube. If you have a lot of interesting insights after playing a game, making reviews videos might just be your calling. There are many games on the market, and for consumers, it can get overwhelming. Reviews help others decide whether they should invest their money and their time into that specific game or continue searching.

3. Walkthrough

Unlike Let’s Plays and reviews, walkthrough videos are mapped out and structured to help the viewers pass the game while experiencing events, side quests, and characters they would otherwise have missed.

4. Reactions

Misery or excitement, when you genuinely react to an event in a game, the audience gets to experience it along your side. Give the moment a bit of lead up, let people know what you are expecting, and then surprise yourself. Reaction videos are great because they are spontaneous and a wonderful form of presenting your personality.

5. Skills

Video games are hard to master. But if you think you are proficient in an aspect of the game, show off your moves. Is there a particular trick that you can do? Is there a stage you can beat quickly? Are you able to take down your enemy with ease? Prove it.

4. Have a Budget

When you begin your YouTube gaming journey, you are going to see a lot of established YouTubers showing off their gear. It’s easy to get carried away with equipment, but we recommend setting a budget and staying within it to start.

What’s a good budget for YouTubers? Some might say you can do it for $600 and others say $3000. That’s a big range.

What you need to ask yourself is what do you currently have.

Are you starting with nothing? Or do you have some essentials? If you have a computer, which can play the game of your choice, you don’t need to spend $2000 on a new one. Look at what you currently have before buying new stuff.

Here is what you will need to get the best results:

- Microphone (Average cost: $100)

- Webcam (Average cost: $100)

- Editing Software (Average cost: $300)

- PC that can handle recording, editing, rendering, uploading, etc. (Average cost: $2,000)

If you are starting out, all you need is a computer with a capable CPU and GPU, a webcam, a microphone, and a free encoding software, such as OBS , and you will be able to stream.

Even PewDiePie started with a basic gaming setup.

I don’t recommend blowing your life savings on all the equipment you want. Don’t have a powerful computer? There are games such as Minecraft and Roblox that are less taxing to your computer, if you don’t have a powerful one.

There are ways to work around it, if you don’t currently have the funds. Being a YouTuber is all about being resourceful and creative.

You don’t need professional editing software, there are affordable ones such as Wondershare Filmora that have all the capabilities.

1. Many Games Are Free

Here’s the great thing about starting as a video game YouTuber, you don’t need to pay for any games. I’m not only talking about the crappy Flash games on the Internet, but massively popular games such as Fortnite and DOTA are also free to start playing as well.

If you’re strapped for cash. Start your channel playing free games and work your way towards more expensive games.

2. Some Software Are Free As Well

OBS: This streaming software allows you to capture your game in top quality and broadcast it directly to YouTube. It’s a simple setup , and it’s completely free.

Audacity: This audio recording and editing software is great if you want to improve the quality of your audio by removing background noise or combining clips.

GIMP: Probably the closest free product to Photoshop you can find. GIMP will help you perform basic image manipulation. It’s not as user friendly as Photoshop, but you can learn the fundamentals here as you save up for the Creative Cloud subscription plan.

5. Optimization Matters

Gaming is arguably the most popular genre on YouTube. So, how is your little video going to be discovered in this vast sea of gaming content?

The answer: with a good optimization strategy.

1. Tags and Title

When conceptualizing your next video, consider what your viewers are going to search to find it. This will help you focus your gameplay to meet the demand of this untapped (or more specific) audience.

You can use a plugin called VidIQ to see the keyword score by simply searching for the content you think your viewers are interested in watching.

If you’re playing Fortnite, and your keyword is simply “Fortnite” you’re using a highly searched term, but the competition is very high as well. The odds of your ranking is incredibly tough as the overall keyword score is 61/100.

However, if you focus on a more specific aspect of the game to make a video around, such as a character, you can heighten your chance at being discovered.

Take the example below, where I added the keyword “Striker” to the search. Its overall keyword score is 87/100, that’s 26 points better in the keyword score, compared to just “Fortnite.”

This will help you identify the content you should be making and then use that keyword knowledge to write a good title and a list of 5-15 tags.

Few more tips to improving your titles include:

- Avoid uninspiring words like “Fun,” “Exciting,” or “Great.”

- Once you have a title do a quick search to see if it already exists. Common titles make it harder for yours to rank.

- Have the title relate to the game. If there are certain words or phrases that players are familiar with, go ahead and use it.

- Make it click-worthy by promising something unique, but don’t mislead viewers.

2. Create Awesome Thumbnails

It doesn’t matter how awesome your video is, if the thumbnail image is boring, nobody will want to click into it. And if nobody clicks into it, you won’t get any views. Simple.

What makes a good thumbnail image?

1. Don’t use the random images YouTube picks for you
2. Have an expressive picture of a human face (preferably of yours, because it’s your gaming channel and you’re the star)

Take a look at The Syndicate Project’s thumbnails and how it evokes an intensity that makes you want to click — or scream with excitement. Both good things.

1. Don’t want to use your face? Create a character for yourself or to represent your channel. Or used the characters from the actual game.

Check out the colorful thumbnails from VanossGaming, where the owl is the mascot of their channel.

1. Use readable text or emojis

If you don’t have Photoshop or don’t have strong design skills, check out Wondershare Pixstudio , a drag-and-drop design tool that makes creating thumbnails easy.

3. Engage with Other Gamers

Don’t forget that YouTube is a social media platform.

It’s all about being a part of a YouTube community, and while you can’t interact with every creator on the platform, you can find those within your niche or specific game and chat with them. Leave a comment if you like their video or have constructive feedback.

Additionally, viewer engagements such as likes and comments have shown to have an indirect effect on your video ranking. That is why you should encourage your viewers to “smash” the like button or join in a conversation by asking them a question in your video.

6. Be Cautious of Content Strike and Demonetization

1. Cause for Demonetization

The YouTube monetization landscape has changed a lot for creators in the past few years. The guidelines are always being adjusted to serve both creators and advertisers. If you’re thinking of making money from YouTube ads, you have to be aware that there are types of content that turn advertisers off, and YouTube knows it. Here are some reasons that YouTube will choose to demonetize your videos:

- Excessive or gratuitous violence

- Hateful content: promotes discrimination or disparages or humiliates and individual or group of people (race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc.)

- Inappropriate use of family entertainment characters

- Incendiary and demeaning content: disrespectful languages that shame or insult an individual or group

2. Avoiding Copyright Strike

Thanks to the fair use doctrine, you’re allowed to take video game content and make videos from it without acquiring permission from the people who made the game.

However, if you step across the fair use line, you can be penalized for violating copyright infringement.

If you get three strikes from YouTube in 90 days, your account and videos will be removed and you won’t be allowed to create a new channel.

Before you publish your video ask yourself these questions, if you answer yes to any of them then you have met fair use standards:

- Is your content creative or educational?

- Is there more original content than copyrighted content?

- Is your video benefiting the original content?

I recommend that you learn more about YouTube copyright , and how to build your content so that it doesn’t get flagged.

Beyond all that, it’s about playing games, having a good time, and meeting awesome people like yourself. Enjoy the journey and take pleasure in every little achievement, be it in the game or on YouTube.

Key Takeaways

1. Don’t go into YouTube gaming for the money, but rather to improve your skills and other people’s lives.
2. Find something special about your channel that people can’t find anywhere else.
3. YouTube gaming can be as cheap and as expensive as you want, create a budget to stay within your limits.
4. Understand optimization to improve your chances of viewers finding your content.
5. Don’t be hateful or advertisers will avoid you, and don’t steal other people’s content without crediting the original creator.
6. Give yourself a unique YouTube gaming channel name .

What’s stopping you from starting your YouTube gaming channel? Let us know in the comment box below!

Best Screen Recorder & Video Editor for Gamers

If you want to record the gameplay and edit it with some text and titles, or creative transitions and effects, I highly recommend you try Wondershare Filmora , which is easy to use yet powerful enough with its editing tools and effects templates. Download the free trial version and get started now.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Now is the best and easiest time in history for you to start a YouTube gaming channel. Yet a profitable channel? That’s another story. In this article, I am going to highlight the key elements you need to become the best YouTube gamer you can be.

Table of Content:

1. Have a Greater Purpose
2. Create an Identity
3. Type of Gaming Videos
4. Have a Budget
5. Optimization Matter
6. Be Cautious of Content Strike and Demonetization

Starting a gaming channel today will mean that you will be a small fish in a big ocean. The amount of content on YouTube is massive, and in order to stand out, you will need three intangibles:

- Patience

- Consistency

- Creativity

If you are willing to commit to this long term, then it’s the best time in history for you to start a YouTube gaming channel.

The All-in-One Screen Recorder & Video Editor

• Record desktop screen, voiceover, and webcam simultaneously
• Edit recorded clips quickly with a wide range of professional tools
• Built-in plentiful templates and effects
• Export to MP4, MOV, MKV, GIF and multiple formats

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Secure Download

It’s the best time because you will have so many pioneers and successful creators to draw inspiration and knowledge from. You’ll be standing on the shoulders of giants like PewDiePie, Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, and CinnamonToastKen.

The trail has been blazed and you’re in the new frontier. Now, here’s what you need to know about starting a YouTube gaming channel.

1. Have a Greater Purpose

According to Tubular Insights , 15% of all content on YouTube is related to video games. That’s a lot.

Additionally, as of 2018, YouTube has a new monetization requirement. To enable monetization, you will need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time in the last 12 months.

If you think you can make a few videos and start making money, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to disappoint you. YouTube is fun and a wonderful way to increase the social aspect of gaming and enhance your enjoyment. Approach it the same way you’ve approached gaming all along, as a fun way to spend your time.

Enjoy the journey… and what a journey it can be. Do it for the love of playing games and making videos, and not about getting subscribers or views. If you don’t change your attitude, it’s a grueling climb if all you want is to reach the finish line (which is nowhere in sight).

Why am I telling you this? Well, if you don’t have a greater purpose than simply growing subscribers and making money off YouTube, then you are going to get discouraged and give up. It’s not a get-rich-fast plan.

Here is how you find your greater purpose:

1. Give Value

You want to make good YouTube gaming content like those popular YouTubers that came before you.

But… what makes good YouTube content?

Simply put, good content should exhibit these factors:

Entertaining: Tell a story and sensationalize the emotions that come out of you when you play games.

Educational: Find hidden stages, new tricks, and talk about the lore and history that brought this game to life.

Inspiring: Encourage viewers to try new games and play along. Help people discover their next pastime and thank viewers for spending their time with you.

This is what gives your content value, and creating content with value should be your ultimate purpose. Making your viewers feel good is, in a way, better than money, no?

2. Make YouTube a Part of Your Daily/Weekly Ritual

YouTube should be a part of your regular schedule.

At first, it’ll be easy. Like anything new, your YouTube channel will have a novelty to it. It’s this exciting new project that you have.

But after the first month, that excitement will dampen. By the third month, it’ll become familiar. Here’s where you have to fight the urge to stop. This is where author, Seth Godin calls The Dip .

It’s now working. And like all work, you’ll have to schedule it into your daily life. You’ll have to prioritize YouTube above hanging out with friends, watching another movie, or playing video games without the strain of recording it and being entertaining/educating/inspiring.

However, if you are getting fulfillment from YouTube, you won’t stop even when the going gets hard. Like being a parent, it’s not always fun, but it should always be fulfilling.

Pro Tip: Mark when you are going to be working on YouTube in a calendar, so when someone asks you to hang out or go for dinner, you can check it and let them know you already have plans.

3. Have a Passion to Get Better At Every Step

There are many stages to producing a YouTube video, from pre-production to production to post-production. And within those stages are countless steps.

If YouTube is what you want to do, perhaps the greatest purpose you can have is improving on each of those skill sets along the way.

In the beginning, you will have a surplus of ideas, but once your initial stock of video ideas run dry, you will need to practice coming up with more ideas .

You’ll get better at recording your gameplay, at speaking on camera, at editing your footage, at optimizing your content, and at sharing your videos.

You will enjoy certain steps more than others, but if you are passionate, you will find comfort in striving to improve in each one, little by little.

Pro Tip:Focus on telling a great story . In every video, you should have an objective you want to accomplish. You want to beat a stage, you want to learn a new skill, etc. Once you nail that, all the other elements (screen recording, editing, and your commentary) will fall into place to guide your story from beginning to end.

2. Create an Identity

Your personality and your channel will need to go through a littlebranding exercise . You need to find what sets yourself apart from all the other gaming channels on the Internet. Ask yourself, and be honest with the answer: Why should anyone care about my channel?

1. Be Original

Take inspiration from other YouTubers and adjust it so that it’s unique. You cannot copy the ideas of popular YouTubers, because the public can see that. They can tell the difference between originality and imitation.

Being original doesn’t mean doing something that has never been done before.

Take a look at Jacksepticeye and Markiplier, both are popular YouTubers recognized for their colorful hair, mass use of profanity, and their Let’s Play style of gaming videos. But if you watch their videos, you can see that they are not copying each other but rather adjusting what has proven to be effective to suit their personality.

If something inspires you and you want to make an original version yourself, don’t think that you need to do something completely different, rather ask, how can I make that awesome thing better?

2. Focus on a Specific Aspect of Game

Odds are, you’ll end up playing the same game as other YouTubers. If you’re playing a popular game, then it’s going to be hard for you to establish an audience if your videos are broad.

Consider how your viewers will discover your videos. Are they going to find you through search? If so, what are they searching? There are many aspects to a video game: characters, glitches, stages, etc.

Find a specific aspect of the game to focus on.

Take YouTuber, NoughtPointFourLive, who instead of playing the game via a linear campaign, finds ridiculous situations, odd tricks, and easter eggs in Grand Theft Auto:

3. Hook Audience With Something Funny Or Interesting — And Lead Up To It

Every video you make should tell a story. It doesn’t matter if the storyline is the one in the video game or if it’s happening to you in real life. What matters is that you are aware of where the climax is.

The climax is what your story hinges on: it’s when Mario confronts Bowser.

This is what your audience is watching for. They want to know who wins.

To hook your audience right away, open with the most exciting part. The bit leading up to the climax. But don’t give away the ending. You want to hook them. Give a promise that this video is worth watching and that eventually, it will deliver.

Check out this example from YouTuber, Lachlan playing Fortnite and landing back at Spawn Island, an artillery-filled waiting area for players before the game starts.

This structure can be applied with humor as well as climatic events. If you open with something funny, it gets the viewer engaged immediately. They want to know what led up to that humorous moment.

Take a look at this example from YouTuber, Jelly. He does a great job at injecting humor into his first few seconds of video.

3. Type of Gaming Videos

There are no rules to making gaming videos. As long as it’s worth watching and you aren’t stealing content, that is all that matters. Nevertheless, there are a few standard types of gaming videos that have been established over the years.

1. Let’s Plays

Turn the game on and start playing. Let’s Plays give you a lot of freedom to explore the game and let your personality show in the commentary. You don’t need to play with a strategy, but do have a particular goal in mind (Finishing a level, for example).

Let’s Plays are more about watching you experience the game. A demographic of people watching Let’s Plays are those that don’t have the game themselves, but still want to experience it. Let them live vicariously through you.

2. Reviews

When you’re deciding whether or not to buy a new product where do you go to research? Google and YouTube. If you have a lot of interesting insights after playing a game, making reviews videos might just be your calling. There are many games on the market, and for consumers, it can get overwhelming. Reviews help others decide whether they should invest their money and their time into that specific game or continue searching.

3. Walkthrough

Unlike Let’s Plays and reviews, walkthrough videos are mapped out and structured to help the viewers pass the game while experiencing events, side quests, and characters they would otherwise have missed.

4. Reactions

Misery or excitement, when you genuinely react to an event in a game, the audience gets to experience it along your side. Give the moment a bit of lead up, let people know what you are expecting, and then surprise yourself. Reaction videos are great because they are spontaneous and a wonderful form of presenting your personality.

5. Skills

Video games are hard to master. But if you think you are proficient in an aspect of the game, show off your moves. Is there a particular trick that you can do? Is there a stage you can beat quickly? Are you able to take down your enemy with ease? Prove it.

4. Have a Budget

When you begin your YouTube gaming journey, you are going to see a lot of established YouTubers showing off their gear. It’s easy to get carried away with equipment, but we recommend setting a budget and staying within it to start.

What’s a good budget for YouTubers? Some might say you can do it for $600 and others say $3000. That’s a big range.

What you need to ask yourself is what do you currently have.

Are you starting with nothing? Or do you have some essentials? If you have a computer, which can play the game of your choice, you don’t need to spend $2000 on a new one. Look at what you currently have before buying new stuff.

Here is what you will need to get the best results:

- Microphone (Average cost: $100)

- Webcam (Average cost: $100)

- Editing Software (Average cost: $300)

- PC that can handle recording, editing, rendering, uploading, etc. (Average cost: $2,000)

If you are starting out, all you need is a computer with a capable CPU and GPU, a webcam, a microphone, and a free encoding software, such as OBS , and you will be able to stream.

Even PewDiePie started with a basic gaming setup.

I don’t recommend blowing your life savings on all the equipment you want. Don’t have a powerful computer? There are games such as Minecraft and Roblox that are less taxing to your computer, if you don’t have a powerful one.

There are ways to work around it, if you don’t currently have the funds. Being a YouTuber is all about being resourceful and creative.

You don’t need professional editing software, there are affordable ones such as Wondershare Filmora that have all the capabilities.

1. Many Games Are Free

Here’s the great thing about starting as a video game YouTuber, you don’t need to pay for any games. I’m not only talking about the crappy Flash games on the Internet, but massively popular games such as Fortnite and DOTA are also free to start playing as well.

If you’re strapped for cash. Start your channel playing free games and work your way towards more expensive games.

2. Some Software Are Free As Well

OBS: This streaming software allows you to capture your game in top quality and broadcast it directly to YouTube. It’s a simple setup , and it’s completely free.

Audacity: This audio recording and editing software is great if you want to improve the quality of your audio by removing background noise or combining clips.

GIMP: Probably the closest free product to Photoshop you can find. GIMP will help you perform basic image manipulation. It’s not as user friendly as Photoshop, but you can learn the fundamentals here as you save up for the Creative Cloud subscription plan.

5. Optimization Matters

Gaming is arguably the most popular genre on YouTube. So, how is your little video going to be discovered in this vast sea of gaming content?

The answer: with a good optimization strategy.

1. Tags and Title

When conceptualizing your next video, consider what your viewers are going to search to find it. This will help you focus your gameplay to meet the demand of this untapped (or more specific) audience.

You can use a plugin called VidIQ to see the keyword score by simply searching for the content you think your viewers are interested in watching.

If you’re playing Fortnite, and your keyword is simply “Fortnite” you’re using a highly searched term, but the competition is very high as well. The odds of your ranking is incredibly tough as the overall keyword score is 61/100.

However, if you focus on a more specific aspect of the game to make a video around, such as a character, you can heighten your chance at being discovered.

Take the example below, where I added the keyword “Striker” to the search. Its overall keyword score is 87/100, that’s 26 points better in the keyword score, compared to just “Fortnite.”

This will help you identify the content you should be making and then use that keyword knowledge to write a good title and a list of 5-15 tags.

Few more tips to improving your titles include:

- Avoid uninspiring words like “Fun,” “Exciting,” or “Great.”

- Once you have a title do a quick search to see if it already exists. Common titles make it harder for yours to rank.

- Have the title relate to the game. If there are certain words or phrases that players are familiar with, go ahead and use it.

- Make it click-worthy by promising something unique, but don’t mislead viewers.

2. Create Awesome Thumbnails

It doesn’t matter how awesome your video is, if the thumbnail image is boring, nobody will want to click into it. And if nobody clicks into it, you won’t get any views. Simple.

What makes a good thumbnail image?

1. Don’t use the random images YouTube picks for you
2. Have an expressive picture of a human face (preferably of yours, because it’s your gaming channel and you’re the star)

Take a look at The Syndicate Project’s thumbnails and how it evokes an intensity that makes you want to click — or scream with excitement. Both good things.

1. Don’t want to use your face? Create a character for yourself or to represent your channel. Or used the characters from the actual game.

Check out the colorful thumbnails from VanossGaming, where the owl is the mascot of their channel.

1. Use readable text or emojis

If you don’t have Photoshop or don’t have strong design skills, check out Wondershare Pixstudio , a drag-and-drop design tool that makes creating thumbnails easy.

3. Engage with Other Gamers

Don’t forget that YouTube is a social media platform.

It’s all about being a part of a YouTube community, and while you can’t interact with every creator on the platform, you can find those within your niche or specific game and chat with them. Leave a comment if you like their video or have constructive feedback.

Additionally, viewer engagements such as likes and comments have shown to have an indirect effect on your video ranking. That is why you should encourage your viewers to “smash” the like button or join in a conversation by asking them a question in your video.

6. Be Cautious of Content Strike and Demonetization

1. Cause for Demonetization

The YouTube monetization landscape has changed a lot for creators in the past few years. The guidelines are always being adjusted to serve both creators and advertisers. If you’re thinking of making money from YouTube ads, you have to be aware that there are types of content that turn advertisers off, and YouTube knows it. Here are some reasons that YouTube will choose to demonetize your videos:

- Excessive or gratuitous violence

- Hateful content: promotes discrimination or disparages or humiliates and individual or group of people (race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc.)

- Inappropriate use of family entertainment characters

- Incendiary and demeaning content: disrespectful languages that shame or insult an individual or group

2. Avoiding Copyright Strike

Thanks to the fair use doctrine, you’re allowed to take video game content and make videos from it without acquiring permission from the people who made the game.

However, if you step across the fair use line, you can be penalized for violating copyright infringement.

If you get three strikes from YouTube in 90 days, your account and videos will be removed and you won’t be allowed to create a new channel.

Before you publish your video ask yourself these questions, if you answer yes to any of them then you have met fair use standards:

- Is your content creative or educational?

- Is there more original content than copyrighted content?

- Is your video benefiting the original content?

I recommend that you learn more about YouTube copyright , and how to build your content so that it doesn’t get flagged.

Beyond all that, it’s about playing games, having a good time, and meeting awesome people like yourself. Enjoy the journey and take pleasure in every little achievement, be it in the game or on YouTube.

Key Takeaways

1. Don’t go into YouTube gaming for the money, but rather to improve your skills and other people’s lives.
2. Find something special about your channel that people can’t find anywhere else.
3. YouTube gaming can be as cheap and as expensive as you want, create a budget to stay within your limits.
4. Understand optimization to improve your chances of viewers finding your content.
5. Don’t be hateful or advertisers will avoid you, and don’t steal other people’s content without crediting the original creator.
6. Give yourself a unique YouTube gaming channel name .

What’s stopping you from starting your YouTube gaming channel? Let us know in the comment box below!

Best Screen Recorder & Video Editor for Gamers

If you want to record the gameplay and edit it with some text and titles, or creative transitions and effects, I highly recommend you try Wondershare Filmora , which is easy to use yet powerful enough with its editing tools and effects templates. Download the free trial version and get started now.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Now is the best and easiest time in history for you to start a YouTube gaming channel. Yet a profitable channel? That’s another story. In this article, I am going to highlight the key elements you need to become the best YouTube gamer you can be.

Table of Content:

1. Have a Greater Purpose
2. Create an Identity
3. Type of Gaming Videos
4. Have a Budget
5. Optimization Matter
6. Be Cautious of Content Strike and Demonetization

Starting a gaming channel today will mean that you will be a small fish in a big ocean. The amount of content on YouTube is massive, and in order to stand out, you will need three intangibles:

- Patience

- Consistency

- Creativity

If you are willing to commit to this long term, then it’s the best time in history for you to start a YouTube gaming channel.

The All-in-One Screen Recorder & Video Editor

• Record desktop screen, voiceover, and webcam simultaneously
• Edit recorded clips quickly with a wide range of professional tools
• Built-in plentiful templates and effects
• Export to MP4, MOV, MKV, GIF and multiple formats

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Secure Download

It’s the best time because you will have so many pioneers and successful creators to draw inspiration and knowledge from. You’ll be standing on the shoulders of giants like PewDiePie, Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, and CinnamonToastKen.

The trail has been blazed and you’re in the new frontier. Now, here’s what you need to know about starting a YouTube gaming channel.

1. Have a Greater Purpose

According to Tubular Insights , 15% of all content on YouTube is related to video games. That’s a lot.

Additionally, as of 2018, YouTube has a new monetization requirement. To enable monetization, you will need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time in the last 12 months.

If you think you can make a few videos and start making money, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to disappoint you. YouTube is fun and a wonderful way to increase the social aspect of gaming and enhance your enjoyment. Approach it the same way you’ve approached gaming all along, as a fun way to spend your time.

Enjoy the journey… and what a journey it can be. Do it for the love of playing games and making videos, and not about getting subscribers or views. If you don’t change your attitude, it’s a grueling climb if all you want is to reach the finish line (which is nowhere in sight).

Why am I telling you this? Well, if you don’t have a greater purpose than simply growing subscribers and making money off YouTube, then you are going to get discouraged and give up. It’s not a get-rich-fast plan.

Here is how you find your greater purpose:

1. Give Value

You want to make good YouTube gaming content like those popular YouTubers that came before you.

But… what makes good YouTube content?

Simply put, good content should exhibit these factors:

Entertaining: Tell a story and sensationalize the emotions that come out of you when you play games.

Educational: Find hidden stages, new tricks, and talk about the lore and history that brought this game to life.

Inspiring: Encourage viewers to try new games and play along. Help people discover their next pastime and thank viewers for spending their time with you.

This is what gives your content value, and creating content with value should be your ultimate purpose. Making your viewers feel good is, in a way, better than money, no?

2. Make YouTube a Part of Your Daily/Weekly Ritual

YouTube should be a part of your regular schedule.

At first, it’ll be easy. Like anything new, your YouTube channel will have a novelty to it. It’s this exciting new project that you have.

But after the first month, that excitement will dampen. By the third month, it’ll become familiar. Here’s where you have to fight the urge to stop. This is where author, Seth Godin calls The Dip .

It’s now working. And like all work, you’ll have to schedule it into your daily life. You’ll have to prioritize YouTube above hanging out with friends, watching another movie, or playing video games without the strain of recording it and being entertaining/educating/inspiring.

However, if you are getting fulfillment from YouTube, you won’t stop even when the going gets hard. Like being a parent, it’s not always fun, but it should always be fulfilling.

Pro Tip: Mark when you are going to be working on YouTube in a calendar, so when someone asks you to hang out or go for dinner, you can check it and let them know you already have plans.

3. Have a Passion to Get Better At Every Step

There are many stages to producing a YouTube video, from pre-production to production to post-production. And within those stages are countless steps.

If YouTube is what you want to do, perhaps the greatest purpose you can have is improving on each of those skill sets along the way.

In the beginning, you will have a surplus of ideas, but once your initial stock of video ideas run dry, you will need to practice coming up with more ideas .

You’ll get better at recording your gameplay, at speaking on camera, at editing your footage, at optimizing your content, and at sharing your videos.

You will enjoy certain steps more than others, but if you are passionate, you will find comfort in striving to improve in each one, little by little.

Pro Tip:Focus on telling a great story . In every video, you should have an objective you want to accomplish. You want to beat a stage, you want to learn a new skill, etc. Once you nail that, all the other elements (screen recording, editing, and your commentary) will fall into place to guide your story from beginning to end.

2. Create an Identity

Your personality and your channel will need to go through a littlebranding exercise . You need to find what sets yourself apart from all the other gaming channels on the Internet. Ask yourself, and be honest with the answer: Why should anyone care about my channel?

1. Be Original

Take inspiration from other YouTubers and adjust it so that it’s unique. You cannot copy the ideas of popular YouTubers, because the public can see that. They can tell the difference between originality and imitation.

Being original doesn’t mean doing something that has never been done before.

Take a look at Jacksepticeye and Markiplier, both are popular YouTubers recognized for their colorful hair, mass use of profanity, and their Let’s Play style of gaming videos. But if you watch their videos, you can see that they are not copying each other but rather adjusting what has proven to be effective to suit their personality.

If something inspires you and you want to make an original version yourself, don’t think that you need to do something completely different, rather ask, how can I make that awesome thing better?

2. Focus on a Specific Aspect of Game

Odds are, you’ll end up playing the same game as other YouTubers. If you’re playing a popular game, then it’s going to be hard for you to establish an audience if your videos are broad.

Consider how your viewers will discover your videos. Are they going to find you through search? If so, what are they searching? There are many aspects to a video game: characters, glitches, stages, etc.

Find a specific aspect of the game to focus on.

Take YouTuber, NoughtPointFourLive, who instead of playing the game via a linear campaign, finds ridiculous situations, odd tricks, and easter eggs in Grand Theft Auto:

3. Hook Audience With Something Funny Or Interesting — And Lead Up To It

Every video you make should tell a story. It doesn’t matter if the storyline is the one in the video game or if it’s happening to you in real life. What matters is that you are aware of where the climax is.

The climax is what your story hinges on: it’s when Mario confronts Bowser.

This is what your audience is watching for. They want to know who wins.

To hook your audience right away, open with the most exciting part. The bit leading up to the climax. But don’t give away the ending. You want to hook them. Give a promise that this video is worth watching and that eventually, it will deliver.

Check out this example from YouTuber, Lachlan playing Fortnite and landing back at Spawn Island, an artillery-filled waiting area for players before the game starts.

This structure can be applied with humor as well as climatic events. If you open with something funny, it gets the viewer engaged immediately. They want to know what led up to that humorous moment.

Take a look at this example from YouTuber, Jelly. He does a great job at injecting humor into his first few seconds of video.

3. Type of Gaming Videos

There are no rules to making gaming videos. As long as it’s worth watching and you aren’t stealing content, that is all that matters. Nevertheless, there are a few standard types of gaming videos that have been established over the years.

1. Let’s Plays

Turn the game on and start playing. Let’s Plays give you a lot of freedom to explore the game and let your personality show in the commentary. You don’t need to play with a strategy, but do have a particular goal in mind (Finishing a level, for example).

Let’s Plays are more about watching you experience the game. A demographic of people watching Let’s Plays are those that don’t have the game themselves, but still want to experience it. Let them live vicariously through you.

2. Reviews

When you’re deciding whether or not to buy a new product where do you go to research? Google and YouTube. If you have a lot of interesting insights after playing a game, making reviews videos might just be your calling. There are many games on the market, and for consumers, it can get overwhelming. Reviews help others decide whether they should invest their money and their time into that specific game or continue searching.

3. Walkthrough

Unlike Let’s Plays and reviews, walkthrough videos are mapped out and structured to help the viewers pass the game while experiencing events, side quests, and characters they would otherwise have missed.

4. Reactions

Misery or excitement, when you genuinely react to an event in a game, the audience gets to experience it along your side. Give the moment a bit of lead up, let people know what you are expecting, and then surprise yourself. Reaction videos are great because they are spontaneous and a wonderful form of presenting your personality.

5. Skills

Video games are hard to master. But if you think you are proficient in an aspect of the game, show off your moves. Is there a particular trick that you can do? Is there a stage you can beat quickly? Are you able to take down your enemy with ease? Prove it.

4. Have a Budget

When you begin your YouTube gaming journey, you are going to see a lot of established YouTubers showing off their gear. It’s easy to get carried away with equipment, but we recommend setting a budget and staying within it to start.

What’s a good budget for YouTubers? Some might say you can do it for $600 and others say $3000. That’s a big range.

What you need to ask yourself is what do you currently have.

Are you starting with nothing? Or do you have some essentials? If you have a computer, which can play the game of your choice, you don’t need to spend $2000 on a new one. Look at what you currently have before buying new stuff.

Here is what you will need to get the best results:

- Microphone (Average cost: $100)

- Webcam (Average cost: $100)

- Editing Software (Average cost: $300)

- PC that can handle recording, editing, rendering, uploading, etc. (Average cost: $2,000)

If you are starting out, all you need is a computer with a capable CPU and GPU, a webcam, a microphone, and a free encoding software, such as OBS , and you will be able to stream.

Even PewDiePie started with a basic gaming setup.

I don’t recommend blowing your life savings on all the equipment you want. Don’t have a powerful computer? There are games such as Minecraft and Roblox that are less taxing to your computer, if you don’t have a powerful one.

There are ways to work around it, if you don’t currently have the funds. Being a YouTuber is all about being resourceful and creative.

You don’t need professional editing software, there are affordable ones such as Wondershare Filmora that have all the capabilities.

1. Many Games Are Free

Here’s the great thing about starting as a video game YouTuber, you don’t need to pay for any games. I’m not only talking about the crappy Flash games on the Internet, but massively popular games such as Fortnite and DOTA are also free to start playing as well.

If you’re strapped for cash. Start your channel playing free games and work your way towards more expensive games.

2. Some Software Are Free As Well

OBS: This streaming software allows you to capture your game in top quality and broadcast it directly to YouTube. It’s a simple setup , and it’s completely free.

Audacity: This audio recording and editing software is great if you want to improve the quality of your audio by removing background noise or combining clips.

GIMP: Probably the closest free product to Photoshop you can find. GIMP will help you perform basic image manipulation. It’s not as user friendly as Photoshop, but you can learn the fundamentals here as you save up for the Creative Cloud subscription plan.

5. Optimization Matters

Gaming is arguably the most popular genre on YouTube. So, how is your little video going to be discovered in this vast sea of gaming content?

The answer: with a good optimization strategy.

1. Tags and Title

When conceptualizing your next video, consider what your viewers are going to search to find it. This will help you focus your gameplay to meet the demand of this untapped (or more specific) audience.

You can use a plugin called VidIQ to see the keyword score by simply searching for the content you think your viewers are interested in watching.

If you’re playing Fortnite, and your keyword is simply “Fortnite” you’re using a highly searched term, but the competition is very high as well. The odds of your ranking is incredibly tough as the overall keyword score is 61/100.

However, if you focus on a more specific aspect of the game to make a video around, such as a character, you can heighten your chance at being discovered.

Take the example below, where I added the keyword “Striker” to the search. Its overall keyword score is 87/100, that’s 26 points better in the keyword score, compared to just “Fortnite.”

This will help you identify the content you should be making and then use that keyword knowledge to write a good title and a list of 5-15 tags.

Few more tips to improving your titles include:

- Avoid uninspiring words like “Fun,” “Exciting,” or “Great.”

- Once you have a title do a quick search to see if it already exists. Common titles make it harder for yours to rank.

- Have the title relate to the game. If there are certain words or phrases that players are familiar with, go ahead and use it.

- Make it click-worthy by promising something unique, but don’t mislead viewers.

2. Create Awesome Thumbnails

It doesn’t matter how awesome your video is, if the thumbnail image is boring, nobody will want to click into it. And if nobody clicks into it, you won’t get any views. Simple.

What makes a good thumbnail image?

1. Don’t use the random images YouTube picks for you
2. Have an expressive picture of a human face (preferably of yours, because it’s your gaming channel and you’re the star)

Take a look at The Syndicate Project’s thumbnails and how it evokes an intensity that makes you want to click — or scream with excitement. Both good things.

1. Don’t want to use your face? Create a character for yourself or to represent your channel. Or used the characters from the actual game.

Check out the colorful thumbnails from VanossGaming, where the owl is the mascot of their channel.

1. Use readable text or emojis

If you don’t have Photoshop or don’t have strong design skills, check out Wondershare Pixstudio , a drag-and-drop design tool that makes creating thumbnails easy.

3. Engage with Other Gamers

Don’t forget that YouTube is a social media platform.

It’s all about being a part of a YouTube community, and while you can’t interact with every creator on the platform, you can find those within your niche or specific game and chat with them. Leave a comment if you like their video or have constructive feedback.

Additionally, viewer engagements such as likes and comments have shown to have an indirect effect on your video ranking. That is why you should encourage your viewers to “smash” the like button or join in a conversation by asking them a question in your video.

6. Be Cautious of Content Strike and Demonetization

1. Cause for Demonetization

The YouTube monetization landscape has changed a lot for creators in the past few years. The guidelines are always being adjusted to serve both creators and advertisers. If you’re thinking of making money from YouTube ads, you have to be aware that there are types of content that turn advertisers off, and YouTube knows it. Here are some reasons that YouTube will choose to demonetize your videos:

- Excessive or gratuitous violence

- Hateful content: promotes discrimination or disparages or humiliates and individual or group of people (race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc.)

- Inappropriate use of family entertainment characters

- Incendiary and demeaning content: disrespectful languages that shame or insult an individual or group

2. Avoiding Copyright Strike

Thanks to the fair use doctrine, you’re allowed to take video game content and make videos from it without acquiring permission from the people who made the game.

However, if you step across the fair use line, you can be penalized for violating copyright infringement.

If you get three strikes from YouTube in 90 days, your account and videos will be removed and you won’t be allowed to create a new channel.

Before you publish your video ask yourself these questions, if you answer yes to any of them then you have met fair use standards:

- Is your content creative or educational?

- Is there more original content than copyrighted content?

- Is your video benefiting the original content?

I recommend that you learn more about YouTube copyright , and how to build your content so that it doesn’t get flagged.

Beyond all that, it’s about playing games, having a good time, and meeting awesome people like yourself. Enjoy the journey and take pleasure in every little achievement, be it in the game or on YouTube.

Key Takeaways

1. Don’t go into YouTube gaming for the money, but rather to improve your skills and other people’s lives.
2. Find something special about your channel that people can’t find anywhere else.
3. YouTube gaming can be as cheap and as expensive as you want, create a budget to stay within your limits.
4. Understand optimization to improve your chances of viewers finding your content.
5. Don’t be hateful or advertisers will avoid you, and don’t steal other people’s content without crediting the original creator.
6. Give yourself a unique YouTube gaming channel name .

What’s stopping you from starting your YouTube gaming channel? Let us know in the comment box below!

Best Screen Recorder & Video Editor for Gamers

If you want to record the gameplay and edit it with some text and titles, or creative transitions and effects, I highly recommend you try Wondershare Filmora , which is easy to use yet powerful enough with its editing tools and effects templates. Download the free trial version and get started now.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Now is the best and easiest time in history for you to start a YouTube gaming channel. Yet a profitable channel? That’s another story. In this article, I am going to highlight the key elements you need to become the best YouTube gamer you can be.

Table of Content:

1. Have a Greater Purpose
2. Create an Identity
3. Type of Gaming Videos
4. Have a Budget
5. Optimization Matter
6. Be Cautious of Content Strike and Demonetization

Starting a gaming channel today will mean that you will be a small fish in a big ocean. The amount of content on YouTube is massive, and in order to stand out, you will need three intangibles:

- Patience

- Consistency

- Creativity

If you are willing to commit to this long term, then it’s the best time in history for you to start a YouTube gaming channel.

The All-in-One Screen Recorder & Video Editor

• Record desktop screen, voiceover, and webcam simultaneously
• Edit recorded clips quickly with a wide range of professional tools
• Built-in plentiful templates and effects
• Export to MP4, MOV, MKV, GIF and multiple formats

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Secure Download

It’s the best time because you will have so many pioneers and successful creators to draw inspiration and knowledge from. You’ll be standing on the shoulders of giants like PewDiePie, Markiplier, Jacksepticeye, and CinnamonToastKen.

The trail has been blazed and you’re in the new frontier. Now, here’s what you need to know about starting a YouTube gaming channel.

1. Have a Greater Purpose

According to Tubular Insights , 15% of all content on YouTube is related to video games. That’s a lot.

Additionally, as of 2018, YouTube has a new monetization requirement. To enable monetization, you will need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of watch time in the last 12 months.

If you think you can make a few videos and start making money, I’m sorry, but I’ll have to disappoint you. YouTube is fun and a wonderful way to increase the social aspect of gaming and enhance your enjoyment. Approach it the same way you’ve approached gaming all along, as a fun way to spend your time.

Enjoy the journey… and what a journey it can be. Do it for the love of playing games and making videos, and not about getting subscribers or views. If you don’t change your attitude, it’s a grueling climb if all you want is to reach the finish line (which is nowhere in sight).

Why am I telling you this? Well, if you don’t have a greater purpose than simply growing subscribers and making money off YouTube, then you are going to get discouraged and give up. It’s not a get-rich-fast plan.

Here is how you find your greater purpose:

1. Give Value

You want to make good YouTube gaming content like those popular YouTubers that came before you.

But… what makes good YouTube content?

Simply put, good content should exhibit these factors:

Entertaining: Tell a story and sensationalize the emotions that come out of you when you play games.

Educational: Find hidden stages, new tricks, and talk about the lore and history that brought this game to life.

Inspiring: Encourage viewers to try new games and play along. Help people discover their next pastime and thank viewers for spending their time with you.

This is what gives your content value, and creating content with value should be your ultimate purpose. Making your viewers feel good is, in a way, better than money, no?

2. Make YouTube a Part of Your Daily/Weekly Ritual

YouTube should be a part of your regular schedule.

At first, it’ll be easy. Like anything new, your YouTube channel will have a novelty to it. It’s this exciting new project that you have.

But after the first month, that excitement will dampen. By the third month, it’ll become familiar. Here’s where you have to fight the urge to stop. This is where author, Seth Godin calls The Dip .

It’s now working. And like all work, you’ll have to schedule it into your daily life. You’ll have to prioritize YouTube above hanging out with friends, watching another movie, or playing video games without the strain of recording it and being entertaining/educating/inspiring.

However, if you are getting fulfillment from YouTube, you won’t stop even when the going gets hard. Like being a parent, it’s not always fun, but it should always be fulfilling.

Pro Tip: Mark when you are going to be working on YouTube in a calendar, so when someone asks you to hang out or go for dinner, you can check it and let them know you already have plans.

3. Have a Passion to Get Better At Every Step

There are many stages to producing a YouTube video, from pre-production to production to post-production. And within those stages are countless steps.

If YouTube is what you want to do, perhaps the greatest purpose you can have is improving on each of those skill sets along the way.

In the beginning, you will have a surplus of ideas, but once your initial stock of video ideas run dry, you will need to practice coming up with more ideas .

You’ll get better at recording your gameplay, at speaking on camera, at editing your footage, at optimizing your content, and at sharing your videos.

You will enjoy certain steps more than others, but if you are passionate, you will find comfort in striving to improve in each one, little by little.

Pro Tip:Focus on telling a great story . In every video, you should have an objective you want to accomplish. You want to beat a stage, you want to learn a new skill, etc. Once you nail that, all the other elements (screen recording, editing, and your commentary) will fall into place to guide your story from beginning to end.

2. Create an Identity

Your personality and your channel will need to go through a littlebranding exercise . You need to find what sets yourself apart from all the other gaming channels on the Internet. Ask yourself, and be honest with the answer: Why should anyone care about my channel?

1. Be Original

Take inspiration from other YouTubers and adjust it so that it’s unique. You cannot copy the ideas of popular YouTubers, because the public can see that. They can tell the difference between originality and imitation.

Being original doesn’t mean doing something that has never been done before.

Take a look at Jacksepticeye and Markiplier, both are popular YouTubers recognized for their colorful hair, mass use of profanity, and their Let’s Play style of gaming videos. But if you watch their videos, you can see that they are not copying each other but rather adjusting what has proven to be effective to suit their personality.

If something inspires you and you want to make an original version yourself, don’t think that you need to do something completely different, rather ask, how can I make that awesome thing better?

2. Focus on a Specific Aspect of Game

Odds are, you’ll end up playing the same game as other YouTubers. If you’re playing a popular game, then it’s going to be hard for you to establish an audience if your videos are broad.

Consider how your viewers will discover your videos. Are they going to find you through search? If so, what are they searching? There are many aspects to a video game: characters, glitches, stages, etc.

Find a specific aspect of the game to focus on.

Take YouTuber, NoughtPointFourLive, who instead of playing the game via a linear campaign, finds ridiculous situations, odd tricks, and easter eggs in Grand Theft Auto:

3. Hook Audience With Something Funny Or Interesting — And Lead Up To It

Every video you make should tell a story. It doesn’t matter if the storyline is the one in the video game or if it’s happening to you in real life. What matters is that you are aware of where the climax is.

The climax is what your story hinges on: it’s when Mario confronts Bowser.

This is what your audience is watching for. They want to know who wins.

To hook your audience right away, open with the most exciting part. The bit leading up to the climax. But don’t give away the ending. You want to hook them. Give a promise that this video is worth watching and that eventually, it will deliver.

Check out this example from YouTuber, Lachlan playing Fortnite and landing back at Spawn Island, an artillery-filled waiting area for players before the game starts.

This structure can be applied with humor as well as climatic events. If you open with something funny, it gets the viewer engaged immediately. They want to know what led up to that humorous moment.

Take a look at this example from YouTuber, Jelly. He does a great job at injecting humor into his first few seconds of video.

3. Type of Gaming Videos

There are no rules to making gaming videos. As long as it’s worth watching and you aren’t stealing content, that is all that matters. Nevertheless, there are a few standard types of gaming videos that have been established over the years.

1. Let’s Plays

Turn the game on and start playing. Let’s Plays give you a lot of freedom to explore the game and let your personality show in the commentary. You don’t need to play with a strategy, but do have a particular goal in mind (Finishing a level, for example).

Let’s Plays are more about watching you experience the game. A demographic of people watching Let’s Plays are those that don’t have the game themselves, but still want to experience it. Let them live vicariously through you.

2. Reviews

When you’re deciding whether or not to buy a new product where do you go to research? Google and YouTube. If you have a lot of interesting insights after playing a game, making reviews videos might just be your calling. There are many games on the market, and for consumers, it can get overwhelming. Reviews help others decide whether they should invest their money and their time into that specific game or continue searching.

3. Walkthrough

Unlike Let’s Plays and reviews, walkthrough videos are mapped out and structured to help the viewers pass the game while experiencing events, side quests, and characters they would otherwise have missed.

4. Reactions

Misery or excitement, when you genuinely react to an event in a game, the audience gets to experience it along your side. Give the moment a bit of lead up, let people know what you are expecting, and then surprise yourself. Reaction videos are great because they are spontaneous and a wonderful form of presenting your personality.

5. Skills

Video games are hard to master. But if you think you are proficient in an aspect of the game, show off your moves. Is there a particular trick that you can do? Is there a stage you can beat quickly? Are you able to take down your enemy with ease? Prove it.

4. Have a Budget

When you begin your YouTube gaming journey, you are going to see a lot of established YouTubers showing off their gear. It’s easy to get carried away with equipment, but we recommend setting a budget and staying within it to start.

What’s a good budget for YouTubers? Some might say you can do it for $600 and others say $3000. That’s a big range.

What you need to ask yourself is what do you currently have.

Are you starting with nothing? Or do you have some essentials? If you have a computer, which can play the game of your choice, you don’t need to spend $2000 on a new one. Look at what you currently have before buying new stuff.

Here is what you will need to get the best results:

- Microphone (Average cost: $100)

- Webcam (Average cost: $100)

- Editing Software (Average cost: $300)

- PC that can handle recording, editing, rendering, uploading, etc. (Average cost: $2,000)

If you are starting out, all you need is a computer with a capable CPU and GPU, a webcam, a microphone, and a free encoding software, such as OBS , and you will be able to stream.

Even PewDiePie started with a basic gaming setup.

I don’t recommend blowing your life savings on all the equipment you want. Don’t have a powerful computer? There are games such as Minecraft and Roblox that are less taxing to your computer, if you don’t have a powerful one.

There are ways to work around it, if you don’t currently have the funds. Being a YouTuber is all about being resourceful and creative.

You don’t need professional editing software, there are affordable ones such as Wondershare Filmora that have all the capabilities.

1. Many Games Are Free

Here’s the great thing about starting as a video game YouTuber, you don’t need to pay for any games. I’m not only talking about the crappy Flash games on the Internet, but massively popular games such as Fortnite and DOTA are also free to start playing as well.

If you’re strapped for cash. Start your channel playing free games and work your way towards more expensive games.

2. Some Software Are Free As Well

OBS: This streaming software allows you to capture your game in top quality and broadcast it directly to YouTube. It’s a simple setup , and it’s completely free.

Audacity: This audio recording and editing software is great if you want to improve the quality of your audio by removing background noise or combining clips.

GIMP: Probably the closest free product to Photoshop you can find. GIMP will help you perform basic image manipulation. It’s not as user friendly as Photoshop, but you can learn the fundamentals here as you save up for the Creative Cloud subscription plan.

5. Optimization Matters

Gaming is arguably the most popular genre on YouTube. So, how is your little video going to be discovered in this vast sea of gaming content?

The answer: with a good optimization strategy.

1. Tags and Title

When conceptualizing your next video, consider what your viewers are going to search to find it. This will help you focus your gameplay to meet the demand of this untapped (or more specific) audience.

You can use a plugin called VidIQ to see the keyword score by simply searching for the content you think your viewers are interested in watching.

If you’re playing Fortnite, and your keyword is simply “Fortnite” you’re using a highly searched term, but the competition is very high as well. The odds of your ranking is incredibly tough as the overall keyword score is 61/100.

However, if you focus on a more specific aspect of the game to make a video around, such as a character, you can heighten your chance at being discovered.

Take the example below, where I added the keyword “Striker” to the search. Its overall keyword score is 87/100, that’s 26 points better in the keyword score, compared to just “Fortnite.”

This will help you identify the content you should be making and then use that keyword knowledge to write a good title and a list of 5-15 tags.

Few more tips to improving your titles include:

- Avoid uninspiring words like “Fun,” “Exciting,” or “Great.”

- Once you have a title do a quick search to see if it already exists. Common titles make it harder for yours to rank.

- Have the title relate to the game. If there are certain words or phrases that players are familiar with, go ahead and use it.

- Make it click-worthy by promising something unique, but don’t mislead viewers.

2. Create Awesome Thumbnails

It doesn’t matter how awesome your video is, if the thumbnail image is boring, nobody will want to click into it. And if nobody clicks into it, you won’t get any views. Simple.

What makes a good thumbnail image?

1. Don’t use the random images YouTube picks for you
2. Have an expressive picture of a human face (preferably of yours, because it’s your gaming channel and you’re the star)

Take a look at The Syndicate Project’s thumbnails and how it evokes an intensity that makes you want to click — or scream with excitement. Both good things.

1. Don’t want to use your face? Create a character for yourself or to represent your channel. Or used the characters from the actual game.

Check out the colorful thumbnails from VanossGaming, where the owl is the mascot of their channel.

1. Use readable text or emojis

If you don’t have Photoshop or don’t have strong design skills, check out Wondershare Pixstudio , a drag-and-drop design tool that makes creating thumbnails easy.

3. Engage with Other Gamers

Don’t forget that YouTube is a social media platform.

It’s all about being a part of a YouTube community, and while you can’t interact with every creator on the platform, you can find those within your niche or specific game and chat with them. Leave a comment if you like their video or have constructive feedback.

Additionally, viewer engagements such as likes and comments have shown to have an indirect effect on your video ranking. That is why you should encourage your viewers to “smash” the like button or join in a conversation by asking them a question in your video.

6. Be Cautious of Content Strike and Demonetization

1. Cause for Demonetization

The YouTube monetization landscape has changed a lot for creators in the past few years. The guidelines are always being adjusted to serve both creators and advertisers. If you’re thinking of making money from YouTube ads, you have to be aware that there are types of content that turn advertisers off, and YouTube knows it. Here are some reasons that YouTube will choose to demonetize your videos:

- Excessive or gratuitous violence

- Hateful content: promotes discrimination or disparages or humiliates and individual or group of people (race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, etc.)

- Inappropriate use of family entertainment characters

- Incendiary and demeaning content: disrespectful languages that shame or insult an individual or group

2. Avoiding Copyright Strike

Thanks to the fair use doctrine, you’re allowed to take video game content and make videos from it without acquiring permission from the people who made the game.

However, if you step across the fair use line, you can be penalized for violating copyright infringement.

If you get three strikes from YouTube in 90 days, your account and videos will be removed and you won’t be allowed to create a new channel.

Before you publish your video ask yourself these questions, if you answer yes to any of them then you have met fair use standards:

- Is your content creative or educational?

- Is there more original content than copyrighted content?

- Is your video benefiting the original content?

I recommend that you learn more about YouTube copyright , and how to build your content so that it doesn’t get flagged.

Beyond all that, it’s about playing games, having a good time, and meeting awesome people like yourself. Enjoy the journey and take pleasure in every little achievement, be it in the game or on YouTube.

Key Takeaways

1. Don’t go into YouTube gaming for the money, but rather to improve your skills and other people’s lives.
2. Find something special about your channel that people can’t find anywhere else.
3. YouTube gaming can be as cheap and as expensive as you want, create a budget to stay within your limits.
4. Understand optimization to improve your chances of viewers finding your content.
5. Don’t be hateful or advertisers will avoid you, and don’t steal other people’s content without crediting the original creator.
6. Give yourself a unique YouTube gaming channel name .

What’s stopping you from starting your YouTube gaming channel? Let us know in the comment box below!

Best Screen Recorder & Video Editor for Gamers

If you want to record the gameplay and edit it with some text and titles, or creative transitions and effects, I highly recommend you try Wondershare Filmora , which is easy to use yet powerful enough with its editing tools and effects templates. Download the free trial version and get started now.

Richard Bennett

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

Follow @Richard Bennett

Premier PC Video Editor: Harmonize Edits & Music

The online world is steadily shifting from static photos to videos and it is quite evident from the social media users. Everyone prefers uploading short videos with music to get more attention rather than uploading a collection of photos. You can join multiple video clips and add background music as well as make a slideshow video with audio. You will require a video editor with music to get the job done.

There are different types of video editors available where you can upload photos and video clips along with songs and music. You turn them into an eye-catching music video instantly with different video effects and animations. Starting from online video editors with music to standalone video editing software, here is the list of the top 10 best video editors for creating and editing videos with music like a professional.

Part 1. Best music video editors for PC

1. Filmora

System compatibility: Windows 11/10/8/7 and Mac

Rating: 4.7/5

Wondershare Filmora is the best video editor with music. It is a premium software where you get all the features and functionalities you need to make and edit music videos like a pro. The software lets you capture screen video, webcam video, external audio as well as voiceover. Therefore, you can use your own music or song in the background of your video.

When it comes to video editing, all the standard tools are available for music video creation. There are loads of transitions, effects, elements, audio and titles available. Besides, there is a dedicated stock media library available. You can import and export different file formats and publish 4K videos as well. Here are the top features of Wondershare Filmora.

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

• Drag and drop all media files for video creation.
• Easy timeline for organizing media files and editing them quickly.
• Crop, trim, split, cut, and combine media files.
• Wide range of video transitions and audio effects.
• Different motion elements, titles, and stock media files.
• Keyframing, noise removal, video stabilization options.
• Super intuitive user interface for all users.

2. Windows Movie Maker

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10

Rating: 4.0/5

If you are Windows user and you are looking for a free video editor with song, Windows Movie Maker is the perfect app you can get from Microsoft Store. Even though it comes free, the video editor is quite powerful. You can crop, trim, join video clips and add text and music to your video. There are image filters available for photo enhancement as well as transitions to apply in the video.

There are in-built music tracks available and it supports importing a wide range of media files. You can avail animated pan and zoom feature for photos and adjust volume and speed. There is also a Pro version available that supports 4K video and better project management as well as advanced tools. Here are the top features of Windows Movie Maker.

• Rotate, trim, flip, and join video clips to make music video.
• Make video from photos and add in-built or external music files.
• Add titles, credits, texts, stickers, as well as pan-zoom animation.
• Wide range of transition effects and photo filters available.
• Supports importing and exporting different file formats.
• Pro version supports 4K resolution and offers exclusive quick tools.

3. Blender

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8.1 macOS 10.13+, Linux.

Rating: 4.5/5

If you are looking for an open-source video editor, Blender is the best choice. It is completely free to use and it comes with all the standard features for creating and editing music videos. The software is particularly popular for modelling, sculpting, rendering and creating animation-based videos. The video editor contains 32 slots where you can add your media files to create the video.

Blender allows you to change video speed, adjust different layers in the videos and add preferred transitions. Moreover, there are masks and filters available to enhance video content. The advance options of audio mixing and keyframing will surely come handy for advanced users. Here are the top features of Blender video editor.

• Cut, split, trim, and join videos clips.
• Color grading, photo filters and custom text options.
• Add effects, transitions, and animations to your video.
• Live visualization options for advanced users.
• Motion tracking, scene stabilization and compositing options.

4. Adobe Premiere Pro

System compatibility: Windows 10 and 11.

Rating: 4.5/5

Adobe Premiere Pro is the best video editor for professionals. The software has a slightly steep learning curve and it requires a high-end computer. Therefore, it is useful for you when you are serious about making professional-quality music video. In fact, Adobe Premiere Pro is widely used in the music video and video creation industry.

Adobe Premiere Pro is the perfect combination of standard and advanced video editing options. You can edit various video files at the same time. In fact, it is perfect for a team to work on your music video files. You can edit VR videos, multi-cam videos as well 3D videos. You can edit your photos, video clips and audio files perfectly as per your requirements. Here are the top features of Adobe Premiere Pro.

• Trim, split, crop, merge, adjust speed, color correction options.
• Edit video clips and audio files minutely with comparison view.
• Auto color correction, auto reframe, and configurable user interface.
• Editing advanced videos like VR and 3D as well as advance audio editor.
• Supports importing and exporting different media file formats.

5. Final Cut Pro

System compatibility: macOS 10.14 or higher

Rating: 4.4/5

Final Cut Pro for Mac users is equivalent to Adobe Premium Pro for Windows users. It is widely used by video creators to edit your videos and add effects and audio to get the desired result. You get the standard as well as the advanced video editing options and features. You can publish your music video at high resolution, and the software takes minimum time for rendering.

Final Cut Pro allows editing 3D, VR, multi-cam, and 360-degree videos. There are loads of effects, filters, and presets available to apply to your video clips and photos to create a music video. The presence of cinematic mode and object tracker could be useful for creating out-of-the-box videos. Here are the top features of Final Cut Pro.

• Trim, split, crop, change speed, color correction, and multi-cam video editing.
• Amazing cinematic mode to enhance music video content and quality.
• Add external music file and edit the music file as required.
• Proper organization tool for team to work collaboratively.
• Background rendering feature saves a lot of time in video processing.
• Publish your music video in high resolution without long processing time.

7. Clido

System compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS.

Rating: 4.5/5

Clido is an online platform where you get different tools for video editing. It is a premium online video editor with music and hence, it is suitable for all those who want to edit video with music on the go. There is no need to download any software and you can merge, compress, resize, cut and crop video as per your requirements.

You can even rotate and adjust speed to create slow-motion videos. To create your music video, you have to opt for its video maker where you can use photos, video clips, GIFs, and music. You can edit the duration for photos and video clips as per your preference. There is also a slideshow maker available for instant video creation with your photos. Here are the top features of Clido that you should be aware of.

• Flip, loop, reverse, crop, resize, and merge video clips.
• Create slideshow videos and add music of your choice instantly.
• Wide range of presets and video filters.
• Change aspect ratios to make videos for different platforms.
• Super intuitive user interface and secure platform.
• Compatible with popular browsers and suitable for PC and phone users

8. Adobe Express

System compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Rating: 4.5/5

Adobe Express is an online video editor with song that is compatible with popular browsers and all devices. You can create stunning music videos in a few minutes. There are various templates available to get started and finish your stunning music video in a few steps. There is a wide range of stock images available from Adobe. You get access to effects, textures, overlays, and filters to enhance video quality.

You can also remove background from your photos to improve video content. There are various graphical elements available to add to your video. You can resize your video to be compatible with online platforms and different devices. The software allows you to play with texts and titles by offering various customization options. Here are the top features of Adobe Express.

• Loads of video templates for quick video creation.
• Resize photos, convert to different formats, and remove background.
• Trim and crop video clips, convert to GIFs, resize as required.
• Access to stock media library of Adobe and experiment with text.
• Make video for different online platforms and different devices.

9. VideoPad

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP & Mac OS X 10.5 or above.

Rating: 4.1/5

VideoPad from NCH Software is a simple but powerful video editor. You can create stunning music videos and edit them as per your requirements. The user interface is suitable for beginners and you can avail different video effects and transitions to apply to your video. There are also dedicated audio tools available to edit audio and music files.

The software supports editing 360-degree and 3D videos. In fact, it supports over 60 video file formats for importing them. The software is equally useful in video optimization and you can share the edited video on different online platforms as per your preference. Here are the top features of VideoPad.

• Standard video and audio editing options available.
• Mix music track, add audio effects, and record your narration.
• Wide range of templates for intro, outro and others for branding.
• Supports up to 4K resolution and lossless export.
• Video optimization, stabilization, color correction, and change speed.
• Upload videos directly to YouTube, Vimeo, and Flickr and cloud platforms.

Part 2. How to make a music video on my own?

In order to make a music video file, you will need a video editor, video clips or photos, and background music. We recommend Wondershare Filmora as the best video editor for music videos. Transfer the video clips or photos with which you want to make the music video from your phone to your computer. Choose and download the music file that you would want to add to the background of your video. You can also record your own song or music and use the same for background music. Here are the steps to make a music video on your own.

Step 1: Download and install Filmora as per your operating system. Launch the software and click on New Project.

Step 2: Drag and drop the video clips, photos, music and audio files on Project Media folder.

Step 3: Drag and drop the video clips or photos on Timeline and arrange them in order as you want in your video. You can stretch the duration of the photos and videos as per your requirements.

Step 4: Go to Transition option at the top bar and drag and drop the transition of your choice on the photos or video clips so that the transition is eye-catching and eye-soothing.

Step 5: Drag and drop the music file from Project Media folder on the Timeline below the photos or video clips. You can stretch or trim the music track to suit the video length. Check out Audio, Effects, Elements and Titles section at the top bar so that you can incorporate them in your music video to be more appealing and engaging.

Step 6: Preview the music video on Filmora and click on Export button to save it on your hard drive as per your selected file format.

Part 3. Related FAQs

1. How do I add music to video editor on PC?

Different video editor offers different options to add music. Some allow you to drag and drop music file from your hard drive to video editor directly. Otherwise, you have to browse and go to the location and select the music file. Online video editor also allows uploading music file from cloud storage.

2. What software is best for editing music videos?

Wondershare Filmora is the best video editor for editing music videos. This is because it is a premium software with all the features and functionalities that you need to edit your music video. The user interface is intuitive for everyone to enhance video content and quality.

3. What is the best app to put music to videos?

InShot is the best app to put music to videos for Android users. For iOS users, Video Maker with Music Editor is the best app to use where all the required features are readily available.

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

• Drag and drop all media files for video creation.
• Easy timeline for organizing media files and editing them quickly.
• Crop, trim, split, cut, and combine media files.
• Wide range of video transitions and audio effects.
• Different motion elements, titles, and stock media files.
• Keyframing, noise removal, video stabilization options.
• Super intuitive user interface for all users.

2. Windows Movie Maker

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10

Rating: 4.0/5

If you are Windows user and you are looking for a free video editor with song, Windows Movie Maker is the perfect app you can get from Microsoft Store. Even though it comes free, the video editor is quite powerful. You can crop, trim, join video clips and add text and music to your video. There are image filters available for photo enhancement as well as transitions to apply in the video.

There are in-built music tracks available and it supports importing a wide range of media files. You can avail animated pan and zoom feature for photos and adjust volume and speed. There is also a Pro version available that supports 4K video and better project management as well as advanced tools. Here are the top features of Windows Movie Maker.

• Rotate, trim, flip, and join video clips to make music video.
• Make video from photos and add in-built or external music files.
• Add titles, credits, texts, stickers, as well as pan-zoom animation.
• Wide range of transition effects and photo filters available.
• Supports importing and exporting different file formats.
• Pro version supports 4K resolution and offers exclusive quick tools.

3. Blender

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8.1 macOS 10.13+, Linux.

Rating: 4.5/5

If you are looking for an open-source video editor, Blender is the best choice. It is completely free to use and it comes with all the standard features for creating and editing music videos. The software is particularly popular for modelling, sculpting, rendering and creating animation-based videos. The video editor contains 32 slots where you can add your media files to create the video.

Blender allows you to change video speed, adjust different layers in the videos and add preferred transitions. Moreover, there are masks and filters available to enhance video content. The advance options of audio mixing and keyframing will surely come handy for advanced users. Here are the top features of Blender video editor.

• Cut, split, trim, and join videos clips.
• Color grading, photo filters and custom text options.
• Add effects, transitions, and animations to your video.
• Live visualization options for advanced users.
• Motion tracking, scene stabilization and compositing options.

4. Adobe Premiere Pro

System compatibility: Windows 10 and 11.

Rating: 4.5/5

Adobe Premiere Pro is the best video editor for professionals. The software has a slightly steep learning curve and it requires a high-end computer. Therefore, it is useful for you when you are serious about making professional-quality music video. In fact, Adobe Premiere Pro is widely used in the music video and video creation industry.

Adobe Premiere Pro is the perfect combination of standard and advanced video editing options. You can edit various video files at the same time. In fact, it is perfect for a team to work on your music video files. You can edit VR videos, multi-cam videos as well 3D videos. You can edit your photos, video clips and audio files perfectly as per your requirements. Here are the top features of Adobe Premiere Pro.

• Trim, split, crop, merge, adjust speed, color correction options.
• Edit video clips and audio files minutely with comparison view.
• Auto color correction, auto reframe, and configurable user interface.
• Editing advanced videos like VR and 3D as well as advance audio editor.
• Supports importing and exporting different media file formats.

5. Final Cut Pro

System compatibility: macOS 10.14 or higher

Rating: 4.4/5

Final Cut Pro for Mac users is equivalent to Adobe Premium Pro for Windows users. It is widely used by video creators to edit your videos and add effects and audio to get the desired result. You get the standard as well as the advanced video editing options and features. You can publish your music video at high resolution, and the software takes minimum time for rendering.

Final Cut Pro allows editing 3D, VR, multi-cam, and 360-degree videos. There are loads of effects, filters, and presets available to apply to your video clips and photos to create a music video. The presence of cinematic mode and object tracker could be useful for creating out-of-the-box videos. Here are the top features of Final Cut Pro.

• Trim, split, crop, change speed, color correction, and multi-cam video editing.
• Amazing cinematic mode to enhance music video content and quality.
• Add external music file and edit the music file as required.
• Proper organization tool for team to work collaboratively.
• Background rendering feature saves a lot of time in video processing.
• Publish your music video in high resolution without long processing time.

7. Clido

System compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS.

Rating: 4.5/5

Clido is an online platform where you get different tools for video editing. It is a premium online video editor with music and hence, it is suitable for all those who want to edit video with music on the go. There is no need to download any software and you can merge, compress, resize, cut and crop video as per your requirements.

You can even rotate and adjust speed to create slow-motion videos. To create your music video, you have to opt for its video maker where you can use photos, video clips, GIFs, and music. You can edit the duration for photos and video clips as per your preference. There is also a slideshow maker available for instant video creation with your photos. Here are the top features of Clido that you should be aware of.

• Flip, loop, reverse, crop, resize, and merge video clips.
• Create slideshow videos and add music of your choice instantly.
• Wide range of presets and video filters.
• Change aspect ratios to make videos for different platforms.
• Super intuitive user interface and secure platform.
• Compatible with popular browsers and suitable for PC and phone users

8. Adobe Express

System compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Rating: 4.5/5

Adobe Express is an online video editor with song that is compatible with popular browsers and all devices. You can create stunning music videos in a few minutes. There are various templates available to get started and finish your stunning music video in a few steps. There is a wide range of stock images available from Adobe. You get access to effects, textures, overlays, and filters to enhance video quality.

You can also remove background from your photos to improve video content. There are various graphical elements available to add to your video. You can resize your video to be compatible with online platforms and different devices. The software allows you to play with texts and titles by offering various customization options. Here are the top features of Adobe Express.

• Loads of video templates for quick video creation.
• Resize photos, convert to different formats, and remove background.
• Trim and crop video clips, convert to GIFs, resize as required.
• Access to stock media library of Adobe and experiment with text.
• Make video for different online platforms and different devices.

9. VideoPad

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP & Mac OS X 10.5 or above.

Rating: 4.1/5

VideoPad from NCH Software is a simple but powerful video editor. You can create stunning music videos and edit them as per your requirements. The user interface is suitable for beginners and you can avail different video effects and transitions to apply to your video. There are also dedicated audio tools available to edit audio and music files.

The software supports editing 360-degree and 3D videos. In fact, it supports over 60 video file formats for importing them. The software is equally useful in video optimization and you can share the edited video on different online platforms as per your preference. Here are the top features of VideoPad.

• Standard video and audio editing options available.
• Mix music track, add audio effects, and record your narration.
• Wide range of templates for intro, outro and others for branding.
• Supports up to 4K resolution and lossless export.
• Video optimization, stabilization, color correction, and change speed.
• Upload videos directly to YouTube, Vimeo, and Flickr and cloud platforms.

Part 2. How to make a music video on my own?

In order to make a music video file, you will need a video editor, video clips or photos, and background music. We recommend Wondershare Filmora as the best video editor for music videos. Transfer the video clips or photos with which you want to make the music video from your phone to your computer. Choose and download the music file that you would want to add to the background of your video. You can also record your own song or music and use the same for background music. Here are the steps to make a music video on your own.

Step 1: Download and install Filmora as per your operating system. Launch the software and click on New Project.

Step 2: Drag and drop the video clips, photos, music and audio files on Project Media folder.

Step 3: Drag and drop the video clips or photos on Timeline and arrange them in order as you want in your video. You can stretch the duration of the photos and videos as per your requirements.

Step 4: Go to Transition option at the top bar and drag and drop the transition of your choice on the photos or video clips so that the transition is eye-catching and eye-soothing.

Step 5: Drag and drop the music file from Project Media folder on the Timeline below the photos or video clips. You can stretch or trim the music track to suit the video length. Check out Audio, Effects, Elements and Titles section at the top bar so that you can incorporate them in your music video to be more appealing and engaging.

Step 6: Preview the music video on Filmora and click on Export button to save it on your hard drive as per your selected file format.

Part 3. Related FAQs

1. How do I add music to video editor on PC?

Different video editor offers different options to add music. Some allow you to drag and drop music file from your hard drive to video editor directly. Otherwise, you have to browse and go to the location and select the music file. Online video editor also allows uploading music file from cloud storage.

2. What software is best for editing music videos?

Wondershare Filmora is the best video editor for editing music videos. This is because it is a premium software with all the features and functionalities that you need to edit your music video. The user interface is intuitive for everyone to enhance video content and quality.

3. What is the best app to put music to videos?

InShot is the best app to put music to videos for Android users. For iOS users, Video Maker with Music Editor is the best app to use where all the required features are readily available.

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

• Drag and drop all media files for video creation.
• Easy timeline for organizing media files and editing them quickly.
• Crop, trim, split, cut, and combine media files.
• Wide range of video transitions and audio effects.
• Different motion elements, titles, and stock media files.
• Keyframing, noise removal, video stabilization options.
• Super intuitive user interface for all users.

2. Windows Movie Maker

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10

Rating: 4.0/5

If you are Windows user and you are looking for a free video editor with song, Windows Movie Maker is the perfect app you can get from Microsoft Store. Even though it comes free, the video editor is quite powerful. You can crop, trim, join video clips and add text and music to your video. There are image filters available for photo enhancement as well as transitions to apply in the video.

There are in-built music tracks available and it supports importing a wide range of media files. You can avail animated pan and zoom feature for photos and adjust volume and speed. There is also a Pro version available that supports 4K video and better project management as well as advanced tools. Here are the top features of Windows Movie Maker.

• Rotate, trim, flip, and join video clips to make music video.
• Make video from photos and add in-built or external music files.
• Add titles, credits, texts, stickers, as well as pan-zoom animation.
• Wide range of transition effects and photo filters available.
• Supports importing and exporting different file formats.
• Pro version supports 4K resolution and offers exclusive quick tools.

3. Blender

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8.1 macOS 10.13+, Linux.

Rating: 4.5/5

If you are looking for an open-source video editor, Blender is the best choice. It is completely free to use and it comes with all the standard features for creating and editing music videos. The software is particularly popular for modelling, sculpting, rendering and creating animation-based videos. The video editor contains 32 slots where you can add your media files to create the video.

Blender allows you to change video speed, adjust different layers in the videos and add preferred transitions. Moreover, there are masks and filters available to enhance video content. The advance options of audio mixing and keyframing will surely come handy for advanced users. Here are the top features of Blender video editor.

• Cut, split, trim, and join videos clips.
• Color grading, photo filters and custom text options.
• Add effects, transitions, and animations to your video.
• Live visualization options for advanced users.
• Motion tracking, scene stabilization and compositing options.

4. Adobe Premiere Pro

System compatibility: Windows 10 and 11.

Rating: 4.5/5

Adobe Premiere Pro is the best video editor for professionals. The software has a slightly steep learning curve and it requires a high-end computer. Therefore, it is useful for you when you are serious about making professional-quality music video. In fact, Adobe Premiere Pro is widely used in the music video and video creation industry.

Adobe Premiere Pro is the perfect combination of standard and advanced video editing options. You can edit various video files at the same time. In fact, it is perfect for a team to work on your music video files. You can edit VR videos, multi-cam videos as well 3D videos. You can edit your photos, video clips and audio files perfectly as per your requirements. Here are the top features of Adobe Premiere Pro.

• Trim, split, crop, merge, adjust speed, color correction options.
• Edit video clips and audio files minutely with comparison view.
• Auto color correction, auto reframe, and configurable user interface.
• Editing advanced videos like VR and 3D as well as advance audio editor.
• Supports importing and exporting different media file formats.

5. Final Cut Pro

System compatibility: macOS 10.14 or higher

Rating: 4.4/5

Final Cut Pro for Mac users is equivalent to Adobe Premium Pro for Windows users. It is widely used by video creators to edit your videos and add effects and audio to get the desired result. You get the standard as well as the advanced video editing options and features. You can publish your music video at high resolution, and the software takes minimum time for rendering.

Final Cut Pro allows editing 3D, VR, multi-cam, and 360-degree videos. There are loads of effects, filters, and presets available to apply to your video clips and photos to create a music video. The presence of cinematic mode and object tracker could be useful for creating out-of-the-box videos. Here are the top features of Final Cut Pro.

• Trim, split, crop, change speed, color correction, and multi-cam video editing.
• Amazing cinematic mode to enhance music video content and quality.
• Add external music file and edit the music file as required.
• Proper organization tool for team to work collaboratively.
• Background rendering feature saves a lot of time in video processing.
• Publish your music video in high resolution without long processing time.

7. Clido

System compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS.

Rating: 4.5/5

Clido is an online platform where you get different tools for video editing. It is a premium online video editor with music and hence, it is suitable for all those who want to edit video with music on the go. There is no need to download any software and you can merge, compress, resize, cut and crop video as per your requirements.

You can even rotate and adjust speed to create slow-motion videos. To create your music video, you have to opt for its video maker where you can use photos, video clips, GIFs, and music. You can edit the duration for photos and video clips as per your preference. There is also a slideshow maker available for instant video creation with your photos. Here are the top features of Clido that you should be aware of.

• Flip, loop, reverse, crop, resize, and merge video clips.
• Create slideshow videos and add music of your choice instantly.
• Wide range of presets and video filters.
• Change aspect ratios to make videos for different platforms.
• Super intuitive user interface and secure platform.
• Compatible with popular browsers and suitable for PC and phone users

8. Adobe Express

System compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Rating: 4.5/5

Adobe Express is an online video editor with song that is compatible with popular browsers and all devices. You can create stunning music videos in a few minutes. There are various templates available to get started and finish your stunning music video in a few steps. There is a wide range of stock images available from Adobe. You get access to effects, textures, overlays, and filters to enhance video quality.

You can also remove background from your photos to improve video content. There are various graphical elements available to add to your video. You can resize your video to be compatible with online platforms and different devices. The software allows you to play with texts and titles by offering various customization options. Here are the top features of Adobe Express.

• Loads of video templates for quick video creation.
• Resize photos, convert to different formats, and remove background.
• Trim and crop video clips, convert to GIFs, resize as required.
• Access to stock media library of Adobe and experiment with text.
• Make video for different online platforms and different devices.

9. VideoPad

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP & Mac OS X 10.5 or above.

Rating: 4.1/5

VideoPad from NCH Software is a simple but powerful video editor. You can create stunning music videos and edit them as per your requirements. The user interface is suitable for beginners and you can avail different video effects and transitions to apply to your video. There are also dedicated audio tools available to edit audio and music files.

The software supports editing 360-degree and 3D videos. In fact, it supports over 60 video file formats for importing them. The software is equally useful in video optimization and you can share the edited video on different online platforms as per your preference. Here are the top features of VideoPad.

• Standard video and audio editing options available.
• Mix music track, add audio effects, and record your narration.
• Wide range of templates for intro, outro and others for branding.
• Supports up to 4K resolution and lossless export.
• Video optimization, stabilization, color correction, and change speed.
• Upload videos directly to YouTube, Vimeo, and Flickr and cloud platforms.

Part 2. How to make a music video on my own?

In order to make a music video file, you will need a video editor, video clips or photos, and background music. We recommend Wondershare Filmora as the best video editor for music videos. Transfer the video clips or photos with which you want to make the music video from your phone to your computer. Choose and download the music file that you would want to add to the background of your video. You can also record your own song or music and use the same for background music. Here are the steps to make a music video on your own.

Step 1: Download and install Filmora as per your operating system. Launch the software and click on New Project.

Step 2: Drag and drop the video clips, photos, music and audio files on Project Media folder.

Step 3: Drag and drop the video clips or photos on Timeline and arrange them in order as you want in your video. You can stretch the duration of the photos and videos as per your requirements.

Step 4: Go to Transition option at the top bar and drag and drop the transition of your choice on the photos or video clips so that the transition is eye-catching and eye-soothing.

Step 5: Drag and drop the music file from Project Media folder on the Timeline below the photos or video clips. You can stretch or trim the music track to suit the video length. Check out Audio, Effects, Elements and Titles section at the top bar so that you can incorporate them in your music video to be more appealing and engaging.

Step 6: Preview the music video on Filmora and click on Export button to save it on your hard drive as per your selected file format.

Part 3. Related FAQs

1. How do I add music to video editor on PC?

Different video editor offers different options to add music. Some allow you to drag and drop music file from your hard drive to video editor directly. Otherwise, you have to browse and go to the location and select the music file. Online video editor also allows uploading music file from cloud storage.

2. What software is best for editing music videos?

Wondershare Filmora is the best video editor for editing music videos. This is because it is a premium software with all the features and functionalities that you need to edit your music video. The user interface is intuitive for everyone to enhance video content and quality.

3. What is the best app to put music to videos?

InShot is the best app to put music to videos for Android users. For iOS users, Video Maker with Music Editor is the best app to use where all the required features are readily available.

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

• Drag and drop all media files for video creation.
• Easy timeline for organizing media files and editing them quickly.
• Crop, trim, split, cut, and combine media files.
• Wide range of video transitions and audio effects.
• Different motion elements, titles, and stock media files.
• Keyframing, noise removal, video stabilization options.
• Super intuitive user interface for all users.

2. Windows Movie Maker

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10

Rating: 4.0/5

If you are Windows user and you are looking for a free video editor with song, Windows Movie Maker is the perfect app you can get from Microsoft Store. Even though it comes free, the video editor is quite powerful. You can crop, trim, join video clips and add text and music to your video. There are image filters available for photo enhancement as well as transitions to apply in the video.

There are in-built music tracks available and it supports importing a wide range of media files. You can avail animated pan and zoom feature for photos and adjust volume and speed. There is also a Pro version available that supports 4K video and better project management as well as advanced tools. Here are the top features of Windows Movie Maker.

• Rotate, trim, flip, and join video clips to make music video.
• Make video from photos and add in-built or external music files.
• Add titles, credits, texts, stickers, as well as pan-zoom animation.
• Wide range of transition effects and photo filters available.
• Supports importing and exporting different file formats.
• Pro version supports 4K resolution and offers exclusive quick tools.

3. Blender

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8.1 macOS 10.13+, Linux.

Rating: 4.5/5

If you are looking for an open-source video editor, Blender is the best choice. It is completely free to use and it comes with all the standard features for creating and editing music videos. The software is particularly popular for modelling, sculpting, rendering and creating animation-based videos. The video editor contains 32 slots where you can add your media files to create the video.

Blender allows you to change video speed, adjust different layers in the videos and add preferred transitions. Moreover, there are masks and filters available to enhance video content. The advance options of audio mixing and keyframing will surely come handy for advanced users. Here are the top features of Blender video editor.

• Cut, split, trim, and join videos clips.
• Color grading, photo filters and custom text options.
• Add effects, transitions, and animations to your video.
• Live visualization options for advanced users.
• Motion tracking, scene stabilization and compositing options.

4. Adobe Premiere Pro

System compatibility: Windows 10 and 11.

Rating: 4.5/5

Adobe Premiere Pro is the best video editor for professionals. The software has a slightly steep learning curve and it requires a high-end computer. Therefore, it is useful for you when you are serious about making professional-quality music video. In fact, Adobe Premiere Pro is widely used in the music video and video creation industry.

Adobe Premiere Pro is the perfect combination of standard and advanced video editing options. You can edit various video files at the same time. In fact, it is perfect for a team to work on your music video files. You can edit VR videos, multi-cam videos as well 3D videos. You can edit your photos, video clips and audio files perfectly as per your requirements. Here are the top features of Adobe Premiere Pro.

• Trim, split, crop, merge, adjust speed, color correction options.
• Edit video clips and audio files minutely with comparison view.
• Auto color correction, auto reframe, and configurable user interface.
• Editing advanced videos like VR and 3D as well as advance audio editor.
• Supports importing and exporting different media file formats.

5. Final Cut Pro

System compatibility: macOS 10.14 or higher

Rating: 4.4/5

Final Cut Pro for Mac users is equivalent to Adobe Premium Pro for Windows users. It is widely used by video creators to edit your videos and add effects and audio to get the desired result. You get the standard as well as the advanced video editing options and features. You can publish your music video at high resolution, and the software takes minimum time for rendering.

Final Cut Pro allows editing 3D, VR, multi-cam, and 360-degree videos. There are loads of effects, filters, and presets available to apply to your video clips and photos to create a music video. The presence of cinematic mode and object tracker could be useful for creating out-of-the-box videos. Here are the top features of Final Cut Pro.

• Trim, split, crop, change speed, color correction, and multi-cam video editing.
• Amazing cinematic mode to enhance music video content and quality.
• Add external music file and edit the music file as required.
• Proper organization tool for team to work collaboratively.
• Background rendering feature saves a lot of time in video processing.
• Publish your music video in high resolution without long processing time.

7. Clido

System compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS.

Rating: 4.5/5

Clido is an online platform where you get different tools for video editing. It is a premium online video editor with music and hence, it is suitable for all those who want to edit video with music on the go. There is no need to download any software and you can merge, compress, resize, cut and crop video as per your requirements.

You can even rotate and adjust speed to create slow-motion videos. To create your music video, you have to opt for its video maker where you can use photos, video clips, GIFs, and music. You can edit the duration for photos and video clips as per your preference. There is also a slideshow maker available for instant video creation with your photos. Here are the top features of Clido that you should be aware of.

• Flip, loop, reverse, crop, resize, and merge video clips.
• Create slideshow videos and add music of your choice instantly.
• Wide range of presets and video filters.
• Change aspect ratios to make videos for different platforms.
• Super intuitive user interface and secure platform.
• Compatible with popular browsers and suitable for PC and phone users

8. Adobe Express

System compatibility: Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS.

Rating: 4.5/5

Adobe Express is an online video editor with song that is compatible with popular browsers and all devices. You can create stunning music videos in a few minutes. There are various templates available to get started and finish your stunning music video in a few steps. There is a wide range of stock images available from Adobe. You get access to effects, textures, overlays, and filters to enhance video quality.

You can also remove background from your photos to improve video content. There are various graphical elements available to add to your video. You can resize your video to be compatible with online platforms and different devices. The software allows you to play with texts and titles by offering various customization options. Here are the top features of Adobe Express.

• Loads of video templates for quick video creation.
• Resize photos, convert to different formats, and remove background.
• Trim and crop video clips, convert to GIFs, resize as required.
• Access to stock media library of Adobe and experiment with text.
• Make video for different online platforms and different devices.

9. VideoPad

System compatibility: Windows 11, 10, 8, 7, Vista and XP & Mac OS X 10.5 or above.

Rating: 4.1/5

VideoPad from NCH Software is a simple but powerful video editor. You can create stunning music videos and edit them as per your requirements. The user interface is suitable for beginners and you can avail different video effects and transitions to apply to your video. There are also dedicated audio tools available to edit audio and music files.

The software supports editing 360-degree and 3D videos. In fact, it supports over 60 video file formats for importing them. The software is equally useful in video optimization and you can share the edited video on different online platforms as per your preference. Here are the top features of VideoPad.

• Standard video and audio editing options available.
• Mix music track, add audio effects, and record your narration.
• Wide range of templates for intro, outro and others for branding.
• Supports up to 4K resolution and lossless export.
• Video optimization, stabilization, color correction, and change speed.
• Upload videos directly to YouTube, Vimeo, and Flickr and cloud platforms.

Part 2. How to make a music video on my own?

In order to make a music video file, you will need a video editor, video clips or photos, and background music. We recommend Wondershare Filmora as the best video editor for music videos. Transfer the video clips or photos with which you want to make the music video from your phone to your computer. Choose and download the music file that you would want to add to the background of your video. You can also record your own song or music and use the same for background music. Here are the steps to make a music video on your own.

Step 1: Download and install Filmora as per your operating system. Launch the software and click on New Project.

Step 2: Drag and drop the video clips, photos, music and audio files on Project Media folder.

Step 3: Drag and drop the video clips or photos on Timeline and arrange them in order as you want in your video. You can stretch the duration of the photos and videos as per your requirements.

Step 4: Go to Transition option at the top bar and drag and drop the transition of your choice on the photos or video clips so that the transition is eye-catching and eye-soothing.

Step 5: Drag and drop the music file from Project Media folder on the Timeline below the photos or video clips. You can stretch or trim the music track to suit the video length. Check out Audio, Effects, Elements and Titles section at the top bar so that you can incorporate them in your music video to be more appealing and engaging.

Step 6: Preview the music video on Filmora and click on Export button to save it on your hard drive as per your selected file format.

Part 3. Related FAQs

1. How do I add music to video editor on PC?

Different video editor offers different options to add music. Some allow you to drag and drop music file from your hard drive to video editor directly. Otherwise, you have to browse and go to the location and select the music file. Online video editor also allows uploading music file from cloud storage.

2. What software is best for editing music videos?

Wondershare Filmora is the best video editor for editing music videos. This is because it is a premium software with all the features and functionalities that you need to edit your music video. The user interface is intuitive for everyone to enhance video content and quality.

3. What is the best app to put music to videos?

InShot is the best app to put music to videos for Android users. For iOS users, Video Maker with Music Editor is the best app to use where all the required features are readily available.

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