If you’re looking for an in-depth article on how to become a successful vlogger, you’ve come to the right place! In this article, we’ll cover what a vlog is, why people vlog, and the equipment and steps that go into producing a successful vlog. From start to finish, we’ll learn everything you need to know about vlogging. Read it from start to finish and you’ll be on your way to successfully vlogging in no time!
What Are Vlogs?
Vlogs are a form of blog conducted through the medium of video. “Vlog” comes from the combination of the words “video” and “blog,” or “video” and “log.” To break this down further, blogs are online diary entries made by individuals or groups to connect to others online. Of course, over time this has shifted and morphed, as many things do on the internet. Now blogs encompass all manners of information an individual or group may want to put out to the world. Instead of general life updates, blogs can now be anything from movie reviews, travel, fitness or anything people may want to write about.
Vlogs take the idea of a journal or diary entry and shift it to the medium of video. Most often vlogs involve people speaking to their camera, a portal through which they are addressing “you,” the audience. As the subjects of vlogs vary widely across the medium, so too do the subjects of vlogs.
Types of Vlogs
When people think of vlogs, some picture a person in their home speaking directly into their camera about the various happenings of their life. Vloggers can use this format, but not all do. This particular type of vlog can be categorized as a “lifestyle vlog.”
Lifestyle Vlogs
Lifestyle vlogs are easily summarized as a video version of a diary entry. The vlogger updates viewers on the goings-on of their lives. Through the content they put out to the world, these creators connect to their audiences on a personal level. This stronger connection between the creator and audience leads to a stronger and more supportive fan base for the creator. A strong fan base is essential for survival in the ultra competitive virtual entertainment landscape.
One such successful lifestyle vlogger is youtuber JennaMarbles. She rose to fame a decade ago with comedy videos and has since posted hundreds of videos. These include comedy sketches as well as vlogs. Here is one where she celebrates her dog’s birthday (yes, a vlog can be as simple as that!).
Company Vlogs
As the name would imply, these vlogs center around businesses and companies aiming to reach their customers. These vlogs can update customers on company changes and preview upcoming merchandise, among other things. They are also used as a way to introduce a human element to a company’s webpages and general online presence. Corporate vlogging and corporate online content management for companies is a very competitive field.
Companies of all sizes, big and small have vlogs to update their fans and customers. Take for example, this video in which Apple CEO Tim Cook addresses privacy concerns for customers of Apple.
Niche Vlogs
The term “niche vlogging” is a general catch all for any and every other sub-type of ultra specific vlogging. This covers vlogging genres like makeup vlogs, gaming vlogs, fitness vlogs, sports vlogs, etc. Hey, even muckbang is technically a nice form of vlogging. There is a subgenre of vlog for nearly every type of hobby and interest in the world. If there isn’t, that sounds like a great market that is ripe for the picking!
Here’s a video of popular youtuber Mrwhosetheboss unboxing an extremely expensive smartphone. You can check out what an unboxing video is and how you can make one here.
How Do You Make a Vlog?
Making a vlog may seem easy at first glance. But, to make a solid piece of content worth watching comes with some preparation and planning. Clearly understanding why you are making a vlog and mapping out your plan for execution will yield solid results. Results that shine much brighter than the fruits of a half thought out idea with poor execution.
Go into the vlog with a clear plan of what you want to get across to your audience. Broad ideas are not always the right way to go. Writing your thoughts into a script keeps your plan clear and concise. As Time magazine points out, the average attention span is shrinking. Statistics show that to retain an audience’s attention, you have to grab it early in a video. A script helps you plan how to grab and retain your audience’s attention. Never forget your end goal.
When uploading the video to a site like Youtube ©, choose tags that match your video well. These help your video find its way to audiences that want to see it. Depending on your goals with your vlog, you may also want to cover recent trends or news. Getting in early on a trend of a popular topic can help you go viral.
What Equipment Do You Need To Make a Vlog?
An important piece of the vlogging puzzle is finding the right equipment to execute your vision. The equipment does not need to be the most expensive. But, delivering a high quality piece of content will go further in growing and retaining a loyal audience. Some key pieces of vlogging equipment to keep in mind are video equipment, audio, lighting and software.
What Video Equipment Do You Need To Vlog?
There’s no need to spring for an expensive 4K video camera as a beginner vlogger. Most phone cameras have plenty of resolution to please the majority of viewers. Most phones today have the capability for 1080p resolution, which is the current industry standard.
If you want to begin your vlogging journey as “professionally” as possible, a basic 1080p camera would be a good starting point. Cameras have become considerably less expensive in recent years. They can be found online starting for as low as $200-$250 for a lower end model, like the Sony Handycam. However, they can get pricey. An aspiring vlogger could easily spend $700-$1000 trying to find the “best” camera around (or even $6,000+ in some cases). This is not needed for a vlog. Good video quality is important, but “the best” isn’t necessary.
A tripod is also a must need piece of video equipment that most people might not think about. It can be difficult to frame a good shot without the use of a tripod. The good news is, they are inexpensive. The quality of a tripod is not of the utmost importance, so buying an inexpensive one from a major online retailer would do the job. These can start from as low as $15 on Amazon. Don’t forget a phone attachment if you’re using your phone over an actual video camera.
What Audio Equipment Do You Need To Vlog?
According to a study conducted by USC, the better the audio quality of something is, the more likely someone is to believe it. So, sound is important.
Some content creators focus so much on the look of their content that they forget the audio. An otherwise perfect piece of video can be ruined by poor sound. Most video cameras have poor sound capturing capabilities as a default. The good news is, there are easy fixes for this.
If you’ve chosen a traditional video camera as opposed to a phone to record video, a simple solution could be recording sound from your phone itself. The audio captured by a phone sat close to the vlogger can suffice. If you’re going for the most professional sounding equipment, lav mics or shotgun mics are the way to go.
Lav mics are small microphones, also known as lapel mics, as they’re usually clipped on to a speaker’s lapel. They’re common in news production as they’re easy to hide on an anchor’s body and pick up sound well. They are also used in reality TV production for their ability to pick up sound from the talent very well, as they move with the talent. They usually run around $100-$200 for Rode brand mics.
Shotgun mics pick up sound coming from a general direction. There are shotgun mic attachments that are compatible with most cameras. These also run in the $100-$200 area. Rode also produces shotgun mics and are a trusted name in audio equipment.
What Lighting Equipment Do You Need To Vlog?
Any video producer’s best friend is natural sunlight. If possible, it is best to film during the day in a well lit room with plenty of natural sunlight. Using only warm colored lighting, like that of a common light bulb, will not be as appealing for the audience.
Aside from springing for the most expensive lighting rigs available, a simple ring light does the trick for most internet video producers. Ring lights create natural looking, cool light that illuminates the vloggers face as naturally as possible from all sides. They can also be inexpensive, sometimes running for as low as $20-$40, like this one.
What Video Editing Software Do You Need To Vlog?
The production and editing of vlogs should be quality, but does not need to be fancy. Using free software that comes pre installed on your computer should do just fine for basic cutting and title effects. If you want to go the extra mile, a good, free editing software is Davinci Resolve. This software is completely free and offers many bells and whistles in the way of effects and advanced editing tools.
If you’re looking to buy some of the best editing software on the market, Final Cut Pro for Macs and Sony Vegas Pro for PCs are the go to for those looking to buy the best. They run for $299 and $399 respectively. Double check your computer specs before any expensive purchase of hardware to make sure it can handle what is being asked.
High quality video can take up a lot of space on a computer, so an external harddrive is a good idea. If you have any type of general digital artifacts, they’re a good idea in general.
Good Luck!
As you enter the competitive world of vlogging, try your best. It may seem cliche, but making an honest effort is a big first step in many endeavors. If you make a plan and execute it to the best of your ability, you should see positive returns in the long run.
