#5 Be yourself

When you ask yourself what YouTube is all about, you probably say to yourself “Well, the videos... duh.” That answer is half correct. The other half to that answer is you! Think about it; all these videos have to come from somewhere. The obvious sources are its users. Without you, none of these videos are even possible. You are the ultimate content provider and if done correctly, thousands of people gather to see what you have come up with.

But of course with exposing yourself to so many people, you can feel overwhelmed at times. Whether it be the thought of reaching out to thousands of people at a time or simply putting your face out there for the general public to see, a hobby can suddenly turn into a socially awkward situation. It doesn’t have to be this way, though.

On average my videos reach a few thousand viewers each. If you stop to think about it, that really is a good amount of people. Imagine speaking on stage in front of such a large crowd. Honestly I could not do it. Public speaking has never been one of my strong points, but you know what? Making videos is a breeze for me. All I am really doing is talking into a camera, editing the content and then putting myself in front of thousands of people. It does not have to a stressful time.

What I am trying to say is, basically just be yourself. Talk to the camera as you would to your family or a close friend. Don’t pretend to be someone else, unless that is what you are going for. Express yourself normally and really try to connect with your viewers. If you are recording a video in public, I understand you are thinking everyone is looking at you, when in reality, that is not the case. Sure some people may be looking, but honestly... who cares? Keep on rolling and just have fun!