It's been exactly a year since we started building our YouTube channel and started seriously creating videos and gaining subscribers. Sure, we'd been using YouTube before and posting company videos – but those were mostly videos for advertising campaigns, along with a few videos explaining SEO and Google AdWords (now Google Ads).
In May 2019, we decided to change that and run the channel for good—posting great videos and building a loyal community. We thought maybe others would find these tips on how to get started on YouTube useful? That's why we created this post. 🙂
What video formats should you choose for your company's YouTube channel?
You'll be surprised! Saying you can simply find videos on YouTube is like saying you'll find bread at a bakery! After all, there are so many different types, and everyone likes different things – some come for the sweet rolls (we're fans of those), others for the buttermilk bread, and still others for the multigrain rolls. It's the same on YouTube – videos can have different themes and fit into a specific genre. Below is a list of the most popular ones:
- vlogs,
- top lists,
- reviews,
- unboxings,
- tests,
- news,
- trivia,
- diy,
- how-to,
- life hacks,
- Q&A,
- get ready with me,
- my morning/night routine,
- lookbook,
- shopping haul,
- favorites of the month,
- parodies,
- pranks,
- challenge
- sports (POV)
- alive,
- scenes,
- react to,
- animations,
- relationships,
- fails,
- streaming,
- compilations,
- short films,
- art films,
- music videos,
- and many others!
At Verseo, we focused on short videos, around 5 minutes long, a bit like how-tos, curiosities or life hacks in internet marketing.
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We have playlists for those who want to learn the basics of SEO or running Google Ads campaigns. We also have content dedicated to e-commerce and explaining important topics in online marketing. Additionally, our channel offers tips for those who want to run social media campaigns – especially on Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Of course, you'll also find short videos recorded with our clients – sort of like reviews. 🙂 We invite you to check out our channel!
That's all for the channel itself. Let's move on to the next point:
Key Criteria for Choosing Video Production Equipment
Sound and image quality
If you're going to do it, do it well, so high-quality sound and video were paramount for us. A dedicated microphone for podcast recording and a camera capable of recording 4K video and taking high-quality photos were essential. They say that video can be worse than sound. However, we wanted to ensure both. However, equipment doesn't always deliver everything. With our first videos, we struggled with external interference that degraded the sound quality. After a few videos, using feedback from our first new subscribers and experimenting with various microphone settings (distances from the noise generator), we knew how to adjust the microphone to minimize external noise.
The conditions in which we will create
It's obvious that image and sound quality must be good, but it's also worth considering the conditions in which we'll be recording. We'll choose a different camera for recording outdoors, and another for recording in a tightly closed, soundproofed room. The same applies to choosing a microphone. We need to determine whether we'll be using the microphone outdoors or indoors. Should we choose a nearly invisible lavalier microphone, a visible microphone with excellent sound pickup, or a standard portable microphone for recording street probes? Once we've determined and made a decision, it will be easier to decide on the specific equipment. Here, we need to decide on our budget and choose the right camera and microphone to stay within that budget.
Equipment cost
When we begin building a channel, as previously mentioned, the quality of both video and audio is crucial, as is choosing the location where we will most often use the equipment. It's also crucial to properly manage the budget allocated to the new project. There's a wide selection of equipment on the market, both cameras and microphones.
If you primarily care about a camera recording good videos in a closed, well-soundproofed room and know you're unlikely to be shooting outdoors, there's no point in overpaying. Don't buy a camera that will allow you to record everything, everywhere, in amazing quality. Focus on the features that matter most. A 15x zoom or slow motion effect may be completely unnecessary when recording videos at home or in the office. It's worth checking how sharp the image can be, whether the camera can operate in a warm room with additional heat from lamps, and whether there's no window in the room (our unit occasionally struggled with overheating 😀). Sometimes these issues arise during operation, but if possible, it's worth checking before buying.
Regarding the microphone, it's also important whether we want to use the sound we record with it for other purposes, for example, if we want to record a film and use the sound for a podcast at the same time. Podcasts are very popular these days, and it's worth considering killing two or three birds with one stone. Blog articles serve as a basis for developing film scripts, and we can extract sound from the film to use as a podcast. Nothing is lost in nature. 🙂
Our Recording Kit – A Detailed Overview of Verseo Equipment
You're probably curious about the recording equipment we use at Verseo. It's no secret, and we're happy to share it with you.
We chose a mid-range camera, perfectly suited to YouTube standards. Since we record audio for our videos separately using an external microphone, the most important aspect was that the camera should shoot high-quality videos, ideally with the ability to record in 4K. High-resolution videos are more popular on YouTube, and if the video is intended to serve as online advertising for a company, you can't skimp on that. We chose a Sony RX100V camera to record our videos. The RX100VII is already available on the market, but as mentioned earlier, its two-model-older brother was definitely sufficient for our needs.
Its biggest advantage is its reliability. We've already recorded over 150 videos with it and never had any major issues. It just doesn't like it when we record videos in an enclosed room where the temperature rises quickly. Another advantage of this camera is the battery. We can record several videos with a total length of about 30 minutes on a single battery. At the time of writing, the price of this camera is around 3200 PLN. Over the past several months and over 150 videos recorded for the channel and beyond, the price hasn't changed much.
Our audio, which you can hear on our YouTube channel or podcast channel, is recorded with a special microphone designed specifically for podcast recording – the Rode Podcaster . Like a camera, it's reliable. We use it to record audio for films and podcasts, but we also use it for our webinars. Over the past few months, the price of this microphone has ranged from 500 to 1000 PLN. Currently, it's available for around 800 PLN.
Complementing your recording kit – useful accessories
To record a video, it's not always enough to have just a camera and a microphone. Sometimes you also need additional lighting. Fortunately, this isn't a major expense. Typically, you'll need two lights, preferably with umbrellas. This typically costs around 100-200 PLN.
We probably won't be shooting handheld video, so a tripod to support the camera will also be useful . The prices of such tripods can vary significantly, ranging from 150 PLN to 600 PLN and more. However, again, it's important to ask yourself what type of camera you'll be supporting. If it's a small one like ours, a tripod for 180 PLN will easily do the trick.
You can see how the equipment works in action on the channel!
Sometimes, as in our case, a slightly different device, such as a prompter, comes in handy. You might recognize this device from television. It's used by presenters and journalists on news programs. It's a booth that displays text on a screen. At first, you might notice you're reading from it, but after a while and with practice, only those with a keen eye and familiarity with the subject will notice you're reading. A prompter is very useful, and again, the cost can range from several thousand to even tens of thousands per unit. However, there are options that can help reduce the price enough to keep it within your budget. For example, you can combine a relatively inexpensive prompter with a tablet and the appropriate app. At Verseo, we use a prompter from a Polish manufacturer. The cost of such a prompter is around 1200-1500 PLN, plus the cost of the tablet.
A tablet doesn't have to be expensive or feature-rich. Most importantly, it should support text display applications and have the right amount of inches to fit a prompter. Our tablet is 7 inches and fits perfectly under our prompter. The cost of such a tablet doesn't even have to exceed 600 PLN. When choosing, it's worth paying attention to the brand to avoid buying something that will break after a month of use.
That's pretty much all there is to the cost of recording equipment. However, it's important to note that each video and audio file must be edited in some software.
Step-by-step video editing software and process
At Verseo, we use proven software, and this is no exception. We use Adobe Premiere Pro for film editing. You can purchase a license for a month, several months, or a full year in advance. Depending on your choice, prices will vary. A monthly license for this program typically costs around 100 PLN. You can easily use free programs for audio editing.
Depending on the skills of the person editing the video, editing the video in the program can take two hours or even more. It all depends on the content of the video. Sound editing, raw video editing, animations, and adding subtitles (if desired) are all required. This is a time-consuming task, and the editing process may require the assistance of third parties, such as graphic designers.
Preparing for a recording session – practical tips
Each film requires an individual approach. After a while, you gain experience that allows you to work in a more structured manner. This significantly speeds up the film production process. You can divide your production time into specific days. For example, you can work on scripts one day, shoot videos another, and then move on to sound and video editing the next. Certainly, with time, as with everything, skill and ease come—and the whole process becomes almost a joy.
That's all for now! We hope you find them helpful. And we encourage you to subscribe to our channel here.
Summary
The above article covers the following topics:
- Variety of video formats available for corporate YouTube channels
- The most important criteria for selecting equipment for video production
