How to setup your YouTube Gaming channel

 Quite a number of Gamers would love to start a YouTube gaming channel but most do not know how to go about it, so, why not follow this simple guide?.

Set up your YouTube account:

First, go to YouTube and click on the Sign In button on the top right hand corner of the screen. In the next screen Create an Account and Gmail address. Click on Next Step to a Google+ Profile option (you can ignore for the moment) and click on No Thanks. On the next screen, click on the YouTube icon to continue setting up your account. In the top right hand corner, click on the blue icon with the outline of a head and shoulders to bring up Create Studio and click on this button. On the next screen click on the Create a channel button.

Set up your YouTube presence:

Next, in the Set up your channel on YouTube panel, select the To use a business or other name option. This takes you to a box where you can Name your channel.  Select a category from the drop down menu and click on Agree. Go to the Dashboard in the sidebar on the left hand side. On the next screen, beneath the name of your organization, click on View Channel. To upload a video go to the Upload button at the top right hand side of your screen. Click on Select files to upload and select a file. 

Settings

In Basic info, put the title of your video and a description. Beneath the description, add tags and key words, that increase the likelihood of viewers finding your video. On the right hand side, you will see a drop down menu with the option to set your video to public view, unlisted or private. The default setting is public and this allows everyone to see your video. In the box beneath, on the right hand side, add a short title. This is linked to your subscribers list and alerts them to new videos you have posted. The Add to Playlist tab allows you to create groups of videos to watch in a particular order. You can create a playlist and upload videos directly to the Playlist. In Advance settings select a category. Here you can allow or disable Comments and display or hide the number of views you have had. Now go to the blue button on the top right hand side to publish your video and click on the link to your video displayed on the following screen.

 

Customize your channel

To add your logo, customize your profile picture by clicking on My Channel in the left hand navigation. Click the Edit button that looks like a pencil and appears in the top right corner of the profile picture box. Upload your logo, an image that should be at least 250 x 250 pixels. To customize the channel with your organization's graphics click My Channel in the left hand navigation and Add channel art. For the best results across devices upload images of 2560 X 1440 pixels. To edit your channel description go to the text box below channel navigation to add details of your mission statement and the aims of your organisation. 

 But it should also be noted that it isn't all about setting up the channel, you also need to grow your audience, here are a few tricks to do that:

Engage with users who comment. YouTube is a social network. You need to talk to people who are commenting on your video, because that is what they are doing; talking to you. This an opportunity to build a community around your channel; a tribe of fellow gamers, if you will. You shouldn't think of yourself as a "superstar" and ignore those comments, NO!. Let your viewers know you are interested in  their comments, observations and all: people love getting responses. TRY as much as possible to reply your viewers even if you can't reply all.

Setup a Google Alert for your channel name. This will help let you know where people are talking about you, so you can better engage with the communities that are watching your content.

Make an email list. I suggest using FanBridge and ask your subscribers to join it so you can send them regular updates. Offer perks only available to email subscribers like unlisted video blogs or gift cards contests.

Other Social Media. Go out to other social media like twitter, Facebook and more to create awareness and drive traffic to your channel.

I hope you find this blog helpful, please, leave your comments below.

You can follow me on twitter @iOddgamers for quick links and updates.