Part 3 - Starting a motovlog can be intimidating, and costly, but I’ve found it to be worth my time and money, because for me it is fun, it satisfies my creative need, and has opened me up to a community to make new friends around the world.
I’ve been wanting to make a series of videos to give you a realistic and comprehensive look at what it takes to start up your very own motovlogging channel, so you know what to expect before starting your own vlogging adventures.
But, before I jump in, I want to take a moment to address anyone who just got their motorcycle license. It may seem easy to ride and talk at the same time, but if this isn’t something that comes naturally to you, and you find talking while you ride is distracting you from being an alert and safe rider, please use your best judgement and be cautious. Your safety is priority #1 and certainly more important than your channel, so know your limits before you hop on your motorcycle to record content for your YouTube channel. Now, with that out of the way, let’s jump right in.
If you’ve made it this far, and you’re here with me for the final Part - Part 3, then I’m assuming you’re in it for the long haul. I’m going to split Part 3 into five main points, so here we go.
#1 Be organized. This will all depend on what organization means to you, but whatever it may be, do it, and make it a habit. For me I have to “write it down”. I have all of my video ideas and outlines set up in Google Keep, which is an app you can download for you phone, as well as access online. Having an app, or a notebook that goes with you anywhere is important, because if at any given time, anything pops in my head as a video idea, it can go right on to the list. It doesn’t always make it to publish, but if you’re uploading multiple times a week, you need to have a surplus of ideas.
Organization isn’t just keeping your thoughts and ideas together, but keeping your stuff together, too (and there WILL be stuff). I use the GoPro Seeker 2.0 Backpack to keep all of my gear in one place, organized, and easily accessible. Just know that using a backpack, or case will make your life much easier (and less stressful).
Be sure you arrange your gear so you know where it is, whether it’s charged, and how much room you have left on your SD cards. Again, if your recording multiple videos a week, that’s a lot of data to keep track of, so stay ahead of the game or it will definitely catch up with you.
#2 Set Goals. Goals are completely relative to what you consider success. For me, in the beginning, success was based solely two factors. Making sure I uploaded at least once a week, and advertising my work on my social media accounts. YouTube has made it easier by giving creators the option to set a date to publish, so be sure to take advantage of that.
Remember, you can only control what you do. It’s an uphill battle to get anyone to watch your videos. In the beginning, if I had a couple dozen views on my early videos, I was happy. If your circle of friends are not (both) riders AND YouTube viewers, you can’t always count on them for views and subs (by the way, don’t take it personally).
So, set realistic goals that you can control, and worry about the view counts, subscribers, and analytics later.
#3 Make friends - once you’re part of the motovlogging community be an active participator. Watch others’ videos, use social media as a tool, and comment, Comment, COMMENT!
What’s equally as important as commenting on videos on other channels, is making sure that you respond to EVERY SINGLE COMMENT someone leaves on your video. If there are trolls, and there most certainly will be trolls, kill them with kindness and thank them. Because guess what, if they’re trolling they’re watching.
It’s also better to think of other creators as friends, associates and colleagues, rather than your competition. If you take an adversarial approach to other YouTubers, it’s going to be a lonely road. Making friends in the community may also open doors for opportunities to Collaborate.
#4 COLLABORATE - Collabs may come much farther down the road, but collaborating with another motovlogger is a great way to get your channel more attention. Collabs can be as simple as getting another creator to mention your channel. Be sure if another creator agrees to mention you on their channel that they leave a link to your channel, somewhere in their video or in the description. You want it to be as easy as possible for new viewers to find you.
If you’re lucky you may get an invite to hop on a Live Stream, or you can be proactive and do your own and invite others to join. If physically possible, you can team up for a dual vlog. Dual vlogs give you a chance to personally reach out to a wider audience, and build a rapport with another channel's viewers, with the advantage of having that vlogger’s support. It’s a lot of work, because your partner will need to compile and edit the video/audio from both cameras, but the results can make it worth the effort.
If it’s worth the effort to you both, you can even turn the dual vlog into two different videos, one for each channel. My big tip for editing a dual vlog is to make sure you eliminate any echo in the audio. It’s annoying and distracting to viewers, and no matter how entertaining your content turned out, some viewers will click away if they can’t get past the echo.
#5 Stay hungry - Now, my final word of wisdom for you to take away is Stay hungry. I’ve mentioned in the first two parts of this series that being a motovlogger is a lot of work, so you’ve really gotta want to be here. My guess is, if you’ve made it this far, you want to be in it for the long-haul, so make sure you are staying ahead of the game rather than constantly playing catch-up.
Have videos in a “queue” that are ready to publish at any given time. Have more video recorded than you have time to edit. Schedule posts to advertise your work on social media.
One tool I like to use is the Buffer app. Not only does this app allow me to schedule Instagram posts for the future, but it also allows me to repost content, which is great for getting other motovloggers involved, as well as chiming in on big news in the motorcycle world.
I’ve said this in previous parts and videos, but it definitely bears repeating: if you’re not enjoying being a motovlogger, then maybe it’s not for you. By no means am I trying to dissuade you from getting started. The whole purpose of this series is to put you in a position to succeed.
So, I hope you feel more prepared to start the adventure that is motovlogging, than you did before. I’ve compiled a playlist of more tips that I have for motovlogging so be sure to click the link above for more information from your friendly neighborhood T.O.G.
If you made it to the end of my blog, let me know what tool you use to keep your gear organized. Whether it be a backpack, a tank bag, or removable saddlebags, share with us how you store your gear.
And finally, if you have any questions regarding the final part of this series, please leave a comment, or feel free to hit me up on social media.