Basic steps to getting into the world of video podcasting?

Have some home movies that you want the world to see? Want to market a product? Are you an unabashed exhibitionist? YouTube is your place.

The instructions below are a guide to how to generate the right type of video and upload to YouTube. There is a lot more that can be done to help to get more feedback from your video and marketing, but can not be covered in this short article.

To get yourself started you will need a device for creating the video, a means for transferring to YouTube and a YouTube account.

The simple steps to getting your video onto YouTube:

  • Come up with an idea… This could be anything really! Just making sure its entertaining and interesting. Try to aim for a particular audience. Make sure you don’t violate the Youtube Terms of Service. Also it can’t be more than 15 minutes long unless you are a partner with Youtube.
  • Make a movie using a digital camera, web cam, or cell phone. An old VHS will only work if you transfer it to a digital file-you’ll need a digital converter to plug an older camcorder into the computer. You can upload a YouTube movie directly from a phone if you set up a Mobile Profile in YouTube. With a high speed connection, it should generally take a few minutes, give or take.
  • Edit your movie. Programs such as Mac’s iMovie or Windows’ MovieMaker are both good-add titles, effects, cut out a bad take, etc.
  • Resize the video so it looks best in YouTube. The site will accept QuickTime .MOV, Windows .AVI, or .MPG files at different resolution.We have found the following settings give the best results.
    Video Format: H.264, MPEG-2 or MPEG-4 preferred
    Aspect Ratio: Native aspect ratio without letterboxing (examples: 4:3, 16:9)
    Resolution: 640×360 (16:9 – will fill standard YouTube video play area) or 480×360 (4:3- will leave black areas right and left)
    Audio Format: MP3 or AAC preferred
    Frames per second: 30
    Maximum length: 10 minutes (we recommend 2-3 minutes)
    Maximum file size: 1 GB
  • Create a YouTube account or Log in to your existing account. Click on Upload Videos in the upper right corner of the home page. It will take time, after it uploads it has to go through tests to check for screamers and whatnot. Once it’s done with that, congratulate yourself on your first YouTube video!
  • Create an appropriate title, description, tags, category, and set language. The more information the better to help people find the video.
  • Make sure your video is YouTube appropriate. You can not upload videos that contain anything that would be considered offensive in the modern world such as sexually explicit content, graphic violence, copyrighted material, etc.
  • Advertise! Post video responses and comments on other popular YouTube videos.

Here is an example of an uploaded YouTube video by Zoo Design for Take Cover Skin System:

[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NusP5MbOv8k]

 

General comment:
Try not to make the video too long, because this just means that you’ll have less ratings and comments. This also means it will take much longer to upload and process. *If it is an video log, be sure to make it interesting, unless it’s just for family/friends. If it’s public, it will most likely get bad ratings and comments if it’s boring, or if it’s about something people don’t find interesting. *Put tags that are related to the video and be sure to put in all the words to help people find your video, or you will not get very much views. *Make sure you choose a compatible video format. Pay a visit to the YouTube help center to see what formats are compatible.