Starting a YouTube channel is easy enough in theory. All you have to do is turn on your camera or smartphone, start recording and upload your video. But in the long run, growing the audience on the platform is challenging.
Investing in the right software and tools can make it easier for you to reach the right people. You can use these solutions to research topic ideas and analyze the performance of your past uploads. Plus, you can tweak your footage and thumbnails—plus better plan your week.
To help you spend less time determining which software and tools you should use, we’ll identify seven types for you in this article.
1. Analytics Software
As you upload more videos to YouTube, you’ll get a better idea of your likes and dislikes. Once you’ve decided what you want to talk about, choosing topics that will appeal to your audience—while maintaining their interests—is key to growing your channel.
You’ll find tons of analytics tools that you can use to measure your performance. YouTube Studio is a good starting point. You’ll see statistics about your returning viewers and videos that performed best in the first few days. Plus, you’ll find a research tool to help you see which terms have a higher search volume.
TubeBuddy is another excellent research tool that you can use to improve your videos. With this solution, you can A/B test your videos and generate channel health reports. Check out our overview of TubeBuddy if you want to know more about the tool.
2. Photo Editing and Design Software
Creating informative videos is an important aspect of your YouTube channel, but if you can’t persuade users to click on your videos over someone else’s videos then what you do is of little use. Spending time on your thumbnails is important, and you can use photo editing software to make your content more engaging.
Adobe Lightroom is a great all-round solution for editing your photos, and you can choose between Lightroom Classic and Creative Cloud. Lightroom CC is the more streamlined version and is also available on mobile devices, so you may prefer to use that solution if you want to edit on the go. However, Lightroom Classic is more comprehensive, so it may be a better choice for deeper editing.
You can use Photoshop and Photoshop Express not only to edit your visuals, but also to add text to your thumbnails. You can also design your YouTube thumbnails with Canva.
3. Video Editing Software
After recording your videos, you need to edit them. While you can create cinematic masterpieces, you don’t need to. At the very least, though, you should make sure the colors look good and remove any sections you don’t want included in the final edit.
You can choose from a wide selection of video editing solutions. DaVinci Resolve and Final Cut Pro are two of the most popular examples; Many people choose the former because it offers a wide range of editing tools for free. Adobe Premiere Pro is another option; Unlike Final Cut Pro, you don’t need an Apple computer to use the program.
For simple editing, you can always try Adobe Premiere Rush or iMovie. Keep your edits simple in the beginning, and build up complexity over time.
4. Tools for planning video content
Some YouTubers share their content without a schedule, but putting together some sort of content calendar will help you stay on track. In the early stages, you want to build momentum—and knowing exactly what you need to build and post will help with that.
There are several solutions you can use to help you plan video content. Notion is arguably the best free option; The app lets you use calendar templates if you don’t want to create your own.
Other tools you can use to plan your video schedule include Asana and monday.com.
5. Daily Planner
Planning your video content is a useful part of the puzzle, but it’s not the only thing you need to consider. It’s also a good idea to plan your days in advance to make sure you stick to that schedule. This is especially important in the beginning, when you may have other commitments – such as your studies or a full-time job.
You can use a number of daily planners, including Bright and Google Calendar. Apple Calendar is also a viable option if you have an iPhone, Mac, iPad, or Apple Watch.
Try to keep the same time slot open each week to record your videos, and make some room for editing them as well. Dedicating specific time slots to these tasks will make habit formation much easier.