Making A YouTube Channel (Part 2 Of My "How Do I Travel Forever" Series)

---

The idea of doing a "how do I travel forever series" just popped into my head when I realized that I have a solid eight hours with nothing to do. It sounds so delightfully formal, doesn't it?

If you're looking for a how-to guide, I have some bad news. This isn't it. This series is a collection of random ideas that I've had over the past few months. A thought process about how to travel forever and make the most of it.

In my last article, I talked about buying an RV and living a life on the road.

In this article, I want to expound upon the idea of turning the travel life into a job. I already have a job, but money is power on the road, so why not try to make more? To do so, I'm thinking about documenting the places I go.

The idea is simple. Start a blog that talks about each place I visit, review local places, and figure out a way to monetize it. Normally, I'm good at making money, but I'm not sure how I would monetize these two ventures without selling my soul in the process.

I could ask local businesses to pay me for reviews, but then it's not a review, is it? It's a paid advertisement. If a place sucks, I don't want to say it doesn't because they are paying me. I've never been that type of dude. More power to the people that do it, but I can't send people into a hell-hole for $100 bucks and a free meal.

The blog would probably end up being a way to build a Youtube audience, where I can make ad revenue. It seems to me that there are three steps to building a solid Youtube channel.

Granted, this is some crack research on my part so it could change within the next five minutes.

First, you need a name and banner that lets people know what you're about. The banner is the easy part. For anybody that doesn't know how to make Youtube channel art, you just have to use Adobe Spark. I had a friend do it. He said it takes a few minutes and limited patience, which describes me in a nutshell.

Next, you need a niche. Something that people look for that isn't over-saturated. This is mostly for the beginning of the channel. When Pewdiepie started YouTube, there weren't many horror gaming channels on the platform. He built up an audience, and now he can do whatever he wants. It's brilliant. Travel is a niche. Most people that do travel type videos on Youtube are in and out, at most spending a week in the place they are reviewing. I feel like staying somewhere for a month and adjusting it based on whether or not it sucks is a novel concept in the Youtube world. Or at least I hope so because I want some of that sweet ad revenue.

Third, you need a way to draw and keep visitors. I'm thinking the blog and a podcast will do it. Both of those venues allow you to see what people like and make adjustments. On Youtube, if you don't evolve, you die. It's that simple.

I'm curious to know if any of you have YouTube channels. If so and you have some advice, let me know!

Also, note that I couldn't think of a decent picture to put with this article, so I went with another random picture I took during my time in Yellowstone. Enjoy!

Gabe

---