1. Don’t sub 4 sub

You may think that going around asking “sub 4 sub” won’t affect you in a negative way, but it does. I often find myself hearing about talented YouTubers who are losing respect from other YouTubers, because they see their “sub 4 sub” comments all across channels. It makes you seem desperate, untalented, and lazy. In the end you may have a few more subscribers, but you lost the respect of the YouTube community.

To read more about why it’s important to not sub 4 sub, click here.

2. Don’t crowd your box

Several YouTubers have a difficult time keeping the amount of people they have in their box low. Whenever you have more than four YouTubers in your box you’re devaluing any subscribers that they receive. I personally find myself less likely to subscribe to boxed YouTubers when the list is longer than how much toilet paper I have left. If I do subscribe, there’s a good chance I won’t remember to look out for their videos. However, when the list is small I’m more likely to subscribe and check out their videos. Now if you’re trying to help out a friend, that’s fine, but maybe you want to rotate the people in your box every few days.

Note: Collab channels are an exception to this rule where they box the participants.

3. Don’t box 4 box

This ties in with the above “don’t”s. Box 4 box is the same thing as sub 4 sub, but on a larger scale. A box should be used to reward and acknowledge outstanding YouTubers. When you’re giving your box space to anyone who will put you in their box you’re instantly devaluing its propose. You’re also losing the respect of other YouTubers who see your dozens of “box 4 box” comments.

4. Don’t spam others’ videos

Nothing is more insulting than when another YouTuber begs for others using video comments to view their videos. We worked hard on our videos and hope to get organic feedback. When we see, “I love ur vid check out mine” we get disgusted. First, we know nothing about you to want to check out your videos. Secondly, exactly how many times have you copied and pasted that same comment?

5. Don’t beg to be seen

Every YouTuber loves to receive messages and channel comments from their subscribers, and it can be time consuming to read and respond to all of them. With that said, nothing irritates us when we get messages begging for us to view videos and subscribe. This shouldn’t be confused for introducing yourself as a YouTuber, explaining what type of videos you do, and exactly why you think we should check you out. However, when you’re using internet slang and come off very demanding we take note of who you are and delete your message.

6. Don’t beg for collabs

Doing collabs with other YouTubers is a big part of the community. However, it’s very time consuming and we often have to be picky as to whom we collab with. It’s okay to ask a YouTuber if they can collab with you, but if they say “No” then please don’t beg. This makes you seem immature and gives you a bad reputation as someone who is unprofessional. It also helps to have already made several videos first, because having no videos gives us little to no idea what you can do.

7. Don’t beg for shout outs

If you want a YouTuber to shout you out and they say “No” then please don’t beg them. In matter of fact, don’t randomly ask for a shout out. Shout outs have to be earned otherwise they would have no merit to them. Now if you can make a deal where you provide something of equal value for them in return then it’s okay to ask. Until then, it’s best to continue working hard and hope that your efforts may one day be noted and promoted.

8. Don’t start over again… and again… and again

This really applies to smaller YouTubers, because that’s all you’ll ever be if you keep starting over on YouTube. Rarely does anyone have the perfect start on YouTube, so, don’t expect to have one yourself. If you don’t have the views, the comments, the ratings, the ideas, and/or quality then fix it instead of running away from it. You’ll always have the same problems no matter how many times you close your account and open a new one. In matter of fact, you’ll have more problems. So stick it out and start brain storming on how you can improve on your current channel.

9. Don’t be lazy

Sometimes you can’t avoid going on a hiatus due to school, work, or family related situations, and that’s understandable. However, some YouTubers just get lazy and will go weeks or even months without uploading a video. Here’s the great thing about YouTube videos, they’re quick and easy to create. If you only have an hour a day for the next seven days, use that hour on each day to work on a video to upload at the end of the week. If you don’t, do a simple vlog. Shane Dawson has been doing videos with blood tubes hanging out of him. So there should be no excuses for laziness.

10. Don’t have an attitude

As a YouTuber, you need to prepare yourself for both positive and not so positive input. Nothing is more insulting than when a YouTuber is polite and nice, asking me for my input, then do a 180 when my input isn’t what they wanted to hear. No matter what you do, for serious or for fun, people are always going to tell you want you can do better. How should you react? Suck it up, learn from it, and apply it. If you can’t handle constructive criticism then YouTube isn’t the place for you.

To read more Tips & Tricks, click here.

As you become more involved as a YouTuber you’ll start to learn terminology that you never heard before. One of these terms is “loyal subs”. What exactly is a loyal sub you might ask? This article will explain what they as well as why they’re important and how to obtain them.

-What are “loyal subs”?

“Loyal subs” is short for loyal subscribers. So what exactly is the difference between “loyal subscribers” and just regular subscribers? A regular subscriber will often watch you videos, if at all, and that’s it. They get their fill for entertainment and move on to something else.

However, a loyal subscriber does much more than that. They’ll watch all of your videos, rate them, comment on them, favorite them, tell their friends and family about them, and often do what you tell them to do. They’re actually more like your fans than they are subscribers, and without them no YouTuber would get big.

-How do I obtain loyal subscribers?

It’s actually easier to tell you how you don’t get them. You don’t get loyal subscribers with “sub for sub”, buying them, creating fake accounts then subscribing to yourself, nor begging for people to subscribe. What does that leave? Hard work or, if you get lucky, a shout out from a bigger YouTuber who has loyal subscribers themselves.

However, let’s focus on what you can do at this moment. As a YouTuber you need to continuously upload videos, constantly improve, and find ways to get your subscribers involved. Shane Dawson and Ray William Johnson are known for their “comment question of the day”. Other YouTubers do live shows. Then some will create videos answering questions from their subscribers. It also help to network with other YouTubers which we’ll cover in a future article.

Doing all of this adds up and quickly shows results, because it’s further branding yourself. Remember, to be a big YouTuber you need to brand yourself and your personality. You’re not selling a product, you’re selling yourself, and people “buy” when they subscribe. They only subscribe, because convinced them that you are the next best thing and that you’re worth their time. This is where they become loyal to you.

-What do I do after I have loyal subscribers?

Once you start to receive loyal subscribers you need to work even harder to keep them. They subscribe to you, because they like what you do and want to see more of it. If you fail to provide, they slowly start to lose interest in you. We see this all the time with bigger YouTubers who suddenly stop making videos. Then when they do upload a new video their views are cut by nearly 70%; thus, throwing out all of your hard work.

Loyal subscribers help to progress you as a YouTuber by supporting your videos in every way possible. There are no real short cuts to getting them, but they’re well worth the hard work. Then once you receive them, you need to work even harder to keep their interest.

Below is an example of selected coding that you would see within any embedded YouTube video. The bold part is where you would replace/insert the extra coding. Keep in mind, there’s two parts of this so do the coding for each of the two: embedding

embed src=”http://www.youtube.com/v/MDedb1Kgjys&insert coding here”

Turn off Title & Ratings
&showinfo=0

Turn off Search
&showsearch=0

Turn on Related Videos
&rel=1

Turn off Annotations
&iv_load_policy=3

Force Closed Captions
&cc_load_policy=1

Turn on AutoPlay (not recommended)
&autoplay=1

Loop Playback
&loop=1

Remove Full Screen Option
&fs=0

What if you need a custom size for your player?
If you want to change the dimensions, do so using a 16:9 aspect ratio and add 25px in height for the player controls. For example, lets say that you needed the video to be 320px wide:
–> 320(9)=Height(16) and then add 25px
–> Height=180 + 25 = 205px

Most of the time, however, I just go into the last part of the coding and change the dimensions where it says width and height. Mainly to fit the video into the articles on the website.

How to Customize YouTube Video Quality

Youtube already allows you to customize the embed code and allows the videos to play in HD, but in case you were wondering what the codes were for this and/or how to force play back of high-quality files (not HD);

Show in High-Definition 720p
&hd=1

Show in High-Quality
&ap=%2526fmt%3D18

If you haven’t seen part one yet, click here. Here’s part two of how to build a YouTuber website. In this video I’ll show you how to install WordPress onto your website, how to find and select a template, how to edit it and upload it. By the time you’re done you’ll have most of your website completed with an eye catchy design. Part three will be uploaded soon which will show you some basic tips and tricks to add the finishing touches to your website.

Here’s part one on how you can build your YouTuber website. I’ll show you how to get your domain and hosting for under $15. I also explain to you the importance of having a website, and why you should never go with free hosting. I apologize for the quality of the video. I’m testing out programs and somewhere along the lines the video shrunk.

Even though you have a Twitter account for your YouTube channel, you still have plenty of work to do. You’ll only see results with Twitter when you actually use it correctly. This article will show you the five most effective ways to promote yourself as a YouTuber using Twitter. Also, keep in mind that these tips and tricks can be applied to almost anything that needs promotion.

1. Tweet about your current video

When you tweet your video once there’s a chance that only 10% of your followers will see it. This is because they either live in a different timezone or your tweet gets lost amongst tweets from the other people they follow. It’s a good idea to tweet your video three or four times a day with two-three hours of time between each one. “If they’re subscribed to me so they’ll see my new video on the front page of YouTube.” This is a common misconception, because too often do YouTubers find that their videos don’t appear in their subscribers’ sub box. Which is why it’s important to tweet your videos.

“Well, I just don’t have the time to always be on twitter to make these tweets.” Luckily for you, you don’t always need to be on twitter. HootSuite.com is an amazing website that gives you the ability to schedule your tweets. Yes, you heard right. You can type out a tweet and use their program to have it uploaded onto Twitter minutes, hours, or even weeks later. In matter of fact, if you found this article via a tweet @PauseStopRewind then you just saw an example of a scheduled tweet.

2. Tweet about your upcoming videos

Weeks or sometimes months before new movies and television shows are released you’ll see promotions for them. This is done to build up hype and increase the amount of possible viewers. The same principle can be used to increase the amount of video views you’ll receive. Inform your followers when you have new video ideas, what stage of production you’re at, give them hints as to what you’re filming, and tweet the release date a few days before you upload the video. Anything you tweet about your video will build up hype. Then when that particular day comes, your followers will be there the second the video is uploaded.

3. Promote your live shows

You’ll find that many YouTubers host lives shows on websites such as BlogTV and UStream. This helps to build up their fan base, but we’ll talk more about the importance of live shows in a future article. If you do live shows it helps to tweet about them ahead of time. DFizzy is a good example of this. Hours before he goes live he tweets about where he’ll be live at and when. By the time he does go live, he finds that fans are already there waiting for him.

This is great, because more often than not people turn away live shows when there’s very few viewers. However, in DFizzy’s case, more viewers will be tempted to stay at the beginning when they see there’s already other viewers there. Again, you can use HootSuite.com to help schedule promotion tweets.

4. Link to your YouTube channel

Too often do I come across YouTubers with a twitter, but never bother to list their channel link on their profile. Do I take the time to search them on YouTube? No, because I’m a busy guy, and so are many other people. By not including your YouTube channel’s link on your profile page, you’re missing out on channel views, video views, and possible subscribers.

The same can be said visa versa. If you have a Twitter that you use to promote your videos then you need to have it linked somewhere on your channel page and in every video. Also, make sure to stress why it’s important for your subscribers to follow you. Tell them that they’ll be able to be the first hear about your live shows, your new videos, and other projects you’re working on. This will catch they’re attention even more, and increase your reputation and popularity as a YouTuber.

5. Utilize your Twitter background

A popular trend amongst YouTubers are customized Twitter backgrounds that help to promote their work. Shane Dawson is an excellent example of this. He creates a new weekly promotional background that showcases his up coming video and contains links to his important websites. Other YouTubers choose to create a background with just their instant messaging screen names, emails addresses, and a short bio. Whichever you choose to do will surly have more of an impact than a regular Twitter background.

To learn more on this subject read “Creating an eye popping Twitter background”.

There are other ways to promote yourself on Twitter, but these are the most preferred and professional ways. While @replying your videos to bigger YouTubers can sometimes be successful, it’s also looked down upon if done too much. Also, don’t over tweet or follow people just to have them follow you. Otherwise you’ll find your branded as a Twitter whore and we already have enough whores.

Retweet this Tips&Tricks article to spread word about your favorite blog on your favorite YouTubers! Also, make sure to follow PauseStopRewind on twitter

I’ve been looking at guides and “how to” books ever since I started to take my YouTube channel a little more serious with the idea of one day becoming a partner. Recently I did a search on Amazon.com and found a number of books on the topics of digital video, editing programs, and YouTube. Within a week I received my package with about five books. One was titled The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Digital Video that I was able to grab for about $1.95 USD for a new copy (used to be $18.95 USD).

Even though it’s an older book, as in technology wise by about two years, it provided a great deal of information that will surly improve my videos. The author of book is Karl Bardosh, who has more than 30 years of experience in films and is an award-winning director, producer, writer, and editor. At the time he wrote this book he was a professor of film and television at New York University’s Tisch School and a producer/director for PBS. So in other words, this guy knows what he’s talking about.

The book is set up fairly well with four main parts; digital video basics, preproduction, production, and postproduction. Instead of normally skipping around, I actually read front to back. I suggest doing this, because of the amount of information that’s in the book and how each chapter builds off the previous one. By the time I reached the end, I found myself testing out different editing, lighting, and zooming techniques that I wouldn’t have thought of trying.

The book is actually teaches you the basics instead of expect you to be an expert.

What I enjoyed and got most out from this book is how to better organize creating my videos. Before, I would wing it and found myself having to go back and re-shoot too many times, got confused about which part of the video was going where, struggle getting the proper lighting, and countless other things that took too much of my time. Now I know how to script, storyboard, find and select locations, set up proper lighting, how to create the appropriate feel for my videos, and so many other useful techniques. This in the end saves me hours and has me feeling more confident about the quality of my videos.

Like I said earlier, the book is a little outdated, but for the price of only $1.95 USD for a new copy(plus the $3.99 for shipping) it’s really a steal. I would honestly suggest this to anyone who is just starting out making videos to some of the pros on YouTube. Also, since there’s so much information in there, you’ll always find yourself rereading it again and having it handy when you’re getting ready to film. Click here to order The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Digital Video.

Great, you have a Twitter for your YouTube channel! Now what? Uh, you need to promote your channel of course! You see any of these big time YouTubers and 9/10 times they have some sort of custom Twitter background. On this background you find a number of things, but mostly you’ll find their “brand”; brand being their YouTube channel name with some sort of design. I’m going to show you how and what you need to do to have a grade “A” Twitter background that will promote your YouTube channel.

Before we begin, you’re going to need some sort of photo editing program. If you have Adobe Photoshop, great! If not, don’t worry about having to run out and spend a few hundred dollars getting it. There’s a way to download the CS3 version for free via a torrent, but I don’t want to risk the legal stuff telling you how. So I suggest going to Aviary.com! It’s a great photo editing site that has programs just like Adobe Photoshop, and it’s free! Just note that this tutorial will mostly focus on steps done in Photoshop for the shake of time and length.

The first step is to find or take a picture of you. By having an image of yourself included in the background you increase the strength of your brand. Remember, your face is on your YouTube videos and this is how generally most people will recognize you. Put your face out there more and you’ll gain more attention. After you pick your picture, upload it into Photoshop, and start deleting the background. I often use the eraser tool. This is how it should look like once you’re done.

You can now start to get creative from this point. I used a brush to produce a type of frame around my image and cleaned it up. Whatever you do is up to you, and once you do it… stop! You now need to open up a new file before you go any further. The dimensions for this will be 240 width by 645 height in pixels. I choose this dimension, because I find it’s the best size for nearly all screen sizes.

Now that we have our template for our Twitter background the next step it to insert our image into it. First make sure to resize it within the dimensions give to you earlier. Keep in mind this shouldn’t take up more than 1/3 of the background. You’ll need to copy and paste the image into the new template (HINT: use the dash square tool). Also take this time to pick up a main color for your background.

From here, the content you decide to place on your background is up to you. However, here are some suggestions:
-ALWAYS have your YouTube name somewhere in the design. Remember BRAND BRAND BRAND!
-If you have an upcoming video, work the title and release day into the design. Don’t just throw it in there.
-You might want to consider having an image in there that correspond with your upcoming video.
-Stick to just a few colors, no more than three (not including your real life picture). Otherwise it looks messy and might draw attention away from it.

The last step for your Twitter background design is to add all your links and wanted information. ALWAYS have your YouTube channel link in there. Some people are not smart enough to put two and two together and figure out your link. Also, if you have a website or a side project you’re working on you should include them. This brands yourself a little more and gives people the chance to know you. I personally like to keep this part simple instead of jumbling it up with e-mails and screen names. Once you’re done save your file as a JPEG. Make sure to save your original file for reference use and future use.

Here’s the easy and final part; uploading your background onto twitter! Once you’re logged in go to the setting tab on your page and click on it. Next click on the Design tab and go to “Change background image” at the bottom. From there you’ll have the option to upload your Twitter background image from your computer. Now click on “Change design colors” and select the same background color as the main one of your image. This creates the illusion that they’re one in the same.

There you have it! Your very own customized Twitter background that will make you stand out even more as a YouTuber! If you any questions feel free to ask and I’ll try my best to answer them. I’m currently offering my services to make a background for only $3 USD. Just send me your request at zjames@pausestoprewind.com with the subject line “Twitter background”. Also, make sure to look out for the article “Promoting your YouTube on Twitter in 5 ways” coming out this Thursday.

Many YouTubers seek to “brand” his or herself so they can stand out more from the rest. What exactly does branding yourself mean? It’s when you give yourself a particular image that sticks with you so potential subscribers will recognize your style right away. One way of doing this is customizing your YouTube Channel design; however, a lot of YouTubers have troubles doing this. This article will show you step by step on how to setup a design and what that design should have.

Before you begin, you need to have access to a photo editing program. For times sakes we’ll discuss how to create your design in Adobe Photoshop. Now if you don’t have one, don’t freak out. There’s a cool website called Aviary that will provide you nearly everything that Photoshop has. Also, it’s free and you don’t need to download anything.

1. The Dimensions – this is where most people panic and give up. If you don’t get your dimensions right then nothing is going to look lineup on your channel. I use 1600×1700 pixels as my dimensions and there are a couple of reasons for this. Not all computer screens are the same width. The 1600 width allows for the design to fill up more screen space when needed. Now the 1700 length will allow you to have room on your channel for the boxes (i.e. comments, subscribers, favorites) without running off the page. If you still fill it’s too short then it’s easy to go back and just make it a little longer.

2. Three Columns- I prefer having the design split up with a left, center, and right columns for a few reasons. The left and right column will frame the center; which is where everything on your channel sits. It also allows you to organize your design which we’ll get into soon. The left and right columns both need to be 307.5 pixels wide and this will make the center 985 pixels wide. If you don’t section off each correctly then nothing will lineup once uploaded.

3. Create Layers- it’s important that you create at least three layers; one for each section. This will keep each part of the design separate making it easier for redesigning. Otherwise when you mess up or change your mind, you risk the possibility of having to start the whole design over. Make sure to title each layer for each part of the design (Left, Center, Right).

4. Design!- I’m not going to tell you how to design each section, but these are some tips to make it strong.

A.) Keep it simple- the more complex your design is, the more memory space it takes up. YouTube currently allows no more than 250MB for a channel background. Keeping the design simple will allow you to produce a high quality design. Otherwise, you have to lower the quality to meet YouTube’s standards.

D.) Add your name- what makes a brand strong is where and how often you see their logo. When you go to McDonalds their logo is on everything even though obvious you already know where you’re at. This makes that particular brand leave an impression in your mind, and creates the possibility of you thinking about it later. Your YouTube screen name is your brand in this case. Add your screen name into the design on either the left or right column. Doing this will allow for your channel to leave an impression in someone’s mind whenever they wonder across you. The more likely they think about you, the more likely they’ll come back to your channel.

If you did everything correct, you should come out with a design that has the same foundation as the one on the left. Once you upload it onto YouTube it will fit to the screen. For me, my design is cut off at certain points, but it still has everything important as seen on the Right. If you have any questions feel free to ask. Also make sure to check out my YouTube Channel, OutbackZack, and subscribe, and retweet this article to spread word about PauseStopRewind

Becoming a big time YouTuber is no easy task, and it takes countless hours of hard work. Even then, there’s no guarantee that you’ll become one of the top subscribed or at least a slightly talked about YouTuber. However, there are things you can do to increase your chances of being mentioned in a What the Buck episode.

1.) Upload Videos Consistently

One of the main reasons people don’t become the next big YouTuber is because they have nothing to show off. Yes, in rare cases people do get big off of one video, but not everyone can be the next Chris Crocker. You need to provide content on a weekly bases to increase your odds of being seen, and to give a reason for viewers to subscribe to you. No one will want to subscribe to a YouTuber who will have nothing new to provide them. This would just defeat the whole subscribe purpose.

2.) Be Yourself

Avoid posting up five Fred parodies… actually avoid Fred parodies all together. Too many YouTubers have done this already, and jumping on the Fred train now will only keep you in the background. To really stand out, you need to offer something new and fresh, or a new twist on what’s popular. More often than not, the best way to do this is just be you. Take something random that happens to you and react it in a video. Sometimes doing a skit of vlog about everyday things will allow for viewers to relate with you. People want something new and fresh that they can talk about, and not another hyperactive nutcase.

3.) Seek to Improve

It’s fun for fans to see their favorite YouTubers improve on their videos, because it gives them that little edge in the next conversation, “Oh yeah? I’ve been watching her long before she started using those special effects”. It also shows that you’re serious and passionate about what you do. This gives potential subscribers even more reason to take the time and watch your future videos. If you’re not improving then what else could you possibly offer?

4.) Connect with Your Fans

When people are able to communicate with their favorite celeb it builds up that celeb’s reputation. This same logic applies to YouTubers. Asking a question at the end of your video and seeking responses, responding to @replies on twitter, helping other YouTubers, and giving shout outs will make you seem more human. The more human you seem the more relatable you become and people want to be able to relate with whomever they admire.

5.) Connect with YouTubers

When you seek out fellow YouTubers it shows you’re a little more serious about your videos. The best input and advice you can receive on your videos will come from a seasoned YouTuber. Also, you increase your chances of becoming noticed. A lot of YouTuber are where they’re at because they were promoted by an even bigger YouTuber.

There’s a countless number of ways to increase your odds of being the next big YouTuber. However, the five mentioned above will give you that much needed edge, and will keep you busy for weeks.