In-Depth Analysis: The Dynamics of V-Tubers

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Faceless creators, or people who do not show their faces in their films, have become more prevalent on YouTube. Although being a faceless artist allows you to have a little more privacy on the internet, some viewers like to see a person on-screen.

So, what’s the best way to win over both sides? However, becoming a virtual YouTuber allows you to have your cake and eat it, as well. Vtubing is similar to live streaming, only that instead of showing your face, your facial emotions and movements are recorded by a digital avatar. Vtubing has grown considerably more accessible, with a large number of people watching Vtubing videos on YouTube.

Moreover, Every VTuber is essentially a character. Whether they’re just being themselves on camera or acting out a backstory they made up, watching a VTuber is like watching an anime in and of itself. The avatars or characters provide VTubers with a lot of creative freedom, allowing them to create unique material.

Being a VTuber isn’t all that different from being a regular one in terms of technicalities. However, it would be beneficial if you still had a good notion of what you want to do with your channel. Even though the two activities are conceptually equivalent, VTubing has a little greater entry barrier due to equipment needs.

In this article

01 What is a virtual YouTuber?

02 What Does It Take to Become a Virtual YouTuber?

03 How to become a virtual youtuber?

What is a virtual YouTuber?

A virtual YouTuber, or VTuber for short, is an online video maker or entertainment who represents themselves through a virtual avatar. This avatar is created using computer graphics (CG), and it frequently has an anime-inspired look. Most VTubers, as the name implies, utilize YouTube as their primary platform, while others do upload videos or host streams on other platforms (e.g., Twitch, Facebook Gaming, and so on) and are still referred to as such.

Vtuber’s Brief History

Kizuna AI, a Japanese VTuber, created and popularized the phrase “virtual YouTuber” in 2016. While she wasn’t the first to employ a CG avatar for video blogging, she is almost entirely to blame for the VTubers craze exploding in Japan and then the rest of the world in late 2016. Because Kizuna AI grew in popularity so quickly, new VTubers began to appear regularly. Some creators, who had already established their platform and/or displayed their faces on camera, created VTuber versions of themselves simply to jump on the bandwagon.

According to User Local, a Japanese data technology firm, over 10,000 active VTubers will exist on YouTube alone by 2020. Kizuna AI, who has the highest following of all VTubers on the internet at the time of writing, has over 10 million subscribers across all of her social media sites (YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, and Bilibili).

Is VTubers the Next Big Thing in Video Content?

If you follow video marketing trends, you may have seen an uptick in animated videos featuring anime-style avatars. VTubers are the creators of this content, and it’s taking the world by storm. Top VTubers earn hundreds of thousands of dollars every month and have millions of followers. The industry, according to analysts, is on the increase.

In 2019, the overall number of VTuber subscribers climbed by 28%, while total views of Vtuber content increased by 99 percent, according to HyperSense. This may not appear to be a severe trend at first sight. Virtual YouTubers, on the other hand, are being used by marketers and corporations like Mattel and KFC to promote genuine engagement.

Top 5 Virtual YouTubers

The following are the top 5 virtual YouTubers. Each of their videos can be watched for a few minutes with English subtitles.

1. Kizuna AI

Kizuna AI is one of Japan’s most well-known and popular female vloggers, with over two million subscribers to her channel. She appears to be a pop star, but she is artificial intelligence, as she boasts. Since she began posting videos on her main channel, A.I.Channel, in 2016, she has gained a considerable following. On the channel, she discusses various topics and plays popular games. A.I.Games, a Kizuna AI YouTube channel dedicated to games, A.I.Games is also available. She is enthusiastic and honest in both good and bad ways, which is one of her best qualities.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA

2. Kaguya Luna

Kaguya Luna is a popular Japanese vlogger who launched her Kaguya Luna Official channel in 2017. She is one of the Big Four VTubers, with over a million subscribers. Kaguya Luna is adored because she presents herself in such a way. Her videos are mostly made up of her free-wheeling speaking without any acting scripts. Her high-pitched voice is striking, and she is always active and talkative. She also performs as a pop vocalist in a live presentation.v

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQYADFw7xEJ9oZSM5ZbqyBw

3. Hoshimachi Suisei

Suisei is an idol singer who debuted independently in 2018 before joining the Hololive group. She aims to perform onstage at the Tokyo Budokan. Her deep alto voice is ideal for covers such as Zombieland Saga’s “Saga Jihen,” as well as her original compositions such as “Next Color Planet” and “Ghost.” She also has a reputation as a sociopath, which was established after she violently backstabbed her fellow Hololive stars in a Project Winter playthrough.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5CwaMl1eIgY8h02uZw7u8A

4. Usada Pekora

This adorable little kitten is the most popular VTuber from VShojo’s English-language agency, and it’s easy to understand why her “Nyanderthals” like her. Nyatasha is best known for covering rap songs and going off on obscene tangents with lines like “It’s not about wiping my ass, it’s about sending a message,” despite how innocent she appears and sounds.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1DCedRgGHBdm81E1llLhOQ

5. Sakura Miko

Nyahello! Sakura, a shrine maiden with a theatrical demeanour and a dubious aptitude for video games, began her career as a freelance VTuber before joining Hololive. Her bombastic attitude is part of her appeal: she gets overly passionate about unimportant games, uses any excuse to stare up a female character’s skirt, and swears profusely in Japanese and English whenever she is frustrated. It’s never boring to see her shenanigans.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-hM6YJuNYVAmUWxeIr9FeA

What Does It Take to Become a Virtual YouTuber?

If you’ve been watching YouTube for a while, you’ve most likely noticed the VTuber trend, which began in 2017. Instead of displaying their faces, VTubers, or Virtual YouTubers, communicate with their viewers using an avatar. As this trend grows in popularity (and VTubers gain more subscribers), a lot of people are curious about how they do it. Here are answers to all of your questions on how to become a VTuber on YouTube so you may live out your virtual fantasies.

A high-end PC with enough storage space and a powerful graphics card is required for VTubers. A webcam that tracks motion and connects to your computer is required. The most prominent VTubers employ a blue screen and green room arrangement, which simply consists of walls with one color painted on them in the background of their vlogs so that everything looks to be happening inside an empty virtual area while they walk around.

Investing a lot of money in supplies or equipment for your virtual YouTuber setup isn’t essential, just like it isn’t required for any other creative endeavor. Buying such items may yield greater results if you know how to utilize them effectively but becoming a VTuber may be done for very little money, if at all.

How to become a virtual youtuber?

1. Selecting a Model

To become a virtual YouTuber, you’ll need a model to play the role of your online persona. There are several other ways to do this, but Live2D is the most popular among elite VTubers.

2. Make your model move

A model must be set up before it can move. In computer graphics, rigging is the process of generating and connecting a rig or bone structure to a model, which can subsequently be animated. When working in two dimensions, this usually entails dividing an image into the pieces you want to move.

You’ll want to set up a webcam to track your movements once you’ve created a rigged model. As a result, your model will adjust to fit you every time you move. Most VTubers only track their faces, but hand movements are becoming increasingly popular.

3. Streaming and/or Recording

This portion of VTubing isn’t all that dissimilar from creating regular video material. You’ll need something to record footage of your model as it moves in lockstep with you. VirtualCast, a free VR communication tool that allows you to be “anyone you choose to be” in a virtual world, may be used for pre-recorded videos. It does, however, necessitate the usage of a virtual reality headset.

Conclusion

● In 2020, the popularity of VTuber content surged. There’s no better time than now to become a virtual YouTuber if you’ve been thinking about it for a long. After all, the nicest part about VTubing is that it’s available to everyone with a smart device and a camera.

● As VTubers are always looking for authenticity, you can become a successful VTuber by sharing the things that matter. Keep an eye on VTubers with a large following and observe what they do. Seek feedback to help you improve your skills or ask for assistance if you require it. Create stuff that will pique the interest of others while also maintaining your own.

Try It Free Try It Free

Faceless creators, or people who do not show their faces in their films, have become more prevalent on YouTube. Although being a faceless artist allows you to have a little more privacy on the internet, some viewers like to see a person on-screen.

So, what’s the best way to win over both sides? However, becoming a virtual YouTuber allows you to have your cake and eat it, as well. Vtubing is similar to live streaming, only that instead of showing your face, your facial emotions and movements are recorded by a digital avatar. Vtubing has grown considerably more accessible, with a large number of people watching Vtubing videos on YouTube.

Moreover, Every VTuber is essentially a character. Whether they’re just being themselves on camera or acting out a backstory they made up, watching a VTuber is like watching an anime in and of itself. The avatars or characters provide VTubers with a lot of creative freedom, allowing them to create unique material.

Being a VTuber isn’t all that different from being a regular one in terms of technicalities. However, it would be beneficial if you still had a good notion of what you want to do with your channel. Even though the two activities are conceptually equivalent, VTubing has a little greater entry barrier due to equipment needs.

In this article

01 What is a virtual YouTuber?

02 What Does It Take to Become a Virtual YouTuber?

03 How to become a virtual youtuber?

What is a virtual YouTuber?

A virtual YouTuber, or VTuber for short, is an online video maker or entertainment who represents themselves through a virtual avatar. This avatar is created using computer graphics (CG), and it frequently has an anime-inspired look. Most VTubers, as the name implies, utilize YouTube as their primary platform, while others do upload videos or host streams on other platforms (e.g., Twitch, Facebook Gaming, and so on) and are still referred to as such.

Vtuber’s Brief History

Kizuna AI, a Japanese VTuber, created and popularized the phrase “virtual YouTuber” in 2016. While she wasn’t the first to employ a CG avatar for video blogging, she is almost entirely to blame for the VTubers craze exploding in Japan and then the rest of the world in late 2016. Because Kizuna AI grew in popularity so quickly, new VTubers began to appear regularly. Some creators, who had already established their platform and/or displayed their faces on camera, created VTuber versions of themselves simply to jump on the bandwagon.

According to User Local, a Japanese data technology firm, over 10,000 active VTubers will exist on YouTube alone by 2020. Kizuna AI, who has the highest following of all VTubers on the internet at the time of writing, has over 10 million subscribers across all of her social media sites (YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, and Bilibili).

Is VTubers the Next Big Thing in Video Content?

If you follow video marketing trends, you may have seen an uptick in animated videos featuring anime-style avatars. VTubers are the creators of this content, and it’s taking the world by storm. Top VTubers earn hundreds of thousands of dollars every month and have millions of followers. The industry, according to analysts, is on the increase.

In 2019, the overall number of VTuber subscribers climbed by 28%, while total views of Vtuber content increased by 99 percent, according to HyperSense. This may not appear to be a severe trend at first sight. Virtual YouTubers, on the other hand, are being used by marketers and corporations like Mattel and KFC to promote genuine engagement.

Top 5 Virtual YouTubers

The following are the top 5 virtual YouTubers. Each of their videos can be watched for a few minutes with English subtitles.

1. Kizuna AI

Kizuna AI is one of Japan’s most well-known and popular female vloggers, with over two million subscribers to her channel. She appears to be a pop star, but she is artificial intelligence, as she boasts. Since she began posting videos on her main channel, A.I.Channel, in 2016, she has gained a considerable following. On the channel, she discusses various topics and plays popular games. A.I.Games, a Kizuna AI YouTube channel dedicated to games, A.I.Games is also available. She is enthusiastic and honest in both good and bad ways, which is one of her best qualities.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA

2. Kaguya Luna

Kaguya Luna is a popular Japanese vlogger who launched her Kaguya Luna Official channel in 2017. She is one of the Big Four VTubers, with over a million subscribers. Kaguya Luna is adored because she presents herself in such a way. Her videos are mostly made up of her free-wheeling speaking without any acting scripts. Her high-pitched voice is striking, and she is always active and talkative. She also performs as a pop vocalist in a live presentation.v

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQYADFw7xEJ9oZSM5ZbqyBw

3. Hoshimachi Suisei

Suisei is an idol singer who debuted independently in 2018 before joining the Hololive group. She aims to perform onstage at the Tokyo Budokan. Her deep alto voice is ideal for covers such as Zombieland Saga’s “Saga Jihen,” as well as her original compositions such as “Next Color Planet” and “Ghost.” She also has a reputation as a sociopath, which was established after she violently backstabbed her fellow Hololive stars in a Project Winter playthrough.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5CwaMl1eIgY8h02uZw7u8A

4. Usada Pekora

This adorable little kitten is the most popular VTuber from VShojo’s English-language agency, and it’s easy to understand why her “Nyanderthals” like her. Nyatasha is best known for covering rap songs and going off on obscene tangents with lines like “It’s not about wiping my ass, it’s about sending a message,” despite how innocent she appears and sounds.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1DCedRgGHBdm81E1llLhOQ

5. Sakura Miko

Nyahello! Sakura, a shrine maiden with a theatrical demeanour and a dubious aptitude for video games, began her career as a freelance VTuber before joining Hololive. Her bombastic attitude is part of her appeal: she gets overly passionate about unimportant games, uses any excuse to stare up a female character’s skirt, and swears profusely in Japanese and English whenever she is frustrated. It’s never boring to see her shenanigans.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-hM6YJuNYVAmUWxeIr9FeA

What Does It Take to Become a Virtual YouTuber?

If you’ve been watching YouTube for a while, you’ve most likely noticed the VTuber trend, which began in 2017. Instead of displaying their faces, VTubers, or Virtual YouTubers, communicate with their viewers using an avatar. As this trend grows in popularity (and VTubers gain more subscribers), a lot of people are curious about how they do it. Here are answers to all of your questions on how to become a VTuber on YouTube so you may live out your virtual fantasies.

A high-end PC with enough storage space and a powerful graphics card is required for VTubers. A webcam that tracks motion and connects to your computer is required. The most prominent VTubers employ a blue screen and green room arrangement, which simply consists of walls with one color painted on them in the background of their vlogs so that everything looks to be happening inside an empty virtual area while they walk around.

Investing a lot of money in supplies or equipment for your virtual YouTuber setup isn’t essential, just like it isn’t required for any other creative endeavor. Buying such items may yield greater results if you know how to utilize them effectively but becoming a VTuber may be done for very little money, if at all.

How to become a virtual youtuber?

1. Selecting a Model

To become a virtual YouTuber, you’ll need a model to play the role of your online persona. There are several other ways to do this, but Live2D is the most popular among elite VTubers.

2. Make your model move

A model must be set up before it can move. In computer graphics, rigging is the process of generating and connecting a rig or bone structure to a model, which can subsequently be animated. When working in two dimensions, this usually entails dividing an image into the pieces you want to move.

You’ll want to set up a webcam to track your movements once you’ve created a rigged model. As a result, your model will adjust to fit you every time you move. Most VTubers only track their faces, but hand movements are becoming increasingly popular.

3. Streaming and/or Recording

This portion of VTubing isn’t all that dissimilar from creating regular video material. You’ll need something to record footage of your model as it moves in lockstep with you. VirtualCast, a free VR communication tool that allows you to be “anyone you choose to be” in a virtual world, may be used for pre-recorded videos. It does, however, necessitate the usage of a virtual reality headset.

Conclusion

● In 2020, the popularity of VTuber content surged. There’s no better time than now to become a virtual YouTuber if you’ve been thinking about it for a long. After all, the nicest part about VTubing is that it’s available to everyone with a smart device and a camera.

● As VTubers are always looking for authenticity, you can become a successful VTuber by sharing the things that matter. Keep an eye on VTubers with a large following and observe what they do. Seek feedback to help you improve your skills or ask for assistance if you require it. Create stuff that will pique the interest of others while also maintaining your own.

Try It Free Try It Free

Faceless creators, or people who do not show their faces in their films, have become more prevalent on YouTube. Although being a faceless artist allows you to have a little more privacy on the internet, some viewers like to see a person on-screen.

So, what’s the best way to win over both sides? However, becoming a virtual YouTuber allows you to have your cake and eat it, as well. Vtubing is similar to live streaming, only that instead of showing your face, your facial emotions and movements are recorded by a digital avatar. Vtubing has grown considerably more accessible, with a large number of people watching Vtubing videos on YouTube.

Moreover, Every VTuber is essentially a character. Whether they’re just being themselves on camera or acting out a backstory they made up, watching a VTuber is like watching an anime in and of itself. The avatars or characters provide VTubers with a lot of creative freedom, allowing them to create unique material.

Being a VTuber isn’t all that different from being a regular one in terms of technicalities. However, it would be beneficial if you still had a good notion of what you want to do with your channel. Even though the two activities are conceptually equivalent, VTubing has a little greater entry barrier due to equipment needs.

In this article

01 What is a virtual YouTuber?

02 What Does It Take to Become a Virtual YouTuber?

03 How to become a virtual youtuber?

What is a virtual YouTuber?

A virtual YouTuber, or VTuber for short, is an online video maker or entertainment who represents themselves through a virtual avatar. This avatar is created using computer graphics (CG), and it frequently has an anime-inspired look. Most VTubers, as the name implies, utilize YouTube as their primary platform, while others do upload videos or host streams on other platforms (e.g., Twitch, Facebook Gaming, and so on) and are still referred to as such.

Vtuber’s Brief History

Kizuna AI, a Japanese VTuber, created and popularized the phrase “virtual YouTuber” in 2016. While she wasn’t the first to employ a CG avatar for video blogging, she is almost entirely to blame for the VTubers craze exploding in Japan and then the rest of the world in late 2016. Because Kizuna AI grew in popularity so quickly, new VTubers began to appear regularly. Some creators, who had already established their platform and/or displayed their faces on camera, created VTuber versions of themselves simply to jump on the bandwagon.

According to User Local, a Japanese data technology firm, over 10,000 active VTubers will exist on YouTube alone by 2020. Kizuna AI, who has the highest following of all VTubers on the internet at the time of writing, has over 10 million subscribers across all of her social media sites (YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, and Bilibili).

Is VTubers the Next Big Thing in Video Content?

If you follow video marketing trends, you may have seen an uptick in animated videos featuring anime-style avatars. VTubers are the creators of this content, and it’s taking the world by storm. Top VTubers earn hundreds of thousands of dollars every month and have millions of followers. The industry, according to analysts, is on the increase.

In 2019, the overall number of VTuber subscribers climbed by 28%, while total views of Vtuber content increased by 99 percent, according to HyperSense. This may not appear to be a severe trend at first sight. Virtual YouTubers, on the other hand, are being used by marketers and corporations like Mattel and KFC to promote genuine engagement.

Top 5 Virtual YouTubers

The following are the top 5 virtual YouTubers. Each of their videos can be watched for a few minutes with English subtitles.

1. Kizuna AI

Kizuna AI is one of Japan’s most well-known and popular female vloggers, with over two million subscribers to her channel. She appears to be a pop star, but she is artificial intelligence, as she boasts. Since she began posting videos on her main channel, A.I.Channel, in 2016, she has gained a considerable following. On the channel, she discusses various topics and plays popular games. A.I.Games, a Kizuna AI YouTube channel dedicated to games, A.I.Games is also available. She is enthusiastic and honest in both good and bad ways, which is one of her best qualities.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA

2. Kaguya Luna

Kaguya Luna is a popular Japanese vlogger who launched her Kaguya Luna Official channel in 2017. She is one of the Big Four VTubers, with over a million subscribers. Kaguya Luna is adored because she presents herself in such a way. Her videos are mostly made up of her free-wheeling speaking without any acting scripts. Her high-pitched voice is striking, and she is always active and talkative. She also performs as a pop vocalist in a live presentation.v

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQYADFw7xEJ9oZSM5ZbqyBw

3. Hoshimachi Suisei

Suisei is an idol singer who debuted independently in 2018 before joining the Hololive group. She aims to perform onstage at the Tokyo Budokan. Her deep alto voice is ideal for covers such as Zombieland Saga’s “Saga Jihen,” as well as her original compositions such as “Next Color Planet” and “Ghost.” She also has a reputation as a sociopath, which was established after she violently backstabbed her fellow Hololive stars in a Project Winter playthrough.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5CwaMl1eIgY8h02uZw7u8A

4. Usada Pekora

This adorable little kitten is the most popular VTuber from VShojo’s English-language agency, and it’s easy to understand why her “Nyanderthals” like her. Nyatasha is best known for covering rap songs and going off on obscene tangents with lines like “It’s not about wiping my ass, it’s about sending a message,” despite how innocent she appears and sounds.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1DCedRgGHBdm81E1llLhOQ

5. Sakura Miko

Nyahello! Sakura, a shrine maiden with a theatrical demeanour and a dubious aptitude for video games, began her career as a freelance VTuber before joining Hololive. Her bombastic attitude is part of her appeal: she gets overly passionate about unimportant games, uses any excuse to stare up a female character’s skirt, and swears profusely in Japanese and English whenever she is frustrated. It’s never boring to see her shenanigans.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-hM6YJuNYVAmUWxeIr9FeA

What Does It Take to Become a Virtual YouTuber?

If you’ve been watching YouTube for a while, you’ve most likely noticed the VTuber trend, which began in 2017. Instead of displaying their faces, VTubers, or Virtual YouTubers, communicate with their viewers using an avatar. As this trend grows in popularity (and VTubers gain more subscribers), a lot of people are curious about how they do it. Here are answers to all of your questions on how to become a VTuber on YouTube so you may live out your virtual fantasies.

A high-end PC with enough storage space and a powerful graphics card is required for VTubers. A webcam that tracks motion and connects to your computer is required. The most prominent VTubers employ a blue screen and green room arrangement, which simply consists of walls with one color painted on them in the background of their vlogs so that everything looks to be happening inside an empty virtual area while they walk around.

Investing a lot of money in supplies or equipment for your virtual YouTuber setup isn’t essential, just like it isn’t required for any other creative endeavor. Buying such items may yield greater results if you know how to utilize them effectively but becoming a VTuber may be done for very little money, if at all.

How to become a virtual youtuber?

1. Selecting a Model

To become a virtual YouTuber, you’ll need a model to play the role of your online persona. There are several other ways to do this, but Live2D is the most popular among elite VTubers.

2. Make your model move

A model must be set up before it can move. In computer graphics, rigging is the process of generating and connecting a rig or bone structure to a model, which can subsequently be animated. When working in two dimensions, this usually entails dividing an image into the pieces you want to move.

You’ll want to set up a webcam to track your movements once you’ve created a rigged model. As a result, your model will adjust to fit you every time you move. Most VTubers only track their faces, but hand movements are becoming increasingly popular.

3. Streaming and/or Recording

This portion of VTubing isn’t all that dissimilar from creating regular video material. You’ll need something to record footage of your model as it moves in lockstep with you. VirtualCast, a free VR communication tool that allows you to be “anyone you choose to be” in a virtual world, may be used for pre-recorded videos. It does, however, necessitate the usage of a virtual reality headset.

Conclusion

● In 2020, the popularity of VTuber content surged. There’s no better time than now to become a virtual YouTuber if you’ve been thinking about it for a long. After all, the nicest part about VTubing is that it’s available to everyone with a smart device and a camera.

● As VTubers are always looking for authenticity, you can become a successful VTuber by sharing the things that matter. Keep an eye on VTubers with a large following and observe what they do. Seek feedback to help you improve your skills or ask for assistance if you require it. Create stuff that will pique the interest of others while also maintaining your own.

Try It Free Try It Free

Faceless creators, or people who do not show their faces in their films, have become more prevalent on YouTube. Although being a faceless artist allows you to have a little more privacy on the internet, some viewers like to see a person on-screen.

So, what’s the best way to win over both sides? However, becoming a virtual YouTuber allows you to have your cake and eat it, as well. Vtubing is similar to live streaming, only that instead of showing your face, your facial emotions and movements are recorded by a digital avatar. Vtubing has grown considerably more accessible, with a large number of people watching Vtubing videos on YouTube.

Moreover, Every VTuber is essentially a character. Whether they’re just being themselves on camera or acting out a backstory they made up, watching a VTuber is like watching an anime in and of itself. The avatars or characters provide VTubers with a lot of creative freedom, allowing them to create unique material.

Being a VTuber isn’t all that different from being a regular one in terms of technicalities. However, it would be beneficial if you still had a good notion of what you want to do with your channel. Even though the two activities are conceptually equivalent, VTubing has a little greater entry barrier due to equipment needs.

In this article

01 What is a virtual YouTuber?

02 What Does It Take to Become a Virtual YouTuber?

03 How to become a virtual youtuber?

What is a virtual YouTuber?

A virtual YouTuber, or VTuber for short, is an online video maker or entertainment who represents themselves through a virtual avatar. This avatar is created using computer graphics (CG), and it frequently has an anime-inspired look. Most VTubers, as the name implies, utilize YouTube as their primary platform, while others do upload videos or host streams on other platforms (e.g., Twitch, Facebook Gaming, and so on) and are still referred to as such.

Vtuber’s Brief History

Kizuna AI, a Japanese VTuber, created and popularized the phrase “virtual YouTuber” in 2016. While she wasn’t the first to employ a CG avatar for video blogging, she is almost entirely to blame for the VTubers craze exploding in Japan and then the rest of the world in late 2016. Because Kizuna AI grew in popularity so quickly, new VTubers began to appear regularly. Some creators, who had already established their platform and/or displayed their faces on camera, created VTuber versions of themselves simply to jump on the bandwagon.

According to User Local, a Japanese data technology firm, over 10,000 active VTubers will exist on YouTube alone by 2020. Kizuna AI, who has the highest following of all VTubers on the internet at the time of writing, has over 10 million subscribers across all of her social media sites (YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, and Bilibili).

Is VTubers the Next Big Thing in Video Content?

If you follow video marketing trends, you may have seen an uptick in animated videos featuring anime-style avatars. VTubers are the creators of this content, and it’s taking the world by storm. Top VTubers earn hundreds of thousands of dollars every month and have millions of followers. The industry, according to analysts, is on the increase.

In 2019, the overall number of VTuber subscribers climbed by 28%, while total views of Vtuber content increased by 99 percent, according to HyperSense. This may not appear to be a severe trend at first sight. Virtual YouTubers, on the other hand, are being used by marketers and corporations like Mattel and KFC to promote genuine engagement.

Top 5 Virtual YouTubers

The following are the top 5 virtual YouTubers. Each of their videos can be watched for a few minutes with English subtitles.

1. Kizuna AI

Kizuna AI is one of Japan’s most well-known and popular female vloggers, with over two million subscribers to her channel. She appears to be a pop star, but she is artificial intelligence, as she boasts. Since she began posting videos on her main channel, A.I.Channel, in 2016, she has gained a considerable following. On the channel, she discusses various topics and plays popular games. A.I.Games, a Kizuna AI YouTube channel dedicated to games, A.I.Games is also available. She is enthusiastic and honest in both good and bad ways, which is one of her best qualities.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4YaOt1yT-ZeyB0OmxHgolA

2. Kaguya Luna

Kaguya Luna is a popular Japanese vlogger who launched her Kaguya Luna Official channel in 2017. She is one of the Big Four VTubers, with over a million subscribers. Kaguya Luna is adored because she presents herself in such a way. Her videos are mostly made up of her free-wheeling speaking without any acting scripts. Her high-pitched voice is striking, and she is always active and talkative. She also performs as a pop vocalist in a live presentation.v

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQYADFw7xEJ9oZSM5ZbqyBw

3. Hoshimachi Suisei

Suisei is an idol singer who debuted independently in 2018 before joining the Hololive group. She aims to perform onstage at the Tokyo Budokan. Her deep alto voice is ideal for covers such as Zombieland Saga’s “Saga Jihen,” as well as her original compositions such as “Next Color Planet” and “Ghost.” She also has a reputation as a sociopath, which was established after she violently backstabbed her fellow Hololive stars in a Project Winter playthrough.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5CwaMl1eIgY8h02uZw7u8A

4. Usada Pekora

This adorable little kitten is the most popular VTuber from VShojo’s English-language agency, and it’s easy to understand why her “Nyanderthals” like her. Nyatasha is best known for covering rap songs and going off on obscene tangents with lines like “It’s not about wiping my ass, it’s about sending a message,” despite how innocent she appears and sounds.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1DCedRgGHBdm81E1llLhOQ

5. Sakura Miko

Nyahello! Sakura, a shrine maiden with a theatrical demeanour and a dubious aptitude for video games, began her career as a freelance VTuber before joining Hololive. Her bombastic attitude is part of her appeal: she gets overly passionate about unimportant games, uses any excuse to stare up a female character’s skirt, and swears profusely in Japanese and English whenever she is frustrated. It’s never boring to see her shenanigans.

Link: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-hM6YJuNYVAmUWxeIr9FeA

What Does It Take to Become a Virtual YouTuber?

If you’ve been watching YouTube for a while, you’ve most likely noticed the VTuber trend, which began in 2017. Instead of displaying their faces, VTubers, or Virtual YouTubers, communicate with their viewers using an avatar. As this trend grows in popularity (and VTubers gain more subscribers), a lot of people are curious about how they do it. Here are answers to all of your questions on how to become a VTuber on YouTube so you may live out your virtual fantasies.

A high-end PC with enough storage space and a powerful graphics card is required for VTubers. A webcam that tracks motion and connects to your computer is required. The most prominent VTubers employ a blue screen and green room arrangement, which simply consists of walls with one color painted on them in the background of their vlogs so that everything looks to be happening inside an empty virtual area while they walk around.

Investing a lot of money in supplies or equipment for your virtual YouTuber setup isn’t essential, just like it isn’t required for any other creative endeavor. Buying such items may yield greater results if you know how to utilize them effectively but becoming a VTuber may be done for very little money, if at all.

How to become a virtual youtuber?

1. Selecting a Model

To become a virtual YouTuber, you’ll need a model to play the role of your online persona. There are several other ways to do this, but Live2D is the most popular among elite VTubers.

2. Make your model move

A model must be set up before it can move. In computer graphics, rigging is the process of generating and connecting a rig or bone structure to a model, which can subsequently be animated. When working in two dimensions, this usually entails dividing an image into the pieces you want to move.

You’ll want to set up a webcam to track your movements once you’ve created a rigged model. As a result, your model will adjust to fit you every time you move. Most VTubers only track their faces, but hand movements are becoming increasingly popular.

3. Streaming and/or Recording

This portion of VTubing isn’t all that dissimilar from creating regular video material. You’ll need something to record footage of your model as it moves in lockstep with you. VirtualCast, a free VR communication tool that allows you to be “anyone you choose to be” in a virtual world, may be used for pre-recorded videos. It does, however, necessitate the usage of a virtual reality headset.

Conclusion

● In 2020, the popularity of VTuber content surged. There’s no better time than now to become a virtual YouTuber if you’ve been thinking about it for a long. After all, the nicest part about VTubing is that it’s available to everyone with a smart device and a camera.

● As VTubers are always looking for authenticity, you can become a successful VTuber by sharing the things that matter. Keep an eye on VTubers with a large following and observe what they do. Seek feedback to help you improve your skills or ask for assistance if you require it. Create stuff that will pique the interest of others while also maintaining your own.

Proven Techniques to Enhance Subscriber Count with Effective Channel Branding

How to Brand Your YouTube Channel to Get More Subscribers

Shanoon Cox

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

Epic Meal Time. Michelle Phan. Peter McKinnon. When you think of each of these YouTube creators, what comes to mind? The feelings and thoughts you have are vastly different because each one of these channels has its own unique branding.

Epic Meal Time’s YouTube brand is in-your-face and intense. It pumps you full of adrenaline and increases your heart rate.

Michelle Phan’s YouTube brand is calm, whimsical, and aspirational.

The color palette she chose is pleasing to the eyes and doesn’t evoke any of the stress we get from Epic Meal Time.

They have different branding because they want to reflect different feelings for different audiences.

Bad Branding Causes Mistrust

When a branding element does not align with the message or the tone does not match with the material, then the audience is not going to trust what you offer. Without trust, you won’t be able to get the advocacy that is essential for a YouTube channel to grow.

Imagine Michelle Phan using the aggressive colors of Epic Meal Time or vice versa. Pretty weird, huh?

What is YouTube Branding?

You might think that branding simply comes together while making videos, but that’s not true. Branding takes a bit of preparation and foresight.

YouTube branding is the idea your viewers have in mind and the emotion they get when they think about your channel.

Here are notable elements of your channel’s branding:

- Channel name

- Channel art

- Video thumbnail

- Video title

- Icon

- Watermark

- Catchphrase

- Style of video

How to Start Branding Your YouTube Channel?

Before you start designing thumbnails and coming up with a catchphrase, the first step in branding is understanding the purpose of your channel. Once you have a purpose, you will know how you want your viewers to feel.

Here is a quick exercise to find your channel’s purpose:

Draw a 3 circle Venn diagram.

In circle 1, write down everything you consider yourself an expert in.

- What do your friends know you for?

- What can you give advice on?

- What did you go to school to learn?

In circle 2, write down all the topics you are passionate about.

- What can you talk effortlessly about for hours?

- At a party, where do you lead conversations towards?

In circle 3, write down everything that people will pay for that you can supply. Here is where you find the demand of the audience.

- Can you give me travel advice?

- Can you make people forget about their stressful day?

- Do you have experience in a specialized field?

Understanding what people will pay money for will help guide you in creating content that has true value.

In the center, come up with all the ideas that can be associated with all three circles. This will be the ideal purpose for your YouTube channel as it harnesses your expertise, your passion, and the demand of a viewership.

Examples:

Epic Meal Time

Expertise = Eating

Passion = Fast Food Culture

Demand = Unique Meals

PURPOSE: Showcase a unique combination of fast food people won’t make at home.

Michelle Phan

Expertise = Beauty Products

Passion = Makeup and Fashion

Demand = Beauty School

PURPOSE: Give people more confidence in beauty products.

How Is Your Channel Different From the Others?

Now that you have your purpose, it’s time to separate you from others with similar purposes. YouTube is a crowded space for content creators. If your channel is mimicking another more successful channel, you will be in the shadows.

Good branding allows you to differentiate from others .

Pick a Unique and Memorable Name

If your name is Michelle Phan, and you are not the Michelle Phan, I’m sorry, but you will need to pick another name for your YouTube channel:

If you do have to pick another name or if your channel is an ensemble with multiple members, make sure the name you choose is original, memorable, and short (4 words max).

Picking an Icon

Not every YouTuber needs to design an original logo for their brand. In fact, if the channel is about you — the YouTuber — you are the brand, so using a high-quality picture of yourself as the icon is okay.

However, if your channel has a specific theme or topic and you want your branding to convey it so it sticks in the viewers’ heads, especially if it’s their first time viewing your channel. A clear logo will help in amplifying your message:

Create Video Thumbnails That Stand Out

The power of good branding is that your viewers will be able to spot your brand in a crowded space. On YouTube, the crowded space is the suggested video section.

Epic Meal Time thumbnails standing out amongst other loud thumbnails.

Once you have the feeling you want to evoke, test out different thumbnails. Go incognito, search up your videos, and see how the visuals appear beside your competitions. Do they all have the same style or is your far more impressive?

Good branding doesn’t happen in the first try so keep experimenting.

Designing Your Icon, Thumbnail, and Channel Art

There is a lot to consider when designing all the visual elements for your channel. I won’t get into all of it, but here are some tips that you should always keep in mind.

- Less is more: Don’t clutter your icons, thumbnails, or banner.

- Have a single focus: A channel and a video can have a lot of different topics, but the image can’t show everything a video can. Pick one important area and highlight that in the image.

- Quality matters: Your audience is savvier than ever. If they see a pixelated image, they will judge your channel poorly. That’s bad branding. Always use high-quality pictures.

- Make sure the color pops and the text is visible: Use eye-catching colors and visible text. This is a billboard, you have milliseconds to get people’s attention as they scroll past.

Want more resources for creating your channel’s visual elements? Yes? Well, we made this for you:

- How to Make YouTube Video Thumbnail

- How to Make YouTube Icons

- Free Youtube Banners

How to Make Your Visuals Consistent?

When a viewer finds your video and considers it pretty interesting, they will then go into your channel page to learn more. Here is where they make their decision: subscribe or not subscribe?

Consistent branding affirms the viewer that they are in the right place. Peter McKinnon’s brand is built upon his amazing photography, it only makes sense that his visual elements are awesome.

Peter McKinnon is best known for his photography and cinematography, and his branding amplifies that.

But Branding Is Not Designing, It’s A Feeling

Don’t get too caught up with a design.

Look at PewDiePie’s branding. You can argue that it is inconsistent and the design is not professional, but actually, his branding is spot on, because he is making you feel a certain way.

PewDiePie’s brand highlights its upbeat and unpredictable personality.

PewDiePie wants you to laugh. He is not branding his expertise like Peter McKinnon is, he’s branding his personality.

Consistent branding is about making the elements of your channel: channel art, logo, thumbnails, titles, etc. all harmonize together to evoke a sensation.

The humor in PewDiePie’s brand is consistent, even though his thumbnails don’t look like Philip DeFranco’s. It is up to you how you define consistency, and that will happen over time.

Philip DeFranco supplies commentary on current events with a satirical flair. Like a news broadcast, his branding and video format are consistent, while the daily news is different.

Inserting A Watermark

The main point of a watermark is to let the viewers know when they are watching your video that it is in fact your video.

Let’s be honest, YouTube content can all look the same, especially if you are making content that is quite general (like beauty or tech), so a watermark helps differentiate, so when viewers are ready to subscribe, they have an extra branding element connecting them to your channel.

Improvement Pill is a YouTube channel focused on inspiring and motivating its viewer to live a better life.

Above we see an example of a watermark from the YouTube channel Improvement Pill. You can see the watermark in the lower right-hand corner.

Improvement Pill is not the only channel that uses whiteboard animation to illustrate their story, and because of that, they need to set themselves apart. A watermark helps do that.

When a viewer lands on their video, the watermark gives the viewer another way to get more familiar with the channel, and if they are to scroll over the watermark a subscription button pops up.

Want to set up your subscription watermark? Here is a quick tutorial:

Coming Up With A Catchphrase

A catchphrase can be your greeting or sign off, but it doesn’t have to be an original line, it can simply be the way you say “hello.”

Check out some of the popular YouTuber’s catchphrases:

When coming up with a catchphrase that is connected to your channel’s branding remember how you want the viewer to feel. Do you want to leave them with a smile? Or do you want them to take action?

Final Thoughts On YouTube Branding

As you build and grow your YouTube channel, you can expand your purpose while still sticking within the overall theme. You might have started a channel that focused on the topic of nutrition, but as you grow, you will discover that your audience may also be interested in fitness tips or workout accessories as well. Take it slowly and grow with purpose.

Your branding doesn’t dictate the content you create, but it does affect how you go about making it.

Got more questions about branding your YouTube channel? Let us know in the comments below.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

Epic Meal Time. Michelle Phan. Peter McKinnon. When you think of each of these YouTube creators, what comes to mind? The feelings and thoughts you have are vastly different because each one of these channels has its own unique branding.

Epic Meal Time’s YouTube brand is in-your-face and intense. It pumps you full of adrenaline and increases your heart rate.

Michelle Phan’s YouTube brand is calm, whimsical, and aspirational.

The color palette she chose is pleasing to the eyes and doesn’t evoke any of the stress we get from Epic Meal Time.

They have different branding because they want to reflect different feelings for different audiences.

Bad Branding Causes Mistrust

When a branding element does not align with the message or the tone does not match with the material, then the audience is not going to trust what you offer. Without trust, you won’t be able to get the advocacy that is essential for a YouTube channel to grow.

Imagine Michelle Phan using the aggressive colors of Epic Meal Time or vice versa. Pretty weird, huh?

What is YouTube Branding?

You might think that branding simply comes together while making videos, but that’s not true. Branding takes a bit of preparation and foresight.

YouTube branding is the idea your viewers have in mind and the emotion they get when they think about your channel.

Here are notable elements of your channel’s branding:

- Channel name

- Channel art

- Video thumbnail

- Video title

- Icon

- Watermark

- Catchphrase

- Style of video

How to Start Branding Your YouTube Channel?

Before you start designing thumbnails and coming up with a catchphrase, the first step in branding is understanding the purpose of your channel. Once you have a purpose, you will know how you want your viewers to feel.

Here is a quick exercise to find your channel’s purpose:

Draw a 3 circle Venn diagram.

In circle 1, write down everything you consider yourself an expert in.

- What do your friends know you for?

- What can you give advice on?

- What did you go to school to learn?

In circle 2, write down all the topics you are passionate about.

- What can you talk effortlessly about for hours?

- At a party, where do you lead conversations towards?

In circle 3, write down everything that people will pay for that you can supply. Here is where you find the demand of the audience.

- Can you give me travel advice?

- Can you make people forget about their stressful day?

- Do you have experience in a specialized field?

Understanding what people will pay money for will help guide you in creating content that has true value.

In the center, come up with all the ideas that can be associated with all three circles. This will be the ideal purpose for your YouTube channel as it harnesses your expertise, your passion, and the demand of a viewership.

Examples:

Epic Meal Time

Expertise = Eating

Passion = Fast Food Culture

Demand = Unique Meals

PURPOSE: Showcase a unique combination of fast food people won’t make at home.

Michelle Phan

Expertise = Beauty Products

Passion = Makeup and Fashion

Demand = Beauty School

PURPOSE: Give people more confidence in beauty products.

How Is Your Channel Different From the Others?

Now that you have your purpose, it’s time to separate you from others with similar purposes. YouTube is a crowded space for content creators. If your channel is mimicking another more successful channel, you will be in the shadows.

Good branding allows you to differentiate from others .

Pick a Unique and Memorable Name

If your name is Michelle Phan, and you are not the Michelle Phan, I’m sorry, but you will need to pick another name for your YouTube channel:

If you do have to pick another name or if your channel is an ensemble with multiple members, make sure the name you choose is original, memorable, and short (4 words max).

Picking an Icon

Not every YouTuber needs to design an original logo for their brand. In fact, if the channel is about you — the YouTuber — you are the brand, so using a high-quality picture of yourself as the icon is okay.

However, if your channel has a specific theme or topic and you want your branding to convey it so it sticks in the viewers’ heads, especially if it’s their first time viewing your channel. A clear logo will help in amplifying your message:

Create Video Thumbnails That Stand Out

The power of good branding is that your viewers will be able to spot your brand in a crowded space. On YouTube, the crowded space is the suggested video section.

Epic Meal Time thumbnails standing out amongst other loud thumbnails.

Once you have the feeling you want to evoke, test out different thumbnails. Go incognito, search up your videos, and see how the visuals appear beside your competitions. Do they all have the same style or is your far more impressive?

Good branding doesn’t happen in the first try so keep experimenting.

Designing Your Icon, Thumbnail, and Channel Art

There is a lot to consider when designing all the visual elements for your channel. I won’t get into all of it, but here are some tips that you should always keep in mind.

- Less is more: Don’t clutter your icons, thumbnails, or banner.

- Have a single focus: A channel and a video can have a lot of different topics, but the image can’t show everything a video can. Pick one important area and highlight that in the image.

- Quality matters: Your audience is savvier than ever. If they see a pixelated image, they will judge your channel poorly. That’s bad branding. Always use high-quality pictures.

- Make sure the color pops and the text is visible: Use eye-catching colors and visible text. This is a billboard, you have milliseconds to get people’s attention as they scroll past.

Want more resources for creating your channel’s visual elements? Yes? Well, we made this for you:

- How to Make YouTube Video Thumbnail

- How to Make YouTube Icons

- Free Youtube Banners

How to Make Your Visuals Consistent?

When a viewer finds your video and considers it pretty interesting, they will then go into your channel page to learn more. Here is where they make their decision: subscribe or not subscribe?

Consistent branding affirms the viewer that they are in the right place. Peter McKinnon’s brand is built upon his amazing photography, it only makes sense that his visual elements are awesome.

Peter McKinnon is best known for his photography and cinematography, and his branding amplifies that.

But Branding Is Not Designing, It’s A Feeling

Don’t get too caught up with a design.

Look at PewDiePie’s branding. You can argue that it is inconsistent and the design is not professional, but actually, his branding is spot on, because he is making you feel a certain way.

PewDiePie’s brand highlights its upbeat and unpredictable personality.

PewDiePie wants you to laugh. He is not branding his expertise like Peter McKinnon is, he’s branding his personality.

Consistent branding is about making the elements of your channel: channel art, logo, thumbnails, titles, etc. all harmonize together to evoke a sensation.

The humor in PewDiePie’s brand is consistent, even though his thumbnails don’t look like Philip DeFranco’s. It is up to you how you define consistency, and that will happen over time.

Philip DeFranco supplies commentary on current events with a satirical flair. Like a news broadcast, his branding and video format are consistent, while the daily news is different.

Inserting A Watermark

The main point of a watermark is to let the viewers know when they are watching your video that it is in fact your video.

Let’s be honest, YouTube content can all look the same, especially if you are making content that is quite general (like beauty or tech), so a watermark helps differentiate, so when viewers are ready to subscribe, they have an extra branding element connecting them to your channel.

Improvement Pill is a YouTube channel focused on inspiring and motivating its viewer to live a better life.

Above we see an example of a watermark from the YouTube channel Improvement Pill. You can see the watermark in the lower right-hand corner.

Improvement Pill is not the only channel that uses whiteboard animation to illustrate their story, and because of that, they need to set themselves apart. A watermark helps do that.

When a viewer lands on their video, the watermark gives the viewer another way to get more familiar with the channel, and if they are to scroll over the watermark a subscription button pops up.

Want to set up your subscription watermark? Here is a quick tutorial:

Coming Up With A Catchphrase

A catchphrase can be your greeting or sign off, but it doesn’t have to be an original line, it can simply be the way you say “hello.”

Check out some of the popular YouTuber’s catchphrases:

When coming up with a catchphrase that is connected to your channel’s branding remember how you want the viewer to feel. Do you want to leave them with a smile? Or do you want them to take action?

Final Thoughts On YouTube Branding

As you build and grow your YouTube channel, you can expand your purpose while still sticking within the overall theme. You might have started a channel that focused on the topic of nutrition, but as you grow, you will discover that your audience may also be interested in fitness tips or workout accessories as well. Take it slowly and grow with purpose.

Your branding doesn’t dictate the content you create, but it does affect how you go about making it.

Got more questions about branding your YouTube channel? Let us know in the comments below.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

0

Epic Meal Time. Michelle Phan. Peter McKinnon. When you think of each of these YouTube creators, what comes to mind? The feelings and thoughts you have are vastly different because each one of these channels has its own unique branding.

Epic Meal Time’s YouTube brand is in-your-face and intense. It pumps you full of adrenaline and increases your heart rate.

Michelle Phan’s YouTube brand is calm, whimsical, and aspirational.

The color palette she chose is pleasing to the eyes and doesn’t evoke any of the stress we get from Epic Meal Time.

They have different branding because they want to reflect different feelings for different audiences.

Bad Branding Causes Mistrust

When a branding element does not align with the message or the tone does not match with the material, then the audience is not going to trust what you offer. Without trust, you won’t be able to get the advocacy that is essential for a YouTube channel to grow.

Imagine Michelle Phan using the aggressive colors of Epic Meal Time or vice versa. Pretty weird, huh?

What is YouTube Branding?

You might think that branding simply comes together while making videos, but that’s not true. Branding takes a bit of preparation and foresight.

YouTube branding is the idea your viewers have in mind and the emotion they get when they think about your channel.

Here are notable elements of your channel’s branding:

- Channel name

- Channel art

- Video thumbnail

- Video title

- Icon

- Watermark

- Catchphrase

- Style of video

How to Start Branding Your YouTube Channel?

Before you start designing thumbnails and coming up with a catchphrase, the first step in branding is understanding the purpose of your channel. Once you have a purpose, you will know how you want your viewers to feel.

Here is a quick exercise to find your channel’s purpose:

Draw a 3 circle Venn diagram.

In circle 1, write down everything you consider yourself an expert in.

- What do your friends know you for?

- What can you give advice on?

- What did you go to school to learn?

In circle 2, write down all the topics you are passionate about.

- What can you talk effortlessly about for hours?

- At a party, where do you lead conversations towards?

In circle 3, write down everything that people will pay for that you can supply. Here is where you find the demand of the audience.

- Can you give me travel advice?

- Can you make people forget about their stressful day?

- Do you have experience in a specialized field?

Understanding what people will pay money for will help guide you in creating content that has true value.

In the center, come up with all the ideas that can be associated with all three circles. This will be the ideal purpose for your YouTube channel as it harnesses your expertise, your passion, and the demand of a viewership.

Examples:

Epic Meal Time

Expertise = Eating

Passion = Fast Food Culture

Demand = Unique Meals

PURPOSE: Showcase a unique combination of fast food people won’t make at home.

Michelle Phan

Expertise = Beauty Products

Passion = Makeup and Fashion

Demand = Beauty School

PURPOSE: Give people more confidence in beauty products.

How Is Your Channel Different From the Others?

Now that you have your purpose, it’s time to separate you from others with similar purposes. YouTube is a crowded space for content creators. If your channel is mimicking another more successful channel, you will be in the shadows.

Good branding allows you to differentiate from others .

Pick a Unique and Memorable Name

If your name is Michelle Phan, and you are not the Michelle Phan, I’m sorry, but you will need to pick another name for your YouTube channel:

If you do have to pick another name or if your channel is an ensemble with multiple members, make sure the name you choose is original, memorable, and short (4 words max).

Picking an Icon

Not every YouTuber needs to design an original logo for their brand. In fact, if the channel is about you — the YouTuber — you are the brand, so using a high-quality picture of yourself as the icon is okay.

However, if your channel has a specific theme or topic and you want your branding to convey it so it sticks in the viewers’ heads, especially if it’s their first time viewing your channel. A clear logo will help in amplifying your message:

Create Video Thumbnails That Stand Out

The power of good branding is that your viewers will be able to spot your brand in a crowded space. On YouTube, the crowded space is the suggested video section.

Epic Meal Time thumbnails standing out amongst other loud thumbnails.

Once you have the feeling you want to evoke, test out different thumbnails. Go incognito, search up your videos, and see how the visuals appear beside your competitions. Do they all have the same style or is your far more impressive?

Good branding doesn’t happen in the first try so keep experimenting.

Designing Your Icon, Thumbnail, and Channel Art

There is a lot to consider when designing all the visual elements for your channel. I won’t get into all of it, but here are some tips that you should always keep in mind.

- Less is more: Don’t clutter your icons, thumbnails, or banner.

- Have a single focus: A channel and a video can have a lot of different topics, but the image can’t show everything a video can. Pick one important area and highlight that in the image.

- Quality matters: Your audience is savvier than ever. If they see a pixelated image, they will judge your channel poorly. That’s bad branding. Always use high-quality pictures.

- Make sure the color pops and the text is visible: Use eye-catching colors and visible text. This is a billboard, you have milliseconds to get people’s attention as they scroll past.

Want more resources for creating your channel’s visual elements? Yes? Well, we made this for you:

- How to Make YouTube Video Thumbnail

- How to Make YouTube Icons

- Free Youtube Banners

How to Make Your Visuals Consistent?

When a viewer finds your video and considers it pretty interesting, they will then go into your channel page to learn more. Here is where they make their decision: subscribe or not subscribe?

Consistent branding affirms the viewer that they are in the right place. Peter McKinnon’s brand is built upon his amazing photography, it only makes sense that his visual elements are awesome.

Peter McKinnon is best known for his photography and cinematography, and his branding amplifies that.

But Branding Is Not Designing, It’s A Feeling

Don’t get too caught up with a design.

Look at PewDiePie’s branding. You can argue that it is inconsistent and the design is not professional, but actually, his branding is spot on, because he is making you feel a certain way.

PewDiePie’s brand highlights its upbeat and unpredictable personality.

PewDiePie wants you to laugh. He is not branding his expertise like Peter McKinnon is, he’s branding his personality.

Consistent branding is about making the elements of your channel: channel art, logo, thumbnails, titles, etc. all harmonize together to evoke a sensation.

The humor in PewDiePie’s brand is consistent, even though his thumbnails don’t look like Philip DeFranco’s. It is up to you how you define consistency, and that will happen over time.

Philip DeFranco supplies commentary on current events with a satirical flair. Like a news broadcast, his branding and video format are consistent, while the daily news is different.

Inserting A Watermark

The main point of a watermark is to let the viewers know when they are watching your video that it is in fact your video.

Let’s be honest, YouTube content can all look the same, especially if you are making content that is quite general (like beauty or tech), so a watermark helps differentiate, so when viewers are ready to subscribe, they have an extra branding element connecting them to your channel.

Improvement Pill is a YouTube channel focused on inspiring and motivating its viewer to live a better life.

Above we see an example of a watermark from the YouTube channel Improvement Pill. You can see the watermark in the lower right-hand corner.

Improvement Pill is not the only channel that uses whiteboard animation to illustrate their story, and because of that, they need to set themselves apart. A watermark helps do that.

When a viewer lands on their video, the watermark gives the viewer another way to get more familiar with the channel, and if they are to scroll over the watermark a subscription button pops up.

Want to set up your subscription watermark? Here is a quick tutorial:

Coming Up With A Catchphrase

A catchphrase can be your greeting or sign off, but it doesn’t have to be an original line, it can simply be the way you say “hello.”

Check out some of the popular YouTuber’s catchphrases:

When coming up with a catchphrase that is connected to your channel’s branding remember how you want the viewer to feel. Do you want to leave them with a smile? Or do you want them to take action?

Final Thoughts On YouTube Branding

As you build and grow your YouTube channel, you can expand your purpose while still sticking within the overall theme. You might have started a channel that focused on the topic of nutrition, but as you grow, you will discover that your audience may also be interested in fitness tips or workout accessories as well. Take it slowly and grow with purpose.

Your branding doesn’t dictate the content you create, but it does affect how you go about making it.

Got more questions about branding your YouTube channel? Let us know in the comments below.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox

Nov 01, 2022• Proven solutions

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Epic Meal Time. Michelle Phan. Peter McKinnon. When you think of each of these YouTube creators, what comes to mind? The feelings and thoughts you have are vastly different because each one of these channels has its own unique branding.

Epic Meal Time’s YouTube brand is in-your-face and intense. It pumps you full of adrenaline and increases your heart rate.

Michelle Phan’s YouTube brand is calm, whimsical, and aspirational.

The color palette she chose is pleasing to the eyes and doesn’t evoke any of the stress we get from Epic Meal Time.

They have different branding because they want to reflect different feelings for different audiences.

Bad Branding Causes Mistrust

When a branding element does not align with the message or the tone does not match with the material, then the audience is not going to trust what you offer. Without trust, you won’t be able to get the advocacy that is essential for a YouTube channel to grow.

Imagine Michelle Phan using the aggressive colors of Epic Meal Time or vice versa. Pretty weird, huh?

What is YouTube Branding?

You might think that branding simply comes together while making videos, but that’s not true. Branding takes a bit of preparation and foresight.

YouTube branding is the idea your viewers have in mind and the emotion they get when they think about your channel.

Here are notable elements of your channel’s branding:

- Channel name

- Channel art

- Video thumbnail

- Video title

- Icon

- Watermark

- Catchphrase

- Style of video

How to Start Branding Your YouTube Channel?

Before you start designing thumbnails and coming up with a catchphrase, the first step in branding is understanding the purpose of your channel. Once you have a purpose, you will know how you want your viewers to feel.

Here is a quick exercise to find your channel’s purpose:

Draw a 3 circle Venn diagram.

In circle 1, write down everything you consider yourself an expert in.

- What do your friends know you for?

- What can you give advice on?

- What did you go to school to learn?

In circle 2, write down all the topics you are passionate about.

- What can you talk effortlessly about for hours?

- At a party, where do you lead conversations towards?

In circle 3, write down everything that people will pay for that you can supply. Here is where you find the demand of the audience.

- Can you give me travel advice?

- Can you make people forget about their stressful day?

- Do you have experience in a specialized field?

Understanding what people will pay money for will help guide you in creating content that has true value.

In the center, come up with all the ideas that can be associated with all three circles. This will be the ideal purpose for your YouTube channel as it harnesses your expertise, your passion, and the demand of a viewership.

Examples:

Epic Meal Time

Expertise = Eating

Passion = Fast Food Culture

Demand = Unique Meals

PURPOSE: Showcase a unique combination of fast food people won’t make at home.

Michelle Phan

Expertise = Beauty Products

Passion = Makeup and Fashion

Demand = Beauty School

PURPOSE: Give people more confidence in beauty products.

How Is Your Channel Different From the Others?

Now that you have your purpose, it’s time to separate you from others with similar purposes. YouTube is a crowded space for content creators. If your channel is mimicking another more successful channel, you will be in the shadows.

Good branding allows you to differentiate from others .

Pick a Unique and Memorable Name

If your name is Michelle Phan, and you are not the Michelle Phan, I’m sorry, but you will need to pick another name for your YouTube channel:

If you do have to pick another name or if your channel is an ensemble with multiple members, make sure the name you choose is original, memorable, and short (4 words max).

Picking an Icon

Not every YouTuber needs to design an original logo for their brand. In fact, if the channel is about you — the YouTuber — you are the brand, so using a high-quality picture of yourself as the icon is okay.

However, if your channel has a specific theme or topic and you want your branding to convey it so it sticks in the viewers’ heads, especially if it’s their first time viewing your channel. A clear logo will help in amplifying your message:

Create Video Thumbnails That Stand Out

The power of good branding is that your viewers will be able to spot your brand in a crowded space. On YouTube, the crowded space is the suggested video section.

Epic Meal Time thumbnails standing out amongst other loud thumbnails.

Once you have the feeling you want to evoke, test out different thumbnails. Go incognito, search up your videos, and see how the visuals appear beside your competitions. Do they all have the same style or is your far more impressive?

Good branding doesn’t happen in the first try so keep experimenting.

Designing Your Icon, Thumbnail, and Channel Art

There is a lot to consider when designing all the visual elements for your channel. I won’t get into all of it, but here are some tips that you should always keep in mind.

- Less is more: Don’t clutter your icons, thumbnails, or banner.

- Have a single focus: A channel and a video can have a lot of different topics, but the image can’t show everything a video can. Pick one important area and highlight that in the image.

- Quality matters: Your audience is savvier than ever. If they see a pixelated image, they will judge your channel poorly. That’s bad branding. Always use high-quality pictures.

- Make sure the color pops and the text is visible: Use eye-catching colors and visible text. This is a billboard, you have milliseconds to get people’s attention as they scroll past.

Want more resources for creating your channel’s visual elements? Yes? Well, we made this for you:

- How to Make YouTube Video Thumbnail

- How to Make YouTube Icons

- Free Youtube Banners

How to Make Your Visuals Consistent?

When a viewer finds your video and considers it pretty interesting, they will then go into your channel page to learn more. Here is where they make their decision: subscribe or not subscribe?

Consistent branding affirms the viewer that they are in the right place. Peter McKinnon’s brand is built upon his amazing photography, it only makes sense that his visual elements are awesome.

Peter McKinnon is best known for his photography and cinematography, and his branding amplifies that.

But Branding Is Not Designing, It’s A Feeling

Don’t get too caught up with a design.

Look at PewDiePie’s branding. You can argue that it is inconsistent and the design is not professional, but actually, his branding is spot on, because he is making you feel a certain way.

PewDiePie’s brand highlights its upbeat and unpredictable personality.

PewDiePie wants you to laugh. He is not branding his expertise like Peter McKinnon is, he’s branding his personality.

Consistent branding is about making the elements of your channel: channel art, logo, thumbnails, titles, etc. all harmonize together to evoke a sensation.

The humor in PewDiePie’s brand is consistent, even though his thumbnails don’t look like Philip DeFranco’s. It is up to you how you define consistency, and that will happen over time.

Philip DeFranco supplies commentary on current events with a satirical flair. Like a news broadcast, his branding and video format are consistent, while the daily news is different.

Inserting A Watermark

The main point of a watermark is to let the viewers know when they are watching your video that it is in fact your video.

Let’s be honest, YouTube content can all look the same, especially if you are making content that is quite general (like beauty or tech), so a watermark helps differentiate, so when viewers are ready to subscribe, they have an extra branding element connecting them to your channel.

Improvement Pill is a YouTube channel focused on inspiring and motivating its viewer to live a better life.

Above we see an example of a watermark from the YouTube channel Improvement Pill. You can see the watermark in the lower right-hand corner.

Improvement Pill is not the only channel that uses whiteboard animation to illustrate their story, and because of that, they need to set themselves apart. A watermark helps do that.

When a viewer lands on their video, the watermark gives the viewer another way to get more familiar with the channel, and if they are to scroll over the watermark a subscription button pops up.

Want to set up your subscription watermark? Here is a quick tutorial:

Coming Up With A Catchphrase

A catchphrase can be your greeting or sign off, but it doesn’t have to be an original line, it can simply be the way you say “hello.”

Check out some of the popular YouTuber’s catchphrases:

When coming up with a catchphrase that is connected to your channel’s branding remember how you want the viewer to feel. Do you want to leave them with a smile? Or do you want them to take action?

Final Thoughts On YouTube Branding

As you build and grow your YouTube channel, you can expand your purpose while still sticking within the overall theme. You might have started a channel that focused on the topic of nutrition, but as you grow, you will discover that your audience may also be interested in fitness tips or workout accessories as well. Take it slowly and grow with purpose.

Your branding doesn’t dictate the content you create, but it does affect how you go about making it.

Got more questions about branding your YouTube channel? Let us know in the comments below.

Shanoon Cox

Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Shanoon Cox