How to start a beauty YouTube channel

YouTube is bursting with beauty vloggers earning incomes big enough to make even the most powdered face blush. The good news is there’s still plenty of room to join them. And if you live and breathe beauty, then becoming a successful beauty YouTuber is a real possibility.

Whether you want to start on the road to becoming a full-time beauty vlogger or just want to have a bit of fun sharing makeup advice on the side, here’s how to start a beauty YouTube channel.

How to start a beauty YouTube channel in 6 steps

From setting up your account to making your first video, follow the steps below to get started on your YouTube journey.

Step 1: Set up your account

You can’t become a beauty vlogger without a YouTube account. Luckily, YouTube makes this step easy. Head to the user icon in the top right and click Create a channel. Add your brand name, upload a profile photo, and click Create channel.

Keep your brand name short, catchy, and easy to remember. Including your first name is always a good strategy. Avoid adding unnecessary numbers (this can make the name look auto-generated rather than carefully chosen).

Next, you’ll need to personalize your channel:

• Add a cover image. Aim for high-quality photos here, as these take up a lot of real estate on your page and will be some of the first things viewers see.
• Fill in the About section. Make it clear who you are, what you do, and who your target audience is.
• Create a trailer video to entice people to watch your channel. Think of it as your About section in video form.

Step 2: Identify your target audience

Before you can start creating videos, you should be clear on who your target audience is. Beauty is a massive niche on YouTube, and there are all manner of angles you can take. If you’re struggling for direction, take inspiration from this list of little-known beauty vloggers curated by writer Blaire Erskine. Jenna Catherine, for instance, specializes in natural beauty; Audrey Victoria focuses on feminine hygiene tips.

Step 3: Buy equipment

You probably already know you’re going to need certain equipment to start a beauty YouTube channel. But you may not realize just how little you need or how small a budget you can get away with.

You certainly don’t need to spend thousands of dollars on equipment, says Rhi Morgan from Mummy of Four. “Like most YouTubers, I started my channel with my iPhone and you can too! Will you want to upgrade your kit as your channel grows? Sure! But don’t let not having the right equipment yet be an excuse for not getting started.”

In addition to your smartphone, you’ll want to get a ring light to illuminate your face while filming. You’ll also need editing software so you can edit your videos.

Step 4: Start making videos

With your equipment set up and your target audience in mind, it’s time to start creating.

Before you turn on the camera, plan out your video in advance. Make a note of what you want to say and show and in what order. This will stop you from rambling and make your videos more engaging.

If you’re new to creating content, start with whatever you feel most familiar with. That could be giving a makeup tutorial or talking about a favorite product.

Keep your videos short, too. Don’t worry about hitting a specific time just to include automated mid-roll ads. The shorter and more engaging your videos are, the more likely viewers will continue to follow you in the future.

Step 5: Promote your videos and channel

Even the best YouTube videos in the world don’t rack up many views without the right promotion. Start by tagging your videos with keywords when you upload them and writing detailed descriptions of what they cover. The better your tagging and descriptions, the more likely your videos will appear in search results.

When the comments start rolling in, make sure you reply to all of them. This may not be possible when you start getting thousands of subscribers, but even then, try to reply to as many as you can. One way to reduce your workload is to ignore negative comments. Every video gets them, and you don’t need to recognize them with a response.

Another way to promote your videos and channel is to collaborate with other vloggers. It’s one of the best ways to grow your audience, says content marketing consultant and Futurism staff writer Tony Tran. “After all, loyal viewers trust the creators they subscribe to,” he writes. “That’s why they typically subscribe to them in the first place. So if you collaborate with them, it gives you instant social proof in their eyes even if they didn’t know your brand existed until then.”

Step 6: Offer a service

One of the best ways to improve your relationship with viewers and build a following is to offer a service or product. This could be a free service like color matching or physical products like nails or eyelashes.

Managing a service like these through YouTube comments can be an administrative headache. That’s why beauty vloggers turn to online forms to streamline the process. Jotform provides a range of beauty-focused forms, like a color match service or beauty products order form, making it simple for you to offer and manage value-added services.

Here are some easy-to-follow video tutorials on how to use these forms:

• Creating color match request forms using Jotform
• How to use Jotform to create your own Color Street order form

Check how Jaime Allison links to her color match form and invites viewers to fill it out on her channel Just Jme Allison. Click Open description under her “Vlogmas Day 8” video to see her invitation.

Best of all, you can get started using these forms for free, making them perfect for aspiring YouTube beauty stars who haven’t seen the ad revenue roll in just yet.

Photo by Brooke Lark on Unsplash