Before I began writing for Odyssey Online, I had my own fashion blog. It was something that I was passionate about, but then I grew fatigued. Needless to say, that fashion blog is extinct. I have recently become interested in vlogging, but I don’t want to fail like I did with my fashion blog, so I have been considering five things before starting my vlog.

• Time: There is a lot of time that goes into creating a video. From shooting multiple takes of footage, to editing, to uploading and advertising the video, there is a lot of thought that goes into place. Successful vloggers tend to have a set schedule of what day of the week and at what time each week to upload videos to their YouTube channel. Another major aspect in time is content creation. It takes time to think about what the video is going to be about, what all will be covered in the video and if there will be a part II of the content.
• Money: There is a lot of money to be made in starting a vlog, but as the old saying goes: it takes money to make money. Things that may cost money will include a video camera, video equipment, search engine optimizations (SEOs), video editing software, a laptop/desktop, advertisements, background, etc. Ask yourself if you have the money to start a vlog. Some people will say that you don’t have to spend that much money, which is true. But if you want to have the best quality and if you want people to view your videos, there will be a price to pay to make it to the top. I will say though that there are ways to getting around this such as using natural lighting, recording on your cell phone on a tripod (only if you have a high quality camera and good microphone).
• Passion: Passion is what is going to give you the strength to overcome the haters that will hate all over your YouTube channel. Passion will also give you the momentum to edit those videos in the late night hour, devote parts of your check to vlog related materials and energy to respond to every person who comments on your video. Ask yourself if you have the passion about what you are vlogging about because if you don’t, you will be out before you’re even in.
• Skills: There are a lot of necessary skills that need to take place for a successful vlog. One of the things that cannot be taught is the ability to be you when the record button is red. There are people who are funny and charismatic in person, but when they are on the camera, they are a completely different person. Being you is also important because viewers can pick up on people being fake. One critique that I have about some of the more mainstream YouTubers is that they all sound alike, look alike and think alike. It is a skill to be different and set you apart. Other technical skills may include video editing, photo editing, equipment setup, etc.
• Audience: Who is your target audience? This is marketing 101, but it can become difficult to pinpoint when you have to narrow your topics. You cannot talk about everything under the sun, unless it is a lifestyle or personal vlog. Typically makeup vloggers are not going to discuss hair, and fashion vloggers aren’t going to discuss politics. You can only know your audience when you know your voice, so ask yourself what it is that you have to say to the world. You want to start a vlog to be heard, so know what it is that you want us to hear.

Vlogging is not a walk in the park, but if you have the time, money, passion, skills and audience, then I don’t see why you can’t start today.