A new YouTube channel

[tomosap]

Hi everyone,

Apologies if this comes across as spam, but genuinely just looking to target the right audience.

I’ve just started a new YouTube channel where I hope to post useful and interesting videos related to woodworking. The first video was posted today and is an unboxing video of the Axminster craft planer thicknesser. A review is in the works!

If you’d like to check it out, the link is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2VVgt ... Y6_SNQXH6A

Many thanks!
Tom

 

[AJB Temple]

Forget unboxing videos here. This is a piece of YouTube nonsense frankly - we all know what a PT looks like and does and no one cares about the surprise reveal..... Reviews are best when you have used the machine for a while and know its faults and benefits. No wishing to neg you but I think you need to show skill at woodworking here mainly.

 

[DBT85]

Unboxing videos for the daftness that they are still generate views, and therefore clicks and ad revenue. Many don't like them, but they still work as content for channels.

My request is that you find a shutter speed or camera that doesn't get the strobing effect.

I'd also like to wish you luck!

 

[MikeG.]

Another Youtube "woodworking" channel with no wood. Or working. I hope you correct those oversights soon.

 

[Doug71]

It's a tough crowd here.

I'm sure anybody looking to buy that planer or similar would watch your video and find it interesting.

Good luck with the channel.

 

[tomosap]

Some mixed views here, and certainly a tough crowd :shock:

So firstly, just to clear up, the video was never meant to be a review - if you watch to the end then you’ll see I call that out explicitly.

Also, it’s a channel that’s JUST STARTED, so forgive me if I don’t have a catalogue of videos full of material - feel free to subscribe and you’ll get to see those in due course :wink:

Thanks for the feedback on the filming equipment - it’s not perfect I admit, and was done on older equipment which I’ll get round to improving soon.

Thanks all,
Tom

 

[Sideways]

Why would you even think of starting a channel without at least a dozen videos uploaded at launch ?
Unboxing videos are pure vanity !

 

[petermillard]

Well done on your first video; you’ve made a start, which is more than most critics can manage. Couple of pointers??

Unboxing vids can generate lots of views, but only if the product being unboxed has a big enough audience e.g. toys & tech, rarely tools, unless it’s something homemade/new/different, or unless you can combine it with an ‘initial setup’.

As others have said, don’t attempt a review until you know the machine inside out - but an ‘initial impressions’, ‘first thoughts’ or a ‘why I chose this over that...’ type of vid can be done sooner, and tend to be well received i.e. they won’t be widely watched, but you’ll start to grow an audience if people realise you know what you’re about and are being honest about what you’ve spent your own money on.

Music is divisive; some people hate it, others *really* hate it, and some will put up with it if they must; if you want to keep people watching, don’t give them a reason to click away to the thumbnail with the girl in a bikini...

Get the tech right; few people will really care about how old the video equipment is (and as an aside there are some great YouTube channels shot on old or basic equipment) or if you’ll be replacing it soon, they care that the image is flickering, that you’re dark, and that the wall behind you is bright, especially at the end, which is - literally - the image you leave them with. Again, don’t give people a reason to click away.

As for calling these guys a tough crowd - wait ‘til you start getting into the comments on YouTube, this lot are a bunch of fluffy little kittens in comparison!

As I said above, you’ve made a start which is more than most can manage; learn from it, build on it, keep showing up - and enjoy it! Happy to advise if there’s anything you’re stuck on - pm me if so.

Cheers, Peter

 

[Glynne]

As always, a good and positive post from Peter whose videos are worth watching.
I’ve never thought of myself as a fluffy little kitten though.......must tell herself!

 

[transatlantic]

I don't really agree with these comments. Seeing how a machine of this size comes packaged can be really useful for those wondering how it's going to arrive, the quality of the packaging, and what kind of help they're going to need to set it up. Granted you could look at the manual online for some of this information, but not all of it.

Just don't make it a video entirely related to unboxing. Make it part of the review, a few months after using the product.

 

[That would work]

I haven't watched it. Why watch a video about a cardboard box.

 

[tomosap]

I haven't watched it. Why watch a video about a cardboard box.

Technically it's Plywood lol

 

[JandK]

Well done on making a start Tom. Don't be put off by the negative crowd there is a lot to be gained from someone unboxing and initial impressions, do take the valuable advice of Peter Millard and subscribe to his channel there is a lot of information on his channel that will be of great help to what you're trying to do.
I wish you every success

 

[tomosap]

Well done on your first video; you’ve made a start, which is more than most critics can manage. Couple of pointers??

Unboxing vids can generate lots of views, but only if the product being unboxed has a big enough audience e.g. toys & tech, rarely tools, unless it’s something homemade/new/different, or unless you can combine it with an ‘initial setup’.

As others have said, don’t attempt a review until you know the machine inside out - but an ‘initial impressions’, ‘first thoughts’ or a ‘why I chose this over that...’ type of vid can be done sooner, and tend to be well received i.e. they won’t be widely watched, but you’ll start to grow an audience if people realise you know what you’re about and are being honest about what you’ve spent your own money on.

Music is divisive; some people hate it, others *really* hate it, and some will put up with it if they must; if you want to keep people watching, don’t give them a reason to click away to the thumbnail with the girl in a bikini...

Get the tech right; few people will really care about how old the video equipment is (and as an aside there are some great YouTube channels shot on old or basic equipment) or if you’ll be replacing it soon, they care that the image is flickering, that you’re dark, and that the wall behind you is bright, especially at the end, which is - literally - the image you leave them with. Again, don’t give people a reason to click away.

As for calling these guys a tough crowd - wait ‘til you start getting into the comments on YouTube, this lot are a bunch of fluffy little kittens in comparison!

As I said above, you’ve made a start which is more than most can manage; learn from it, build on it, keep showing up - and enjoy it! Happy to advise if there’s anything you’re stuck on - pm me if so.

Cheers, Peter

Thanks for taking the time to write the feedback Peter, much appreciated (and as an aside, I'm one of your Patreons and took a great deal of inspiration from your efforts in deciding to start my own channel).

Fully take onboard your comments, and certainly taking away from this that equipment improvement is a must. Will look to try and get this sorted in time for the next vid!

Thanks,
Tom

 

[Sgian Dubh]

The first video was posted today and is an unboxing video of the Axminster craft planer thicknesser. A review is in the works! Many thanks! Tom

I have to admit that the 'action' didn't really hold my attention. I can't recall how many examples of that type of machine, some small, some great big hulks, and everything in between I've either set-up, used or maintained. Realistically, I'm probably never going to be part of your hoped for target audience, but I was curious to see what might be on offer for potential viewers; who you are, how you come across, evidence of expertise, presentation style, existing set-up, and so on.

I admit to scuttling through the video in maybe a couple minutes with a couple of pauses to look at the surrounding scene, which caught my eye as being much more interesting to me than the unpacking action. Positively, you come across as personable and potentially interesting, especially if in later videos you are able to impart sound knowledge and skills to an audience willing to learn good practice. But what really caught my attention was that you appear to have all sorts of brand new small professional or quite serious amateur kit crammed into that pristine space in which you filmed your video. 'Hello, there's a pretty big investment been made there', was my reaction. Which led me to wondering what your background and story might be, and to thinking maybe some sort of introductory video or background in the About section of your YouTube channel providing that information would be useful, not just to satisfy my curiosity, but also to inform your potential audience. Slainte.

 

[tomosap]

Thanks for taking the time to write that lovely feedback Sgian, it's really appreciated.

I have considered doing a bit of a "workshop tour" style of video. I'll take your suggestion on board and look to turn this into a reality. Similarly, I think your suggestion of doing something in the "about me" section is an excellent one, and I'll look to put some time into this too.

Many thanks,
Tom

 

[petermillard]

Thanks for taking the time to write the feedback Peter, much appreciated (and as an aside, I'm one of your Patreons and took a great deal of inspiration from your efforts in deciding to start my own channel).

Fully take onboard your comments, and certainly taking away from this that equipment improvement is a must. Will look to try and get this sorted in time for the next vid!

Thanks,
Tom

Ah, OK - sorry Tom, I didn’t recognise the username! Well, you know how to get hold of me - just give a shout if I can help with anything. Re the flickering, this is because of too high a shutter speed; keep it to 1/50th sec if possible.

Workshop tours always go down well, especially if you’re working in a small space - very relatable!

Cheers, P

 

[AES]

I've just "watched" your video as well - well, when I say "watched" I really mean to say "skimmed through". Why the skim? Well I guess I'm not your target audience (I don't own a P/T and guess I never will). In fact I'm not much of a wood worker at all really, not in the conventional sense anyway - I can't see me ever making any furniture or proper cabinets for example.

As such, an unpacking vid doesn't hold a lot of interest for me but I did see, even in my quick skim through, a couple of useful points though - e.g. the bit about a crow bar and a couple of similar points.

I'm in the "MUST there be music?/Why?" category of viewer, but in this case I'd say it wasn't too obtrusive, and faded down quite quickly thank goodness.

Overall, there was far too little info there to fill a 10+ min video, and I don't need to see you (or anyone else) opening a cardboard box while saying "I wonder what's in here?" - just my opinion of course.

The flickering was a bit of a nuisance, but not too bad though - not even owning any sort of video camera I have nothing else to say on that subject except simply that you've done something that I can never do (nor wish to do either, to be honest)..

And to be honest, I thought that such a long vid saying so very little was a bit of a pity for a first off - I agree with Peter Millard (always EXCELLENT vids IMO) that a workshop walk round would be interesting - even if only to make me jealous of the investment that's obviously taken place ;-)

But a walk-round coupled with a short "this is me" personal intro would, IMO, have been a far more interesting (AND loyalty building?) vid.

Some ideas: with "This is me" I don't mean a full CV-type but simply "I'm Fred, I'm XtyX years old, live near outer Mongolia and have been wood working for the last YtyY years" - and/or - "did an apprenticeship in AAA at BBB about BtyB years ago". And if poss, add a couple of pix of stuff you've done before. "I'd now like to share my experiences with you and over the next few weeks plan a series of vids on this, that, and the other".

Would also be interesting if you can develop a definitive "house style" too - e.g. again, Peter Millard, 10 Minute Workshop - you know immediately the "standard" of what's coming, even if the content may of each individual vid is a "mystery" to start off with.

Hope the above are constructive suggestions and wish you luck - I'm always interested in stuff made by EXPERIENCED people (amateur or professional) on YouTube.

Cheers

 

[Fidget]

I second Peter Millard's advice about the camera work.

Personally I would also add a lavalier radio mic to the list, I don't like the distant, hollow sound of camera microphones

Good luck

 

[MikeG.]

.........Will look to try and get this sorted in time for the next vid!

If you are serious about the Youtube thing, then as a viewer I would humbly suggest that you post regular videos, but not every week. Most of those who post every week soon run out of suitable projects, and the channels go from interesting content to a series of low grade fillers. You have to be in your workshop doing meaningful work for an awful lot of time to produce a video a week.

Some of my negativity stems from the huge number of similar channels on the internet, all focusing on tools, gadgets, and trivia around the workshop rather than making beautiful or practical things. Add to this that you have spent your time on this forum asking about a series of new machines and tools.......which is fine, of course, but suggestive of someone who hasn't a long background in making stuff in a well set up workshop. And as I said, Youtube is awash with crappy videos about setting up a workshop. If you had posted a load of photos of stuff you've made then maybe I could be more enthusiastic about your channel, because ultimately I am interested in what comes out of a workshop, not what stays in there permanently.

I sincerely wish you all the best with this venture, with the caveat that I'll only be interested if you actually start making decent videos about making stuff. Others may well enjoy seeing a machine revealed, and the very best of luck to them and you regarding that......but if you surprise me by coming up with some quality woodwork I'll be pleased as punch and I'll be subscribing.