--- title: 'How to Start a YouTube Channel in 2026 | Start Like This!' source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=UDOty6_sf7Q' video_id: 'UDOty6_sf7Q' date: 2026-08-05 duration_sec: 899 --- # How to Start a YouTube Channel in 2026 | Start Like This! > Source: [How to Start a YouTube Channel in 2026 | Start Like This!](https://youtube.com/watch?v=UDOty6_sf7Q) ## Summary This video provides a step-by-step guide for complete beginners on how to start a YouTube channel in 2026. It outlines a three-level progression (Start, Better, Smarter), discusses the importance of deciding between hobby and business, and offers practical advice on time management, scripting, and the video creation process. ### Key Points - **Introduction and Target Audience** [00:02] — The video is for complete beginners who want to start a YouTube channel but don't know where to begin. It addresses common concerns like choosing a topic, equipment, finding time, and standing out. - **Level 1: Start** [00:43] — For channels with 0-100 subscribers or no videos yet. The goal is to think less and upload more. Publish 10-20 videos, experiment with topics and styles, and focus on building the habit of creating content. - **Level 2: Better** [02:57] — After uploading some videos, focus on making each next video better. Key areas: clarity (audio, lighting) and understanding (clear step-by-step explanation). Also, work on video hooks and structure. - **Casual vs Serious Decision** [04:58] — You must decide if YouTube is a casual hobby or a serious endeavor. If serious, you need to commit time and treat it like work. If casual, don't expect growth or income. - **Hobby vs Business Mindset** [06:04] — Assess where you stand on a scale from 0 (pure hobby) to 10 (full business). If 5-10, focus on serving a specific audience, solving their problems, and monetizing long-term. - **Time Management and Consistency** [08:15] — You won't find extra time; you must make time. Dedicate one day a week for planning, a couple hours for scripting, and a few for editing. Commit to at least one video per week. - **Six-Step Video Process** [10:06] — 1) Idea, 2) Title/Thumbnail/Hook, 3) Script, 4) Shooting, 5) Editing, 6) Upload & Analytics. Emphasizes planning title and thumbnail before creating the video. - **Scripting Advice** [12:36] — Don't write a full script; use bullet points and an outline. Structure: hook (first 10-15 seconds), intro, main points, and a call to action for the next video. - **Call to Action** [13:57] — Immediately after watching, write down ideas for your next three videos, choose one, plan its title and thumbnail, and shoot it this week. Winners start early, not think the most. ### Conclusion The key to starting a YouTube channel is to stop overthinking and start uploading. Follow the three-level progression, decide your commitment level, and take consistent action to improve over time. ## Transcript start a YouTube channel but are not able to understand where to start, then this video is for you. What should I keep? On which topic should I speak? Gone with just the phone, need a camera, how do I find time with a job, college or business ? And how do I make myself stand out among so many uters ? I will clear all this to you in this video. I will give you a step by step guide through which you complete beginner and don't even know the basics of YouTube. Whether you have only a phone and you are busy the whole day with your studies or work. So first of all we will studies or work. So first of all we will Start, Better and Smarter. This will let you know at what level you are currently and know at what level you are currently and due to overthinking you are still only watching YouTube videos and have not uploaded a single video yourself, then definitely watch this video till the end because now the time for being confused is over and the time to start has come. So first of all let us talk about level one which is called start. If your channel currently has between zero and 100 subscribers or you have not uploaded a single video yet, then we are currently at this stage which is called start level. This stage has just a simple goal. Think less, upload more. This is where people get stuck the most because they get 1000 questions before they even start. What would be the perfect category ? How do I say intro? How about a thumbnail? Should the editing be cinematic or simple ? Should I create long form content first or short form content? The reality is that at the start level all these are secondary things. The most important thing is that you should publish your first 10 to 20 videos somehow. At this stage you can try different topics. You can test different styles. There's facecam , there's B-roll, there's more screen recording, storytelling, whatever you want to try, you can try it. Your job here is simply to understand the basics of YouTube and becoming a Uber. Turn on the camera, press the record button, get comfortable with your voice and your face, learn basic editing, test different combinations of thumbnails and titles. Here you do not need to get stuck on one niche or one category. topic you are able to speak more naturally. and which format is getting the most response? At the start level, think of it like the first month of gym. just to develop the habit of going to the gym. Similarly, our goal for Level 1 Start on YouTube is to create a habit. Put out at least one or two videos a week. At this level, if you try to make a perfect video, it will take two to three weeks to make one video and then you will get bored yourself. So at this stage, it's better to just make the video rather than making the perfect plan or the perfect video. And if you are going to start making videos and want to make better videos, want to grow on YouTube, because I upload such YouTube related videos on this channel every week. So if you want to learn and grow, subscribe. Now let's move towards level two which is called Better. Here you have already crossed the start level. You have uploaded some videos. The fear of turning on the camera has reduced to some extent. Basic editing is covered. And now you're wondering how to take your videos to the next level? The simple goal of Level Two is to make each next video a little better than the previous one. At this stage you focus on two things. First thing is clarity. Understand the second thing. Clarity means whether the sound is coming clearly or not ? Is there background noise or not? Is the light low or not at all? Is it falling on the face or not? Sometimes just doing this doubles the feel of your video. Sit in front of a window, record with the fan off, or use a simple mic. These small steps make a huge difference. Understand the other thing. Understanding means that the topic you are explaining, are you able to explain it step by step in simple language or are you losing your focus in the middle ? Here you can ask yourself some basic questions. If I were a viewer, would I be able to watch this video till the end ? Am I able to clearly understand what I am getting from this video? At this stage, you will also have to pay a lot of attention to the video hook and video structure. three to five seconds of the video in which you make a clear promise. I want to tell you what you will find next in the video. Our goal in this is to keep the viewer engaged in the video. Then comes the video structure. Meaning your video should have a proper plan. Like take a minute before recording. Just write down what I will talk about. Write down some things, write down points around which you can comfortably talk about in the video. So level two means a little better clarity, a little better explanation, a little better hook and structure. There will be some improvement in every video and then look back, that improvement will appear much bigger to you. There's one more thing I want to see big like in this video. So if you find this video even slightly helpful then target of 5000 likes. Let's see whether you can complete it or not. Now here comes an important decision which many YouTubers skip. What is your relationship with YouTube? Casual or serious. We are experimenting in a way till level one and level two. Sometimes I uploaded the video, sometimes I didn't, if I felt like it I shot it , if I didn't feel like it I left it. All this will work fine till level one and level two. But if you really want your channel to grow, at some point you will have to ask yourself this question. Am I doing YouTube just for time pass or I want to grow seriously with it. If you are taking it casually, then one thing should be clear that you cannot expect results. No views, no growth, no income. It's like a hobby of yours. Just for fun, whenever you feel like it, and if you are taking it seriously, then give YouTube some time. There is no option of not going to work. Similarly, take out small chunks of time for shoot, script and edit. Or a question you asked yourself if you're starting out by watching this video or watching others. But deep inside you know that if you will not be able to give time then there is no problem. You can just take YouTube casually now. But if you really want your channel to grow, build an audience, and generate income in the future, you'll have to shift your YouTube from casual to serious mode. Now let's say you've decided you want to take YouTube seriously. The next question is whether YouTube is a hobby or a business for you. The simple meaning of hobby is that you are doing this thing for fun. You are doing it for yourself. Like playing guitar, playing games, dancing, reading books. If you're on YouTube just because you love making videos. You enjoy talking to people and money or growth isn't your main focus, so you're treating YouTube like a hobby. And business means that you want to provide value through YouTube and create money and opportunities for yourself in the long term. Here our main focus is to solve problems, help people, make them laugh or teach them and then convert it into money, monetize it. Now think honestly, where do you stand between zero and 10 think honestly, where do you stand between zero and 10 ? Zero means pure hobby and 10 means full-on business. If you are between zero and four, it means you are in the hobby zone. You don't need to take much pressure here. Make whatever video you want. Speak on whatever topic you like. But if you are between 5 to 10. Meaning you want to look at YouTube as a business. And from here your approach changes a bit. Here you have to pay attention to three things. First of all, what type of people are you serving? Who are your viewers? Second thing, what problem are you solving for them ? And the third thing is how can you monetize this thing in the long term. How can you earn money from this ? Business mode doesn't mean you won't have fun. It has to be fun, otherwise no one would survive without it. But my main focus is what is the person watching this video getting from it ? The more you focus on other's results, the more your channel will grow naturally. So you should be clear with yourself whether you want to keep YouTube as a hobby or gradually shift towards business. Although both the answers are correct, it is important that the answer is clear. Because whatever system, whatever timetable, whatever strategy we make in future will depend on this decision. Otherwise, if you are watching the video till here, then it means that you are serious about starting YouTube and if you are really serious then subscribe to the channel so that you keep getting such YouTube related knowledge, subscribe in future also. Now let's talk about a practical thing - time management and consistency. This is the part where most of the urs give up. If you are working, going to college or school or running a business then you do n't get time. Waking up in the morning, going from one place to another, working, studying, household chores, a little rest and then we say how to do YouTube after this? It is impossible. But here the mindset will have to be changed. I never get extra time for YouTube. Extra time has to be taken out for YouTube. This does not mean that you will have to give 4-5 hours every day. When you're at level one and level two , you just have to take out some time. You can set aside one day a week just for videos, ideas, and planning. hour or two to write the script or bullet points. Then on the third And also if you do the editing yourself then you can spare two or three hours for editing. When you break down the process like this, it does n't feel like day, there is less load on our brain and you can follow the schedule easily. Another thing that helps a lot is deciding on minimum commitment. For example, tell yourself that no matter what happens, I will release at least one video a week. This doesn't mean there's some terrible masterpiece coming out every week. It just means that you should remain regular. The more consistent you are, the faster your setup becomes. The speed of thinking increases. And YouTube becomes a natural part of your life instead of an extra chore. And if you are working with a full time job or your studies are more then just one video per week is enough in the beginning. Keep it this round. If your schedule is a little flexible, you can try two videos per week. But whatever number you decide, time left then there will be no YouTube. You will have to make time for YouTube. Take a little time out every week. Ideation, scripting, shooting, editing, then follow the same schedule for six to eight weeks and adjust if needed. Now let's talk about the actual process. Meaning, from video idea to uploading the video, every step is clearly understood. Once you understand this, the process of making videos starts to seem simpler to you. So let me break it down into six simple steps. The first thing is the idea of ​​the video. Second thing title, thumbnail and hook. Third thing script. Fourth thing is shooting and fifth thing is editing and sixth thing is upload and basic analytics. First comes the idea. This is just a simple thought. Who am I helping in this video? Like how to take cinematic shots with a phone? Those who ? These are all the things. You just need a clear and simple topic. The second step which is most important is the title, thumbnail and hook. Most beginners and then at the end they think what should be the title of the video? What should I make a thumbnail from? This method will not work in 2026. First think about what the viewer will see on the screen? Will I get the promise? Will the title be visible? Will the thumbnail show up and get the hook? Then make a video after that. The rule for the rest of the title is simple. It should be clear, clickable and the topic should be understood immediately. Thumbnails should have strong visuals and some catchy text. The rest of the hook is to tell you directly in the first 5 to 10 seconds what you are going to get in this video. You don't need to write a word-for-word script. Decide on just a few points and write two or three bullet points under each point. Write down some examples. A little story or a little explanation is enough so that when you shoot, you can speak naturally and do not get stuck. The fourth step is to shoot. Here you can record the entire video at once or shoot it in parts. The most important thing is to keep the setup simple. Don't get so caught up in phone, basic lighting, clarity, audio and retakes that the video never gets completed. Fifth thing is editing. Basic cuts at level one. Adding some text and removing unnecessary pauses is enough. Rest on level two you can add jump cut, zoom in, zoom out, V roll, on screen text etc. But remember one thing, the purpose of editing is only one. To keep the video from becoming boring and not to forcefully fill every shot. And the last step comes upload plus analytics our. While uploading, fill the title, description, tags, thumbnail, playlist all carefully at one go. Then after the video goes live, there are just two things to people are clicking after watching and what is the average duration, for how long are the people who are clicking watching and if you too have stayed in this video till now then it means you are serious about YouTube, so comment below, seriously let's see how many people are serious about YouTube. Now let's talk about scripting because a lot of people get stuck here. Either they don't write a script at all and get stuck in front of the camera or they write a word-to- word script which easily takes them 6 to 8 hours and then the video never gets recorded on time. My suggestion here is simple. Leave the full script in the beginning. Just write some bullet points manually. Meaning you don't need to write every line. All you have to do is make a small outline before the video in which it should be Suppose your point is How to Start a YouTube Channel in 2026. So what will the structure be like? First will come the hook. In the first 10 to 15 seconds, i.e. in the beginning, give a direct promise as to what exactly you will learn in this video ? Then a small intro. In two lines, you have to tell who you are and After that come the points of the video. Write down some points and points of the video. Write down some points and you will not be stuck at all during the shoot time. Understand that after this I have to pushing for the next video. Give a short next video or next playlist. makes your scripting process very simple. You can speak more naturally and don't have to spend hours writing for each video. So now you have guide on how to start a YouTube channel. Now the next step is just to take Now the next step is just to take action instead of watching another video. Do one thing immediately after this video. write down ideas for your next three videos. Write a simple line below each idea. Who am I helping in this video? Then choose one idea from those three. Write its title, think of a thumbnail idea and think for the first 10 seconds. And take out time and shoot that video this week. Just remember, the people who win on YouTube are n't the ones who think the most. The winners are those who start the earliest. Then gradually you become better and also become smart with time. Otherwise, if you are going to shoot your first video then definitely watch this video. In this I told how to make a killer YouTube video. Click and make your first killer video.