---
title: 'How to Stand Out on YouTube (So You Stand a Chance)'
source: 'https://youtube.com/watch?v=jOJ4lpRV0U4'
video_id: 'jOJ4lpRV0U4'
date: 2026-07-29
duration_sec: 394
---

# How to Stand Out on YouTube (So You Stand a Chance)

> Source: [How to Stand Out on YouTube (So You Stand a Chance)](https://youtube.com/watch?v=jOJ4lpRV0U4)

## Summary

This video offers practical, low-cost tips for YouTube creators to stand out, covering creative opening shots, simple lighting setups, effective B-roll, sound effects, and unique calls to action.

### Key Points

- **Creative Opening Shots** [00:13] — Mix up camera positions (below, above, moving) to add authority, personality, or energy, making your intro memorable.
- **Simple Colored Lighting** [01:56] — Use two cheap colored lights behind you, dimmed and angled, to create a moody background without clutter.
- **B-roll Storytelling** [02:49] — Film wide and close shots of actions to visually support your narrative, editing them together with keyframes for movement.
- **Sound Effects Enhance B-roll** [04:08] — Add relevant sound effects (e.g., car door, key) to make B-roll 20-30% more effective and engaging.
- **Creative Calls to Action** [05:30] — Ask for likes in a unique, humorous way (e.g., Graham Stephan's energetic asks) to drive engagement.
- **Props for Engagement** [06:07] — Using a simple prop like a t-shirt as part of B-roll can increase likes by ~100% by communicating the ask differently.

### Conclusion

Standing out on YouTube requires creativity in presentation, from opening shots to engagement tactics, all achievable with minimal gear.

## Transcript

because this sticks out and now you're wondering well why is this guy on the floor so i have your attention so why am i on exact same shot matt davella started one of his videos
first thing you need to test to help you stand out in your niche and that is to be way more creative with your opening shot one really easy way to stick out fast is to simply mix up where you put your camera when you film
your intro because you'll probably find most people just start their videos like but you want to be more than okay right using the position of your camera to help make that shot not just more interesting but work with your content
is something that anyone can do for free so you could put your camera below you because this angle will give you more authority or you could come in a bit drop your tone just to make things feel that a little bit more personal or you
get on the move and give your videos some more energy well you could go this one on the carpet matt develop mixes it up all the time of his intros look quirky personal
got to get real with yourself if you worry you're falling behind the you're doing the same as all the other creators well that might be the problem other creators you have to start testing something new to help viewers realize
that you are gonna be different it's a really simple way to start but that opening shot sets the viewer up for your whole video so spending the time to make sure it's not just another boring hi guys we'll make you stick out more
okay but it's not gonna help you stick out instantly even though you've got books on the table but at the same time setups like this are unobtainable for most and require a lot of skill to make
you can however do this or this not this or maybe even this in a tiny using one light and a couple of cheap rid of all that clutter behind and keep it really simple that's right
coloured lights plug them in and place them behind you pointing up at the wall getting in then when you've set yourself up bring your light towards you and have it angled just about 45 degrees off to one side bring it up high above your
so it points down and make sure it's not too bright if it's really bright you'll lose all that color in the background too when you keep it close and dim you still are lit nicely the background's dark enough to really pop
with the remote there's a link in the description for these lights video really moody just turn them off and then bring this light that's here to the side of your face oh look at that serious but at the same
it's striking which my initial setup wasn't now let's be honest something like this isn't going to win any awards but removing the attempts to just keeping it simple with two cheap colored lights behind you and
you've already got b-roll this is footage that goes over what's being said in the video but also helps to tell a visual story now if you church you'll know she's only on screen for a third of the video the rest of it
b-roll this is where your videos will go from average might be a little bit intimidating for you so film a wide close wide so you set up your
shot on a wide and then record yourself acting out the scene and then take your camera and get closer but use this angle to focus on a item or facial expression to help tell the story so that could be
super serious or it could be a close-up of the camera information in the series then when you edit lay down the wide the story the best play it for one to two seconds then put the clothes in and
it's a very short story of how i set up a camera which totally goes with what i'm saying and helps prove my point so if i just said all of that and didn't show it to you that makes
pretty forgettable content then in the edit add some movement via keyframes and a really simple b-roll story now you should know by now how important sound is but i'm not talking to you about the mic you're using i'm talking to you
competition and it sounds awesome and it sounds awesome [Music]
and this time let's see if you can notice a difference [Music] did you see the difference the sound effects you add to a video take it to another level a level that will set you
apart from the others in your niche and make your b-roll work 20 times better maybe even 30. i added a car door a key sound and a lambo firing up you like soundstripe and there's a link below for that but there are many free
and often your editing software comes with a bundle as well and it's not just transition in the edit you can use a whoosh sound to make it feel like there's a movement it's almost like you can feel it when you can hear
sometimes it's not what we say but the way we say it and the way we set up a shot that subtly communicates to our viewers mastering that can make you amongst a crowd let's use graham stephen as an example graham talks to camera a
became his thing and made him stand out was the creative way he got people to like his videos like this the more like buttons get the more iced coffee i can afford to drink which gives me energy to make even
wait a second who am i kidding just smash it and destroy it and obliterate until it's no more but you hit like when it happens and you also kind of appreciate the effort that he goes to to make asking for like more
yeah can you please like my video to stand out you need to be the one that tries to communicate with your viewers in a way that's slightly different to everyone else and what that means is thinking about things like how you can
ask someone to like your video in a way that might make them go smart actually give you a like because the different way you went about it actually drove their action of course this doesn't just apply to the like button
here's something i tried recently that increased likes about 100 just this simple t-shirt i used it as part of my b-roll to help tell a story and my likes on that video went bonkers to me the reason people hit like is
went through to try and communicate this in a different way and i think that's so want to buy a likes a free t-shirt there's a link in the description so go and make your thumbnails stand out more watching this video next