The Toolkit to Building a Successful YouTube Channel

Having now racked up 1.82M subscribers on her YouTube channel, Natalie Tran has forged a name for herself within Australia’s comedic film industry. She explains how she started out on the platform and tips that may help you grow your own channel.

After launching communitychannel over 10 years ago, Natalie Tran has amassed a loyal subscriber base who continue to watch and engage with her videos all this time later.

“I started out after reading about YouTube in the newspaper one day while at university and hopped online to see what it was. Wow, that’s an age revealing sentence. Youtube was much smaller at the time, the community was very interactive and I loved how intimate it felt,” says Natalie.

It was this love for YouTube that compelled Natalie to start her own channel, where she found her niche in comedic skits that make light of the everyday issues of people in modern Western society.

The success of this channel has brought along with it some amazing opportunities in film and life that Natalie says would never have been possible without it.

“I got the opportunity to act in the TV show Mr Inbetween which was directed by Nash Edgerton, a director I had reached out to years ago after loving his short films. The show was also written by Scott Ryan who had written The Magician, one of my favourite Australian movies. When I heard the two were working together on something, it felt like secret fanfiction I had written was coming true. For someone who wrote scripts for fun and used to make terrible films as a kid any time she got a hold of a camera, all of this sort of stuff is incredible.”

Read on to find out Natalie’s top tips in building a successful YouTube channel after spending over a decade creating content on the platform.

CONSISTENCY IS KEY

Perhaps one of the greatest aspects of building a successful YouTube channel is to consistently create and upload content to be rewarded with views, subscribers and channel growth.

“I’ve been told this often by YouTube and though I don’t always practice it, I believe very much that this is key to building a subscriber base so I’ll pass it on,” says Natalie.

“Consistency is a wonderful thing for a viewer. Especially now when people have so much to pick from, it would be advantageous to be a reliable source when they go to check your channel.”

To put it simply, Natalie believes people like routine and if you become a part of someone’s routine, then that’s helpful in forming a longstanding relationship.

“There were a few years where I had a consistent upload routine, right down to the time I’d upload and it definitely helped. I’d say being less consistent has been a disadvantage.”

So, how can you keep on track? Stick to a set day each week or month that you’ll be posting to hold yourself accountable.

You may also like to film your content in batches when you’re feeling motivated so you can schedule them in advance.

KEEP IT SIMPLE

When making your YouTube debut, you will understandably want to produce the best quality content you can, but it’s not always feasible to kick off with cinematic films that use a tonne of resources.

Natalie says initially, it’s important to be realistic. “I’d recommend first starting with videos that are easy for you to make. That means videos you can finish with the least amount of external help.”

Natalie believes this helps with maintaining that consistency. “Making the process as easy as possible is one less mental barrier. Corralling people and crews together, or raising funds just to be able to make something takes a lot of effort before you even film, so keep that in mind.

“Obviously I’m not saying don’t make videos with other people, but make sure you minimise the amount of excuses you can have to not make something. Remember it’s a long stretch-years if you’re lucky, and it involves prep, production, post, and probably community management. Be kind to yourself and your process.”

GENUITY GOES A LONG WAY

It may go without saying, but one of the best things you can do for both yourself and your channel’s longevity, is to create content that you enjoy.

Whilst Natalie knows of people that make specific content with the aim of growing a subscriber base, she believes you can probably worry about that less. With so many people online, you can find your niche.

“Creating content you are passionate about means it won’t get tiring as quickly. And it will get tiring. Anybody who has made content for a long time can tell you it becomes a job.

“Make things you can see yourself making hundreds or thousands of times and still care about... something you’d be happy making even if you got 1 view and a thumbs down.”

Creating genuine content that you are enthusiastic about will also help you form a close knit community of subscribers who can really help advance your growth.

It is this community aspect that drew Natalie to YouTube in the first place and she still makes a conscientious effort to interact with viewers who comment on her videos.

“Having a sense of community is lovely. When I’m a listener of a podcast, watcher of a channel, subscriber of a newsletter, it’s great to feel like I’m part of a club,” she says.

PREP BEFORE YOU BRING OUT THE CAMERA

So you’ve got an idea, now what? Take the time to develop your idea further and really plan out the direction of your content, to minimise efforts spent in filming and editing later.

Natalie finds inspiration within her everyday life. “I usually start with one tiny idea I notice in my day-to-day life and then I’ll draw a map of where that idea can go.

“From there a script starts and that will usually take a day or two to write,” she says. “I’m terrible with ad lib or improvising things so I write full scripts for all my videos before I pick up the camera.”

Once you’re ready to film, Natalie recommends printing a copy of the script as is and another copy where your scenes are arranged in accordance to filming locations to save time (shot list).

“I also print out a checklist to make sure I’ve filmed all scenes. It's awful when you pack down and then realise you've missed something after a long day. Sadly it happens every now and then because it’s just me and one other person. Not being prepared can be a really big contributor to burn out.”

NATALIE’S EQUIPMENT TOOLKIT

Whilst technology has advanced since Natalie started, she explains you don’t always need the latest and greatest gear and instead opts for a simplified version that works best for a self-filmer.

“Thanks to my current freelance work, we use cameras like the Sony FX6 Full Cinema Camera. However, after recently trying to film a video by myself again I realised this wasn’t the ideal workflow for my channel.”

“The fewer barriers the better, so I’m going to find a small, light camera that’s easier to move around and tether it to a tablet that can be used like a monitor. And I’ll grab a smaller tripod!”

Natalie stresses how important it is to have reliable storage on hand to help the editing process and maintain a neat system when old files need to be revisited.

“Gah, it’s expensive but if I could go back in time… storage really helps the editing process by not having a computer clogged up with clips.”

“I store footage on a RAID system and work off that or externals. I used to be terrible with file organising.. but after working with other editors I’ve quickly learned how important this is.”

You can visit Natalie’s YouTube channel here: https://www.youtube.com/user/communitychannel

Natalie Tran

YouTuber

Natalie is a video creator who has over 1.8 million subscribers in YouTube. She usually does monologue and sketches, focusing on humorous style to present her daily life and discuss social issues.

SHARE THIS POST

RELATED ARTICLES

Back to top

Are you sure you want to log out?

COMPETITION WINNER:

Franky Tsang

20230201-JessicaMichael-PW-0196-768x960

COMPETITION WINNER:

Prithvi Bhattacharya

DJI_0794-5-scaled

COMPETITION WINNER:

DIANA ABELEDA

diana_winningimage

COMPETITION WINNER:

NICK THAKE

nick thake

GRAND PRIZE WINNER:

NGOC TAI NGO

ngoc.tai.ngo (1)

COMPETITION WINNER:

LEE RAPER

Lee Raper - Man On Rock

FIRST 300 SIGN-UPS:

First NameLast Name
WilliamLy
BrittanyLong
MaxThum
StephanieBinder
GeoffreyVillarosa
JoeHupp
MatthewHarris
JamesDent
AngieOCallaghan
JaneTan
AnnLee
BradleyPurcell-Fitt
AdiRex
ElyasDaud
MarcusVisic
AnitaMclennan
JohnathanDevereux
TessKanschat
gerrylu
DavidAcheson
OjuShah
MaireKivec
MaheshGanganarasaiah
WesleyPearson
GregMounsey
MarnieSilke
ArienneMaclean
GlenJenkins
NicoleHeyes
SamanthaShih
AGConway
ElmarAkhmetov
SharvinRagoobeer
GeraldinePadua
GeePadua
JosephUng
BrodyMarsh
MichelleGade
BenLocke
NeilHelmore
ClintColombin
DavidMurphy
AndrewPike
JaySmith
ClarenSo
MarkRamet
YiFanZhong
ChrisKopinto
LeighAnderson
AnilShahi
MichaelMcNeill
MichaelTan
TravisWhitehead
HeatherBarpalias
MichelleCheung
AlainAlford
LeoSantos
EleishaTurner
RegJanetzki
PatriciaMazur
MarisaPoulos
SarahCornford
KenWilles
BishalBista
ShawnCrowther
AnthonyMessina
RebeccaHansen
JamialArnol
RyanMathieson
AlannaMatthews
ArunaaRamakrishnan
AldrinRedolme
ShaunRichens
AmandaPhillips
DonnaTrickey
JoeyScollo
EliStrange
TristanWinter
KarlDu Preez
RyleyCrabbe
CassieDenney
LeanneKendall
BelindaThompson
StephenRetzlaff
ShawnaJames
JasmineMaguire
BrendanD’Silva
IanGeorge
NorzaChan
AnnWong
AaronCounsell
  
JiteshJayaraman
GregnApril
BarbaraMarshall
DeeDee
DIANAOZELIS
ErnieDonato
Paul-Leccaculo
Stronzo-Colosimo
PenelopeIssa
AmyClissold
KohenForrest
LeanneDodd
TanakornThongfuang
claudiaprice
HarleyWeston
MagdaleneSoh
JacquelineDodd
EddieUnal
JonDonovan
RobertMarriott
MatthewTang
CathieTranent
JulesParker
LeanneJay
JingZhang
OllieNguyen
JamesLam
DavidLee
JaswinderSingh
MichaelCasha
PatrickZahn
KayvanMirabel
PenelopeRieschiek
Jennypatrizio
PaulCavanagh
TracyMILLARD
JamesDong
TerenceKwong
SuleymanMaamari
ZahliBiggs
GregParker
SusanThorp
MykkyLuong
PaulPowell
MarkD
DerekTse
BrianSharp
RemyJi
SteveHarpley
ScottRose
JoshuaAllsop
GregRobinson
LuLu
anantsrivastava
JessicaChhai
jinjianwu
LuanaMoreno
HeathLow
LOUISE-ANNEPILSBURY
DillonQuintieri
Ying HaoAu
AdenMcKinley
MatthewIp
JoshuaAkers
BaljinderDhillon
EddyYang
ChristopherWalker
JustinCheung
StephenWebb
JimmyT
MichaelShaw
TrevorSpringate
AndrewGeorge
NaingLinn
johnni
LouBarwick
MohammedHammoud
RogerSun
rishinaik
JCCheak
GlennSanders
StazaSherlock
DeeReddy
FreddiTan
LloydHird
MatthewHill
TyJusten
GuyJackson
FelixChong
JenRobinson
StephenHoward
ScottLewicki
MickGillies
BenMcPhee
DavidHermit
davidcraker
DavidPham
AndrewCarlson
LoiHuynh
AshleySelf
KrishnaTripathee
IvanLazarus
BrendanLambourne
TaniaMarshall
JacquilineLaw
NathenSieben
JordynMontague
KirstyCollister
HannahJeffs
LisaGough
WilliamDillon
BenElliott
IvannaHo
JessPearson
AlanJennison
KelleyForrester
GaaneshPrasad
LawrenceDMello
AndreaCherie
SamanthaBainrot
MichaelKeenan
RijoshShrestha
jademerrilees
ElitaSo
IanHeywood
NeilMenezes
JayneCorrie
HowardChien
JaiMag
BrucePatching
MichelleAnstey
BenjaminShih
IainFoster
DanielLinnet
HashiliMuhammed Kunju Abdul
BrianHancock
JustinCannon
EiriniAlligiannis
JonathanFurlong
AidanLindsay
Su YiLow
MitchellPescud
EyreMamintada
RobertCooper
BoryKrouch
ShaneGrocke
DesmondWong
JanetWilliams
AlexDarius
ZiyiHuang
KylieMiller
BrianClark
MarkAlsop
KeithOgden
TerryLuo
BeauWalker
DuncanCadman
MateuszKrysztofiak
EugeneMeany
LynnGill
KevinThornhill
PaulineWong
NelsonRodriguez
JaysonRalston
SimoneKurtz
JaradGreenshields
ParadisePictures
StuartCoutts
JessicaBain
NickBasiliou
JasminVassallo
JagroopSingh
DarrenWoodward
Hsiang-MinLIU
CarolineLowe
LeanneVogt
Dasun NirmalaMalaarachchi
JosephCasserly
VanceErdmann
ROBLOXRoblox
RileyReynolds
SandhuSingh
KaydenCollins
ChannaHatharasinghe
HudsonMcGrath
vireshNatha
MaxJames
TranKim
TomTegel
AndrewRenton
FranMussared
WilliamTrang
NoeLegasto
MarkRamsden
BCOrchard
MaritzaLegasto
RamiRabba
KimNguyen
LucasDaly
SunnWynn
CianO’Reilly
ilyasesa
ZacharyHill
GavinLee
JewelHolly
ShaunHarvey
ScottStramyk

 

GRAND PRIZE WINNER:

DAVID BRAYBROOKE

david

FIRST 200 SIGN-UPS:

First NameLast Name
MelanieMacleod
RodneyOlsen
ChristianCube
AnneLee
JohnLee
milantutic
VickiLaurie
PeteMorgan
MichelleHarty
DooksHan
FelipeMerola
LauraClarke
Ai Ping 
LeylaChoueiri
KarenMashford
JanelleVassallo
JamesWatts
DeborahOstler
SandraWall
MichelleFay
TaniaZheng
ShellHoughton
RichardMorton
TJWebb
JakePaint
ClaudioFagnano
JudithFoyster
SueWilson
DominiqueFouet
SophieElliott
MouryaDave
RebbeccaWatkins
NeilPhillips
JonNeaves
JMatheson
WallyJaskolski
MickGillies
TerryMaki
KarenHodson
LawrenceGapuz
Ann MareeSculley
AUDRAGADE
PeterBiggs
Marniesilke
AdamCarver
findlaystevenson
JieZheng
CalvinWard
JunDai
JulieMorgan
BlairHeading
Jasonknight
NicholasDorbie
IanConnon
RayRuhland
SunilShrestha
JohnMay
NgaNguyen
KashyapMarfatia
MichaelChaumont
JanetteChaumont
AllanShostak
SoniaLaws
BenWatson
MikeGiltrow
SaminaHasan
LynnRoberts
CarolynFoy
AlanBastick
GlenysLilley
JohnChubb
ParryCoker
MeganBrain
NatashaNguyen
roserose
NeilRough
TaminaPratt
RemyMoreland
JamesStrachan
JohnBourd
MargaretChafer
GraemeLane
DanielFernandes
WendyFernandes
NatashaMcDonald
MickMcMaster
ShaunLo-Ma
JohnHe
Daivik 
ApoorvKashyap
BrentLoy
SixianHuang
KennyDuong
EdwardWolfe
manojKumar
AndyChen
Kheriwala 
NuaymBudiman
GlebeZhivoglyadov
DayuLiu
RithikK
AnthonyDe Vincentis
PunitSingh
GarethPerry
RidhamShah
PeterHaynes
XIAOSULIAO
GaryLo
AndrewVo
DomLu
AlanBu
SujayShah
KelaSen
TerryLuo
WingChung
ArthurAung
KyleTan
TedLi
JimmyLim
VickyWu
JonathanTruong
JayChan
TianO
WeijianWang
Yuan weiFan
MahipJoshi
AndyChen
JosephWang
LeslieWong
JessicaMueller
JosephWang
HigorSilva
WayneLy
SamL
ChristopherSurendra
DanielLutz
YuLee
TommyGunawan
FreeSample
JoeFire
Kenny 
DerekYang
Justin 
KwongKiu
Sau ChunHo
JonathanTaleski
NeilJain
ZhengZhi
WinsSt
JulesF
Hok SumYu
SatishAitha
bruce 
DalbirSingh
JonathanBaptiste
Shanshan 
VinnieGulati
AdrianLee
LukeToohey
Phillip 
Jacky 
Mas199google
MichaelWong
NickoC
Hok YuKou
AsadM
StuartCOATES
ggsdgs 
JiaC
Lee 
MarkLockwood
HimanshuGoyal
HuiTeh
FrankDing
PaulScroce
HMing 
lucasJanson
LeoHadi
RohanSingh Kalkat
TegbirSingh
Dan 
ZoranMircevic
T.Y.Chua
LiangLiang
RakeshBalakrishnan
EllenorDay
RobertWong
AndrewTeoh
TullyB
ShanePerrott
KapilYewale
DavidClapper
AamirSheikh
DennisLam
DjunaediHadiwidjaja
JordanMessenger
Dao 
VisitOz
AndrewNg
SimonWong

 

GRAND PRIZE WINNER:

TONY CHIK

FIRST 400 SIGN-UPS:

First NameLast Name
OwenDyson
CarlosCarrión
PerajeevPuleanthiran
AnthonyLee
VlastislavŠevčík
EmmaYuile
Yau-KwangHan
TodSheaves
JohnTraynor
MarkHarrison
DuncanDodd
FionaBirt
NarelleCrozier
FionaBirt
CharlesStinchcomb
ILLONATOBIN
StanleyAryanto
InaJ Photography
LynOsborne
ZoeMcGrath
JoLyons
MiaSpan
CristalCachia
KendalO’Reilly
ErinKing
KellyBarker
VickyWaistell
MickiWells
ErinSchwartzkopf
DaniMusicka
BarbaraBrady-Smith
PeterSharp
CarolineTelfer
JanineDavies
GarryGenova
LynnRoberts
DillonQuintieri
DaveFarringdon
ManalAmzal
TravisHope
UlrichMoshammer
RichardMillar
ManjilRanjit
BrettKelly
UgyenWangchuk
TylerXia
Frankpatterson
ChrisDillon
SabiShah
DipeenDahal
JonathanCousins
KevinWong
WesleyUng
AlexFarani
StefanusTambun
BrentonTripley
  
DanielCai
HarrisonSchaler
AaronMcKay
MikeGlazier
BirenThakali
KimKuhlman
GaryRoberts
KimMcAvoy
ValRoche
VincentLo
DavidMcKay
AhmadKhan
GerryDwyer
ShaneRichardson
SkyeForster
LeeSchatkowski
MattHassan
DanielGuymer
NealaGillespie
CraigGreer
SherryPfeiffer
TonyMcDonough
KaneYeomans
GustavoAcero
AlexChao
JasonWilliams
JayHall
EmmaLitchfield
DarrylDean
JoshNortheast
ScottBroad
ShonaRobinson
MalcolmEllis
MarkGarvey
AndrewLindner
SachaWalker
AliceMitchell
ChristinaLungo
DavidBraybrooke
DavidTurnbull
MatejPribelsky
WonjoonKim
GregBates
AdamGardner
DavidCarley
AlexChan
SeanDarcy
KevinWong
MichaelPotter
LaurenDean
ShaneBroadbent
JatinAnand
SumeetKumar
TamaraDaniels
Michael 
ShannanThyer
AngusPeady
ChristopherTung
AnneDavies
GeorgiaStone
JoshuaPalmer
JordanMitchell
AnthonyChung
TuLe
GaugeKrahe
BradMarlow
JosiahYounes
SherieKennedy
DavidHuynh
CyrilAu
MichaelLewandowski
jamessellwood
LucasMunday
DeanMackie
RemyHarmon
DemiKhong
Jhin JiacWong
AshleyHinds
BenjaminYates
ASAMIWEAVER
Se HongJeon
VijaySoundrapandian
ThomasHouse
BradleySwanson
AlexBoyd
JessicaHouse
RichardHuynh
JadeO’Shea
DesleyGeeves
IanHaigh
DanielO’Brien
BeauWyngarde
ArmandoGiaccotto
MarcoPham
JevonGuymer
KyleDavies
WilliamMurdock
SimonPotts
AngelaCox
PatrickMcMahon
PeteCochran
ScottGrant
AnthonyBennett
CoreyLee
MickHalls
AndrewLocke
MichaelPeng
SohanSilva
wingchan
BenBosanac
BaileyRowland
RodneyLindner
JulieCrisp
LanceMillan
RachelFerlazzo
danielapapalia
MargaretPritchard
AbdunMahmood
NaziaAhmed
JohnChubb
MikeXu
StevenCook
warrengirdlestone
MinaG
AndrewSparrow
JamesSharpe
tashawalker
TabathaMcCarthy
AndrewCai
TRAVISCaruana
XiaoLin
ShobhanaBommireddipalli
KenChiou
BradleyMichelbach
OliverDela Cruz
MartySparhawk
ChrisDaumann
PaulMiles
AdrianKonkol
RobertBarbarossa
ChrisLay
JoshDi Vincenzo
AaronWoodland
AlisterCurtain
KeithBuss
LaurenRuneckles
SonjaHolness
AlisonLee
jamesgartner
EmilyBallard
JoelManners
MathewGilgen
MichaelDulihanty
HandiSutanto
YongYe
ForestLin
Virgil Duane
Van Schoonhoven
MarkBacci
ChrisGotse
JamesTanzil
LesBartley
StevenTonkin
SimonDigregorio
LiamHumphreys
NicholasRuiz
BodenMatthews
KaushikaMihiran
RicoHohne
JeffHar
JasonWilson
lynsamuel
NigelWesley
PaulAgussol
WayneAhgow
StewartYates
MalcolmJoosse
RichardHarrison
IanChennell
CallumSimpson
BenjaminByrd
MarkMason
DarrenEarley
AndrewBailey
IanJaggard
AndrewBrown
KateClark
DannyChau
WarrenFischer
KieranFlynn
ScottCruse
PeterFertykowski
DanielBlack
YuenChan
JohnMelling
FordKilleen
RobertGorial
AdamRucinski
TonyCook
MarkMales
NathanCarra
JohnKruger
RayChan
BinLiu
RobertLoomans
StevenSokiasoglou
DylanPrava
MichaelLamrock
GregO’Brien
deanfooote
PerezArvidson
AdrianMifsudq
DominicThomas
SteveBonnici
PatrickBasister
GerardGrundy
RobertHudson
ChinChen
GeorgeAngelogiannos
JeffSandford
TheoKatzeff
BrianBurston
GoughLui
FrederickMiley
LindaHynson
KeirRoyle
LukeTregloan
TonyBellis
JoseLin
ThomasGush
BrianO’Keefe
ZacharyTomlin
GlenisOKeefe
RickyTirta
NealDownward
GeoffLucas
GarryMarshall
StephenDruce
JohnCarter
GauravVasdeva
scotbarker
Suzanne RonaBermudez
AndrewMcGuire
JasonMcClellan
LloydCastillo
PhillipCoxsedge
OrkunOlcer
PaulineStewart
PaulMonks
MarkPiekarz
BradSpeechley
RileyPerger
johnni
JeffPortlock
JohnPlavins
DMarr
KhaledNasser
ManojShapally
nangao
GregGreet
SabeehHussain
LucasMcAuliffe
DirkMcCrossin
ChristopherTownsend
IsmaelNunez
AndrewGoodman-Jones
AndrewHargreaves
GarySearle
DanLawrence
DeanElliott
BryantKoh
DenzelMok
allanmilnes
KeithLewis
DennisVeneruzzo
BryceCoxhead
nathanaeljames
AndrewSaffer
RobinDouglas
DaviSoesilo
MatthewDellios
LukeMalby
AlexQuartararo
MatthewDames
Kyung YoonPark
DavidBlight
IsaacWinter
PaulKoczwara
BenWu
ScottyTidey
LachlanKennedy Clark
ColinJones
AnitaChan
BenTravia
DavidBagini
GrantWard
LachlanPeters
DavidLe
GrahameKelaher
youngbeck
AngeloPeca
MartinBawden
ScottJewell
BB
MatthewHunter
DanielKaplon
ShaneMolnar
TonyChik
EthanLe
MikeFuller
JordanLovelle
MichaelRutherford
PeterCho
DolchaiJaroensudjai
StephenBarnes
AnthonyLai
PradeepHewavitharana
PeterCheang
NelsonBacorro
BruceStreeter
JohnYu
MatthewHenson
symosymo
Ying YingTan
KrisRossow
ThomasWilliams
AllanRutter
JoelSmith
MichaelThomas
NigelTaylor
RichardCash
DavidCornell
robertbates
StephenSchulz
FredMustica
RamalaChrystal
EdwardDekkers
JimNgoh
AlanRutherford
MarkArdagh
ClarkMei
DallasPlatt
ScottAtkinson
JinuSeok