What does it take to be a woodworking YouTuber?

I have to come clean from the get go. I wrote this title thinking that it would make a very interesting Blog entry.

The Realisation.

But now, as I write the first two sentences I know with almost 100% certainly, that I am not going to answer the question before this blog is over. Or at least, I will not answer ‘your’ question. Let me try and explain.

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Not only do I genuinely not know what it does actually take to be a woodworking YouTuber. But I also don’t know what ‘your’ questions is. Confusing right? Let me try and explain what I mean.

If you take the question literally, it is incredibly easy to answer. To be a woodworking YouTuber all you actually need is a YouTube channel (free to set up and very easy), and some woodworking videos to upload (again, easily done on a camera phone). Do this and you have achieved the status.

The Missing Word

But,that’s not the real question. The real question is missing one word, or more. It’s one of those implied details that is never really included.

When I read the question, I am really reading ‘What makes a ‘successful’ woodworking Youtuber?’

So in my case the missing word is ‘Successful’. Other people may have their own word missing such as ‘happy’, or ‘content’, or ‘popular’, ‘respected’, and so on. Hence, ‘your’ question.

You can tell already that I have not planned this blog out at all before starting to type. ‘Oh well, let’s see where it goes.’ But remember this statement, I have a feeling it will be important.

I was a woodworker before I was a YouTuber. I could not imagine doing my channel with the skills reversed. Say, an established YouTuber who one day decides to start posting about woodworking but has yet to pick up a tool. But, and this will sound a little strange, I firmly believe that way would have been easier than mine. Why?

There are millions of people who watch woodworking videos daily and from that number the skill range is infinitely diverse. From total beginner to professional. So if you are already completely set up as a YouTuber, meaning you know how to film, script, light, edit, create thumbnails, plan a video, write compelling titles. Then market the video across all platforms, create your community, navigate the algorithm hurdles and so on, then the fact that you are wielding complete novice woodworking skills while you learn them is almost irrelevant. Because you will find an audience. And your video will hit home and be of a high enough quality with a professional delivery to offer the wow factor. Thus buying you enough time to learn the woodworking skills as you produce content.

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But, despite this, my channel is growing and although I would not categorise myself as successful, far from it in fact. However, I am content, happy, averagely popular within a smallish circle of viewers. So to some people with different buzz words to my own, it would seem that I do know what it takes to be a YouTubing Woodworker, and technically I have achieved it. And if that is the case then maybe I can offer up an answer of sorts. There you go, I got there in the end. So here goes.

The Answer

Planning. Just planning. That’s it really. If you get the planning of your videos right then I believe that you give yourself the best chance of success on Youtube. Now ask me my biggest weakness as a woodworker and a Youtuber. (Person in general). Answer - Planning. Less than ideal.

Turn this on its head. A fairly proficient woodworker with no prior knowledge of any of the Youtube side of things tries to start a channel. They then have the full list of hurdles described as the YouTubers existing skills to learn. And to me this is the crux of the issue.

So when I read the question in the title and I add my buzz word in there, I start to get a cold sweat. I can make things out of wood. Im not highly skilled but I can get by. I can show people how to make what I make and break that down into bite sized chunks. But, and this is a huge but, I started this journey with none of the other skills. And if I am truly honest, which I try to be in every facet of this channel, I still have no clue how to use my camera. Let alone upgrade to a decent editing software so I can produce better quality videos. I don’t understand the lighting I have and how if affects the camera and don’t even get me started on multi platform marketing. How are there enough hours in the day for people to master TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and Youtube simultaneously? Is it magic?

I genuinely believe that if you plan your video, the flow, the script, the feel of the whole thing will be at least ten times better than doing what I have done in so many of the videos that I have produced. And it isn't that I don't take my own advice it is just that I am fighting against the exuberant part of me that wants to get started and is excited to post a video and showcase my latest idea or creation. Case in point, I managed to film an entire video yesterday with both my studio lights and my spot lights on, check out how much glare comes off my big bald head. But I am trying.

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If you are a woodworker and are planning on having a go at content creation. I would urge you to write down a plan, or more than one. Not just a plan for individual videos but a plan for how you would like to see your channel grow. What audience you want to aim at. How you aim to reach them. What you have to say. How you will say it, while staying interesting and engaging. What will make you stand out. What are your channel’s values? The list goes on. But if you make a plan like you would for any woodworking project, you will give yourself every chance of success. And how skilled you are as a woodworker is so far down the list that I would say that you don’t need to worry about it.

And finally, always fight the urge to just open up your workshop and turn the camera on. From an editing perspective this will create a huge amount of footage to wade through and I guarantee you will not have the one shot that you really need anyway. Treat the video like a woodworking build. Imagine it, draw it, plan the stages, trouble shoot in advance, picture the finished item and this is important, decide if it is worth making at all. Your video may not be worth the effort. Brutal right?

I am not saying that there are any videos on Youtube that are not worth it. But if you are uploading content with the aim of making money (which not everyone is), then decide if the maximum possible audience is big enough to make all the effort worth it. If you are just diarising your journey then that is an entirely different channel to one that is a potential side hustle or career. Though, also one can be both.

If you have read this far, wow, and thank you. As you can tell, this blog was entirely unplanned and goes to serve the best example of the biggest take away from the blog itself. Just imagine how good this blog could have been if I have planned it.

(Thumbnails are Very Very Hard.)