how to make your FIRST YouTube video in 2025

so you want to start a YouTube channel first of all congratulations that's a huge deal but now that you've made it here what's next making your first video can seem daunting there are a lot of unknowns a lot of moving pieces and you may not feel ready but here's the thing you don't have to be because your first YouTube video doesn't have to be perfect it just has to exist and every single YouTuber out there even the ones with millions of subscribers first started out where you are now so today I'm sharing the guide I

wish I would have had back before I started making YouTube videos I've broken everything you need into a simple five-step framework we'll go through it all piece by piece if that all sounds good to you grab a notebook a warm beverage and something to write with and we'll jump straight into it with step one planning you see every great YouTube video starts off with a plan without one it's easy to get overwhelmed spend hours working on the wrong thing or give up all together so to avoid that there are three key things to plan before

making your first video your Channel's Focus your first video idea and your deadline starting with your Channel's Focus before you can create your first YouTube video you need to decide what your channel will be about this is called your Niche and it's simply the main topic or type of content you'll focus on this doesn't have to be a lifelong commitment just pick something that you're genuinely excited about and could see yourself making videos on for a while and it's okay to experiment your Niche will naturally evolve over time as you figure out what resonates for

both you and your audience but think of your channel like a restaurant if you walk into a sushi place the menu also has tacos pizza and lasagna you're probably not going to stick around for pretty long because if it offers all that other stuff it's probably not a very good sushi place the same applies to YouTube when someone finds your video and subscribes they want to know what they're signing up for to keep it simple just pick a general direction and start there open YouTube search for creators in your Niche and see what's working for

them what kinds of videos are they making which ones are getting the most views this will help you confirm that there's already an audience for the type of content you want to create but and I cannot stress this enough do not overthink it most beginners get stuck right here they overthink picking the perfect Niche they can't make a decision they don't want to get boxed in forever and so they never start you can always change your Niche later even your favorite YouTubers probably didn't nail their Niche right away go sort their videos by oldest and

see for yourself once you have a channel Focus it's time to come up with your very first video idea start by picking a topic what is this video about if I say I want to make a video about a Morning Routine Morning Routine would be the topic try to pick something that makes sense within the context of your Niche after you have your topic you need to pick your format if the topic is the what of the video the format is the how and the combination of the two is what makes up a video idea

using the morning routine topic different formats could result in a talking head video like this sharing tips for creating a morning routine a vlog showing your own morning routine a video essay breaking down the best morning routine based on science and more your format shapes the type of video you'll make and while you're not loed into it forever it helps to have a clear sense of what you're getting into after you have your first video idea it's time for the most crucial element of the plan stage it's something that most people Skip it's the reason

why they never actually hit upload you have to set a deadline without a deadline it's far too easy to just keep pushing everything off you start thinking oh I'll film when I'm ready or uh I'll upload once I tweak the script one more time but the truth is you're never going to feel 100% ready and that's okay so pick a date Circle it on your calendar set a reminder in your phone just put it somewhere you'll see it every day and commit treat it like a non-negotiable appointment with yourself and don't get yourself weeks or

months in to script edit film and upload within the next seven days shorter deadlines will help you to focus on what matters most and cut out the overthinking remember the goal isn't to make a perfect video it's to make a video once it's out there in the world you'll have something real to learn from you'll already be miles ahead of where you started now that you've La the groundwork with a solid plan it's time to move on to the fun part actually making your video which brings us to step two in the framework of making

your video very first YouTube video scripting now before you panic and think but I'm not a writer don't worry scripting doesn't mean writing out every single word unless that's what makes you the most comfortable it's simply about creating a road map to follow so you stay clear and focused when it's time to hit record without a script it's easy to ramble lose your train of thought or leave out something important oh sh and trust me future you will thank you when it comes time to edit to keep things simple every video is comprised of three

Three core elements promise progress and payoff I call these the three PS and they'll help you structure your videos from start to finish here's how it works start by identifying the main points in your video what do you want to cover and in what order for an educational video These might be the steps you want to teach for an entertainment video These might be challenges scenes or events once you have your main points you can build them out using the three PS for each point ask yourself why should the audience care about this and what

content T do they need in order to understand this what's the main takeaway and how can I get the audience from point A to point B this is what the 3 PS might look like for an educational video and this is what the three PS might look like for a vlog this structure establishes a strong backbone to your video and with your video body set all that you need is an intro and an ending your intro should grab attention and set expectations it's where you hook your audience and set up the promise of your video

as a whole keep your intro short and Punchy and aim to get to the video body as quickly as you can I've made an entire video just about intros so if you get stuck you can check that out in the video description when it comes to the end of your video aim to wrap everything up on a high note reinforce the value they just received and leave them with a sense of completion or satisfaction once you have your outline you now have a road map that's going to keep you on track and make sure your

video flows smoothly from start to finish you can choose to stop there or you can continue to build it out and script the entire video word for word there's no right or wrong way to do it it just depends on what you're the most comfortable with either way there's one more thing that you should do before you start filming create a shot list this is a simple guide that outlines what you want to show on screen while you're speaking it could be you talking directly to the camera or a screen recording or a close-up shot

or any other types of visuals you don't need to have everything planned out but having a general list of what footage you need will save you time and headaches when filming with your script and shotless in hand you now have a clear plan for what to say and show in your video now it's time to take all that preparation and turn it into action which brings us to step three filming it's time to step in front of the camera and let me just say filming your first video can feel quite a bit intimidating especially if

you haven't spent much time on camera you might worry about how you look how you sound or whether or not you'll mess up but here's the thing No One Nails it on their first try even the best creators in the world have to start somewhere just check out the first video from popular Tech YouTuber MKBHD who now has nearly 20 million subscribers all right welcome to my first video um bought a new laptop filming is a skill just like anything else and the only way to get better is just by doing it so let's break

it down to make filming as simple as possible first let's bust a major myth right now you don't need expensive gear to start out on YouTube most smartphones today have excellent cameras and microphones which means that you probably already have everything that you need to get started here's what matters most first clean audio audio quality is more important than video quality if viewers can't hear you correctly they'll click away see how awful that was record in a quiet space and reduce Echoes by adding pillows blankets or rugs to your recording area if you have a

basic external microphone great but your phone's built-in microphone works too second good lighting great lighting can make any video look more professional the easiest option film in front of a window during the day if you're filming at night and need extra light use a lamp or affordable LED lights and third a stable camera your phone works perfectly fine but keep it steady use a tripod stack books or lean it against something sturdy frame yourself with a little space above your head and try to keep your camera at a round eye level your background doesn't need

to be anything fancy just shoot for something that's clean and uncluttered like a wall with some simple decorations or a tidy corner of your room nail these three Basics audio lighting and camera and you'll already be ahead of most beginners once you've set up your shot it's time to gather your script and shot list and hit record and talking to the camera for the first time can feel really scary so if you're feeling awkward just know that that's totally normal when I filmed my first few YouTube videos I felt so out of my element that

I nearly forgot how to act human so if that sounds familiar here are some tips that I found helpful in gaining camera confidence over time first run through what you want to say a few times before you hit record it'll help you feel more prepared and cut out on those ums and US second look directly into the camera lens as if you're speaking to a friend avoid looking at yourself on screen it's distracting and will make you feel more self-conscious and finally after you hit record but before you get into your script warm up by

talking about anything what you had for breakfast favorite movie whatever comes to mind it'll help you loosen up and feel less stiff and here's the real secret it's totally fine to mess up you can stop take a breath and try again editing is your safety net so don't worry about getting everything perfect in just one take my raw footage looks nothing like what you see now take a look once you have your outline once you have your outline once you have your outline you now have a road map that'll keep you on track and help

you stay focused from start to finish it's normal and everything can get cleaned up during editing so take the pressure off of yourself when filming after you filmed everything from your script and shot list take a few extra seconds to snap some photos for your thumbnail we'll dive into thumbnails later on in this video but capturing these shots while you're already set up and in the filming mindset will save you a lot of time try a few poses or facial expressions that match the vipe of your video trust me future you will than you with

your footage and thumbnail shots done you're officially done with filming give yourself a huge pound on the back the hardest part is over and congratulations you are easily ahead of most people if you've made it this far now it's time to take what you filmed and turn it into a finished product which brings us to step four editing editing is where the magic happens it's how you bring your video to life tell your story and keep your viewers engaged the concept of editing a video might feel overwhelming but don't worry you don't need to know

every tool or technique in order to get started the goal here is to focus on the basics and then build from there start by organizing your footage create a folder on your computer put all your Clips in one place and rename them if needed this small step will save you a lot of time later on next choose your editing software you don't need expensive software D Vinci resolve is a great free option that's powerful enough to grow with you as you improve I use D Vinci to edit all of my videos and and I absolutely

love it but regardless of which program you choose you'll typically have the same three main areas the media library where your footage and assets are stored the timeline where you pieced your video together and the preview window which shows you what your video looks like as you edit it if you're unfamiliar with your software search for quick tutorials on YouTube to get a basic understanding of the layout and tools now it's time to edit start by trimming your Clips this is called cutting remove the awkward pauses mistakes or tangents keeping only what you want your

audience to see work your way through the video in order starting from the beginning this first pass will leave you with a rough cut which is your video in its simplest form and while you can do this rough cut manually there is a much faster much easier way to do it which brings us to the sponsor of this video gling gling is a tool that I personally use with every video that I make including this one and it has dramatically sped up my editing process by making rough Cuts or Breeze here's how it works all

you have to do is upload your raw footage into gling you can select as many Clips as you want and decide if you want to get rid of just silences or silences and mistakes after that gling will go through your footage generate a transcript for you and automatically cut out anything you don't want just look at how much dead time and automatically cut from the raw footage of this video it's insane you can also easily adjust how much silence you want in between your Clips tighter Cuts will make the video feel more fast-paced while more

silence will make the video feel more relaxed for the pacing of my videos I like to set it to to cut out silences of half a second or more and if you want to adjust any of the cuts gling made you can do so directly in the text editor easily adding sentences back in or taking them out and the best part of gling is that once you're done you can export your rough cut directly into your editing software where you can make any further adjustments you may want gling has seriously saved me so much time

and I would highly recommend checking it out I'll leave a link in the video description below with a coupon code you can use to get an extra free video edited thank you so so much to gling for sponsoring this video after you have your rough cut done you can add in different elements to help enhance your video b-roll is extra visuals that complement what you're saying like screen recordings close-ups or action shots if you've planned ahead your shotless will make it easy to drag and drop these clips into your timeline you can use text to

transition between segments highlight key points and add Clarity keep it simple clean and easy to read and finally you can consider using music and sound effects to elevate your video and make it more engaging choose some light background music that matches the tone of your video websites like YouTube's audio library or epidemic sound or great places to find free or affordable copyright free tracks sound effects can be used to subtly complement your visuals like a pop or a whoosh but don't overdo it keep any music and sound effects at a low volume so it doesn't

overpower your voice the goal is to enhance the video not distract from it once you've made your edits go through your video and watch it from start to finish look for anything that feels awkward and adjust as needed if there's a weird cut you don't like try covering it up with full screen b-roll or visuals and while it can be easy to get carried away and edit forever remember your first video doesn't have to be perfect the goal is to learn and get better with each upload my first edit was nothing crazy it was essentially

just a rough cut with some text here and there some screens I made for chapter sections and some light music and sound effects but it was more than enough enough to get the job done and start my YouTube Journey once your video is edited you're only one step away from getting your video out 99% of the work is behind you but before you can hit that sweet sweet publish button there's one more thing that you need to do which brings us to the fifth and final step in making your first YouTube video title and thumbnail

you can think of your title and thumbnail as the storefront for your video if the storefront looks interesting people will walk in if it's boring or unclear they'll walk by let's start with titles your title has two jobs grab attention and Spark curiosity it's not just a label it's a promise it tells viewers what they can expect to get out of the video when writing your title keep these tips in mind first keep it short and clear aim for 70 characters or less shorter titles are easier to read at a glance especially on mobile and

second give your viewers a reason to care a title like my morning routine doesn't give people people much reason to click why would they care about a stranger's morning routine but my productive morning routine as a night owl generates more curiosity as other night owls might be curious about how to best navigate their own morning time once you have a title it's time to create a thumbnail your thumbnails job is to grab attention visually and complement your title it's the first thing viewers see so it needs to stand out and get the point across the

best thumbnails are simple bold and clear even when shrunken down to a small size and the good news you don't have to be a professional designer in order to make one free tools like canva can help you create thumbnails that pop here's a simple formula to help you get started first start with the main character your thumbnail should have a clear focal point whether that's you or the subject of your video Second Use the rule of thirds place your main subject in the center or along the left or right third of the thumbnail to naturally

draw the eye third make it pop use bright colors Boldt text or elements like arrows or circles to highlight the key Focus contrast between the subject and background helps make it stand out and finally simplify ask yourself can someone understand what this video is about in Just 2 seconds if not simplify it avoid clutter unnecessary details or too much text if you're stuck look at thumbnails from other creators in your Niche pay attention to what stands out what colors layouts and focal points and use that as inspiration and remember titles and thumbnails are a skill

that will improve over time if you go back to the oldest videos of your favorite YouTubers chances are their early thumbnails look nothing like what they create now your job isn't to make them perfect it's just to make them good enough to start you've put in the work now it's time to share your video with the world upload it onto YouTube press publish and throw yourself a party you've just taken the first step in what's going to be an incredible journey I know making your first YouTube video takes a lot of work and it may

feel hard so if you feel yourself starting to get over overwhelmed just go back to the basics plan script film edit and title and thumbnail if it's helpful you can even download this guide to reference when making your first video I'll put a link to download it for free as well as a link to try out gling in the video description below and here's the thing making your first video is a big deal it's exciting it's scary and it's completely normal to feel unsure you kind of want people to see it but you also kind

of don't you might catch yourself thinking what if nobody watches it or what if it's not good enough but let me tell you something every single Creator you admire first started out where you are now no one's first video is perfect mine certainly wasn't and I can promise you your favorite YouTubers wasn't either but they made it anyway they pressed record they hit upload and they learned along the way and that's how you get better not by waiting for the perfect moment moment but by doing the hardest part of this entire process isn't scripting or

filming or editing it's starting it's pushing past the fear of not being ready and taking that first step anyway so here's my challenge to you stop waiting for permission you don't need anyone to tell you that your idea is good enough or that you're ready you're ready right now so take the leap hit record make your first video even if it's scary even if it's messy because that's the moment where everything changes that's the moment where you stop dreaming about being a Creator and start being one take the first step and commit to a deadline

to publish your first video in the comments below I'd love to cheer you on thank you so much for watching like And subscribe if you can keep creating and I'll see you in the next video