When it comes to marketing, writers are bombarded with platforms to try: the most popular are Instagram and Facebook, though the latter is falling out of favour for younger audiences. Much of the use of a program comes down to your target audience. All this aside, videos are becoming particularly prevalent. Even Instagram is pushing the medium, calling themselves a video platform first and a photo app second. Instagram released first it’s stories and reels features, before creating it’s IGTV app—the jury is out on whether this aspect of the platform will excel or not.
Whatever the case, it’s safe to say video is a popular form of marketing, and one which can be effective for businesses and writers. However, video production is not for everyone. For one, it takes more time than posting a few captions or photos to Instagram. Videos require a set of skills, including filming, sound, and editing. It’s easier to mess up a video than it is a picture. Sound, surprisingly, is actually the most important part of the process; people will tolerate a blurry image, but poor audio will have them clicking off your video faster than you can hit the post button.
Secondly, not every creator is going to enjoy creating videos. If you’re the introverted writer type, and you prefer sharing your writing and photography, you shouldn’t force yourself to create videos—unless, of course, the idea sounds fun or interesting. If it’s a matter of skill, it’s worthwhile to post your bad videos and improve yourself. However, if video production is something you’ve tried and hate, you shouldn’t force yourself. People can spot a lack of passion.
YouTube continues to grow in popularity among users and, while it’s most popular among the younger cohorts, there are older users on the platform as well. YouTube requires studying of it’s own, whether it be learning the algorithm, studying your analytic page, or typing in your default descriptions. This, though, is not the purpose of this post and, as this is a writing channel, I’m going to be focusing on how YouTube can work for you as a writer specifically. If you want more information on YouTube itself, there are already dozens of creators focused on this aspect.
When I first began my channel, I didn’t have the faintest clue what I should focus on. Writing, after all, doesn’t translate as directly to a video medium as music, or even art, can. Despite the initial struggle, though, I found that there are a number of approaches a creator can take. If you’re a writer, but passionate about video creation—or even intrigued by it—here are five types of content which can not only connect to your writing, but appeal to your readers.
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1) Original Stories
This first category is the most obvious. It’s also the hardest idea to sell. You’ve likely noticed that when you share your actual writing online, as opposed to writing advice, you’re suddenly met with crickets. This isn’t because your writing is bad. It’s because, in most cases, people want to get something out of the content they consume. In other words, people want to know how your work benefits them. When people go on social media, they aren’t looking to become invested in a story—they want something they can digest in ten minutes or less, or to learn a new skill.
That said, there is an audience for original work. However, YouTube might not be the best vehicle for it. After all, your writing will do just as well on Tumblr as on YouTube, if not better, and without the extra effort involved. Posting your writing to YouTube means reading out the whole piece and recording it. In other words, you have to produce your own mini audio books. If that doesn’t sound exhausting enough, you’ll also have to create visuals to go with the piece. You could use a static image, something I used to do in my earlier videos, but many viewers could consider this lazy.
As mentioned before, the audience for this type of content is also small. When searching for channels which focused solely on sharing original content, I managed to find only one which boasted a larger audience. Many videos on such channels received anywhere between ten and four hundred views and, while four hundred doesn’t sound bad, a well performing writing advice video could net you ten thousand views or more.
Of course, it’s all about what you’re passionate about. If the other ideas on this list don’t appeal to you, building a YouTube audience around your writing alone isn’t impossible—it’s just going to be a slower and more difficult climb. If one of the other ideas on this list does appeal, however, mixing your original writing with one other content type can be a great way to reach readers among your audience. YouTube allows creators to create playlists for their content and, when you’ve amassed a large enough following, a percentage of your audience should be happy to investigate your “original writing” playlist.
2) Writing Advice
Easily the most popular genre on this list, writing advice is something the majority of writers fall back on when building not only a YouTube channel, but other social media followings as well. Instagram and Tumblr are rife with writing advice pages, and the articles people post can improve your own work—whether it be the writing itself, or the aspects of your story you’ve neglected to research, such as diversity in fiction or weaponry.
That said, like anything else, you should never feel like you have to share writing advice. If you absolutely hate the idea, don’t do it—you never want to become successful doing something you hate. After all, that defeats the purpose of beginning something “fun” like a YouTube career in the first place. If you hate what you’re doing, you might as well stick with the day job.
Personally, I enjoy sharing writing advice. However, I don’t share writing advice exclusively. On this channel I also discuss my favourite books, and may even experiment with other categories on this list.
Writing advice is a popular topic; thus, you’ll reach more viewers. It’s also geared more towards helping others than encouraging them to buy your books. If people follow you for your writing tips, and think of you as a guru, they’re not necessarily going to buy your book. On the other hand, all writers are readers—or, at least, they should be. If you build a large enough following, a select niche within your community may buy your books—provided you advertise them in your videos.
If you choose to focus on writing advice, Jenna Moreci isn’t a bad author to emulate. She writes books, in addition to running a YouTube channel dedicated to educating other writers. Look at how she structures her videos. Before she launches into the day’s topic, she takes half a minute to discuss her novels. You never want to take too long; if you spend two minutes on marketing, and you aren’t a known name, this can backfire. For beginners, though, taking twenty seconds or less to introduce your book can be a good way to rope in writers looking for a fresh read.
Offering writing advice isn’t the most original concept, but it’s one which continues to work, for a basic reason: people best enjoy content which benefits them. The catch is that it’s a saturated market. When offering tips, exploring lesser discussed ideas is ideal. Some writers, for example, might focus on fight scenes or the best places to research various topics.
It’s also best to advertise your books where you can, usually after introducing your other social media channels, and to include other content if you desire, such as original writing or one of the other ideas shared on this list.
3) Book Reviews
After writing advice, a channel dedicated to reviewing novels is your next best bet. This niche has the advantage over writing advice channels, in that you’re connecting directly with readers. In using the term “book review,” I’m being vague, because a “booktuber,” as they’re called, can do more than give star reviews or analyze books.
A booktuber might discuss a book’s political implications. You may choose to look at why a book is problematic, or why it’s great for diversity. You might explore a book’s themes, it’s characters, or the real world metaphor the story represents. A booktuber can even have fun with the books they read, by listing their literary crushes or their top ten villains in literature.
The bottom line is that you read books, and discuss them. It should go without saying that regularly reading, and analyzing the literature you consume, will improve your own writing. With the added benefit that you’re connecting directly with your target audience, provided you’re reviewing the types of books you’d like to write, it’s a win-win situation.
Some creators even transition into discussing films or television shows. If you’ve been reviewing the Lord of the Rings books, transitioning to reviewing the films, and other fantasy movies, isn’t a stretch. After all, most people like films; if your readers enjoy fantasy books, it’s likely they will enjoy fantasy films too.
4) Mythology
Mythology is a broad category, extending from witches to religion, films to Greek mythology. Generally speaking, mythology has to do with gods and old stories. The classics are Greek and Norse, but one can also explore Arthurian legend, christian myths, and the pantheons of other cultures, such as Japanese, Yoruban, Mayan, and so on.
Mythologists can go on to create playlists around creatures, or cryptids as some call them. A lover of myths might discuss obscure monsters, the history of vampires and werewolves, or even recount Creepypastas. Some delve into Roman history, or medieval customs.
Others still will not only explain the old myths, but will explore the history or concepts within a current world. It’s not uncommon to find videos with titles such as “Lord of the Rings Explained” or “The History of the Weasley Family.”
It might not be immediately obvious how this connects to writing, but if you’re a fantasy author you’re likely familiar, if not fascinated, with the classic tales. If you’re a horror author, starting a channel in which you discuss the different types of zombies, how to kill vampires, or the history of witches can connect you with viewers who would enjoy the kinds of stories you tell.
If you’re planning to become the next Rick Riordan, having a channel dedicated to the likes of Zeus and his pantheon can also connect you to others who share your interest in divine characters.
Thirdly, you’ll never run out of ideas. When you’ve exhausted vampires, aliens, and ghosts, you may turn to Bigfoot or the Lochness Monster. When you’ve gone through the more famous creatures, there are hundreds more which are altogether less famous. If you reach a point where you’ve made five hundred videos and there are no monsters left, you could transition to retelling urban myths, discussing monsters in film, or exploring the world of Creepypastas.
If you’re simply a fantasy buff, you might discuss all of the topics above. You could have a playlist going through all the Greek Gods and Goddesses, and another playlist dedicated to creepy creatures or characters from horror films.
Ultimately, creating videos centred around mythology can improve your own creativity by providing you with ideas. Most fantasy books borrow from biblical archetypes, or even outright use characters from the ancient myths. Marvel has built an empire recycling old characters like Thor. While running a mythology channel can connect you with other fantasy nerds, it will also educate you; in all likelihood, the myths you encounter will spark ideas for future books or series.
Out of all the ideas on this list, this one may even be the most fun, though you’ll have to be creative in generating footage. Many mythology channels use artwork or simple animations to create visuals, or, at the very least, create a mood. This kind of content is also best paired with music—though the music should be quieter and more atmospheric than anything.
5) Vlogging
The most casual category on this list, vlogging is a category many writing advice channels eventually transition to. It’s the category many express a preference for to begin with, but many creators end up sucked into writing advice videos simply because they perform better, at least initially, than vlogs do. For those confused by what I mean by “vlog,” vloggers are people who essentially journal their lives, sharing the highlights or the processes they go through on a day to day basis. While self help creators might benefit most from this niche, detailing their diets or their sleep schedules, there’s also a niche for writers.
Even none-writers may be interested in “the writer’s life,” with all it’s ups and downs, though readers may be curious to see the behind the scenes activities which generate their beloved books. As a writer, you can share your writing schedule, the best notebooks you use, your favourite pens, how you plot your books, and so on. Vlogging can have some overlap with writing advice, too, since sharing how you plot your stories could be construed as advice, and therefore beneficial to other writers.
Any unique rituals you have are also game for a vlog; if you have to use a certain pen, or read a certain number of novels each month, share that. Some writers share their other hobbies, particularly as they relate to their writing. If you write stories where your protagonists travel the world, for example, you might share footage of your own trips to foreign countries. Take your viewers with you on that mountain hike, or through the forest which inspired your latest novel.
Many writers do writing related activities to supplement their incomes. Some are editors, which means they can offer a behind the scenes look at the editing process; others like to draw, or even design covers. Taking your audience through your step-by-step for drawing an OC, or original character, or through your process for designing a book cover can appeal to readers and writers alike.
Vlogs can be a harder sell than writing advice, which is why it can be ideal to mix the two. Alternate between offering writing advice and sharing your life. Don’t force yourself to only do the former; those creators who did reported feeling disappointed with their content, and eventually switched to vlogging. The switch can cause you to lose viewers, but if you do both kinds of content—offer advice and vlogging—from the start, your viewers won’t feel as much surprise if you eventually choose to focus exclusively on vlogging.
There’s a saying that you should do one for them, and one for you. What this means is that you should alternate between creating what you want, and creating what you should. This way, you can reach your ideal viewers while still generating content you’re passionate about. Plus, as your following grows larger, people tend to be more forgiving of indulgent content. When you’ve created a community, your viewers will be interested in your life, and will therefore be open to watching your vlog.
6) Bonus Category: Web Series
As the most expensive on this list, writing a web series won’t be for everyone. If one creates a web series, one is also taking the title of screenwriter—an art form, in itself, which won’t appeal to all novelists. However, if the idea of telling original stories is still what appeals to you most, this can be a way of telling stories which are more accessible to people than forcing them to sit through a choppy self made audio book and a static image.
If you’re already composing stories with a beginning, middle, an end, and publishing them as videos, creating a web series isn’t much of a stretch. Keep in mind, though, that you’ll need to hire animators, voice actors, and composers, to name a few roles. Publishing a video every week may not be feasible either, depending on the complexity of the filming or the animation.
Something shot on an iPhone with friends every Saturday could be published weekly, but something more complex may take months to create. If creating something which requires time and money, it could be ideal to finish the series, and then to publish it on a schedule the way a TV network might. Once your first season is out there, an understanding audience will be willing to wait for however many months it takes to create season 2.
This is listed as a bonus idea, because this type of content doesn’t fall under what we think of as your standard “writing channel.” If you choose to do a web series, you won’t be so much building a YouTube channel as a show, or even a network if you end up writing, and publishing, multiple series. As such, rules like posting schedules won’t apply to you in the same way—except when it comes to “premiering” your show. It’s still best to think like a TV executive, and have your episodes debut on Fridays, at seven, for example.
In Conclusion
There are many types of content writers might experiment with when starting a YouTube channel. The bottom line is that you should enjoy what you’re doing, and be creating content with the potential to connect you to the target audience for your book. If you’re a romance writer, mythology won’t be a good fit, though vlogging about the messiness of your dating history could better serve romance readers than fantasy readers.
If running a traditional YouTube channel isn’t for you, using the platform to create a web series is also an option—though, depending on the complexity of the project, you’ll need to raise the capitol to fund it.
At the end of the day, there are many forms of social media for writers to explore. With the popularity of video content increasing, creators are encouraged to utilize platforms like TikTok or YouTube, or even Instagram. Video won’t be for all writers, but for those interested in creating films, there are several ideas available to explore. One may even combine some of these categories, though it’s better to do no more than two or three—at least when your channel is in it’s early years.
Whether it be the standard writing advice, a book review channel, the exploration of mythology, or even a vlog chronicling the writer’s life, there are a number of options open for the budding authortube creator.
Are you interested in starting a YouTube channel? What are your favourite types of content to watch as a writer? Let me know!