Do you need some help customizing your YouTube channel? If you do, you’re reading the right article! Here I’ll teach you about customizing your About Me Page, Channel Icon, Channel Sections, and a whole bunch of other stuff.
Channel Trailer
Hm. Well, I don’t have a channel trailer yet, but I fully realize that I need to make one! A good channel trailer will give viewers a nice overview of what your channel is all about. If viewers like what they see from your trailer, they will be more likely to subscribe!
In your channel trailer, you should show as well as tell them what your videos are about. A good way to do this is by inserting clips of some of your videos so that they get a feel for what your channel is like. Just sitting there and talking about your channel is not as effective because it is less engaging and they don’t really get to experience your channel. It should be entertaining and interesting!
A channel trailer should also be short. Tim Schmoyer from Video Creators says that 30 seconds is a good length. It will let you tell potential subscribers what they need to know without taking up too much of their time. If your trailer is too long, they probably won’t end up watching all of it, and that means they won’t hear all the information you wanted them to hear. So keep it short and snappy!
Tim also says that you should have a clear call-to-action. A call-to-action is just asking the viewer to do something. In the case of a channel trailer, you should let them know that they should subscribe!
For them to want to subscribe, you’ve got to tell them why they should subscribe, and what value they will get out of it! You’ve got to be persuasive! For example, if you’re a travel vlogger, you could say, “Subscribe to see the more of the world every Tuesday and Thursday!” Or if you have a cooking channel, you could say, “Subscribe for fun new recipes every Saturday!”
About Me Page
I don’t know about you, but whenever I watch a video and am interested in learning more about the channel, I always check out their About Me page! It is kind of frustrating when all I find is a couple of sentences, when I really want to know all about the creators!
Take advantage of the space you have on your About Me page. Just like with your channel trailer, let them know about your channel and why they should subscribe. Satisfy their curiosity!
Some questions I often want answered when checking out a channel are:
- Where is he from?
- Where does she live?
- How old is he?
- What kinds of videos does she make?
A good channel should have a target audience, and you should talk to them in your About Me page, that way they connect with you and realize that your channel is perfect for them!
Here is what my About Me page says (translated into English):
Do you like hearing foreigners speak Indonesian? Do you want to learn more about the United States and English?
If you said yes, this channel is for you!
Hi guys, my name is Sarah! I’m a teenage American YouTuber who has lived a long time in Indonesia, including in Papua and Yogyakarta.
On this channel you’ll watch videos like:
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- What America is like
- English tips
- Vlogs in Bahasa Indonesia
- Challenges
- Reaction videos
- …and lots of other fun stuff!
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Thanks for visiting my channel! What are you waiting for? Go ahead and subscribe! 🙂
You can also use the About Me page to give other important information that is relevant to your channel. For example, after that description I include a link to a video explaining why I can speak Indonesian, and below that, my PO Box for those who want to send me mail.
The first few sentences of your About Me page are really important! Why? Because that is what shows up when someone shares your channel! So make sure that those sentences grab people’s attention, are persuasive, and speak to your target audience.
Channel Icon
Another important aspect of your YouTube channel is your channel icon. It should be both relevant to your channel and recognizable.
You’ll want to consider how it will look when shrunken down really small, like in the comments section, especially if your icon contains text. My channel icon right now is just a picture of my face.
Sean Cannell from Think Media shared a great tip about channel icons. If your icon or avatar is a picture of you, consider what emotions you are showing. If you have a really fun and entertaining channel your emotions in the picture should represent that! If your channel is more serious you want your picture to reflect that as well.
You’re always free to change your profile picture whenever you want, but that doesn’t mean you should. Your channel icon is a part of your brand, and to develop a strong brand you want to people to be familiar with your icon, and that means not changing it every month!
One more thought on developing a brand: consistency is important! So you should have the same profile pictures on all social media accounts connected to your brand.
Channel Name
Choosing a channel name can be kind of tricky! You want one that describes your channel, but also isn’t so narrow to the point that it will limit growth and change. Unfortunately, my Dad made this mistake when he started Riding Java. Initially he made motovlogs on the island of Java in Indonesia. While really cool, eventually he wanted so share other aspects of Indonesia and also make videos in other locations when we were traveling. But those videos didn’t fit the channel name! Fortunately, you have the ability to change it later, which is what he did. He changed the name to Martin Johnson, but the URL still has Riding Java in the name.
One option is to just go with your name. With that, you can build your business around you as a person and have lots of room to change as you figure out what you want to do on your channel.
You could also build a brand around a phrase, like Video Creators, Video Influencers, Blimey Cow, or Dude Perfect.
Or you can mash the two together, like English with Eden, Bob’s Kitchen, or even iJustine.
Also, you should check and see if the name you’ve chosen is available on other social media platforms. If it’s not, you might want to choose a different name. Staying consistent with your names on social media will help your subscribers find you easily.
Another thing to think about when coming up with a channel name is how memorable it is, how easy it is to pronounce, and how easy it is to spell. One way your channel will grow is through word of mouth, so making sure people will remember your name and can spell it is important!
Playlists
When used well, playlists will help people binge-watch your content. That means they shouldn’t be just a dumping ground for videos that have a similar topic, they should be carefully crafted to get viewers to watch more videos. A playlist’s title should be enticing and the thumbnail you choose to represent the whole playlist should be the best one. It’s also important to put the best video in the playlist first. That way they will get hooked and will be more likely to watch the other videos instead of clicking off.
If you optimize your playlists you can increase your channel’s watch time and a viewer’s session on YouTube. YouTube really loves that because the longer a viewer stays on YouTube, the more ads they will see!
Channel Art/Banner
Your channel art/banner is one of the first things people see when they check your channel out, which is why it’s important to give them a good first impression! Here are some things to think about when designing your channel art:
- Keep the design consistent with your branding.
- Be informative, but don’t bombard people with information.
- Include a tagline or a short sentence that gives them an idea of what your channel is about.
- You might want to include your upload schedule.
After doing research on how channel art is supposed to look I know that mine could definitely use some work!
When you are designing your channel art remember that it will look different on different devices. If you’re not careful your crucial information or images might be cut off on some devices. Fortunately there a templates out there that can help you with this. Click here for one!
The goal of your channel art is to quickly let the viewer know what you’re all about and what they will get out of your channel. Who are you trying to target? Make that clear from your channel art! Like Sean Cannell from Video Influencers says, clarity is really important!
Liked Videos
This is something I just learned about recently. There is an option to make the videos you like public or private, and they appear as one of your playlists. At first I kept them public, but now I have them set to private. Why? Because if a subscriber checks out my channel and is curious about what videos I watch, he’ll go watch them and be led off of my channel, when what I want him to do is go watch some of my other videos.
Thumbnail Watermark
A thumbnail watermark will allow you to keep consistent branding throughout your channel. It will help subscribers recognize your videos from the “crowd” of suggested videos. Not all YouTubers do this, in fact, many very successful ones don’t! I think it just depends on your style and what you want to do. Consistent branding is important though, so if you decide not to use a watermark you should figure out how to brand your thumbnails some other way, such as through consistent color schemes or fonts.
My watermark used to be a small banner in the lower left section of the thumbnail with my name on it, first it was red and then blue. I then created a little blue and white logo that I put in the same section of the thumbnail, which is what I use now.
Channel Sections
Derral Eves said that you should design your YouTube channel like it’s an online store. You’re trying to get people to “buy” your content by watching your videos and subscribing to your channel!
Keep that in mind when adding sections to your channel. You should recommend videos that have converted the most viewers into subscribers. You can figure this out by going to Analytics in Creator Studio, choosing Subscribers, and in that section choosing YouTube Watch Page.
You can add lots of different types of sections. What I usually do is select created playlists as sections. Make sure to make the titles and descriptions of those playlists really interesting and relevant to your target audience! Give potential subscribers some options but don’t make so many sections that it becomes overwhelming and busy.
Social Media and Website
It’s a good idea to build your brand on other social media platforms as well as on YouTube. I know that a lot of subscribers want to be able to connect with the YouTubers they watch in other places. Tons of people ask me for my Instagram account!
You can easily promote those social media accounts or website on your YouTube channel’s home page. Just go to your channel, click Customize Channel, click the About Me tab, and add your social media links at the bottom of the page. They will appear in the bottom left corner of your channel art and in your About Me page.
Recommended Channels
If you know some YouTubers that you’d like to promote, go ahead and do so by adding them to your Recommended Channels section of your home page. On my channel, I promote my family’s and friends’ channels.
If you are serious about becoming a YouTuber I suggest making an email address available. You can add it in the About Me section of your channel. By doing so you give brands a way to contact you in case they want to collaborate with you, and also a way for subscribers to reach out to you, or fellow YouTubers who might want to collaborate with you.
Your email address shouldn’t be something silly though, like . It should be professional. The email address my parents make available on their channel is . An email address like that clearly communicates what it is for.
Featured Content
You have a channel trailer for those who have not subscribed, but once they have subscribed that video no longer is played for them. In place of that, you have the option to feature a video. This video does not play automatically but is shown right underneath the channel art. It’s a great way to recommend a video you think your subscribers might like.
Now you know 13 things to customize on your YouTube channel! I hope this article has helped you make your channel even more awesome than it already is. If you have any questions or tips of your own to share, feel free to write them in the comments section! Thanks for reading!