GETTING STARTED WITH YOUTUBE - GUIDE

How to Create a YouTube Channel

So, you’ve decided to create a YouTube channel. Great! We can’t wait to see the amazing content you
promote. Before we dive in, it’s important to note that maintaining a YouTube channel takes a lot of time
and planning. Are you ready for it?

Unlike other social networking platforms, YouTube exclusively hosts video content. If you’re creating a
YouTube channel to merely upload one video and have no intention of maintaining the platform, you might
want to reconsider.

You’ll need to set aside plenty of time to plan, film, edit, market, and analyze your content on a consistent
basis. You’ll also need to define your brand’s goals and plan for how video can specifically help you achieve
these. If you can devote an appropriate amount of time and energy into the platform, you’ll be able to
create engaging, shareable content for your growing audience.

Creating a Google Account

Before you start filming video content, you’ll need to set up your YouTube channel. This can get a bit
complicated. As you probably know, YouTube is owned by Google. As a result, when you sign up for a
Gmail account, you automatically gain access to a YouTube account, a Google+ account, and much more.

Depending on your business, you may not want to tie your email to your business’s YouTube channel —
especially if you need to share access to the account with team members or an agency partner. We suggest
that you create a common email account that can be used by multiple people.

To get started, visit Google and click “Sign in” in the upper right-hand corner.

Click on “Create account” at the bottom of the page.

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You’ll see an option pop up to create an account for yourself or to manage your business. Since your
YouTube account will be for your business, choose “To manage my business”.

To officially create your Google account, enter your name and desired email and password before clicking
“Next”. Then, enter a recovery email and your birthday, gender, and phone number. Note: Google requires
all users to be at least 13 years old.
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Lastly, agree to Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service and verify your account with a code sent via
text or phone call. Congrats! You’re now the proud owner of a Google account.

Creating a YouTube Brand Account

Now that you have a Google account, you’re almost ready to publish some awesome video content.

But, we’re not done quite yet — you now need to set up a YouTube Brand Account. A Brand Account allows
users to manage editing permissions and create a more holistic online presence.

To get started, visit YouTube. In the upper right-hand corner, note that you’re probably already logged into
your new Google account. (If you’re not, click “Sign in” and enter your new Google account username and
password.)

Once you’ve signed in, tap your account module and click “My channel” in the drop-down menu.
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You’ll see the option to create a channel right away. Do NOT enter your name and click on “Create
Channel”. Instead, click on “Use a business or other name” at the bottom.

Now, you should be prompted to create a Brand Account. Enter your Brand Account name and press
“Create”. Note: You can always update or change your channel name from your account settings, so don’t
worry if you aren’t 100% sure about your selected label.

Customizing Your YouTube Brand Account

Now, let’s customize your Brand Account. Click on “Customize Channel” to get started.
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Start by adding a channel icon and channel art. These will be the first parts of your YouTube account that
users see when visiting, so be sure to use images that are easily recognizable and consistent with your
overall branding.

To add a channel icon, click on the default blue profile picture in the upper left-hand corner of your channel
to upload an image. Note: It may take several minutes for your channel icon to appear after uploading.

Next, upload your channel art. Click on the blue “Add channel art” button in the center of your channel.
Check out YouTube’s channel art templates for specific design guidance.

After you upload your channel icon and art, add a channel description, a company email, and links to your
company website and other social platforms under the "About" tab.
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With the basic profile complete, it’s time to add a few finishing touches! Before we move on, it’s important
to get one thing straight — you can customize the way your YouTube channel looks to subscribers and
unsubscribed visitors. This means that unsubscribed viewers would see different featured content than
dedicated, subscribed viewers. Pretty cool, right?

One of the main ways you can take advantage of this feature is by creating a YouTube channel trailer. A
channel trailer is the video version of your description and is shown to all your unsubscribed viewers.

Ready to get started? First, make sure channel customization is turned on. To do this, click on the gear icon
next to the red "Subscribe" button in the upper right-hand corner of your channel.

Next, make sure the option to “Customize the layout of your channel” is turned on and press “Save”.
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Now that you’ve set up your channel for customization, upload your trailer. Click the arrow upload button in
the upper right-hand corner and select your video file. Remember to add keywords to your trailer name and
description.

Once your video uploads, click on the “For new visitors” tab on your channel homepage. Then click
“Channel trailer”.
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Finally, select your uploaded trailer, or enter a URL to a video you’d like to feature, and press “Save”.

Setting Permissions for Your YouTube Brand Account

Before you start implementing your YouTube marketing plan, you should decide who on your team will
need access to the account. Granting access to team members will allow them to help manage the channel
through their own Google accounts.

When you grant access to a Google account, there are three options for roles:

Owner: Owners have full editing power over all company Google properties. They can add or
remove managers, edit business information, respond to reviews, and more.
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Manager: Managers have the same editing powers as Owners, except they cannot add or remove
page roles or remove listings. Anyone editing a YouTube channel must be a Manager or an Owner.
Communications Manager: Communications Managers can respond to reviews and do several other
actions but they cannot use YouTube’s video manager, upload content, or view analytics.

To add individuals to your account, tap your Google account icon in the upper right-hand corner to open
the drop-down menu and go to “Settings”.

Click “Add or remove managers”.

Click “Manage Permissions”.

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Then, select the people icon in the upper right-hand corner to invite new users. To grant permission to a
person, enter their Gmail address and indicate their role.

How to Create a Second YouTube Channel

Looking to create another channel from the same Google account? Good news: YouTube lets you do this.
Perhaps you want a separate channel for personal videos, or you’d like to start a second brand under the
same business entity. Either way, the process is easy. Here’s how:

• Go to your YouTube Studio account and open Creator Studio Classic

• Click your account icon in the top right-hand corner and tap the gear icon next to “Creator Studio”
• Under “Your account,” click “See all my channels or create a new channel”
• Click “+Create a new channel”
• Create and customize your new Brand Account (per our instructions above)

Now that you are all set up with your channel, you are ready to learn how to maximize YouTube for your
Business.