Find your angle & niche (what makes you unique)
You've probably ended up here because you want to start your own YouTube channel. You've been thinking about it for a long time, or maybe you even have equipment lying in the basement because you don't dare start filming – or simply don't know what to begin with.
Or it's the opposite: you've written a whole plan for what to film, maybe even recorded material, but nobody has seen your videos yet. Why? Because you – just like me in the beginning – didn't dare publish them.
The truth about YouTube is that it's almost impossible to know whether a video will spark interest or not – as long as it's only an idea in your head, or as long as you've created videos but never published them.
And the even tougher truth? What you believe will be a success and get loads of views... usually isn't. While the thing you tried spontaneously and expected nothing from – suddenly takes off and gets the best results!
So what I'm trying to say is: whether you're stuck at the idea stage or you've actually produced material that's gathering dust – you have to put it out there. You have to take the step: dare to film, dare to edit, and above all dare to hit publish.
So how do you actually find your angle and your niche?
Many believe a niche has to be a super simple topic, like 'I only make videos about baking' or 'I only talk about finance'. But the most sustainable niche isn't a topic – it's the combination of three things:
- What you genuinely care about – your interests or your professional knowledge
- What problems or curiosity your audience has – what do they want to learn, be entertained by or understand?
- Your unique background and personality – what makes it impossible for anyone to copy you
If you for example like food and culture, but have a background as a journalist, then your niche isn't just 'food videos'. Your niche becomes curious, investigative and personal encounters around food and cultural differences.
Your angle is your perspective. Ask yourself: 'What do I see or what can I tell that others miss?' When you find that intersection you stop competing with everyone else – because nobody else can be you.
Beware of the too-narrow niche
At the same time I want to warn against niching down too much and aiming your videos at too small an audience. And here's why:
When I had just started my channel I decided that my videos would only be about the war in Ukraine. It wasn't a strange choice for me – I'm from Ukraine and a journalist by training, so I felt that was where I could contribute the most. And that was true!
But after testing this for about a year – with both huge successes and videos that flopped – I realised something important: there are maybe around 10,000 people in Sweden who are genuinely interested in following the war in Ukraine in depth every single day. And that's where the audience actually ends, at least in the Swedish-speaking market.
To reach more people you need a broader topic – such as cultural exchange or food experiences between countries.
It's the same if you only talk about stocks in Swedish: you'll absolutely get a loyal bunch of viewers, but that's quite far from half a million Swedes. The topic is simply too narrow for the big volumes.
But – everything depends on your goals! If your goal is to sell consulting services in websites or funds, you don't need hundreds of thousands of views. A few hundred exactly right viewers who actually become your customers is enough. Then an extremely niched channel is absolutely the right way to go.
Compare yourself to yourself – not to big YouTubers
Another thing you simply have to learn from the very first moment: stop comparing your results with Mauri on Uppdrag Mat, or any other big YouTuber.
Instead compare your results today with your own results yesterday. Have you improved the quality of your videos? Have you got a higher percentage of watch time? Have more people clicked on your thumbnails?
In the beginning it's incredibly easy to end up sitting and editing a video for 30 hours, publishing it – and getting 100 views. And honestly, surely 50 of them were you refreshing the page yourself... (laughs).
The most important thing in the beginning is to see your numbers as pure experience. It's your chance to learn and make each new video a little better than the last. You will find your audience eventually, but you have to remember that success rarely comes overnight. The most important thing is to keep moving forward and constantly tweaking your content.
Do you have to show your face on YouTube?
A classic question many ask themselves in the beginning is: do you really have to show your face on YouTube, or can you run a channel anonymously?
The answer is that both paths work – but they serve completely different purposes.
Channels without a face (faceless channels)
This suits you if you want to focus entirely on the topic, using voiceover, archive footage, animations or screen recordings. It can be a great relief if you feel camera-shy in the beginning. The downside? It usually takes longer to build a loyal audience, because people find it harder to feel a personal connection to an anonymous channel.
Channels with a face (personal brand)
I have personally chosen to be in front of the camera on my own channel – and here's why: people connect with people, not logos.
When viewers see your eyes, your facial expressions and your personality, a trust is created that's almost impossible to build any other way. If your goal with YouTube is to build a personal brand, become an authority in your field or sell your own consulting services – then showing your face is by far the fastest way there.
So feel it out: what is your goal? Do you want to build an anonymous information channel, or do you want viewers to get to know and trust you?