What Is Video Blogging? How to Create Your Own Blog

This article explains the basics of video blogging and includes information on the equipment you need and how to make money with your vlog.

Getting Started

Video blogs—often housed on the YouTube platform—serve as video-based diaries. They're a natural extension of the text-based blogs of the early 2000s, with the exception that because they're housed online, discoverability increases and content-sharing friction decreases.

To launch your vlogging journey, create an account on YouTube or another video platform. Anyone's allowed to upload content to YouTube; you don't need a special creator account to upload.

Content Tips

Effective vlogs are generally short and personal. In most cases, a vlog entry shouldn't be fewer than two minutes long or longer than six minutes long—research suggests that too-short, or too-long, of videos dissuade viewers.

The goal is to post frequently and authentically. It's better to post a half-dozen times per week with a webcam or your phone camera than to post twice a month but emphasize studio-quality glossiness.

Because vlogs are a personal form of content, over-producing them (with screen crawls, too-good of video quality, etc.) is generally off-putting. That said, unless you're already famous, most people aren't all that interested in unstructured rambling. So develop a plan, and every now and then, bring in a special guest. Keep it varied.

But remember, frequency is more important than polish.

Growing Your Vlog

Vlogs grow, but the more you promote them, the better you'll be. Promoting your content on social-media channels like Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest will help, depending on the kind of content you share. Likewise, tying your Vlog's URL to your social profiles promotes natural discovery.