Planning and Outlining YouTube Videos for 2023
Welcome to the world of YouTube, where millions of people are creating and uploading videos daily. With such a crowded platform, it's more important than ever to ensure your videos stand out from the rest. One way to do that is through careful planning and outlining your content.
Planning and outlining your YouTube videos can help you stay organized and focused, ensuring you deliver a high-quality and engaging video that your audience will love.
As the leading YouTube script generator, we've invested significant effort in studying YouTube videos to identify the most effective techniques to streamline your planning and outlining process.
In this article, we'll provide tips and tricks for planning and outlining your YouTube videos, including the benefits of doing so and some things to keep in mind for reaching your goals.
So let's get started and make 2023 the year you take your YouTube game to the next level!
What We Cover:
What is Content Planning?
Content planning is the process of creating a content strategy for developing and sharing content aligned with a brand's goals and target audience. The planning process involves identifying the topics, formats, channels, and timelines for creating and distributing content that will attract and engage the intended audience.
A content plan typically involves:
- Conducting audience research
- Defining content goals
- Developing a content calendar
- Creating content briefs
- Measuring the effectiveness of the content produced
A well-planned YouTube strategy can help a brand build trust and authority with its audience, drive traffic to its website, generate leads and sales, and increase brand awareness and loyalty.
Why Plan and Outline YouTube Videos?
Planning and outlining YouTube videos are crucial for creating engaging and effective content to help a YouTuber grow their channel and reach a wider audience.
Here’s what happens when you create outlines and a content plan for YouTube videos:
- Provides Consistency
When you outline your videos, the result will be much more consistent than if you didn't outline them.
You'll be able to create content with similar formats and styles throughout each episode on your channel and even across multiple episodes within the same series of videos. This makes it easier for viewers to get used to watching your videos and helps them find what they're looking for more easily because they know what kind of content they can expect when they watch one of your videos.
- Enhances Quality
It's easy for viewers to tell when an online video was not planned or outlined. Poorly planned and outlined videos often have poor sound quality, lighting, and camera angles. That's why many viewers turn off a poorly planned video before they even start watching it.
If you want to enhance the quality of your online video content, then make sure you plan and outline it properly from start to finish.
Planning and outlining help ensure that each shot used in your video will have high-quality audio and visuals, which will keep viewers engaged throughout the entire duration of the video.
- Focuses on Your Brand
As a content creator or marketer, having a consistent brand image across all your video content is essential.
A well-planned outline can help ensure that your videos align with your brand and messaging. It helps you stay on track, deliver the right message, and avoid tangents that can confuse your audience.
A solid plan and outline allow you to identify the key elements that support your brand's message and highlight them effectively. It helps you deliver your message clearly and concisely, making your videos more engaging and memorable.
How to Plan And Outline YouTube Videos?
Whether you're just starting or have been creating videos for a while, a structured plan and outline can help you deliver your message clearly and concisely.
Here's a guide on how to plan and outline your YouTube videos:
- Brainstorm on different topic ideas
Before creating a video, you need to determine what the video will be about. Brainstorm different ideas that align with your brand or niche.
Research what your audience is interested in and what content they engage with most. Use tools like Google Trends or other social media platforms to see popular topics.
You can use Maekersuite's title generator to generate video titles based on your selected topics.
To increase the likelihood of your video being discovered by a new audience, it's crucial to ensure that your video titles meet the following criteria:
- Concise and straightforward
- Reflective of the actual content (not clickbait)
- Contain appropriate keywords for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes
- Define the Scope Of Your Brand
Defining the scope of your brand is essential when planning and outlining your YouTube videos. Your brand represents who you are and what your channel is about.
Consider these factors when defining your brand's scope:
What are your YouTube channel goals?
Determine your channel goals and what you want to achieve through your videos. For example, your goal may be to educate your audience, entertain them, or promote a product. Knowing your goals will help you create videos that align with your brand's image and message.
Who are your target audience?
Define your target audience, including the social media they use, the kinds of channels they subscribe to, and the kinds of videos they like. Knowing your audience will help you create content that resonates with them and engages them.
Who are your competitors?
Analyze your competitors to determine what they are doing and how you can differentiate yourself from them. It helps you determine your brand’s USP and what sets you apart from others in your niche.
To gather insights from competitors, take the following steps:
- Watch videos in your niche and note the video types and formats.
- Subscribe to competitor channels and track their content production frequency.
- Analyze the comments sections of existing content to identify areas for improvement.
- Evaluate the video views and engagement of competitors to determine the popular video types.
- Create An Outline of Your Story
When creating YouTube videos, having a clear plan and outline can help ensure that your content is engaging, informative, and easy for viewers to follow. Without proper YouTube planning, your video may lack structure and direction, making it difficult for viewers to absorb the information you are trying to convey.
To create an effective outline for your YouTube video, start by identifying your main message or objective. This will help guide your content and ensure your video stays on track. From there, break your message into smaller subtopics or key points you want to cover in your video.
Once you have your key points identified, organize them in a logical order that flows well and keeps your viewers engaged. Consider using bullet points or short sentences to help you stay focused on each point and make it easier to stay on track while filming.
Don't forget to include a clear introduction and conclusion that bookend your video and provide context for its content. Your intro should grab your viewers' attention and set the tone for the rest of the video, while your conclusion should summarize your key points and leave your viewers with a clear takeaway.
- Write a Script for your Story
Once you have created an outline for your YouTube video, writing a script for your story is next. The script serves as the blueprint for your video and helps you stay on track while filming. It also ensures that you cover all the key points and deliver your message clearly, concisely, and engagingly.
Start by fleshing out each point in your outline. Think about the key message you want to convey and how you can best communicate that to your viewers. Consider using storytelling techniques, humor, or other engaging tactics to capture your audience's attention and keep them interested throughout the video.
As you write your script, keep these things in mind:
- Pay attention to your tone of voice, pacing, and language.
- Aim to make your content easy to understand and accessible to viewers of all backgrounds and experience levels.
- Avoid using jargon or technical language that might be confusing to some viewers.
- List The Equipments You Need
There are several pieces of equipment that you'll need to ensure that you create high quality videos for your viewers.
Here are some of the essential equipment you'll need:
- Camera: A good camera is the most important piece of equipment for making a YouTube video. You can use a DSLR camera, a point-and-shoot camera, or even your smartphone as long as the quality of the video is good.
- Microphone: A good quality microphone ensures that your audio is clear and easy to understand. You can use a shotgun microphone, a lapel microphone, or a USB microphone.
- Tripod: A tripod stabilizes your camera for video shoot and keep it steady. This helps to avoid shaky footage and ensures that your video recording is seamless.
- Lighting: Good lighting ensures your videos are well-lit and easy to see. You can use natural lighting, artificial lighting, or a combination of both, depending on your location and the type of video you film.
- Editing software: After filming your video, you'll need to edit it to make it look professional and engaging. Several editing software options are available, including Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, and iMovie.
- Background and props: Depending on the type of video you're making, you may need some background and props to make your video more engaging and interesting for your viewers. For example, if you're making a cooking video, you may need cooking utensils and ingredients.
While you don't need to spend a lot of money on equipment, investing in a few key items can make a big difference in the quality of your videos.
- Put The Idea Into Action and Create Your Video
The last step is to take all the information and ideas you have gathered and turn them into a real and cohesive video.
Once you record the video, you can edit it to include all the useful information and ensure it flows well. Finally, you can upload the video to your YouTube channel and share it with your audience.
To gain insights into your channel's performance and the performance of individual videos, YouTube analytics is an indispensable tool that you should consult at least twice a month.
Although the dashboard may appear overwhelming initially, key metrics to track include impressions, click-through rate, watch time, average view duration, average percentage viewed, and traffic sources. With these metrics, you can identify what needs to be improved to achieve your goals.
What are the Things to Keep in Mind?
Whether you’re looking to build a successful career in the industry or want to share your passions with the world, it is important to keep certain things in mind to stay grounded and focused.
Here's a list of key considerations every YouTuber should consider.
- Know Your Target Audience
The success of any YouTube channel hinges on its ability to connect with viewers. Researching your target audience and understanding their needs will help you create killer content that resonates with them and keeps them coming back for more.
- Understand Your Brand
As a YouTuber, you are building a personal brand. Understanding what your brand represents, your brand colors, and what sets it apart from other YouTubers in the space is crucial for building a loyal fan base and achieving long-term success.
- Analyze The Trend
The YouTube landscape is constantly evolving, and it is important to stay on top of trends and changes in the industry. You can stay ahead of the curve by analyzing the trends, adapting your content accordingly, and maintaining a competitive edge.
- Visualize Your Success
Have a clear vision of what success looks like for you. Whether reaching a certain number of subscribers, monetizing your content, or simply feeling fulfilled by your work, having a clear goal in mind can help you stay motivated and focused on your journey.
Plan and Outline YouTube videos with Maekersuite
Maekersuite’s AI-powered Title and Outline generator streamlines the script-writing process for YouTube videos. By suggesting titles and outlines, it helps users to create scripts quickly and efficiently. With its free video script template, the Title and Outline Generator tool makes it possible to create video scripts within a matter of minutes.
To use the tool, follow these steps:
Step 1: Begin by typing in a topic for your video and clicking on the Search Results.
Step 2: Next, select the titles that interest you and click on Generate Title From Selection.
Step 3: Choose a topic that appeals to you, and click on Generate Your Outline.
Step 4: Once the tool generates an outline, you can customize it to suit your needs. When you're satisfied, click on Create Project.
Step 5: You’ll be taken to the script section, which will be divided into boxes. Click on any box and use the script generator AI-tool to generate content for that section.
With Maekersuite's simple steps and video script templates, you can create a video script for YouTube in just five minutes.
Putting it all together
Having the steps is just the beginning point, and now you need to commence the planning phase for your content.
The key is to plan your video series like you would a book, chapter by chapter. Your initial timeline should be broken down like a responsibility chart, so you can manage what you're producing and your progress.
At Maekersuite, we offer many tools and resources to help you plan and outline your YouTube videos effectively. From our range of AI tools for YouTube content creation to our expert video editors, we can provide you with the support you need to take your videos to the next level.
So, start planning your YouTube videos for 2023 today and see the difference they can make in your content and engagement. And don't forget to check our other pages for more tips and tricks on content creation and digital marketing.