Johannes Börnsen stands in his workshop in a checked flannel shirt and measures a Eurobox. Then he cuts wood, you can hear the circular saw. The do-it-yourselfer builds a laundry basket shelf out of boards, glue and two Euro boxes.
YouTube users can watch him do it. The almost five-minute video is accompanied by music that makes you want to lend a hand yourself.
On his YouTube channel, Johannes Börnsen publishes videos for woodworkers, joiners, joiners, carpenters and everyone else who enjoys doing handicrafts. He also shows how you can plan your own projects with the Sketchup software. Börnsen also works as a video producer for “heise online” and the computer magazine “c’t”.
Be authentic on YouTube
“I actually only started my own channel as an experimental field in order to be able to try out new video formats,” explains Börnsen. “I’ve seen that there are a growing number of do-it-yourselfers to whom I can impart my Sketchup knowledge, and that there is a niche there.” He also learned a lot himself from tutorials from other YouTubers.
Johannes Börnsen’s YouTube videos are sometimes viewed by several thousand users
Source: dpa-tmn / Catherine Waibel
Börnsen particularly appreciates the exchange with viewers. “I move in a very small niche with my channel,” says the YouTuber.
“Like me, my followers are interested in DIY topics.” He’s already met a lot of nice people. In addition, the community is always an incentive for him to deal with new topics relating to woodworking.
Question to the hobby YouTuber: What does a channel have to offer in order to have a certain degree of success on the platform? Personally, stock exchanges like videos and channels that are authentic. According to the video producer, content that somehow looks natural and real is currently experiencing a wedding on YouTube. So nobody has to hide the fact that he or she is technically not perfectly equipped.
How professional should a YouTube video be that attracts interested people? “Current cell phone cameras are perfectly adequate for filming many clips,” says Johannes Börnsen. Depending on the content, filming with the mobile phone is often even made a concept.
“There are channels that live from this mobile phone look and feel.” For example, when a mobile phone is being filmed outdoors in motion, it often fits the content very well. “The main thing is that the content and style go together.”
Know your YouTube viewers
The content – also called content – is of course at least as important as the design. And the target group has to be clear.
Laura Lewandowski is co-founder and host of the Meet Your Mentor interview format on YouTube. Entrepreneurs are asked about their personal recipes for success. One focus is on the aspect of mental health.
The target group are young, often well-trained entrepreneurs who are motivated to work hard for their success – but who may not have really thought about the connection between success and health. “We want to bring them closer to what should be of interest to them,” says Lewandowski.
But how do you do that? “To do this, we regularly ask ourselves what the pain points of our specific target group are, what they yearn for, what is important to them, what they want to know, what reality they are in, how they would like to be addressed,” says Lewandowski.
Your own interest always remains the compass for the topics for the channel. Means: You should be very interested in your own content.
Video editing is no longer that difficult
Johannes Börnsen also has practical tips ready: “With a lot of beginners I see that they make very long videos because they don’t manage to get to the point. That’s why I would advise everyone to cut. That actually always makes films better. ”First you can tell what you want to tell – and then cut it down to the important statements.
The video expert knows that cutting on the PC is quite a hurdle for many. There are now many good video editing apps for mobile devices as well. iMovie, for example, is free for iPhone owners.
In terms of operation, it is relatively easy to understand, says Börnsen. If you want more freedom, you can get the more extensively equipped Lumafusion app for around 30 euros in the App Store.
“If you use Lumafusion on the iPad, it is almost fully-fledged editing software that is in almost no way inferior to PC editing,” says Börnsen. Even beginners can easily manage the important shortening of video content. The clips can thus be cut on the mobile phone and uploaded directly to YouTube. You don’t have to leave the smartphone system anymore.
YouTube for beginners: There are even good programs for cutting videos on smartphones
Source: dpa-tmn / Catherine Waibel
The sound makes the YouTube video
The sound quality looks a little different. In contrast to the cameras, the microphones built into the cell phones are often technically not very good, says the expert. “In this respect, my tip for beginners would be to look for a better sound.”
Börnsen recommends a microphone especially for the production of clips in which there is a lot of talk. That is the very first thing to buy. When filming indoors, you may also want to consider purchasing a lamp – for example a key light or ring light. Both lighting and microphone are available in good quality from around 40 euros.
Börnsen says his own videos have become looser and less serious over time. “In addition to my tutorials, there are now videos on my channel where I just build things. Nice pictures with nice music, more something to switch off, not necessarily to imitate. I particularly enjoy them, but they also make a lot more work. ”
The construction of the laundry basket shelf is one such video. And indeed: you like to watch the stock exchange.
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