How to Start a YouTube Channel From Scratch

Before uploading your first video, it helps to decide your niche, set up your channel properly, and know whether you'll prioritize Shorts, long-form videos, or both. This guide covers the initial setup and the real first steps specific to YouTube.

Updated: September 26, 2026· 3 min read

YouTube feature and program information verified on September 26, 2026, against sources referencing YouTube/Google's own Help Center documentation (support.google.com/youtube). These features and requirements change frequently — always check the current official documentation before making an important decision.

Starting a YouTube channel involves platform-specific decisions: your channel name and presentation, whether to prioritize Shorts or long-form videos, and how to organize your content from the start. The general video-creation process (hook, script, editing) is the same on any platform — it's explained in how to create social media videos step by step; here we cover what's specific to YouTube.

Choosing a niche and defining your audience

Choose a specific niche before creating the channel — if you're still not sure, the YouTube niches guide covers ideas specific to this platform with their difficulty and audience type. Also define who you're talking to: someone looking to learn something specific, be entertained, or solve a particular doubt changes your content's tone and format.

Setting up the channel: name and presentation

Choose a clear, easy-to-remember channel name, related to your niche when possible.
Fill in the channel description explaining in a few sentences what type of content you'll post and roughly how often.
Upload an intro video or pin a featured video on the channel banner so a new visitor quickly understands what the channel is about.

Content types: Shorts vs. long-form

Format	When it fits best	Reported length
Shorts	Fast discovery, quick ideas, summaries, hooks toward longer content	Up to 3 minutes, vertical or square format
Long-form videos	Full tutorials, analysis, extended entertainment, content monetizable with traditional ads	No fixed upper limit relevant for most channels

You don't need to choose only one of the two formats — many channels combine Shorts (for discovery) with long-form videos (for depth and traditional ad monetization). The Shorts length limit has expanded over time, so check the current figure before assuming a fixed limit.

First ideas and initial organization

Organize your first ideas into themed playlists from the start — it helps both audience navigation and lets YouTube understand what each group of videos is about.
Prioritize publishing on topics you already know well in your first videos, instead of topics that "sound popular" without real knowledge behind them.

First uploads and initial metrics to check

Publish with some consistency from the start and check the basic YouTube Studio metrics on each video: impressions, CTR, and early retention. The full detail of what each metric means and how to interpret them together is covered in how to increase YouTube views and retention.

1
Choose a specific niche and set up the channel
Name, description, and intro video consistent with that niche.
2
Decide whether to start with Shorts, long-form videos, or both
Consider your real production capacity, not just what "seems to work best."
3
Publish your first videos on topics you already know well
Avoid forcing trending topics with no real knowledge behind them.
4
Check impressions, CTR, and retention from your first video
Use that data, not just intuition, to adjust your next content.

Common mistakes

Choosing a niche only because it seems profitable, with no real knowledge or genuine interest to sustain it.
Not organizing content into playlists from the start.
Posting on completely different topics with no thread connecting them.
Ignoring your first videos' metrics and going only by intuition.

Frequently asked questions

Should I start with Shorts or long-form videos?

It depends on your production capacity and niche — Shorts tend to help more with initial discovery, while long-form videos allow more depth and traditional ad monetization. Many channels combine both.

How long should a Shorts video be on YouTube?

The Shorts length limit has expanded over time (up to 3 minutes at the time this guide was verified) — check the current figure in YouTube's official documentation before planning content close to that limit.