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Blogging on YouTube: Some Reasons For Writers

One interesting way to spread your social media presence is to use video clips via YouTube. YouTube allows you to post and share videos, which most blogging platforms allow you to embed in your posts. Like any social media effort, this takes time. You should consider whether or not the benefits outweigh the amount of your valuable time (which should be used for writing primarily!) creating videos and using them for blogging via YouTube requires.

Benefits of blogging on YouTube for writers:

  • adds visual interest to your website
  • creates a channel to pull in potential readers
  • allows you to rehearse readings
  • maximizes those read-aloud revision passes

Adds visual interest to your website: Images are a plus for a website, breaking up blocks of text and making the page more enjoyable to your reader’s eyes. Embedded clips that she or he can click on are even more enjoyable, providing the benefits of an image while also allowing them to interact with the page by clicking on the player.

Creates a channel to pull in potential readers: When you create an account on YouTube, you are creating a channel for your videos. Other YouTube users can subscribe to your channel. When they mention your videos on their social networks (and surely the clever content you create will make them want to pass it along!), viewers drawn to your channel learn enough about you that (hopefully) they’ll want more, clicking through to your website or seeking out your work to buy.

Allows you to rehearse readings: Most of us don’t do much public performing, and we all know practice makes perfect. Recording yourself reading a piece, which is one of the simplest ways to create content (you could put the audio over still images if you’re shy of showing your face) and listening to the playback is a great way to learn your strengths and weaknesses and find things you should work on for public readings.

Maximizes those read-aloud revision passes: Reading pieces aloud is a vital part of my revision process, and one I urge on those capable of following suit. And if you’re going to be reading aloud anyway, why not get the most for your effort and record it as well?

Here’s a sample video that I did that promoted both Armageddon MUD and a story of mine:

That video is an early (and somewhat mortifying) effort, but it was also pretty easy to do. It was recorded using my computer’s webcam. Nowadays I’d add better editing and titling, at a minimum, but at the time it was cool, particularly since we were the only MUD I know of doing anything like that. Next week, I’ll talk about the basic mechanics of recording for video podcasts via YouTube and the tools you’ll need.

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  1. Pingback: Blogging on YouTube: Some Basics | The World Remains Mysterious
  2. Pingback: Sunday Pleasures #95 « Shanna Germain

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"(On the writing F&SF workshop) Wanted to crow and say thanks: the first story I wrote after taking your class was my very first sale. Coincidence? nah….thanks so much."

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Five Ways to Increase Your Blog Readership

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Remember to include a picture with your blog posts, preferably an entertaining or otherwise memorable one. For one thing, posts can't be pinned on Pinterest unless there is an image.
Those of us living a solitary writing life can sometimes get a little too addicted to Google Analytics. It’s a validation to us if people are reading our blog — and comments are like gold. I freely admit I poke at mine from time to time, trying to figure out what drives numbers up. So here’s five things I’ve noticed that do:

  1. Repeat yourself a little. It’s okay to tweet about the same blog post more than once, but space it out so you know you’re reaching a different group. Not only do I repeat announcements of blog posts, I sometimes go back and remind people about old posts that were particularly noteworthy, like my Pink Hair Manifesto or Three Strategies for Snaring the Senses. Similarly on Sundays, lately I’ve been posting a recap of that week’s activity.
  2. Post or tweet outside your time zone. Apps like Buffer or Hootsuite allow you to queue up posts in advance. I have mine set up to tweet several times during the night because I know that’s a different group accessing my Twitter stream than the ones showing up when I first get online in the morning.
  3. Be responsive. Remember that social media’s a conversation, not a soapbox. “But Cat,” you’re saying, “what about the point just above, where you told me to use some canned tweets?” You don’t always have to respond immediately. But do at some point.
  4. Think hard about titles. Some titles are attention grabbers. Intrigue your reader or tell them why they need to read your piece. For example, one of my most popular posts, which still gets a lot of hits, is Popping Pimples on Paragraphs.
  5. Be consistent. I’ve started using the scheduling function on WordPress to make sure something goes up every day, and if I feel the urge to blog, well then, cool beans, it’s a two (maybe even three) post day, and that’s fine too. A consistent post schedule gives people a reason to visit your blog on a consistent basis.

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Clarion West Write-a-thon Goals

Picture of the advance reading copy of Cat Rambo's Near+Far
I won the Leilani doll in the Locus Awards raffle, and the lei is also a souvenir of that delightful occasion. But the coolest thing received there was the Arc of NEAR+FAR!!
It’s the start of another Clarion West season. As always, it was marked by the Locus Awards, which were a ton of fun and extra cool because they were my first chance to see the ARC (advance reading copy) of the book coming out this September. I’ve been to the house and met most of the students — they all have that glazed, not-sure-what-to-expect look in their eyes. And the Clarion West Write-a-thon is starting. This’ll be the 6th or 7th time I’ve participated in it, I think.

This year I’m using it to spur effort on the urban fantasy novel I’ve been working on, THE EASTER BUNNY MUST DIE! At Rio Hondo, they suggested a new way to begin it, so I’ve got to write that chapter, tweak the existing ones so they fall in line nicely after that, and then take up where I left off, in a grumpy healer’s cavern, confronting the Marlboro Man. Nuff said?

So I must tell you, that should you wish to support me in the Write-a-thon, even if it’s just a buck, you’ll be receiving snippets in the mail that will not be made available to the public – perhaps ever, perhaps not until the book is done. I hope you’ll support me (or perhaps some other fine writer working on Write-a-thon goals) this summer.

Love the Easter Bunny and want to find out what happens next? Support Cat on Patreon in order to have a say in what she writes next, as well as getting other snippets, insights into process, recipes, photos of Taco Cat, chances to ask Cat (or Taco) questions, discounts on and news of new classes, and more? Support her on Patreon.

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