This already makes me not want to look.

"I have no idea what I am doing but click this link".

God I hate YouTube so much

@hellbound: You don't have to watch it, I just need some general advice when it comes to Youtube videos. It's my first shot at this so I need some advice.

Pretty bland intro. Sounds like a high school class where you're forced to introduce yourself. Obviously it's gonna take practice but everything you're saying sounds super rehearsed (which I don't blame you for, talking while gaming is hard as shit). Also, you gotta have some kind of gimmick or something that makes your channel different than every other lets play channel. It's a pretty competitive market these days, you gotta have something that separates you from the rest of the pack.

The first minute was tough to watch. (if anyone was going to care who you are, you've either already lost them or wasted the time hooking them by being really dry and self promotional). After that though, well...actually the second and third minutes were also rough. Then you finished with a promo moment defined by an annoying loop from a popular, if arguably relative, song.

Love me some Spelunky though, so you've got that going.

@tsutohiro: Thanks for the feedback! Anything in particular you found rough about the last 2 minutes?

You sound confident, which is a start. The intro isn't bad (it could use a little work), I think you'll find the perfect intro if you keep practicing.

@captain_clayman: Thanks. Yeah it was kinda tough, I'll try sounding a little less robotic in my next video.

I've tried thinking of a gimmick, nothing has really come to mind that other people haven't done yet, but I'll keep trying.

Sent feedback via Youtube

@nekusakuraba: Minute 1 is like being forced to read a youtubers profile. Minute 2 is a minute too much. Minute 3 is what minute 1 should've been. And again, Hotline Miami's soundtrack is amazing, but you chose the worst part to loop...for what you produced anyway. I also feel like this is in "promo spam" territory, so don't be surprised if it gets locked.

Good-luck duder.

As someone that has their own YouTube account (of which I debate posting the link to since I don't want to be accused as advertising, but on the other hand it would give you examples), I've learned a lot of lessons. I'll go over them based on my experience and your video.

1. As mentioned, your intro is bland and generic. I've battled with this, as I thought intros were "cool." I've discovered that a quick splash of text to set up what you're doing does the job just fine. It doesn't need to be fancy.

2. Addressing the audience, in my experience, never works. To me, it always sounds forced and corny. The "Hey, everybody, it's _____" is very played out and just kind of annoying. I'm not trying to be harsh because seemingly everybody does it. It may just be me, but I hate it. Use the splash of text, as stated above, to set the video up. Also try to avoid things like "you guys" and the like, as it's kind of the same thing. I know it can be difficult. I've done it, too.

3. Edit your videos. No one knows that you aren't playing live. A lot of my videos have edits for humor (I will edit in something funny, something that people seem to enjoy), but I also edit things out that aren't funny.. Since it isn't a livestream, edit parts out that don't work and re-record them. No one will know but you. Make sure the edits are natural and not noticeable.

4. I didn't watch your video all the way through, but find a direct focus for your videos. Are they meant to be funny, informative, etc.? If they're meant to be funny, make sure they are a kind of funny that they can't find anywhere else. If they're meant to be informative, make sure there's information that can't be found anywhere else (which is nearly impossible I imagine).

I feel bad for doing this, but I'm going to show you my YouTube page so you can see some examples. I've been doing it for a few years now, and you can see how I've changed, adapted, experimented, etc. over the years. (notice the one time I attempted an intro in my BioShock video... yeah...) Feel free to ignore this as I don't want to give the impression that I'm plugging my channel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/RantasticProductions

If you have any questions, feel free to PM me either on here or on YouTube and I'll help you out. Although I'm not really some kind of YouTube God, I do have a little bit of experience. I have just under 700 subscribers and never once did I do anything fancy.

@tsutohiro: eh it's fine. At least it's relevant and he's asking for legitimate feedback, not some random person from the internet starting a thread to say HEY GUYS I MADE THIS VIDEO LIKE AND SUBSCRIBE THANKS

@nekusakuraba: It's a good start and the production quality is pretty decent for a first video. I think you tend to be a little too chatty (especially about yourself), so I would keep that to a minimum - the audience isn't necessarily interested in you but they are interested in the content you produce. Try to keep that chatter down to a minimum unless it is on topic (in this case gaming and the specific game you are playing). Other than that, I think you're doing a good job. Keep it up!

In my years of watching and making some minor YouTube vids I've picked up on some things that a lot of the more popular channels do that tend to generate a more entertaining and professional production. Here's what I've noticed:

• Have character: You need to positively engage your audience - the last thing anyone wants to hear is someone mumbling on camera or just listing off bullet points about something without any personal inflection or commentary. Try to keep it interesting, not just a "by the numbers" style video. For example the reason why someone like TotalBiscuit is one of the biggest gaming channels on YouTube is because he has a very likable personality and engaging content - not because he does just does gaming videos. Don't try to be funny, don't be gimmicky (unless that is what you are specifically going for) - just try to be natural.
• Be unique: Lets face it, everyone with a camera at one point has probably posted something to YouTube so if you want to stand out you need have content that they can't find anywhere else. Whether that be personality, visual style, or just doing something that not many other channels do, it needs to be something that makes you stand out.
• Keep it short and sweet: Very few people have the time or attention span to sit through a 30+ minute video, so there is definitely something to be said about keeping everything within a specific time limit (no more than 20ish, probably closer to 10 or 15 minutes or less). Remember you can always make a "part 2" video.
• Stay on topic: Like the time limit mention above, you really need to stay on topic. Going off on minor rants/tangents are okay in limited doses, but its not something you want to be going regularly or for any real length of time unless you have a really good reason to.
• Have talking points: When it comes to making high quality videos and such, you need to have specific talking points to hit and a general idea of what you want to do. Most of the seemingly random videos you see online are usually wrote and re-wrote to hell and back until the finial outline of the video is setup, and then that too is edited down to only the best content.
• Have content: Before you start going out and pimping your channel online and asking for subs, make sure you actually have some content beforehand. Nobody is going to sub to someone who only has one or two videos up that are introducing the channel - don't start asking for subs or things like that until you have a few videos out (maybe 10 or so) and have some solid feedback.
• Don't feed the trolls: People are going to call you out and give you shit on YouTube. Whether you deserve it or not, its going to happen so just take it in stride and try not to let them get to you. That being said, listen to constructive criticism and try to learn from mistakes.
• Don't expect the world: As mentioned about there are tons of channels on YouTube and lots of people with years and years of experience making videos with tons of subs as a result. The thing that nobody tells you is that it takes a LOOOOONNGG time to get to up and running. Don't expect to get hundreds of subs. Don't expect to get hundreds of views. Don't expect to start making money on YouTube, and if you do make money don't expect to be pulling in anything sizable. Don't expect to get "YouTube famous" either because the chances of any of those things happening are slim, especially to an up-and-coming gaming/lets play channel.
  Making YouTube videos is meant to be fun - the second you aren't doing it for fun is the time when you should stop, or at least hold off for awhile. It's a lot of work (especially if you want to make professional quality videos) and you are also opening yourself up to getting ripped apart by the internet at large, so try not to let that get you down. Keep up the good work.

Full disclosure, I have no Let's Play channel. I watch a very select few, and I guess my advice would be: Don't play Spelunky, dude. Play some really obscure shit. People come to watch the game and stick around for the personality, and honestly there are SO MANY Spelunky, Binding of Isaac, Minecraft, COD etc. Let's Plays out there that you're going to get lost in the ocean of shit. Play Clayfighter, or Seaman, or Mischief Makers or something. Your "gimmick" could be as simple as not playing the same shit every other Youtuber plays

The audio seems fine and your video has 720p and 1080p options, so you're already off to a good start.

Like most products and services, you're going to need a unique selling point. With how incredibly saturated the "dudes on youtube talking over video-games" market is, it's going to be very difficult just to skirt by on being a pleasant person. Play some unusual games, play them in an unusual way, basically do something to make it eye-catching. And make sure to guest in lots of other Let's Player's videos, so that audiences can get a sample of you and maybe be pulled over.

Before I made animations, I tried to make it happen as a Let's Player. I went above and beyond most; buying a bunch of nice equipment, putting my content out there on forums and messageboards, keeping a schedule, chopping the boring parts out of the video, I even had a unique premise (only playing games with a single life). After several months, I had about 20 subscribers and got about 15 views per video. It was a hugely depressing period for me, and i'm glad I jumped ship when I did. I hope this doesn't deter you from giving it a shot, but just be aware that it takes a lot of effort and a lot of luck to be up there with the best. I wish you the best with it.

@mb: Or they are just getting clever now a days about it.

I guess variety at the very least?

@lackingsaint: @bones8677: @quid_pro_bono: @stonyman65: Thanks for all the advice. I'll try to play something a bit more unique than Spelunky next time, I guess I should still do the let's play of it though since that's what I promised, but I'll make my next one more original.

And I'm sorry to anyone who thinks I'm trying to promote myself, definetly didn't want it to come off that way. Feel free to totally ignore my video/channel, general advice on Let's Plays are equally as helpful!

First thing I noticed are the graphics you used. They look unprofessional... it shouldn't matter, but putting some stock text over a grey gradient just looks bad.