How to Start a YouTube Cooking Channel

This blog post is going to walk you step by step through the process of creating your own cooking channel.

Food Channel Niches on YouTube

One of the most important first steps of creating your own quality videos on YouTube is to find your niche. Most of the successful channels on YouTube have an overall topic idea for their channel. This will help you attract the people who will be into your content and will continually return to watch your food content. 

Knowing your niche will also help you come up with video ideas. You will be able to plan everything ahead, giving you ample time to create the actual video you will upload to the platform.

• Skill Level

  One of the best things about YouTube is that you are likely better than a good number of people at something. Whether you choose to create beginner, intermediate, or experienced content, you will be able to increase your audience retention by explaining exactly who the content is for upfront. You can further this down by creating a channel for kids, showing proper plating techniques, and more. 

• Type of Food

  Both food bloggers and popular cooking channels know that if you focus on a specific culture of food, you are likely to improve in that area. Whether you choose to make Korean recipes, create Australia-inspired cakes, or show off your skills as a British chef, you will be able to connect with your audience over their beloved food. 

• Specific Group

  Consider creating themed recipes for a specific type of person. Whether you decide to create a food blog for busy mothers, frat boys, athletes, or even pet food, knowing your target audience will help you find them elsewhere online and funnel them back to your channel videos. 

• unique Food

  You can also create a video per week about a specific kind of food, such as party food, dishes you can cook in your dorm, meals from things that you can purchase for under 10 dollars, etc. This combines with the specific group niche could help you find an audience who is willing to grow with your channel. 

• Food Reviews

  Whether you are keeping up with food trends, tasting snacks from around the world, or are counting down your secret food wishes, reviewing food on your channel can be a fun and easy way to create content. You can also side-step and review baking tools and other kitchen products.

Skills You Need to Create a Cooking Channel on YouTube

In order to create a successful cooking channel on YouTube, there are a few skills you will need. Not only will you have to continue to find fresh ideas for new content on a weekly basis, but you need to engage with your community to keep them coming back to learn more from you. 

If you don’t already have the following skills, work toward improving them:

1. Videography and Editing

   While you can start small, it will be important for you to increase your skill in both taking videos and editing. Gone are the days when people would still check out your video even if the lighting was slightly off. Make sure you put your best foot forward from the very beginning. Even so, you are likely to see a massive improvement in your channel’s quality over the first year. 

2. Creative Thinking When Creating Recipes

   There are many ways to make something delicious without having to follow any specific recipe. But if you want to become known as someone who creates great food videos, then you’ll need to know which ingredients go together best and why.

3. Knowledge of Nutrition Facts

   You should have a base knowledge of nutrition facts and health benefits associated with different foods. For example, knowing whether certain fruits contain too much sugar or fat. Mentioning these tidbits from time to time will help people connect with you and see additional value in your content. 

4. Time Management Skills

   When you are first starting out, every aspect of creating your video will take longer. Make sure that you learn how to balance everything else around making sure you can produce quality content every week.

5. A Good Sense of Humor

   Once you have decided on your business plan, you’ll need to get all the necessary equipment and supplies People love watching funny videos! If you’re not naturally funny, try practicing some stand-up comedy routines before shooting your next video. It might seem silly at first, but once you get comfortable doing it, you may discover that you enjoy sharing jokes about what you cook.

6. An Understanding of Social Media Marketing

   This is an area where most channels fail because they do not understand their audience. They think that just posting a link to their latest creation will bring viewers into their channel. You can often grow much faster by funneling in viewers from other social platforms.

7. Understanding Video SEO

   In short, SEO helps search engines like Google identify your channel and rank it higher than others. By using keywords correctly, you can ensure that your videos appear near the top of searches related to your niche. Understanding video SEO will help you rank better on YouTube as well. 

How to Create Cooking Content for YouTube

Once you have honed your skills, you will be ready to create new content for YouTube. One of the most important aspects of your channel will be your ability to come up with fresh content ideas. Here are a few ways you can find inspiration:

1. Watch Other Food Channels

   Some of the biggest names in the industry started out as amateurs. So don’t feel bad if you aren’t able to come up with original ideas right away. Just keep watching until you spot one that inspires you.

2. Read Foodie Blogs

   Blogs offer another way to gain insight into popular topics within your field. Many bloggers post weekly updates detailing their experiences while working on new recipes. These posts usually include links to articles written by experts in the same space.

3. Follow Food Influencers

   Influencer marketing is becoming more common among brands looking to reach consumers directly. Find influential chefs and watch their feeds closely. Pay attention to what types of dishes they feature and how they present themselves. Then look for opportunities to collaborate with them in the future. 

How to Film Cooking Content for Your YouTube Channel

Once you have inspiration for your channel, you will need to take the time to create your own content, ultimately ending in filming and editing it before uploading it to YouTube. 

1. Find or Create a Fresh Recipe

   If you are planning to create a recipe video, you will need to find or create a new recipe. If you want to use someone else’s recipe, make sure you reach out to them and ask for permission. Other food channels and bloggers are generally happy to work with you as long as you are willing to attribute them for their work. 

2. Plan Out Your Content

   Once you have decided on your overall content idea, write out your overall script for your video. If you want to have different shots or angles during the video, mark down the places so that you remember to film it. 

3. Set Up Equipment

   While you don’t need to spend a lot of money on equipment, you should make sure that you can create decent videos with the items you have. Learn to set up your lighting and play with angles until you find unique and aesthetically pleasing shots. 

4. Film Your Video

   It is finally time to start video production. Film your video in as many takes as you need to create quality content. Many YouTubers will block out several hours in order to film a single video. Make sure to frequently check that things remain in focus and are well lit. 

5. Edit Your Video

   You don’t need expensive software in order to create a valuable video. Practice with free video editing software until you make enough money to purchase a professional version. Create a video intro to give your video a personal touch.  

6. Upload Your Video to YouTube

   When you are finished with editing your videos, you will need to upload your original content to YouTube. Create an inviting thumbnail to attract new viewers to your channel. 

Tips on How to Further Grow Your Brand

To turn your brand into a profitable career, it is always a good idea to side-step into other ways of generating income, even if you do go viral after a popular video on your YouTube channel. Here are a few food business ideas you can try:

• Create a Blog

  Whether you are a self-taught chef or create Instagram-able cakes, if you have a passion for recipe creation and culinary skills, you can create a blog. If you have a high subscriber count on your YouTube channel, you will be able to redirect them to the site by posting the recipes you cover. 

• Write a Cookbook

  If you love to create recipes, you may be able to write a cookbook. Not only could you include the food trends you started on your channel, but you could add approachable cooking tutorials. 

• Design Aprons and Merch

  Once you have made it big in your cooking career, you may be able to make merchandise to sell to your fans. Many YouTube subscribers love to support their favorite creators by purchasing branded items. 

• Create a Community

  You can also build a community on Discord, Patreon, or another social platform. This may open up new opportunities for growth or collaboration. 

General Tips to Growing a YouTube Channel

While these tips aren’t exclusive to the cooking community, they are universally useful regardless of the type of channel you plan to create. Here are a few tips you can use:

• Post at Least Once Per Week

  The YouTube algorithm favors channels that post at least once per week.  In fact, if you follow your analytics, you may find that your rankings drop when you reach the 7-day mark from your last video. For that reason, try to schedule your videos for no more than a week apart. In fact, it is a good idea to work ahead of schedule so that you are a couple of videos ahead in case you need to take a week off. 

• Study Keywords and Search Results

  Try to create content based on popular searches. While there are valuable tools to help you with this, you can also type in 2-3 words about your genre to what is commonly being searched for (it will appear below your words in the search bar). Make a list of possible ideas, then research what is working well for others. 

• Choose a Strong Title

  Not only should your title entice people to click on your video, but it should also be optimized for YouTube searches. You will want to choose strong keywords so that those interested in watching your genre of content will be able to find your video. Using a tool like TubeBuddy can help you with both your SEO and your video titles. 

• Create an Attractive Thumbnail

  Your best bet for early views is to be showcased in the sidebar as “similar content” to the video someone is currently watching. For this reason, you will want to create thumbnails that stand out to earn that click. You can use a YouTube Thumbnail maker on a platform such as Snappa to help you create thumbnails that will have strong appeal. 

• Fill Out Your Descriptions

  Take your time when writing out your descriptions. Use strong keywords and descriptive language to help YouTube find an audience for it. Add links to important parts of the video, to your socials, and to any online marketplaces that you may run. 

• Comment On Your Video

  While this may sound silly, commenting on your videos will send some signals to YouTube. You should also favorite the comment and pin it to your channel. 

• Promote Video on Socials

  Don’t forget to promote your video on social media. Use appropriate hashtags to find a few more interested viewers who may watch it. Don’t neglect to grow your social media outside of YouTube as they can all connect to each other over time. 

Similar Work at Home Jobs

Some similar work-at-home jobs to being a personal chef may include the following:

Home Baker

Learn More

Home bakers create food products in their kitchens and sell them on the side or at farmer’s markets. Depending on cottage food laws in their area, they may also be able to sell to local coffee shops. Some home bakers are also caterers. They are using their knowledge of cooking to create a business to make extra money. Most home bakers serve baked goods that are fresh, homemade, and healthy. If local laws allow, some may sell their baked goods online to other places within their state.

Skills Needed

• Baking
• Creativity and innovation
• Cottage Food Laws

Personal Chef

Learn More

A personal chef cooks for the benefit of one or more individuals, typically in their home. They may also make meals to freeze and store for later consumption to be reheated in a conventional or microwave oven. These professionals will typically cook special meals for a client based on their specific dietary needs or preferences, or may take over all meals for the household. The number of meals prepared each day varies according to the clients’ preferences and the time of the day. Meals for the next day are often organized and prepared in advance.

Skills Needed

• Attention to detail
• Good cook and baker
• Self management

YouTube Cooking Channel

Learn More

YouTube is a video-sharing website, where members of the site can upload their videos. If you are passionate about baking, you can create a YouTube channel that will share recipes, baking tips, and more. These channels are a great way to share your love of cooking with others. While it takes a while to get a YouTube channel going (as you need to draw in new viewers), when you get enough traction, you can earn passive income on your old videos while continuing to create new content for your viewers.

Skills Needed

• Cooking and baking
• Filming and editing
• TV Personality