Questions about our youtube channel

Disclosure: We only recommend products we use, and all opinions expressed here are our own. The links below may contain affiliate links that are no additional cost to you. When you use our links, we may earn some extra beer money, but it won’t be enough for Phil’s ice cream habit or a batch of Stacy’s famous margaritas (recipe here).

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO CREATE A VIDEO?

Videos take much longer than you might think. Our location videos have taken as much as 60 hours to edit. Our how-to videos may be edited quicker (20-30 hours) but can take hours to research and plan.

DO YOU FIND IT DIFFICULT TO ENJOY A PLACE WHILE FILMING?

No, not at all. We look at details we might otherwise miss when we film a location. We want you to feel like you are there with us, so we pay more attention to our surroundings. Anytime we need a break and want to enjoy the moment, the camera stays home.

WHAT IS THE LAG TIME BETWEEN FILMING AND RELEASE ON YOUTUBE?

Our lag time varies a lot! It can be anywhere from a few days to 3 months. It depends on how often we put the camera down as we explore.

HOW DID YOU LEARN TO EDIT VIDEOS?

I learned to edit first through iMovie and then upgraded to Final Cut Pro. I watched (and I still watch) tons of YouTube videos on how to use editing software. I have also watched many videos to help improve my editing skills. I am continually learning and hope to continue to improve.

WHAT COMPUTER DO YOU USE?

I edit on a MacBook Pro 16-inch laptop. It has an Apple M1 max chip with 64 GB of memory. I back up all of my footage on external drives. I have a 64-terabyte external drive for storage and a two-terabyte external drive for current projects. 

WHAT EDITING SOFTWARE DO YOU USE?

I use Final Cut Pro to edit all videos. I also use Canva and Photoshop to edit photos and thumbnails.

Where do you find your music? 🎼

Musicbed is our favorite music source (use our link for a free month) → https://www.musicbed.com/invite/ZaZwi

Epidemic Sound (we also use this platform)→ https://share.epidemicsound.com/a9s2s8

WHAT CAMERA GEAR DO YOU USE?

We exclusively used Phil's iPhone X and a gimbal during our first year. Once we knew we would continue the channel, we started adding to our camera gear. You can see all of our camera gear here. 

DID YOU CREATE YOUR WEBSITE/BLOG, OR DID YOU HIRE SOMEONE?

I created everything myself. It was (and still is) sometimes frustrating and stressful, but thankfully there are many resources to help me through the learning process.

I started our website on GoDaddy but left because it was limited and not user-friendly. From there, I went to Siteground with WordPress. I left those sites for several reasons. First, I felt the integration was far from seamless. The blog and website felt like two separate sites. Second, it was NOT user-friendly. Finally, I was hacked several times, and spam links were embedded into our website. 

Currently, I am using Squarespace, which (so far) is the cheapest option. It offers more features than GoDaddy and Siteground. It is also the easiest to navigate and learn so far!

Hopefully, this is the FINAL website host.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO SOMEONE STARTING A YOUTUBE CHANNEL?

Don't spend a lot of money when you get started. Use your phone and a gimbal for stabilization to find out if you even enjoy it. Some people don't like the process because it takes too much time and energy. I would hate for you to invest much money in something you don't enjoy.

Please don't do it for the money. Youtube is tough; it can take years to earn your first dollar. We pretty much worked for nothing the entire first year.

It takes more time than you think. Planning, editing, recording, social media, and answering questions and comments will take 2 to 4 times what you expect or more. Each of us put in 40-60 hours a week. So be prepared to put in the time if you want your channel to grow.

If you are not having fun, put down the camera. I do this a lot! It becomes a job, and sometimes I need a break from thinking about filming.

Finally, learn, study, and research! Youtube is not always about who has the most perfect video. It is about what thumbnail is the most interesting and who can keep your attention. Spend the money on courses to learn as much as possible from others who have paved the way. It will save you time and money in the long run. I have taken several free and paid courses along the way.