List of Common YouTuber Mistakes
A list of common YouTuber mistakes. I compiled this list because I want to return to making videos, but needed to keep these issues in mind to avoid making basic mistakes and looking like an amateur.
- Saying “uh”, “um”, “like”, and other filler words excessively
- Rambling without a script or outline
- Taking too long to get to the point
- Poor audio quality
- Recording with the microphone too far away
- Background noise in recordings
- Echoey or reverberant rooms
- Audio levels that are too quiet or too loud
- Distorted/clipping audio
- Inconsistent audio volume between clips
- Bad lighting
- Strong backlighting that silhouettes the subject
- Mixed lighting colors
- Grainy footage from low light
- Overexposed or underexposed video
- Leaving autofocus enabled
- Out-of-focus footage
- Shaky handheld footage
- Crooked horizons
- Dirty camera lens
- Recording in low resolution
- Wrong frame rate settings
- Too much empty space above the head
- Distracting backgrounds
- Looking at the screen instead of the lens
- Poor eye contact with the camera
- Monotone delivery
- Speaking too fast
- Speaking too slowly
- Lack of enthusiasm or energy
- Reading directly from notes
- Excessive jump cuts
- No B-roll
- Using irrelevant B-roll
- Overusing zooms and effects
- Overusing transitions
- Overusing stock footage
- Text that is too small to read
- Cluttered on-screen graphics
- Inconsistent branding
- Long intros
- Long logo animations
- Asking for likes and subscribes too early
- Weak opening hook
- No clear structure
- Repeating the same point multiple times
- Leaving mistakes in the final edit
- Not cutting pauses and dead air
- Poor pacing
- Overly long videos
- Clickbait titles that disappoint viewers
- Boring thumbnails
- Cluttered thumbnails
- Tiny unreadable thumbnail text
- Misleading thumbnails
- Generic video titles
- Ignoring SEO basics
- Not adding captions or subtitles
- Not checking footage before ending a shoot
- Forgetting to record backup audio
- Not backing up footage
- Inconsistent upload schedule
- Ignoring audience retention data
- Ignoring viewer feedback
- Ending videos abruptly
- No clear call to action at the end
- Not testing equipment before recording
- Battery or storage failures during filming
- Wearing noisy clothing or jewelry
- Recording with fans, AC units, or appliances running
- Poor color correction or white balance
- Over-sharpened or over-processed footage
- Recording vertically when intending a horizontal video
- Recording horizontally when intending a vertical short
- Not matching camera and microphone settings between shoots
- Publishing without reviewing the final export
- Exporting at the wrong bitrate or quality settings
- Using copyrighted music without permission
- Talking over important visuals
- Showing cluttered desktop screens during screen recordings
- Leaving notifications visible during recording
- Trying to sound perfect instead of sounding natural