I get it. Maybe you want to be a hugely successful blogger in your niche. Maybe you want to be behind one of the most popular channels on YouTube. Maybe you want to start a podcast that skyrockets to the top of the iTunes charts. Maybe you dream of fame and fortune and all the glories that come with the territory.
But you have humble means, a humble budget, and decidedly humble equipment.
How Can I Compete?
You take a look at some of the biggest channels at YouTube and you are astounded by the production value. You see the remarkably dramatic shots taken with expensive drones. You see the amazing cinematography or you’re truly impressed by all the after effects. You assume that you have to invest thousands of dollars in the best camera with the best lens, paired with the best microphone attached to the best audio recorder. And then you need the best computer to process all of that amazing 4K footage.
So, you get frozen. You assume that because you don’t have an expensive digital SLR, because you don’t have a drone and because you don’t have a high-end computer to do all your video editing that you’ll never be able to get on their level? What’s the point if your video doesn’t have the same kind of polish as Casey Neistat or Pewdiepie or Wong Fu Productions?
But there is a point. The point is that, more likely than not, your first effort is probably not going to attract the millions of views that you had hoped for. Your first ebook isn’t going to skyrocket to the top of the Amazon best seller list and your first podcast won’t suddenly have you become the talk of the Internet. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start.
Indeed, if anything, it means that you should start. And you should start right now.
In Theory or in Practice?
If you start right now, you can learn a heck of lot more from your own personal experience that you’ll ever be able to learn researching all the infinite possibilities. If you start right now, you can start building up your audience based on the real substance that you are bringing to the table and not the added polish that a $5,000 camera might bring or that some fancy special effects might deliver.
Quality content is quality content, even if it is only shot on your smartphone or on a cheap point-and-shoot. Some of the best podcasts started out with rather humble microphones attached to rather humble computers. It doesn’t matter if you want to be a superstar in blogging, vlogging, podcasting, social media, ebook writing, or practically anything else. The most important thing is to get started.
Start producing. Create something. Put something out there in the world and see what people like (and what they don’t like). Adjust your content strategy based on the feedback that you get and leverage the experience that you gain along the way. Everyone has to start somewhere. But first, you have to start.
Learning Is Not Enough
Some time back, John posted up a video explaining how learning is not doing. It doesn’t matter how many manuals you read, how many instructional videos you watch, how many online courses you follow. If you don’t actually hop onto that seat and start pedaling, you’ll never know how to ride a bike. It is better to try and fail than to be stuck in the limbo of thinking you know but never taking any action.
Because the truth of the matter is that you’ll need to adjust and adapt along the way anyway and the only way you can do that is if you’re already on the track. If you’re frozen at the start line, even the slowest, most pathetic tortoise is going to be miles ahead of you.
So, start now. And once you start, you can get better. And when you get better and grow your audience, then you can invest in fancier equipment to elevate your game further. You can’t see what’s beyond the foggy distance until you get there anyhow.