How to Overcome The Fear of Starting a YouTube Channel

Fear is an emotion that can help keep you safe from real danger, but it can also paralyze you and keep you from achieving your goals. 

If you’ve been wanting to create videos—whether as a hobby or for business—but the fear of starting a YouTube channel has kept you from taking action, I’m here to tell you that you can CRUSH those fears. I know this because I had many of the same fears that most people have when it comes to being on camera, and yet now I’ve grown my channel to over 50k subscribers and my business has grown to six figures!  

Today we’re going to talk about:

• 7 common fears that people have when considering starting a YouTube channel
• 5 ways to crush your fear of starting a YouTube channel so that you can get your very first video up on YouTube ASAP!

Check out the video or read the post below for a summary of everything I discuss.

(This post contains affiliate links, which means—at zero cost to you—I will earn a small commission if you click through and make a purchase. Thank you for your support!)

What’s Your Motivation For Starting A YouTube Channel? 

Before we talk about what might be stopping you from starting a YouTube channel, let’s discuss why you want to start one in the first place. Creating YouTube videos is something you can do as: 

• a hobby 
• a form of creative expression
• a way to generate income

Personally, I’m partial to using YouTube as a business tool. Creating videos is an absolutely fabulous way to connect with your target audience and grow your business.

Additionally, YouTube is a GIANT among the other social platforms when it comes to opening up other income streams for you. However, your fear of creating video might be preventing you from becoming one of the biggest video success stories! 

7 Common Fears Content Creators Face When They’re Considering Starting a YouTube Channel

When I first started out I definitely had some trepidation. To begin with, I absolutely hate being in the spotlight. As an introvert who suffers from intermittent social anxiety, my fear of video often made me feel as if I had trouble expressing my thoughts clearly. This made me feel inarticulate and unintelligent.  

I also worried that I lacked the charisma or the “right” personality necessary to create awesome videos. I was able to overcome these limiting beliefs, however, and I’m confident you’ll be able to work through them as well!

Let’s talk about some of the most common fears out there so that we can turn around and kick them in the face.

1. What If People I Know Find Out?

Let’s just assume that people you know will find out about your channel. Your close friends, your family, your work colleagues, and even those college or high school pals you still keep in touch with on Facebook may find out at some point. The big question then becomes, so what?

While most people who care about you will be supportive of your efforts, you’ll have to be willing to stand up for your own decisions to those who don’t. If you’re doing something that brings you even an ounce of joy (and you’re not hurting anyone else), it’s your right to go ahead and do that thing. All outside opinions be damned! 

You need to ask yourself whether you’re here to live your own life or someone else’s? At the end of the day, you’re much more likely to regret the things you didn’t try versus the ones you did.

2. I’m Not ____ Enough / I’m Too ____

This fear is one I totally relate to. Just fill in the blank.

Some examples are:

• I’m not attractive enough
• I’m not charming enough
• I’m not extroverted enough
• I’m too shy
• I’m too socially anxious
• I’m too introverted

When I first started making videos, nothing about being on camera felt natural to me. Once the camera started rolling, I couldn’t remember what I wanted to say. I felt that I wasn’t animated enough, I spoke too slowly, and I had no charisma. I also absolutely hated the sound of my own voice!

All of these things are, of course, limiting beliefs. You are your own worst critic, and picking yourself apart only amplifies those perceived flaws in your mind. The funny thing is, most of the things you’re criticizing yourself for are things other people might not notice. 

One really cool thing that might even happen is that those things you perceive as flaws may actually become defining characteristics that work in your favor. For example, I am pleasantly surprised by how many people give me compliments on my calm demeanor. Many people appreciate that I don’t speak quickly or get overly animated. My calm voice (yes, the same one I was worried about sounding uncharismatic!) is the same one that people prefer over some of my competitors.

Whatever your vibe is, chances are that someone out there is going to resonate with your personality, so just be you.

3. What If I’m Scared to Be on Camera? 

Fear of being on video is another emotion I totally get. I have never loved being in front of the camera (yup, I’m one of those people who always makes a face when the camera is pointed in my direction).

Here are three things you can try to help you overcome your camera shyness. 

1. Remind yourself why people are watching your video. If someone is watching your video, they’re looking for information, entertainment, or inspiration.  Taking the focus off of you and placing it on what you’re offering your viewers can help relieve some of the pressure. 

2. Speak to an audience of one. While you’re creating content with your audience in mind, when it comes to presenting it, pretend that you’re speaking to a close friend or family member rather than to a whole group. This can help reduce your anxiety of being in front of a lot of people (even if it is virtually).

3. Make videos without being on camera. If you still can’t bring yourself to be in front of a camera, don’t sweat it. There are plenty of successful channels where the creator never shows their face. Obviously this works better for some content than others but you can still have a successful channel without appearing in person. 

4. What If I Look Stupid Or Embarrass Myself? 

Most content creators will tell you that they still cringe to see their first video, listen to their first podcast, or read their first blog post—I know I do! Once you come to peace with the fact that there’s a good chance you’re going to embarrass yourself at one point or another, it doesn’t seem so bad. It’s actually part of the learning process. 

5. What If My Videos Suck?

Let me emphasize the point again that your videos will suck at first! Unless you’re a highly skilled cinematographer with amazing cameras and a background in filmmaking, your first few videos will suck….and that’s OK! 

Don’t believe me? Try this.

Go to your favorite YouTuber’s account, sort the videos from oldest to newest, and check out their first videos.

You’ll probably be shocked at how amateur they look or how awkward they first appeared on camera. Instead of quitting, your favorite YouTuber focused instead on creating consistent content over time, which is how they got better. You can fully expect to have a similar trajectory if you keep going.

When I started, I gave myself permission to suck for the first 100 videos, which completely took the pressure off. I wasn’t trying to get things perfect because it was just a given that I was in the “suck” phase. I simply carried on creating consistent content knowing that I’d get better over time.

6. What If I Pick The Wrong Niche?

When you first start creating content you’ll be experimenting with a broader array of topics. As time goes on, you’ll be able to see which topics are getting the most love from your target audience. Those are the ones you should double-down on.  

The most important thing is to JUST GET STARTED! Your target audience will tell you what they want to see through their engagement and feedback. 

Take a peek back at your favorite YouTuber’s first videos. He/she more than likely talked about some topics they no longer discuss. That’s because their audience helped them refine their content along the way. 

“You don’t need to see the whole staircase, you just have to see the first step.”

— Martin Luther King Jr.

7. What If People Leave Hateful Comments? 

We all know the YouTube comments section can be a bit of a cesspool at times. Any content creator (including me) has been the target of hurtful comments. They never feel good. 

While we can’t control what other people say or do, we can control where we place our own power, focus, and energy. You really need to question the mental health of those who leave hateful comments on a stranger’s piece of content. They are using their own time and energy to try and hurt someone else. 

While you can’t control their reasons, you can choose not to give your power away to them. Those comments are never a reflection of you, but rather reflect the commenter’s own pain and mental state. 

While constructive criticism can be useful, comments designed to hurt you don’t deserve one ounce of your precious energy. 

What These 7 Fears Have in Common

Have you noticed anything about all of the fears I just went through? All of these fears basically boil down into one overarching fear…WHAT WILL PEOPLE THINK?

The need to be liked is a completely natural instinct. Humans were born to be social. In fact, back in the days of cavemen, being liked and accepted by a tribe was literally a matter of life and death. 

While the need to be liked might not come down to life and death in the present day, we still have an inherent need to be liked and tend to avoid anything that might cause us embarrassment or ridicule. 

Let’s discuss 5 ways to crush your fear so that you can launch your YouTube channel. 

5 Tips To Crush Your Fear of Starting a YouTube Channel

1. Connect with Your Why

Just like anything else in life, if you don’t have a reason for doing it that you can come back to again and again, you’ll be much less likely to keep going when things get challenging or when you lose motivation. Keep your why front and center at every step of the process and you’ll be a lot more likely to follow through and stick with it.

2. Give Yourself Permission to Be a Beginner

If you want to do anything worthwhile, you need to give yourself permission to suck at first. You’re not an expert yet. The only way you’re going to become an expert is to allow yourself to be a beginner. 

As I mentioned earlier, I gave myself permission to suck for the first 100 videos which took a LOT of the pressure off. 

Try to approach this lightly. It’s not a matter of life and death. Have fun! 

3. Give Yourself Permission to Be Yourself

One life lesson I learned around the age of 40 is that I don’t have to be anyone other than myself. The same is true for you. 

• If you’re introverted, don’t try to be an extrovert 
• If you have a calm demeanor, don’t try to be super-animated 
• If you’re a bit of an egghead, don’t try to dumb yourself down

Don’t try to change yourself to get more video views. Chances are that people will see right through it anyway. Remember, what you consider to be a character “flaw” might be what attracts people to you, so be yourself. That’s the best way to attract your tribe. 

4. Focus on the Message

If people are watching your video, it means they want to hear your message. They’re tuning in to your channel to see what you have to offer.

Remembering this point will help shift the focus away from you and help externalize any fears you may have.

Instead of worrying about someone judging the way you look or speak, think about how you’re educating, inspiring, or entertaining your audience. It can go a long way to crushing any self-consciousness.

5. Just Get Started!

If you can motivate yourself to just get the first video published, I guarantee you it gets easier. If you start to obsess about fancy equipment and scripts, you’ll quit before you even get started.

When I first started, I just propped up my laptop on a stack of books in front of a window and turned on the camera. I filmed this way for about a year.

You don’t need fancy equipment. You don’t even need a computer. You can start shooting video on your cell phone. Just upload the damn thing! It gets easier. I promise. 

Lights! Camera! Action!

I hope this has helped you overcome your fear of starting a YouTube channel! As Tony Robbins once said, 

“Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and start getting excited about what could go right!” (use quote block)

Don’t deprive the world of what you have to offer out of fear! 

If the main reason you’re interested in starting a YouTube channel is to generate leads for your business, and you need some help getting your actual business off the ground, download my free guide, “The 4-Step ‘No Time to Waste’ Online Business StartUp Blueprint.”

This blueprint lays out the entire process for starting your own knowledge-based online business. You can also join my free Facebook group, Rachel’s Sandbox, to connect with other like-minded folks on their own online business journeys.