Scared to start on YouTube? Good. That means you're ready.

9 Tips to break through fear and get your channel moving

Do you know what you, me, and even Mr. Beast have in common?

We all, at some point, were scared of starting a YouTube channel.

YouTube is an exhilarating but daunting endeavour, especially with fears of judgment, failure, or even success looming over you, and an incredible amount to learn.

Conquering this fear is the first step towards creating a platform that reflects your passions, expertise, and perspective, and the genesis of building your tribe.

Here’s some good news…

You don’t need to be fearless. You need to start anyway.

If you're struggling with getting started, here are 9 tips and action points that will help you overcome your fear and start putting yourself out there.

This is the real stuff, not "5 hacks to go viral," but powerful tools to get you through the psychological wall and into your first uploads. All borne of my own experience of 7 years on the platform.

9 Ways to Beat the Fear and Finally Start on YouTube:

1. Start with Why. Define a clear purpose for your channel. Knowing why you want to create content can be a powerful motivator that outweighs fear.

   Whether it's to share knowledge, inspire others, or showcase a talent, your "why" can guide and sustain you through doubts and fears.

   This can actually be quite difficult, as often we have an urge to create content without knowing exactly 'why'.

   Try spending 10 minutes with yourself - no distractions, no phone, no music, nothing - and think about your chosen subject.

   This exercise can be uncomfortable but it's extremely valuable.

2. Educate but Don't Over-educate. Fear often stems from the unknown, so study is crucial... as long as it's not another form of procrastination. Learn just enough to move, then move.

3. Plan Your Content. Planning what you want to talk about can dramatically reduce camera anxiety. Outline your first few videos, jot down key points, and

   practice speaking about them. Preparation makes starting feel manageable.

4. Set Realistic Goals. Instead of aiming for viral success with your first video, set achievable, incremental goals. Celebrate small milestones like completing your first video or reaching 100 subscribers. Small wins build confidence and momentum, activating a healthy dopamine response.

5. Start Small and Private. Remember, you don't have to make your first video public until you're ready. Record practice videos to get comfortable on camera. Share them privately with trusted friends or family for constructive feedback.

6. Embrace Imperfection. No one starts as an expert. Accept that your early videos might not be perfect, and that's okay. Every YouTuber you admire was once a beginner.

   Once you allow yourself to be imperfect in public, you quickly realise it's not actually that bad. Look at the bottom of this list. I can't even format "10" properly. Imperfection.

7. Focus on Contribution. Shift your focus from fear of judgment to the value you're providing. Don't ask "Will I look dumb?" Ask, "Who might this help?" Thinking about how your content can help, entertain, or inspire others diminishes the fear of being judged.

8. Visualise Success. Use visualisation techniques to imagine and manifest positive outcomes. I visualised 550,000 subscribers (no idea why this number, it just came to me) since I first came up with the name 'Rock Reacts'. Over all my channels, I've surpassed this by a distance. Not because I'm magic, but because I saw it clearly and moved through fear daily.

9. Just F*cking Start. Ultimately, the best way to overcome fear is to face it head-on. Set a launch date for your first video and commit to it. Do not move it. The second you hit upload, everything shifts. Your fear becomes fuel.

Final thought:

Your fear isn't weakness. It's a signal. It means this matters. It means you're alive. And every creator you admire has felt exactly what you're feeling now.

So if you're scared to start... Good.

You're ready.

Welcome to the show.

Tell me in the comments below what’s been holding you back from starting on YouTube, or any creative project.

P.S. I’m launching a new program to help creators get unstuck, to grow and thrive without the stress. If that sounds like you, reply to this email saying ‘Tell Me More’ and I’ll send over the details.