How to Make and Brand Your YouTube Channel

Already have a Google account? Skip to Step 2. Your YouTube account nests within your main Google account, so you don’t need a new one. 

Don’t have a Google account? Follow these steps:

• Go to the Google account sign-in page. 
• Click “Create Account” and choose “Personal Use.” It’s ideal for solo creators looking for full control and a fast setup, even if you’re eventually hoping to make a living on YouTube.
• Select one of the new suggested Gmail addresses that come up based on your name, create your own, or click “Use your existing email address” and connect your Google account to a non-Gmail address.
• Enter your birthday and gender. 
• Choose a username. This must be unique (i.e., not already in use on YouTube) and it cannot be changed later. 
• Enter and confirm a password. 
• Click “Next,” and you’re done.

Credit: T. Schneider/Shutterstock

Google accounts let you watch and like YouTube videos and subscribe to YouTube channels. To comment, make playlists, and – most importantly for creators – upload your own videos, you need your own YouTube channel.

Here’s how to make one: 

• Go to YouTube and click “Sign in” in the upper-right corner, and then log in using your Google account.
• Click the profile icon in the upper-right corner of the screen, and then navigate to Settings and find the Account section. 
• Select “Add or manage channel(s),” and then click “Create a channel.” 
• Select a profile picture, name, and handle. The channel name can be similar to other channels, but the handle must be unique. 
• Click “Create channel.”

Having a YouTube channel is one thing. Now you must make it your own. Producing good content does the heavy lifting when it comes to building an audience, yet there are a few methods of standing out even before filming and publishing your first YouTube video. Everything from your channel name to your profile picture to how to describe yourself can set you apart. 

Choose a channel name 

“How your viewers engage with your content will always be the most important thing,” notes the official YouTube Creators channel. “But a memorable name can certainly help.” 

They suggest choosing a channel name that is easy to remember, targets a unique audience, uses either your name or your chosen topic, and uses capitals to help readability.

Don’t stress too much. Consistency matters, but, unlike your username, you can always change your channel name later. And once you build an audience for your content, it may not matter if your username is unrelated. 

Tech YouTuber Arun Maini, for example, picked a name totally unrelated to his content (Mrwhosetheboss) at just 14, thinking he’d never bypass 100 subscribers. He now has 21.8 million.

Choose a profile picture 

Profile pics pop up on your channel page, under your videos, and next to all your comments. They’re not going to make you go viral on YouTube, but don’t discount their impact. “You want people to see it and instantly recognise your channel,” advises YouTube Creators. 

Atarah Mayhew shows how it’s done. She uses a clear shot of her face that contrasts with a bright yellow background, represents her channel’s focus on makeup by appearing expertly made up herself, and uses the same colour in her channel’s homepage banner. 

Keep these tips in mind:

• Upload an 800-by-800-pixel image of 4MB or less.
• Remember that YouTube crops all profile pictures into a circle, so ensure that everything you want in the picture is visible in the cut. 
• Prioritise bright, contrasting colours to make the image clear and easily identifiable. 
• Choose something that represents your channel (YouTube suggests your face, a symbol, or a logo).

Choose a homepage banner 

Banners are displayed across the top of your channel’s homepage. 

Choose a 2,048-by-1,152-pixel image of 6MB or less that feels like an extension of the branding in your profile picture and perhaps incorporates some kind of call to action (something you’d like visitors to do). 

Steven Bartlett’s banner for The Diary of a CEO is a great example. The simple black backgrounded profile picture is complemented by images of famous interviewees and a small amount of text encouraging visitors to subscribe. It’s 100% clear what this channel offers and what you should do next. 

Add a description 

YouTube allows a 1,000-character bio to sum up your channel and content. Consider your words carefully, since they’ll be read both by real visitors and YouTube’s algorithm. 

“It’s indexed by search engines and can also be featured across YouTube in suggested channel categories and YouTube search results,” Tamilore Oladipo writes for Buffer. “A good tactic is to include some relevant keywords and [calls to action] within the opening lines of your description.” 

It’s also worth adding links to any other social media platforms.

Check out Saffron Barker’s description. It tells us what kind of content she makes, urges us to avoid missing future videos by subscribing to her channel, and links to her Instagram, Facebook, X, Vlog channel, and merch store.

Once all that’s done, it’s time to upload your videos to their new home.