I run my YouTube channel on a simple weekly rhythm: plan on the weekend, film and edit on set days, and post every Thursday. This is how each step works and which tools I use.
Planning on the weekend
Every weekend I sit down and plan my content. For each video I work out four things before I touch a camera:
- Possible titles. A few options, so I can pick the one that is clear and makes people want to click.
- Thumbnail ideas. I think about the thumbnail at the planning stage, because the title and thumbnail work together.
- A script outline. The main points in order, so I know where the video is going. It’s an outline, not a word-for-word script.
- A hook. The first few seconds decide whether someone keeps watching, so I decide how to open the video before I film it.
Planning this way means that when I film, I’m not figuring out what the video is about at the same time.
Scheduling filming and editing
Once the plan is done, I open Google Calendar and decide which days I’m going to film and when I’m going to edit. Putting these sessions in my calendar turns a plan into appointments with myself, so filming and editing get real time instead of whatever is left over.
Filming with the DJI Osmo Pocket 3
I film with a DJI Osmo Pocket 3, and I use the microphone from the Creator Combo. The Pocket 3 is a small handheld camera with a built-in gimbal, so my footage stays smooth even when I’m moving around. The microphone gives me clearer audio than the camera’s built-in one, which matters because viewers forgive a lot, but not bad sound.
Editing in DaVinci Resolve
I edit in DaVinci Resolve. I used to use CapCut Pro, but it ended up being very limiting and not very professional for what I wanted to do. So I took a course on Udemy to learn Resolve properly, and now I use it exclusively.
Resolve is a professional video editor that also covers color grading and audio in the same app. Learning it through a course instead of figuring it out on my own made the switch much easier.
Short videos for Instagram Reels and TikTok are a different story: I usually edit those on my phone, either in TikTok itself or in Edits, Instagram’s editing app.
Thumbnails in Affinity
I make my thumbnails in Affinity. Because I already come up with the thumbnail idea during my weekend planning session, I know what I’m making when I open the app.
Posting every Thursday
I try to post a video every Thursday. A fixed day gives me a deadline to plan my filming and editing days around, and gives viewers something to expect.
If you want to see the result, my channel is @maesnathalie on YouTube.