Channel Review Three weeks and three posts would love honest feedback to help me sharpen

[The New Gardener]

User name: The New Gardener
Title of thread: Three weeks and three posts would love honest feedback to help me sharpen
Self review: very early days for me but pleased so far with starting blocks, first post (Grape Tunnel) is very wooden and has errors within but leaving it there to remind myself where i started from. I have plenty of future posts in process but as with anything gardening, waiting for them to grow so i can complete, so what i am looking for is feedback to better understand if i have the foundations right as i am learning every day on this.
Channel review or Video review? Channel review
Link to channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN-GCet41JbLep5LWt4wsSA
Link to other review post: https://community.tubebuddy.com/index.php?threads/28443/post-88007

 

[BraveStar]

I took a look at your channel and so far you got most of the basic stuff for a channel taken care of. You have a pretty good banner with the name and subtitle and details of what the channel is about. The only thing I find odd is that, what I believe is, a house behind the name? Not sure what it means. It's not a dealbreaker per say but it's a bit odd to me. If you're able to maintain one perhaps a schedule can be included on the banner as well so ppl know when you're gonna upload. just a thought.

The only other thing I would recommend is reconsidering your avatar. The letters are small and thus hard to read. It's just my opinion but maybe a logo that matches your banner text, kinda like my logo/avatar to the left. It can be helpful for creating a brand that is recognizable and can be used in the thumbnails of the video as well which I highly recommend doing.

Other than that you seem to be heading in the right direction with your channel. Just keep those videos coming and you should be doing great in no time.

 

[Beanie Draws]

Seems you're only 3 weeks and 3 videos in, this is the perfect time to get you on the right path from the beginning. I gotta be real... I HATE that blue banner with green text over it... that's my least liked colour combination sorry.

I get what you're trying to do with it, but it doesn't work in my opinion. The breen banner with blue text in your thumbnails isn't so bad, but there's a lot of text, there's a lot banner, and it distracts away from the image of the thumbnail, and to be honest,t here's not a whole lot that says "garden" in your thumbnails... and I really don't understand why you're dressing up as batman in one of them. It grabs attention, but for the wrong reasons.

You have a friendly face, so I'd go out into the garden, and take a photo with yourself in the garden instead (if you're not filming in the garden, I'd highly suggest that too)
If I'm interested in gardening, I don't want to see someone in their room talking about gardening, I'd rather see them IN the garden.

As for the banner, I like the photo, I see what you're trying to do with the pots, but maybe instead, get some ACTUAL pots, put some tape over them, WRITE for real, on those pots "garden ideas" etc, and use the real pots, with real tape and real writing on them, as your banner instead, and that will give you that real organic natural look you're probably going for (and I think it would be a clever fun way of using pots in a banner)

Your titles are off to a good start, but graphically now is the time to change I think. Less text, more garden

 

[The New Gardener]

I took a look at your channel and so far you got most of the basic stuff for a channel taken care of. You have a pretty good banner with the name and subtitle and details of what the channel is about. The only thing I find odd is that, what I believe is, a house behind the name? Not sure what it means. It's not a dealbreaker per say but it's a bit odd to me. If you're able to maintain one perhaps a schedule can be included on the banner as well so ppl know when you're gonna upload. just a thought.

The only other thing I would recommend is reconsidering your avatar. The letters are small and thus hard to read. It's just my opinion but maybe a logo that matches your banner text, kinda like my logo/avatar to the left. It can be helpful for creating a brand that is recognizable and can be used in the thumbnails of the video as well which I highly recommend doing.

Other than that you seem to be heading in the right direction with your channel. Just keep those videos coming and you should be doing great in no time.

brilliant feedback and iss exactly what I am looking for, many thanks.

I will work on the avatar for sure and have a couple of ideas to see how I can improve it.

Just to explain the building is meant to be a greenhouse (glasshouse) in the background, but based on some other feedback, I am thinking of using a photo of my own actual greenhouse with some real pots in the foreground with the words written on the pots so keeping the same principals but using actual rather then arty version .

I needed this type of feedback so I can shape the channel going forward so once again, many thanks

Seems you're only 3 weeks and 3 videos in, this is the perfect time to get you on the right path from the beginning. I gotta be real... I HATE that blue banner with green text over it... that's my least liked colour combination sorry.

I get what you're trying to do with it, but it doesn't work in my opinion. The breen banner with blue text in your thumbnails isn't so bad, but there's a lot of text, there's a lot banner, and it distracts away from the image of the thumbnail, and to be honest,t here's not a whole lot that says "garden" in your thumbnails... and I really don't understand why you're dressing up as batman in one of them. It grabs attention, but for the wrong reasons.

You have a friendly face, so I'd go out into the garden, and take a photo with yourself in the garden instead (if you're not filming in the garden, I'd highly suggest that too)
If I'm interested in gardening, I don't want to see someone in their room talking about gardening, I'd rather see them IN the garden.

As for the banner, I like the photo, I see what you're trying to do with the pots, but maybe instead, get some ACTUAL pots, put some tape over them, WRITE for real, on those pots "garden ideas" etc, and use the real pots, with real tape and real writing on them, as your banner instead, and that will give you that real organic natural look you're probably going for (and I think it would be a clever fun way of using pots in a banner)

Your titles are off to a good start, but graphically now is the time to change I think. Less text, more garden

Awesome feedback and exactly what I am looking for.

I love the idea of using real pots with writting on them and will get that done shortly once the weather here allows me to do so.

Also get your point about thumbnails so far dont say 'garden' so will take that in mind for all future ones. also the part about filming indoors on an outdoors subject - completely missed that until you pointed it out - so thats going to take that in account going forward.

I get what you say about the colour clash (green on Blue) what i was trying to do was get it to stand out but will give that some though and see what other feedback makes of it also.

As you say its the right time to get the tone and style of the channel right early so this type of feedback is brilliant and very helpful so thank you.

just to explain my thinking on batman - the subject was fighting pests and wanted to catch the eye on the thumbnail, combined with the fact i am also a stand up comedian but i take on board what you say and will be mindful of how my humour is portrayed going forward - thanks again

brilliant feedback and iss exactly what I am looking for, many thanks.

I will work on the avatar for sure and have a couple of ideas to see how I can improve it.

Just to explain the building is meant to be a greenhouse (glasshouse) in the background, but based on some other feedback, I am thinking of using a photo of my own actual greenhouse with some real pots in the foreground with the words written on the pots so keeping the same principals but using actual rather then arty version .

I needed this type of feedback so I can shape the channel going forward so once again, many thanks

also forgot to say, I will tweak the banner to include the fact i plan to scedule at least once a week !!

 

[TheHappyKidShow]

Hi, good job with your content and I'm sure your audience will find value in your work. You have a great voice, and the quality on the video is really good.

Like the others have said, I think you should work on creating a stronger avatar and YouTube header for your channel. I get your that your colors are green and blue, and those are definitely eye catchy.

I feel you should brand yourself, use your face more in the channel art and just own it. Like I've said in the beginning of my review here, your voice sounds great! A bit of a David Attenborough feel to it, and you evidently are game to have fun in these videos and at the same time educate folk on gardening.

It looks all good, and the other reviews up on top basically gave you great advice on what to do next! All the best!

 

[The New Gardener]

many thanks for your review very much.

I agree the avatar needs attention and thank you for your kind words regarding my voice. all this is very new to me so I am on a fast steep learning curve so all the feedback i can get the better so thank you

Peoples, I have updated my banner and avatar based on the feedback so far, I would welcome your second opinion if you have the spare time?

The New Gardener

Totally new to gardening so this channel will follow my journey in gardening from the very beginning, covering growing seeds, developing a site, using a gree...

www.youtube.com

 

[TheHappyKidShow]

I feel the avatar here on TubeBuddy is an improvement over the profile avatar on your YouTube channel. In regards to the banner... I think you should take another look at some of your competition.

See https://www.youtube.com/user/GardenerScott or https://www.youtube.com/user/toyshopperin or https://www.youtube.com/user/ThePermaculturGarden

All of these banners have one thing in common... they are simple to a certain degree or they brand their image in the banner. In my opinion, your personality and delivery will propel your content and you should either simplify the banner or brand it in a way that is engaging.

 

[BraveStar]

Peoples, I have updated my banner and avatar based on the feedback so far, I would welcome your second opinion if you have the spare time?

The New Gardener

Totally new to gardening so this channel will follow my journey in gardening from the very beginning, covering growing seeds, developing a site, using a gree...

www.youtube.com

The banner looks great. The avatar is a good start, I would suggest making the design of the avatar smaller or the outside area bigger so the image falls inside the avatar circle and can be completely seen.