16 Experts Tell You How To Create A Successful YouTube Cooking Channel

If you have a passion for food, cooking, and videos, this post will go right down your alley.

I’ve reached out to some of the best YouTubers in the niche and asked them for a couple of tips on how to create a successful YouTube cooking channel.

I know I get this question a lot from people that have been using our video editing services, so I thought I’d put this together for you.

By the way, if you need help with video editing or with creating the concept for your video you can contact me here.

Enough with the self promotion, let’s get back to this.

So sit back and take notes.

Here it goes.

Leanne Vogel

When it comes to building a successful food and cooking YouTube channel, the key is consistency. Not just with posting routinely, but also being consistent with your branding, your approach, and your voice.

If the content doesn’t represent you, it’s not meant for your channel. That being said, your content should evolve as you evolve as a person, so it’s important to commit to translating that evolution across your platform.

Alyssa Rimmer

To create a successful YouTube following, you need to have a focus as well as be super authentic.

People are following you for YOU, so be yourself and give them content that will help them in their everyday life!

Ashlee Marie

Share the food you are passionate about – from scratch food, cake decorating and educating are mine. Let your passion for food show through and people will gravitate to you.

Don’t get lost trying to recreate what works for someone else of chasing something JUST because it’s popular.

On the technical side of things get up close and personal with the food – I recommend having at LEAST 2 cameras so you don’t miss an important moment as cooking and baking is timely and you don’t want to miss a key moment in your dish.

Finally be consistent – upload a minimum of once a week.

Abbey Sharp

First of all, I always recommend being clear on your personal brand first. What do you believe in? What voice do you want to portray? You can experiment with different video formats but you’ll definitely want to be clear on the voice and brand.

Second, make friends in the YouTube community. This may happen through an MCN, or just through other YouTubers, you get to know at events and conventions. This will help you facilitate collaborations which are ideal for helping you grow your channel.

Third, listen to your audience! Read your analytics to see what’s doing well and focus on doing more of that. Ask your audience for feedback and what they want to see more of and respond to that.

I’ve got an entire media training e-course for YouTube on promo right now that anyone looking to grow their audience or get started on YouTube should check out!

Scott Leysath

Videos have to be engaging, especially during the first 15 seconds or so.

We try and teach the viewers one concept at a time. It’s not necessary to show viewers how to chop an onion every time. It’s OK to “dump and go” with your ingredients.

Dani Spies

Passion. Value. Consistency.

Be passionate about what you are sharing with your audience. Your viewers are amazing (and busy!) so always ask if your content is adding value to their lives.

And finally, be consistent!  Consistency builds trust and I can’t think of anything more valuable than the trust when it comes to building a community.

Bill West

With a video, it needs to simply start with something compelling.

In my clips, I try to focus on a single dish or concept. I am somewhat unique as I have not narrowed down to one style or type of video.(probably to my detriment).

I also keep production very simple and plan the content to be evergreen. That’s one of the great things about food and cooking on YouTube.

Finally, from the beginning, I stuck with natural light. Easier for outdoor cooking videos. You’ll want to keep it sustainable over time. So simple is better.

Jason Ganahl

Be consistent – YouTube rewards those creators that don’t take 6 months off.

Understand how the algorithm works. It is always changing and try to stay up to date on how YouTube will rank and thereby suggest your videos.

Be patient. The most common thing I see people do is they make 20 or so videos and then they quit. If you want to really develop an audience you got to be patient with the process and not quit.

Alyssia Sheikh

Embrace your authenticity.

The beauty of YouTube is that anyone can watch, and anyone can create. It’s easy to get caught in the trap of creating the same content as everyone else because it gets views.

Instead, focus on creating YOUR own content. It will stand out from the rest! On YouTube, being different is a good thing.

Precious Meshi Nkeih

My number 1 tip is share recipes that work. The recipes should be well tested and be reliable. When your recipes work, your audience will realize you are trustworthy and will keep coming back for more.

My second tip is let there be a personality in your videos. Let the viewers get to know you: your unique voice, your stories, your favorite things.

They should know you like a friend. So as opposed to only doing videos with hands and pans, show up in your videos. Show your face or at least let them hear your voice.

My next top tip is consistency! Consistency is crucial is you must make it on YouTube. One video per week is a great way to be regular.

Sahil Makhija

To create a successful channel on YouTube for cooking or food (or anything else for that matter) is passion and love for what you do. If you are passionate about cooking and you take the time to master your craft and be really, really good at what you do, that’s the first step to being successful.

Then comes being consistent. On YouTube being regular with your uploads and being consistent is a big factor in building and growing your channel. If you are not regular with your content it will suffer.

The third is quality, always strive for making great quality content. You may not have the most expensive equipment but learn to make the most of what you do have and constantly work at improving, everything from presentation to lighting to the editing.

Everything counts. In short, if you give a 110% of yourself to your channel and look to constantly improve and better yourself, you will find success.

Chris Urbano

Post consistently. We have found out that posting the videos consistently has greatly helped in getting more views, subscribers, and engagement in the channel.

Engage with subscribers. Replying to subscribers’ comments, listening to their suggestions and ideas also help the channel. It helps us know what do they want to watch more of in our channel.

Ensure that the content is informative and entertaining at the same time. We don’t want to waste our fans’ time, so we only post content that we know will give them new learnings about the Filipino cuisine and culture.

Amber Raffile

Reassure and inspire your audience to try and cook, not just observe. It makes me happy to help others feel confident enough to try intimidating recipes. My job as a cook and content creator is to teach, not just entertain.

Always opt for natural lighting. I shoot and film after sunrise and before sunset for the best quality content. Sometimes gloomy days have a dreamy effect on my content as well, which is always pleasant.

Have a relaxing atmosphere. I want my audience feel invited and relaxed when they’re watching my approachable cooking tutorials. I add relaxing music (with permission from artists) and if I add commentary, act as if I would if you were a close friend visiting my residence.

Shyamali Sinha

We believe cooking with the local and seasonal ingredient, easy to follow and detailed instruction and also giving the alternative ingredients or cooking method for a recipe and a stunning thumbnail of the food which will tempt the viewer to cook it.

Heather Nicholds

The best way to go is to be yourself and do what you love. Viewers value authenticity, passion, and someone they can relate to.

Don’t try to be Martha Stewart, just be yourself and have fun! After that, you need to create recipes that taste and look delicious, be consistent with your video posting (whether daily,  weekly, monthly – just maintain consistency), and interact in a genuine way with your viewers and other creators.

Noreen Lambert

1) Love what you do.

2) Be relevant.

3) Make the best quality content you can with what you have.

4) Try to be original.

5) Be consistent with your upload schedule.

6) Engage with your audience.

7) Always be learning more about how to build your channel.

8) Don’t do it for the money.

If you follow all these things then you can work toward YouTube success.