How to Become a Youtuber: We ask Austin Farmerie

If you want to become a Youtuber, you're not alone. 75% of people under age 17 want to become a YouTuber or vlogger, but it’s not easy to reach over 100K subscribers or more. 

We chatted with Austin Farmerie to learn some tips from an experienced YouTuber. His channel is dedicated to college life and thrift. Find him on Youtube, Instagram and Twitter. 

We discovered his work when he made this quarantine Goodfair unboxing video, and then got to know him better in this lovely chat. You'll learn his tips and tricks for creating Youtube content and your own Youtube channel. 

*This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

We loved your Goodfair unboxing video during the quarantine lockdown. Did you like online thrifting versus browsing the racks?

You know, when we were in quarantine, I actually loved it. Honestly, I still love it now, because I genuinely like the surprise that you have with Goodfair. 

And then make it your own, if that makes sense. So I honestly love online thrifting, I think it’s great.  

Besides thrift, what other topics do you cover on your channel? 

I’m in college right now, so I like to do college related videos, but honestly, like, having a closet that’s not all fast fashion. 

So college, fashion and lifestyle is basically what my Youtube Channel is about. 

What’s your favorite item in your closet right now?

So, I would say that one of my favorite items for the summertime--I love a nice, like, vintage oversized T-shirt right now because it’s so hot. 

But for the winter time, I have this nice black denim jacket, and that is like a staple in the wintertime because I wear it literally every single day. It’s so versatile. 

What inspired you to start your channel? 

Um, I started my youtube channel back in the 8th grade. I’m a senior in college now, so I’ve been doing it for quite a while. 

And honestly, I was getting ready to switch over from middle school to high school and I was starting at a new high school in a different district. 

I didn’t have any friends, and I was kind of having a hard time making friends, so I started making these Youtube videos that I was passionate about back in the day. 

I was making Youtube videos about, like, the Hunger Games Trilogy, which is so funny to think about now. And it turned into what it is now, and I just love it so much. 

When did you get your first taste of Youtube success? Did you have a certain moment, or was it over a long period of time?

You’re going to think I’m saying this just for the sake of this interview, but my Goodfair unboxing video, in a sense, blew up. It’s one of my most viewed videos on my Youtube channel right now. 

But yeah, when people tell me, “Your Youtube videos helped me through something,” that is a really successful moment for me. That is why I do it.  

Nice! So, what about the actual process of making a video. What goes into making a Youtube video people will love?

Well, I would say that when I sit down and start to make a video, I want to have a narrowed down topic so my Youtube video isn’t all over the place and easy for somebody to be like, “Oh, I’m tracking with this.” 

And then when it goes into filming, I honestly just like to have fun with it. I talk about things that I think people are going to like to hear, and things that I want to talk about. 

When it goes into editing, I like to display the message, but also make it fun. I think my editing style is super unique and I think it’s fun on my part to be able to sit down and put a little Austin Farmerie touch on it, you know what I’m saying? 

From the beginning, to the time that it’s posted on Youtube, it’s like, my hands are so much in it. I have control over everything and that’s what I love about it. 

Yeah, I love the little editing touches you do. They’re super entertaining. 

Thank you. 

What equipment and editing software do you recommend for Youtube? 

For me, personally, I use the Canon G7X. It’s a very small, but also very high quality camera, and when it comes to editing I use Final Cut Pro on the Apple laptop. 

But if you’re just starting out, honestly, the iPhone and iMovie are a power duo. Because on the iPhone, the camera quality is incredible nowadays. 

Let’s turn back to thrifting. What made you love thrifting?

So I would say that I probably started thrifting around my junior year of high school, but to be completely honest with you, I was thrifting things that didn’t make any sense, like, “I think this looks great.” 

And now, I look at pictures from that year and I’m like, you know, it’s great that I was thrifting, but also those outfits are atrocious, Austin. What were you doing?

I’m laughing because that’s really relatable.

Yeah, I was doing a good deed by going to the thrift store, but I was not doing well in my own fashion sense. 

But when I got to college, honestly, it sounds so cheesy, but it’s a matter of finding who I was as a person. I was really wanting to dress out of the box, but I was too scared to be different. 

When I got to college, everybody was expressing themselves, and a lot of people were not afraid to be different. I was like, well if they’re not afraid to be different, I shouldn’t be. 

It’s not like I was trying to follow the trends, I was dressing how I wanted to dress. And that’s when I started thrifting cohesive pieces and like, staple items. 

I started being more excited to thrift and felt like I was actually getting good at it, instead of just thrifting random things. 

What’s next for Austin Farmerie? 

Personally, I love Youtube and I will probably always do Youtube, but what I’m really hoping to do is--I want to have my own talk show. 

In my talk show, I want to do, like, clothing segments, where I do things like taking my friends thrifting and maybe thrifting some outfits for them. 

I would say like Jimmy Fallon, but like, Austin Farmerie. Like, very true to me.  

But I just want to continue to be somebody that people watch and are able to, even for just like 15 minutes, have a little bit of happiness throughout the day. 

We have so much love for Austin's channel, be sure to watch it. And give a shout out to your favorite Youtubers in the comments. 

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Interview by Erica Eller