Using Notion for YouTube content planning

Happy Sunday! (Or whatever day it is you happen to be reading this guide on using Notion for YouTube.) This post is part of the Notion for Blogging series, a complete walkthrough of using the Notion app to manage every part of your blog and brand. I’ve taught y’all a lot throughout this series, including:

• how to level up your blog content plan with an all-in-one content calendar
• managing your tasks and finances
• setting and reviewing smart goals

YouTubers, today’s post is for you! As the title suggests, we’ll explore how to use Notion for YouTube content. Let’s get to it!

Why should you use Notion for YouTube and planning video content?

A sneak peek of the YouTube dashboard, part of the Notion for Blogging Premium Template Pack!

If you’re a blogger, chances are you’re creating content in different mediums and across multiple channels. That includes not just blog posts, but also tweets, pins, email newsletters, YouTube videos, and podcast episodes.

Ever found yourself wishing you could create and store all your drafts and scripts in the same place? That’s exactly what Notion allows you to do — and then some.

In Notion, you can track your video content tasks, write your scripts, take notes, and brainstorm new ideas all on the same page. Not to mention other ways you can use Notion to manage your blog: tracking finances, detailing your reader/buyer personas, tracking SEO keywords, and more.

But we’ll stick to YouTube for right now. Here are a few ways you can use Notion for YouTube content planning and analytics tracking.

Keep all your scripts in one place

Some YouTubers are charismatic and experienced enough that they don’t need a script. I am definitely not one of those YouTubers! (Although I’m getting more comfortable hearing my own voice with every recording.) Still, I need at least a rough script to work from while recording.

Notion is the perfect place to write your video script and manage tasks related to video content all in one place. Which handily leads to my next tip.

Track video content tasks

For most YouTubers, creating video content involves so much more than just hitting record and going for it. Graphic design, marketing, optimizing your video for YouTube’s search engine — these are just a few things you’re in charge of. Not to mention video editing.

It’s a lot to handle, especially on top of all your other blog tasks. Using Notion as a blog task manager is a great way to ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

Store all your notes, goals, and grand ideas

One of my favorite ways to use Notion for YouTube and video content is brainstorming new ideas. Not just for videos, but also for growing your channel and improving your video production skills.

Notion’s versatile design also makes it great for note-taking. Jot down highlights from courses on growing your YouTube channel. Or snoop on your competitors and brainstorm ways to adapt their strategies for your own channel. You could also use Notion for YouTube goals and analytics tracking. (More on that in just a minute.)

Hopefully you’re convinced of Notion’s potential for supercharging your YouTube content plan. Let’s take a look at how to set up your own YouTube dashboard in Notion.

How to use Notion for YouTube and planning video content

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to create your own YouTube hub in Notion.

Step 1: Create a new page

If you’re a blogger who also promotes content on YouTube, I recommend nesting your YouTube hub page in your blog dashboard. I’ve covered how to create your own blog dashboard in a separate post.

If you’re just using Notion for YouTube, feel free to create a new top-level page.

Step 2: Set up a content creation hub (optional)

One of the major perks of using Notion for planning and creating content is the ability to keep all your content in a single database. If you’re creating blog, social media, email, or podcast content in addition to video, I highly recommend setting up a Content Creation Hub first. (Check out my step-by-step walkthrough on setting up your Content Creation Hub.)

This database is the command center for all your content. In each new Notion page you create for your content marketing platforms, you can embed this database and filter it to show only content related to that platform.

If you do set up a Content Creation Hub with the properties I’ve included in my tutorial, here’s how to embed it into your YouTube hub:

1. Type “/” on your keyboard to open Notion commands.
2. Type “linked”, then click “Create linked database”.
3. Search for your Content Creation Hub database and select it.
4. In the upper right-hand corner of the linked database, click “Filter” > “Add a filter” > “Add a filter”
5. Select “Content Type” is “YouTube”

The table view is default, but you can also create other views, including Calendar, Board, Timeline, Gallery, and List.

Step 3: Create an inline database to store your YouTube content

If you’re not a blogger and you’re just a YouTuber, you might not need a separate database for content. In that case, you can simply set up an inline database on your YouTube hub page. Here’s how:

1. Type “/” on your keyboard to open Notion commands.
2. Type “table”, then select “Table – Inline” (you can also choose a calendar, gallery, list, timeline, or board view — whatever floats your boat!)
3. Start adding properties to your inline database.

I recommend adding the following properties to your inline database:

• Video title (this is a Title property that automatically populates in each new database)
• Video number (Number)
• Status (Select)
• Tags (Text)
• Playlist (Text or Select)
• Guest (Text)
• Guest contact info (Email, URL, or Text)
• Priority (Select)
• Publish date (Date)

Step 4: Start formatting

Once you’ve embedded your YouTube content from a central database (or created an inline database), start playing around with colors, headings, and columns.

Personally, I like a two-column setup: a smaller sidebar on the left next to a wider area for a filtered calendar view of the Content Creation Hub. Feel free to play around and find a setup that works for you. Don’t feel like you need to perfect it immediately — you’ll undoubtedly tweak it as you continue to use Notion for YouTube content planning.

Ideas for your Notion YouTube hub

Need some more inspiration for your YouTube hub? Here are a few more things you can add to simplify content creation and management!

Stats from the last 28 days

In my premium Notion for YouTube template, I’ve added a stats bar at the top of the page where you can easily import your stats from the last 28 days:

While you might not update this every day, it’s an easy way to see your stats at a glance without having to navigate over to YouTube Studio.

Resources for growing and monetizing your channel

As a YouTuber, you’re constantly learning and growing. Your TBR pile is probably packed with useful books, articles, courses, and other resources on growing your channel. Why not store those in your YouTube hub too?

Check out my free content repository Notion template. This digital library is perfect for bloggers, YouTubers, and content creators with a never-ending reading list.

The Notion for YouTube premium template bundle also comes with a premium version of this repository with 35+ resources on YouTubing, blogging, social media management, and more!

Finance tracking

Creating good YouTube content requires an investment, whether it’s time spent learning how to use video editing software or money spent on sophisticated recording equipment. Not to mention graphic design app subscriptions and social media ads.

Point is, things add up quickly. Create an expense tracker to assess how much you’ve invested in your video content. A sales tracker is a great way to see whether you’re getting a return.

I’ve covered how to set up a finance tracker in Notion in a separate post.

How to use Notion for YouTube and video content planning: wrapping up

Although I’m a YouTube newbie — I only set up my channel a few months ago — I know how much work it takes to create YouTube videos. Check out the video I made promoting the Notion for Blogging template pack:

Notion is a great way to plan and create all your YouTube content in one place, plus see analytics at a glance, track expenses, set goals, and so much more.

I believe Notion works best as a second brain for all the content you create. Think blog posts, social media, email, podcast, video, content management tasks. Everything is connected, and Notion lets you track all of it seamlessly.

Don’t have time to set up your own YouTube hub? Want to explore Notion’s capabilities for managing every element of your content marketing efforts but not sure where to start? I’ve got you covered with 75+ Notion templates and pages created for busy bloggers, by a busy blogger!

If you’re not ready to buy, or you’d prefer to create your own YouTube hub, my free resources are always available. Subscribe so you don’t miss a post!

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