How to Contribute High-Quality Video Courses to freeCodeCamp‘s YouTube Channel

freeCodeCamp is one of the most popular resources for aspiring web developers to learn programming and build real-world projects for free. In addition to their interactive coding lessons and certifications, freeCodeCamp also maintains a community YouTube channel with over 2.4 million subscribers.

The freeCodeCamp YouTube channel publishes free video courses and tutorials on a wide range of programming topics, from HTML and CSS basics to machine learning and blockchain development. By contributing videos to this channel, you can share your knowledge with a massive global audience while establishing yourself as an authority in your area of expertise.

In this guide, we‘ll walk through the step-by-step process of planning, producing, and publishing high-quality video courses for the freeCodeCamp YouTube channel, according to freeCodeCamp‘s official content guidelines and recommended best practices. By following the advice here, you can create educational content that meets freeCodeCamp‘s standards and truly helps people learn.

Benefits of Contributing to freeCodeCamp‘s YouTube Channel

Before we dive into the details, let‘s highlight a few key benefits of creating video courses for freeCodeCamp:

1. Reach a massive audience. With 2.4 million subscribers and counting, freeCodeCamp is one of the most-watched programming education channels on YouTube. Publishing videos here gives you instant access to a huge, globally distributed viewership.

2. Establish your expertise. Creating in-depth tutorials is a great way to demonstrate mastery of a programming language, framework, or development skill. Well-made videos can boost your credibility and authority within the developer community.

3. Grow your personal brand. Contributing to a prominent channel like freeCodeCamp‘s can raise awareness of your own brand as a content creator or educator. You can cross-promote your own YouTube channel, courses, website, or social profiles.

4. Support free education. freeCodeCamp is a donor-supported nonprofit with a mission to help people learn to code for free. By adding to their collection of free video courses, you‘re giving back to the global developer community.

5. Improve your teaching skills. Planning and presenting lessons on camera is a valuable skill for aspiring educator. Creating videos for freeCodeCamp gives you low-stakes practice and experience teaching technical topics.

Now that we‘ve covered the "why," let‘s get into the "how" of making great video courses for freeCodeCamp‘s audience.

Choosing a Course Topic

The first and most important step is deciding what you want to teach. Your course topic and content will determine everything else about the planning and production process.

To pick a topic for a freeCodeCamp video course, consider:

• Your own areas of expertise. What programming languages, tools, and skills do you know best? Focus on topics you have deep knowledge and experience with.

• Market demand. Research the types of skills and technologies that are most in-demand from employers. Tools like Google Trends, Stack Overflow Insights, and tech job boards can reveal high-value topics.

• Audience interests. Look at freeCodeCamp‘s most popular videos and commonly requested topics from viewers. Delivering content their audience wants will lead to higher engagement.

• Unique angles. Search YouTube and other developer sites to see what courses already exist on your potential topics. Try to find a unique approach or specialization to make your content stand out.

For example, let‘s say you‘re an experienced Python developer who has used the language for data science and machine learning. You might decide to create a course called "Intro to Machine Learning with Python" teaching the fundamentals of ML and how to implement basic models using Python libraries.

This combines your expertise (Python, data science, ML) with an in-demand, fast-growing topic that freeCodeCamp‘s audience is interested in learning. You can differentiate it from existing tutorials by focusing on hands-on Python coding rather than just theoretical concepts.

Once you‘ve settled on a strong course topic, the next step is creating an outline.

Planning Your Course Content

Breaking your topic down into individual lessons and creating a structured outline is essential for producing a high-quality course. Referring to an outline during filming keeps you on track and ensures the information is presented in a logical order.

To outline your course:

1. Break the topic down into main subtopics. Each of these will be an individual video lesson, roughly 10-20 minutes long. For example, "Intro to Machine Learning with Python" might have lessons on:

• What is machine learning?
• Machine learning approaches and algorithms
• Cleaning and preparing data for ML
• Using Scikit-learn for ML in Python
• Training and evaluating models
• Making predictions with trained models

2. Within each lesson, list the key points you need to cover in detail. Write these out in order, with a rough time estimate for each.

3. Add examples, exercises, or quizzes to include, as well as links to external resources or documentation.

4. Get feedback from other subject matter experts or potential students. Have them review your outline and suggest improvements.

Remember, the goal is to present information in a logical progression, so viewers can follow along without getting lost or overwhelmed. Bite-sized lessons with a clear objective work best.

With your course outlined, you can start scripting the content of each video lesson.

Scripting Engaging Video Lessons

While you don‘t need to write out a word-for-word script for each lesson, you should prepare detailed notes on what you‘ll cover and how you‘ll present it. This will keep you focused and articulate during filming.

For each lesson, your video script should include:

• A brief introduction. Tell viewers what they‘ll learn in this lesson and why it matters.

• The key information from your outline. Turn each bullet into full sentences or paragraphs, in a natural speaking style. Read it out loud to make sure it sounds conversational.

• Specific examples. Walk through code snippets, sample projects, or real use cases of the concepts you‘re teaching. Explain each step as simply as possible.

• On-screen text. Make a list of keywords, bullet points, code, or URLs that you want to display visually while talking.

• Transitions. Note where you‘ll switch between slides or screencasts. Add reminders to recap key information before moving on.

As you write your script, aim to keep the language simple and conversational. Explain terms clearly, avoid jargon, and use analogies to relate new concepts to familiar ones.

Use online tools like the Hemingway App to check your script for readability. Aim for a 6th-8th grade reading level and a friendly yet authoritative tone.

Finally, include a call to action at the end of each lesson. Prompt viewers to try out the concepts themselves and/or watch the next lesson in the course.

Recording and Editing Video Lessons

To produce professional-looking videos for the freeCodeCamp YouTube channel, you‘ll need a basic recording setup and editing tools. According to their content guidelines, freeCodeCamp recommends:

• A quiet space to record
• A decent USB microphone for clear audio
• Screen recording software (for coding walkthroughs and presentation slides)
• A webcam (if you want to appear on camera)
• Video editing software

Many freeCodeCamp contributors use tools like:

• Blue Yeti or Audio-Technica AT2020 USB mics
• QuickTime or OBS for screen recording
• Camtasia, Adobe Premiere, or DaVinci Resolve for editing
• Jupyter Notebooks or Carbon for cleaner code snippets

Whichever tools you choose, take time to learn and practice with them before attempting to record your course. Do some test recordings and check that the audio and video quality are clear and stable.

When you‘re ready to record the real deal, remember to:

• Minimize background noise and echo
• Check your framing and lighting if on camera
• Do a test recording of a few seconds
• Have water nearby and take breaks if needed
• Speak slowly and clearly
• Show, don‘t just tell – demo the code!

After recording, edit your videos to:

• Cut out any major mistakes or long pauses
• Add on-screen text, arrows, or highlights
• Include an intro slide and end screen with calls to action
• Add captions or cheat-sheets as needed

Don‘t aim for perfection – the authenticity of your unique teaching style matters more than a flawless production.

Optimizing Videos for YouTube

Before uploading your course videos to YouTube, you‘ll need to optimize them for discovery and engagement. This includes:

• Writing a keyword-rich title and description
• Adding relevant tags
• Choosing an eye-catching thumbnail image
• Creating chapters with timestamps
• Adding cards and end screens

Research trending topics and popular search terms to craft titles and tags that will help your videos rank well.

Use your description to give a detailed overview of the video‘s content, along with links to related resources, tools, or courses.

Include a custom thumbnail image that visually represents your topic and stands out in search results. You can create these using free tools like Canva.

Finally, add chapter markers to break up longer videos, and use end screens to promote your related content or prompt viewers to subscribe.

Submitting to freeCodeCamp for Review

Once your video course is fully produced and optimized, you‘re ready to submit it to freeCodeCamp for review and potential publication on their channel.

According to their guidelines, you should reach out to the freeCodeCamp team member who manages the specific language channel you want to contribute to, such as Beau Carnes for the main English channel.

Include in your pitch email:

• A brief overview of your course topic and content
• A link to your draft videos on YouTube or Google Drive
• Any relevant credentials or links that establish your expertise on the topic

The freeCodeCamp team will review your submission and let you know if they‘re interested in publishing it or if any changes are needed to meet their standards.

Videos that align with freeCodeCamp‘s mission and follow their style guide have the best chance of being accepted. Unique topics, in-depth explanations, and high-quality production are most important.

If your course is selected, the freeCodeCamp team will work with you to finalize titles, descriptions, and publishing details. You‘ll retain full ownership of your content, with freeCodeCamp simply sharing it on their channel.

Promoting Your Published Course

Once your course is live on the freeCodeCamp YouTube channel, you can help promote it to reach a wider audience. Share a link to your videos on your own social channels, website, or email list to drive views.

Engage with comments to answer viewer questions and get feedback for future content. Consider making a follow-up video or blog post addressing common points of confusion.

You can also look for relevant discussions on sites like Reddit, Quora, or Stack Overflow where you can mention your course as a helpful resource. Be sure to disclose your affiliation and only promote where it truly adds value.

Finally, use your freeCodeCamp course as a credential when applying for jobs, speaking opportunities, or creating your own products. Just like having an article published in a major publication, a video course on a popular channel can open doors and boost your reputation.

Go Forth and Teach!

Contributing video courses to the freeCodeCamp YouTube channel is a win-win: you get to share your knowledge with a huge audience while building your skills and reputation as a developer.

By carefully planning your topics and content, recording and editing high-quality videos, and promoting your published work, you can make the most of this opportunity and potentially launch a new career as a technical instructor.

Even if you don‘t consider yourself an expert yet, you likely still know things that could help others. Use the process of creating educational content to deepen your own learning and communicate it to the world.

freeCodeCamp has published guidelines and advice to streamline the contribution process – the rest is up to you to give it a shot. Follow the tips in this guide and you‘ll be well on your way to becoming a celebrated teacher in the global freeCodeCamp community.