YouTube automation, explained simply, is creating an automated revenue stream with faceless YouTube videos. You can make money with faceless YouTube videos by publishing content that attracts a large audience for YouTube marketing purposes. Considering the fact that Ryan Kaji made millions of dollars on YouTube before the ripe age of 10, making money online with YouTube is certainly more than just a pipe dream.
In the following article, we break down everything you need to know about YouTube automation in depth, including the 8 best tools for automating your YouTube channel. We also discuss 3 major drawbacks of YouTube automation so you can decide if it’s right for you or if you should go with another passive income online business model like local lead generation.
What is YouTube automation?
YouTube automation is putting processes in place that automate the production of a YouTube channel to make money online. A YouTube automation channel is a YouTube channel that requires little oversight from the actual channel owner because freelancers and software tools are used to support the channel’s content creation.
What YouTube automation is NOT
YouTube automation is not automating engagement to your YouTube videos with bots or copying other YouTube creator content and reposting it. These are both common misconceptions about YouTube automation. However, using bots to fake engagement is against YouTube Community Guidelines, and copying other's YouTube videos is copyright infringement in most cases unless they specifically set their video to Creative Commons when uploading.
Instead, YouTube automation creates legitimate value for viewers by providing them with original content that is entertaining or educational. YouTube allows automation because high-quality, original videos attract more viewers to the platform that they can make advertising revenue from. YouTube automation is legal, but you need to comply with YouTube policy.
How does YouTube automation work?
YouTube automation works by hiring freelancers to create faceless YouTube videos for your channel and leveraging tools to optimize the process. YouTube automation videos are faceless so that you, as the channel owner, don't need to be involved. Instead, your YouTube automation team uses stock footage and voice overs to create compelling video content. The purpose of YouTube automation video content is to attract an audience that you can monetize through various methods, like by providing advertising space in your videos. Therefore, YouTube automation is essentially a medium for digital marketing.
What aspects of a YouTube automation channel do you need to outsource?
1. Research and optimization
Research and optimization are essential components for any YouTube video to perform well on the platform. You need someone who can find a video idea with a good probability of getting views and the right expertise in YouTube SEO to optimize the video title and description for organic search.
2. Scriptwriting
A good scriptwriter takes the video topic and research notes and pieces together a script that flows well to drive audience engagement. YouTube scriptwriting also provides the voice actor with their dialogue and helps to ensure every necessary piece of information is covered in the video.
3. Voice over
A high-quality voice over actor is an essential component of a faceless YouTube channel because there is no YouTube content creator on screen talking. Hiring a voice over actor helps to deliver the content to the audience in a captivating way.
4. Video editing
A video editor finds relevant stock videos or animations for the video background to provide a visual context for what the video content is going over. Video editors have access to video editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro so they can add smooth transitions and cut the video much better than an amateur relying on free software.
5. Thumbnail design
Getting people to choose your video content over another channel can be quite challenging. Having a captivating thumbnail that gets users to click and actually watch your video in the first place is crucial for the success of any YouTube channel.
6. Channel management
If you want to completely automate your YouTube channel, you need to hand over channel management duties to a reliable channel manager. Fortunately, the channel manager has access to various workflow software like Asana to effectively manage your automation team so channel content is created and published on schedule.
How do you make money from YouTube automation?
You make money from YouTube automation in a variety of ways, but the primary monetization methods are YouTube ad revenue, affiliate marketing, and brand deals.
Affiliate marketing is promoting the products of brands for a commission on the sale. You need an affiliate link to do affiliate marketing. You can find brands to work with and get your affiliate link by going to an affiliate network like ClickBank or CJ Affiliate. Commonly, when YouTube automation channels make money with affiliate marketing, they mention the product somewhere in the video content and direct the audience to find their affiliate link, which is posted in the video description.
Brand deals are contractual arrangements where a brand agrees to pay a YouTube channel to have their products or services promoted in the video content. These can also take the form of sponsorships, where the video mentions that the content is sponsored by a certain brand.
How much can you make with YouTube automation?
You can make $1,000 to $10,000 per month after publishing consistent content for a few years with a solid channel idea. However, Mr. Beast is the highest paid YouTuber, and he earned $54 million in 2021, according to Forbes. So, you could earn substantially more than just a few thousand per month if you really dedicate yourself to YouTube. Small YouTube channels are most common, though. In fact, around 2,000,000 channels have at least 10,000 subscribers, while only approximately 32,000 have 1 million. Small YouTube channels make $200 per video with around 10,000 subscribers, according to WebFX, while a channel with 1,000,000 subscribers earns around $20,000 YouTube automation salary.
What are YouTube views worth?
According to Intuit, YouTube ad views are worth between $0.01 to $0.03 on average. If you get 100k views on YouTube, you can earn around $2,000. If you get 1 million views, YouTube pays around $20,000. If you somehow manage to get 1 billion views on YouTube, that’s worth around $20,000,000! As you can see, it’s all about getting the most views. The type of content that gets the most views are videos that are for a large, general audience like Mr. Beast creates where almost anyone can find enjoyment from the video.
3 Major drawbacks to consider before starting your own YouTube automation channel
1. It takes awhile to start making stable income
If you’re expecting to get rich quick from YouTube automation, think again! According to Finance Quick Fix, it takes an average of 22 months just to reach the 1,000 subscriber threshold to be eligible for YouTube platform monetization. YouTube can pay you without platform monetization through other monetization methods, like affiliate marketing and brand deals.
However, you’ll be lucky if you can make even a few affiliate sales with such a small audience. Furthermore, most brands won't want to work with you until you have at least 10k subscribers. If you want to make stable income with YouTube automation, you’ll need a few years of consistent content production before you’ll draw the type of audience that will get you paid well.
2. You rely on YouTube to make money
Even though YouTube automation is an online business model that allows you a lot of independence, you are not independent from YouTube. Therefore, your business is at risk of YouTube taking action against your channel if they don’t agree with the content you are publishing. This has happened previously with high-profile YouTubers like Logan Paul and David Dobrik, who have had their channels demonetized. It's essential to make sure your content stays within the confines of YouTube's rules to avoid this.
3. Outsourcing your team can be expensive
Many YouTube automation gurus boast about how cheaply they outsource their YouTube automation channels. In fact, popular YouTuber and automation expert Dave Nick has said he spends as little as $22 per video. However, if you look at freelance websites like Fiverr, you’ll quickly realize that $22 for a video isn’t too realistic.
Considering that on Fiverr, the lowest quality and most basic service offerings start at $5, the least you could possibly spend would be $30 to outsource all six aspects of your channel. Even so, most people will need to spend considerably more than $30 per video to create channel content that competes well with the nearly 1 billion other YouTube videos on the platform all vying for viewer attention. If you want to learn more, you can check my article about the pros and cons of YouTube automation.
If you're not into building your own YouTube channel, check Brand Builder Academy which teaches how to build your own online brand.
Does YouTube support automation tools?
YouTube does support automation tools, unless they incorporate the use of bots to artificially inflate engagement data or trick people into engaging with the video. According to YouTube's Fake Engagement Policy, content creators are prohibited from using automated systems whose purpose is to artificially increase the number of views, likes, comments, or other platform metrics. Channels that go against this policy are likely to be terminated from YouTube.
8 Best YouTube automation tools
1. TubeBuddy
TubeBuddy is a YouTube browser extension that allows you to access an entire tool suite on top of the YouTube website. Over 10 million brands and creators use this comprehensive software to optimize their YouTube channel and attract more viewers. Much of the software relies on artificial intelligence to help creators automate meticulous tasks. Some of TubeBuddy’s key features include:
- Thumbnail analyzer
- Keyword explorer
- Video tags
- SEO optimization studio
- Suggested YouTube shorts
2. VidIQ
VidIQ is a Google Chrome extension that allows users to analyze YouTube data for better decision making. The platform also offers online education and coaching services to help you get your YouTube automation channel up and running quickly. Some of vidIQ’s key automation features include:
- Daily idea generation
- Keyword research
- Competitor tracking
- Channel auditing
3. Repurpose.io
Repurpose.io is a tool that automatically reformats your videos for different social media platforms. In 2024, one of the most effective strategies for growing a YouTube automation channel is taking an omnichannel approach. Repurposing your long form YouTube automation videos for other channels like Shorts, TikTok, Instagram, or Twitter allows you to attract new audiences to your YouTube channel.
4. ChatGPT
ChatGPT is an artificial intelligence chatbot that can help a YouTube automation channel automatically create video titles, descriptions, and tags. ChatGPT can even come up with new video idea topics and help with video script writing!
5. Asana
Asana is a workflow management tool that lets you assign, track, and manage the tasks of your YouTube automation team. Utilizing a workflow management tool like Asana is essential for YouTube automation to ensure content is published on time and team members clearly understand their responsibilities.
6. Zapier
Zapier is a popular no-code tool that allows you to connect different apps and create automations. For example, you can automatically notify a YouTube automation team member when a task is ready for them or automatically share a newly published YouTube video to social media.
7. AWeber
AWeber is an email automation tool. Considering that nearly 22% of all email campaigns are opened within the first hour of sending, according to GetResponse, notifying your audience with an email when you publish a new video can be an effective strategy to get more video views. With AWeber, you can automatically send out those reminder emails.
8. YouTube Studio
YouTube Studio is the official platform for YouTube creators where videos are uploaded, published, and managed. However, many creators don’t know that there are actually a few built in automations from within YouTube Studio! For example, YouTube Studio can automate subtitles and segmenting your video into chapters.
How does the YouTube algorithm affect YouTube automation success?
If you want your YouTube automation channel to excel as the channel owner, you should understand the YouTube algorithm. YouTubes algorithm is a set of computer instructions that the platform uses to recommend content to optimize viewer satisfaction. The purpose of the YouTube algorithm is to keep users on the platform as long as possible watching videos. YouTubes algorithm ranks your videos on the platform for specific keywords in the search results and recommends your videos to the YouTube users that are most likely to enjoy them. The YouTube algorithm determines rankings through a variety of ranking signals, including:
How long does it take for the YouTube algorithm to kick in?
The YouTube algorithm kicks in right when you publish a new video and will start recommending your video on some viewers' homepage and suggested content to analyze how it is received by viewers. However, new YouTube channel videos will only be shown to a tiny audience because the YouTube algorithm needs to make sure their audience actually likes your videos first. If people like your videos and keep watching your content, YouTube will start recommending your videos to more people and your content will perform better in YouTube search as well.
Does deleting YouTube videos affect the algorithm?
Deleting YouTube videos affects the algorithm in a positive way by letting you get rid of old videos that are poor quality or unrelated to your current channel content. For example, say you published Bitcoin content on your channel two years ago and have since focused your YouTube automation content specifically on Pokemon cards. If Bitcoin suddenly becomes a hot topic and your old Bitcoin videos start to take off on the YouTube algorithm, it could hurt your Pokemon card videos. All the new subscribers from your Bitcoin videos will skip your Pokemon videos and the algorithm will assume viewers don’t want to watch those videos anymore. Therefore, it’s best to delete old videos when your channel has evolved and is now successful in another niche than the niche you started in.
How to increase YouTube automation channel subscribers?
You can increase YouTube automation channel subscribers on your channel by creating high quality content tailored to a specific audience and publishing content consistently so that YouTube recommends you more often on the platform. If you’re after more subscribers, it also helps to increase your discoverability on the platform.
How to increase discoverability on YouTube?
You can increase discoverability on YouTube by using YouTube SEO to optimize your video title and description, choosing the appropriate video category, and uploading a custom thumbnail.
Optimizing the video title and description
If you want any chance of viral videos, you’ll need to do keyword research and put those keywords in the right places for YouTube to understand them. The best places you can put your targeted keywords to optimize discoverability on YouTube are:
Categorize your videos
Categorizing your video during publishing in the YouTube studio helps the platform to better understand your content so it can recommend it to the best audience.
Use a custom thumbnail
YouTube automatically generates three thumbnails options for your video, but you should upload your own custom thumbnail! A custom thumbnail is much more eye-catching and gets more clicks on your video. In fact, a 2021 study by Wyzowl found that 90% of the best performing videos on the platform use a custom thumbnail!
Should you buy likes and engagement to grow your YouTube automation channel?
You should buy YouTube likes and engagement if your channel needs a boost and their source is from actual user accounts and not bots. If you don’t have money to spend, you can use YTMonster and grow your YouTube channel by exchanging engagement with other YouTubers. A like for a like is a great way to go for those on a budget!
What happens if your YouTube automation channel gets one copyright claim?
If your YouTube automation channel gets one copyright claim, that video will usually either be ineligible for monetization or be removed from the platform completely. A copyright claim can be either a Content ID claim or a copyright removal request. Content ID is an automation software by YouTube that automatically identifies copyrighted content in uploaded videos and informs the copyright owner. The copyright owner can choose to track the viewership stats on the video, monetize the content by running ads on it themself or block the content from being viewed. On the other hand, a copyright removal request is when the copyright owner requests the content removed. This results in a copyright strike on your channel. YouTubers avoid copyright by creating original video content for their viewers and using copyright free music.
Should you start a faceless YouTube automation channel?
You should start a YouTube automation channel if you want to generate passive income and you have money to invest. You'll need around $500 to $1,000 to start YouTube automation to cover video creation for the first few months and pay a subscription to use AI tools in different ways for YouTube automation. It’s optimal to have a job or other business that you can use to help fund your YouTube automation project until it becomes self-sustainable.
How do you start Faceless YouTube automation?
- 1Choose from one of the best YouTube automation niches, like personal finance
- 2Create a branded YouTube account with a name and channel art relevant to your niche
- 3Build a high-quality YouTube automation team by hiring from freelance platforms like Fiverr and Upwork
- 4Equip your team with software tools to improve automation processes
- 5Monetize your faceless YouTube channel once you have a consistent audience
Once you have completed the steps to start a YouTube automation channel and your faceless YouTube automation has been set up, you can even start your YouTube automation without making videos in addition to the videos you already have.
Related Articles on YouTube Automation
Conclusion
You can monetize your YouTube channel without showing your face by setting up a YouTube automation business, and many people have found success with this business model. However, even though YouTube automation is a viable online business model, it isn’t for everyone. YouTube automation is for people who have money to risk and time to wait to see if the channel concept ever takes off with the YouTube algorithm.
From my experience with online business, I recommend local lead generation as the best passive income online business model for most people. With local lead generation, you rank niche business websites for local Google search to generate leads for local businesses. You then sell those leads for hundreds to thousands of dollars a month to local businesses who can actually perform the service, like lawn care or house cleaning. Local lead generation has low startup costs, so you can get started for minimal financial risk. The most important determining factor for success with any of these business models is to set your business goals and don’t give up until you achieve what you’re aiming for.
A million dollars before age 10 is a sign of ingenuity. Moreover, 22 months to reach 1000 subscribers is a stat that i had no idea about. Most people give up after month 3 when they've only gotten 20 subscribers. It takes time to grow a channel and it's not an overnight thing. Youtube automation is a good way to earn money on Youtube if you're camera shy but have a great ability for editing and putting together videos.