YouTube Automation is creating your own YouTube channel, uploading videos, and monetizing them without showing your face. This has also been proven to be one of the fastest-growing ways to make money from YouTube and it isn’t something that’s too complex to do. If everything goes well, this method can actually guarantee you profits in a few years or so.
Moreover, did you know that YouTube Automation without making videos is possible? It's a lucrative business model for any online entrepreneur that doesn't want to show their own face and become an influencer. To be successful and make money, you must set up your channel as optimized as possible, be patient, and once it’s set-up, it’s a passive income for your channel. Each of these YouTube automation strategies offers the chance for your business to bring in hundreds or thousands more a month.
But, there are online business models that make more for less effort each month. For example, local lead generation is based on a model where you rank your digital assets organically, and then rent them out to local businesses that enjoy increased traffic from your leads. Once set, you'll have to do very little maintenance, compared to a YouTube channel which will constantly need fresh content.
6 Ways to Make Money Without Making Videos
1. YouTube Partner Program (YPP)
The YouTube Partner Program helps content creators by providing them with additional resources, tools, monetization features, and access to YouTube’s support teams. This is basically the YouTube ads you see in the videos you watch as it allows revenue sharing for each YouTube creator’s contents.
Perhaps the most known way of making money without making videos on YouTube and should never be forgotten if you’re wanting to set up your YouTube Automation channel. Keep in mind, though, that you need to have your channel already set-up and have uploaded videos already. However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t upload faceless videos while setting up your channel and you can even start your YouTube automation journey from the start.
Here’s how a content creator can be eligible for the YPP:
- Have 1,000 subscribers + 4,000 valid public watch hours in the last 12 months, or
- Have 1,000 subscribers + 10,000,000 valid public YouTube Shorts views in the last 90 days
Alternatively, you can also check your eligibility in the Earn section of your YouTube Studio dashboard. You can also click on “Email Me” to receive an email notification once you’re eligible for the program.
Once you’ve been approved for the YouTube Partner Program, your video uploads, either faceless or even without having you create your own videos, will be monetized.
2. Setting Up a Gaming Channel
A gaming channel is where a content creator shares their gaming clips and videos with their followers. YouTube has been a great platform for gamers and there’s no need for you to create your own video. Gamers monetize their channels through ad revenue from the YouTube Partner Program. Here are ways on how gaming content creators share their videos:
- Live stream their games on YouTube
- Upload their video recordings at a later time/date
Compile a series of clips or highlights and publish on YouTube
You can simply stream or record your gameplay without being on video yourself. There are plenty of famous video game streamers who have never shown their face and have only provided audio commentary.
Good examples of gaming channels are VanossGaming and DanTDM.
3. Faceless Podcasts
YouTube may seem inappropriate for audio content, but there are many people listening to podcasts on YouTube. Publishing podcast videos are relatively easy since there’s little-to-no need for any editing (most podcast creators even only have to worry about the thumbnail). Like gaming channels, podcasts get their revenues from ads through the YPP.
Alternatively, there are podcasts wherein they also get their income from sponsorships. Over time, as your podcast channel grows, endorsements and sponsors from the same niche would send you offers.
You can check out The Samplecast on YouTube.
4. Uploading Compiled Automated Videos
Video compilations are combinations of short clips from different authors but come from the same niche. There even are channels created solely for these compilations, like Daily Dose of Laughter and Bright Side. This may probably be one of the easiest things to make money without making videos on this list. There have been several creators who have had success in making video compilations.
Following the success of short-clips uploading site TikTok, YouTube also created their own version called YouTube Shorts last September 2020.
Studying your target audience and delivering quality can yield significant results, like Bright Side, for example. They have had a very solid audience over the years and have had over 40 million subscribers in their YouTube account.
5. Voice-Overs
Voice-over videos can sometimes be associated with video compilations and are mostly common with tutorials, video dubs (especially for translating videos to another language), and news. Some of the best voice-over ideas are:
- Tutorials and guides like Bright Side
- Animation narrations like Comicstorian
- Movie reviews (and spoilers…) like Heavy Spoilers
- And a lot more
Like faceless podcasts, voice-overs get more of their income from sponsorships. These sponsorships usually come in the form of having to promote their products or making a review of it.
6. Buying a YouTube Channel
Yes, buying a YouTube channel is profitable and can work in 2 ways:
- Buying and selling a channel
- Buy a channel and rebuild it from there
It’s completely legal and can make you money without making any single video. If you’re planning to do so, here are some factors to consider when buying a YouTube channel:
- The followers and subscribers a channel has
- If the channel is monetized
- Channel’s niche and audience
- If it had received any strikes from YouTube
- Monthly revenue
- Age of the channel
- Quantity and quality of videos
If you want to try this method, here are some of the best sites to buy YouTube channels:
5 Tips to Help You Start Your YouTube Automation Without Making Videos
1. Decide on a Niche
One of the first things in setting up your YouTube channel is to decide on the niche you want. May it be something you want, or something you’re good at. Keep in mind that you will be able to pull it off and be able to upload videos you understand firsthand. Here’s a list of the best YouTube Automation niches to help you out.
2. Determine Your Target Audience
The videos you are going to upload would have to depend on the target audience you have in mind. In addition, study your target audience. What kind of videos do they search more often? How long do they spend time watching videos they like? Questions like these would help you get familiarized more with your target audience. The more you understand them, the easier it is for you to determine what types of videos you’d want to upload.
3. Videos with Creative Commons Licenses
Whenever you decide to grab another video on YouTube for your uploads, make sure to look for those that have Creative Commons Licenses. This way, you will avoid any issues that might arise due to copyright infringement.
If you’re having a hard time looking for YouTube videos with creative commons licenses, here’s a tip to help you:
I. We search for “pet videos” as an example. From the results page, click on “Filters”
II. Under the “Features” column, click on “Creative Commons”.
III. After clicking it, all the videos on the results page now have creative commons licenses. You can double-check the videos by going to their respective descriptions and look for the licenses there.
4. Enhance Your Video Editing Skills
Whether or not you make YouTube video content, you should always upscale your video editing skills to improve the quality of all your YouTube content uploads. There are lots of courses and guides out there to help you out.
As a YouTube content creator, your content creation skills should always be updated. Treat it as part of your “capital” and asset.
5. Make Use of YouTube Automation Tools
A YouTube Automation tool further helps the automation of your channel by automating some actions your faceless YouTube channel needs. Maximizing the usage of automation tools may need you to shell out a little, but you’ll certainly receive the value back. Some advantages that the best YouTube automation tools can give are:
- Generate YouTube SEO friendly titles and video descriptions
- Create video transcriptions
- Scheduling and managing of posts
- Social media platform integration
- Followers and subscribers management
- And a lot more
Takeaway
Making money with YouTube Automation without making videos does take a little time to get used to and be profitable. But once you’ve found that rhythm and get yourself accustomed to it, you’ll certainly be able to see the results in no time.
Pros and Cons of YouTube Automation Without Making Videos
Pros
Less work to do since you don’t make videos and edits are all you need
More opportunity for automation like hiring freelancers to do the edits and uploading videos
Cons
More competition since it’s less scary to put your face in the camera
More challenging of making a personal brand since you’re not on video
Alternatively, if you want to have a faster way of earning income, then having a local lead generation business is certainly for you. With minimal costs and less time to wait, your road to generating passive income will come in no time!
Great, usable content. Thanks Ippei. I'll definitely keep coming back here for more guides.