1. Making Money Through Content on YouTube
If you decide you want to post content on YouTube to make money, but don’t necessarily want to show your face on camera, you have plenty of avenues to choose from.
The first step to making money on YouTube is to set up a YouTube Brand account. A Brand account is free and lets you set up multiple channels, hide your email and choose a different name — so you can put your brand in the forefront instead of your own face, name and personality.
Then, you’ll want to set up a channel based on the topic you’d like to focus on. Some of the most popular YouTube channels that don’t showcase people include the Meditation Mindfulness channel, a Daily Dose of Internet — which is a clip channel of funny and interesting videos from across the Internet — and many podcasts that are audio-only.
2. Curate Content from Other Places
Whether you decide to share funny animal videos, movie trailers or interesting and weird news, you can find people interested in your YouTube channel. The best part of curating content is that you don’t have to get behind — or in front of — a camera at all.
If you’re aggregating third-party content, however, make sure you have explicit permission or rights to share that content. Otherwise, you could get hit with a “Matched Third-Party” notification. If the notification was sent in error, you should dispute it immediately. Always make sure you have permission to share the content you post.
Often, you can find content posted under a “Creative Commons” license. This gives third parties the right to use the video. Follow the rules for creative commons licensing. Sometimes, you can’t use the videos for commercial purposes or to make money and sometimes you can’t alter the videos. You must also give attribution to the original creator.
You can also search for creative commons photos and artwork and put them together with music to create a montage video.
You can find Creative Commons content on YouTube, and you can also go to sites like Vimeo, Pixabay, Videvo and others to search for the video clips and photos you need.
3. Post Slide Decks and Presentations
Whether you are trying to teach people something new or promote your business, a slide deck or presentation is a great way to do it.
Homework help YouTube channels also took off during the pandemic, when parents struggled with homeschooling and virtual learning, trying to teach their kids concepts that they didn’t understand themselves or hadn’t studied in decades. Even today, many kids turn to YouTube before they ask their parents or a teacher for help.
4. Record Audio-Only Reaction Videos
The reaction video genre took off in 2020 when people bored at home during the pandemic wanted to share their thoughts on media and entertainment without getting in front of the camera. YouTuber Jaby Koay garnered 1.7 million subscribers with his reaction videos.
But you don’t have to share your face to share your views on pop culture, news, common everyday situations and more. Just find clips to share and then record your reactions on voiceover.
5. Post Audio-Only Podcasts
Do you have a topic you love? Is there something you could talk about for hours each day? Consider starting an audio-only podcast about it and posting it on YouTube.
Most people think of YouTube for video content. But YouTube is the top platform to listen to podcasts, according to a recent survey from voiceover marketplace Voices, with 57.8% of consumers polled choosing it as their preferred platform, ahead of Spotify, Apple Podcasts and others.
6. Live Stream Your Video Game Play with Voiceovers
Similarly, if you love playing video games, you can live stream — or even record — your video game play with voiceovers.
While many of the top gaming influencers on YouTube have a distinct brand, like DanTDM who even has a Halloween costume patterned after his trademark outfit, some never show their face. H20 Delirious has kept his identity secret, never showing his face and going by the name of Jonathon.
7. Join the YouTube Partner Program
Of course, curating or creating great content is just the beginning. Remember — you don’t have to make the videos yourself. But you will need to aggregate content that people enjoy and then market your channel through social media to get the word out.
Once you’ve gotten some views on your videos and generated a following on your channel, you can apply for the YouTube Partner Program. Joining the YPP offers multiple revenue streams to make money on YouTube.
Once you have at least 1,000 subscribers to your channel, 4,000 valid public watch hours in the past 12 months and have kept your YouTube account in good standing, you can apply to the YouTube Partner Program. As a partner, you can generate revenue from ads, subscribers, merchandise and more.
