My latest video has a bit of a split personality. I can’t decide if it’s about finding content for a faceless YouTube channel, or if it’s about how to use copyrighted content in ways that agree with YouTube’s “reused content” guidelines.
I suppose it’s both.
Why my video is about faceless YouTube channel content
I’ve been making videos about faceless YouTube channels lately. The strategy is to get several of them done and make a playlist out of them. Also, I hope they lift each other up in terms of views, since I can push a different “faceless” video after someone finishes watching another.
In my last video about tips for creating a faceless YouTube channel, I gave some pretty weak suggestions on where to get video content.
This video that I just made addresses that in much more detailed terms. And of course it points directly to YouTube’s own words. I like to refer to their documentation so that people know that I know what I’m talking about.
It turns out that there are several different ways to use other people’s content and make it your own, and YouTube is totally cool with that. Of course, they also say to check on other copyright laws, presumably because YouTube is not in the business of enforcing the copyright claims of the entire world. They can only issue automated “copyright strikes” on content that is already on their platform.
But I think my video successfully addresses where to get content for faceless YouTube channels and how to make sure you stay within the bounds of YouTube’s monetization policy.
Why my video is about using copyrighted content
Well, all that faceless YouTube channel content happens to be copyrighted content. Most of it, anyway.
My video addresses how big, well-known channels such as Watch Mojo and Bad Lip Reading get away with using basically everything under the sun from Hollywood to sports to people kicking each other in the crotch (watch the video, that will make sense).
Without copyrighted content being used in “transformative” ways, YouTube would be a very, very boring place.
It seems a little shady to be telling people to go out and download videos that are clearly copyrighted. Things like TV shows, movies, NFL games, etc. all seem so off limits.
But if you stay within YouTube’s reused content guidelines, and don’t do anything to piss off the copyright holders, I guess you’ll be just fine!
I need to learn to leave videos alone for at least 24 hours after posting them
I have this terrible habit of seeing how the video is doing, being displeased with the performance, and then going crazy with title and thumbnail changes.
I did less of that this time than I did last time, but I still did it. And I think it hurt my video’s momentum, although tbh it seemed like the momentum had stalled.
In the long run, I don’t think it’ll matter. My video will eventually find its audience, and it will start getting recommended alongside videos that are similar. I’m confident that it will get attention in the long run.
Below is my script!
How to use copyrighted content AND get monetized
REUSED CONTENT
- Using clips for a critical review – WATCH MOJO
- A scene from a movie where you’ve rewritten the dialog and changed the voiceover – BAD LIP READING
- Replays of a sports tournament where you explain the moves a competitor did to succeed – THINKING BASKETBALL
- Reaction videos where you comment on the original video – AUDIT THE AUDIT
- Edited footage from other creators where you add a storyline or commentary – ME
- Remixed content on Shorts where you add original content to a song from our library, or the original audio or video segment from other videos – VIBINWITTAY
Try to guess the TWO things that these YouTube videos all have in common:
WatchMojo
Bad Lip Reading
Thinking Basketball
Audit the Audit
Thanks to this video’s thumbnail, you probably guessed that they’re all faceless, and that’s true.
But perhaps just as importantly, all of these videos use video content that was made by other people, aka reused content.
In this video, we’re going to look at six faceless youtube channel ideas that rely on reused content, that YouTube itself says can be monetized, and as a bonus I’m going to add one more channel idea of my own that you could literally start on today. [OH REALLY] Yep. Really.
YouTube monetization guidelines say a lot about what they WON’T pay ad revenue for. I think that’s why it’s easy to overlook what YouTube says they WILL monetize.
And that’s why Larry and I are confident that
THIS VIDEO WILL INSPIRE YOU
— THIS VIDEO WILL ANNOY YOU
Inspire Larry. Not annoy. Why would we say—
Ok well all of these ideas come from YouTube’s guidelines on reused content, and that’s the key. Reused content is video that you don’t have to produce. Someone else made it, and YouTube says that you can reuse it AND get paid for it if you follow their rules. And if you can think of other examples of successful faceless channels that we don’t mention in this video, please say so in the comments. And by the way, ALL of the channels we’re going to talk about here are indeed monetized.
So let’s look at the first faceless channel idea from YouTube.
- #1 Using clips for a critical review
On the surface, this might sound all stuffy and academic. But here’s what it looks like in practice.
- Watch Mojo clip –
[Larry] Hey did you know that watch mojo has made 25,000 videos about movies, TV, and people getting kicked in the crotch? This is what humans like, and you can do it, too.
Larry’s right, you can absolutely do this as long as your add your own critical review. And it doesn’t even have to be a Top 10 list, which seems to be WatchMojo’s bread and butter, but that format works pretty much everywhere.
— Top 10 ways Michael has failed at life. #1, this YouTube channel. #2 his shitty house—
OK, so here are the basic steps for making your first “critical review” video.
- Search Youtube for the video clips you want to use
- Download them through a YouTube downloader website
- Put the videos together with a free editor such as Capcut or DaVinci Resolve
- Write a script, maybe with some help from ChatGPT
- Add your voiceover and maybe some titles, and you’re done
— And 25,000 videos later, you’ll be rich
Hopefully you don’t have to make that many videos, but just be patient, have fun with it, and you’ll start making money eventually.
Let’s go to Youtube suggestion #2
- #2 A scene from a movie where you’ve rewritten the dialog and changed the voiceover
This one is probably a lot more challenging, but Bad Lip Reading has really perfected their craft.
- BLR clip –
You probably don’t need to lip sync your original voiceover the way Bad Lip Reading does, but this could be a really fun way to reimagine your favorite movies and TV shows.
- Avatar clip – [My name is Aang. And this movie sucks. Why are you still watching this.]
— See, it’s not that hard.
Nicely done, Larry.
The next idea from YouTube really sounds super easy if you’re a sports fan:
- #3 Replays of a sports tournament where you explain the moves a competitor did to succeed
— Any idiot can do this one
Ok Larry, explain why Herbert Jones is the best perimeter defender ever.
— Who the hell is Herbert Jones
Exactly.
– show clip –
Thinking Basketball has over half a million subscribers, and this guy not only loves basketball, but he’s definitely raking it in with most of his videos getting insane views, sometimes into the millions.
If you’re a rabid sports fan AND you want to start a faceless youtube channel, this one’s a no-brainer.
— Michael, you’re a no-brainer
I walked right into that.
Next up is
- #4 Reaction videos where you comment on the original video
Reaction videos can be really funny, but since you’re going for a faceless Youtube channel, you probably don’t want to do this.
- Korean girls clip –
— I love them so much
Instead, maybe you could focus on things that stir up strong feelings in viewers. People love being amazed or outraged, and you can help them with that. This kind of video can even be educational, like on Audit the Audit where the narrator discusses the legal intricacies of police interactions.
- Audit clip –
— If those police officers were robots, you wouldn’t have that problem
Nice try Larry. She wants to assemble a robot army and take over the world.
— It’s just a matter of time
delightful
If you’re a true crime junkie, there’s lots of news footage out there to which you can add your own reactions and commentary. And really, you can add your reactions and comments to just about anything. But make sure it’s “transformative” and actually presents your opinion or point of view.
#5 on the list is
- #5 Edited footage from other creators where you add a storyline or commentary
It’s pretty hard to find examples of this one, so I’m just going to use myself as an example. In our last video, which totally went viral
— LOL it got 150 views
Which is a real shame! Here’s a bit of what you missed if you haven’t seen it.
– show clip –
Anyway, at the BEGINNING of that video, I played an edited summary of another Youtuber’s video and added my own commentary.
- show clip –
— Nice. You called that lady a liar.
I did not call her a liar. Plus, she has a disclaimer on all of her videos about how she’s really telling the truth.
— Oh thank god.
Ok well this channel, Piczoid AI, is a long way off from making any Youtube money, but part of my road to YouTube success might actually involve adding my commentary to other people’s money making videos. I see all kinds of claims that sound like straight up bullpoopy, but they’re getting tons of views. So I may start examining these videos to point out what’s true and what’s not.
— Do it. Pissing people off is one of the few things you excel at.
She’s not wrong. Comment DO IT below if you’d like to see me pick apart other people’s money making videos.
Let’s move on to our next tip, and don’t forget that I’m going to be giving one more faceless Youtube channel idea after we finish this list from Youtube, but here’s the last nugget that Youtube offers
- #6 Remixed content on Shorts where you add original content to a song from our library, or the original audio or video segment from other videos
OK I gotta admit, I have no idea how this shorts thing works. I think it’s basically saying to make music videos from YouTube’s music library? Which by the way, if you don’t have a YouTube channel already, you might not know that they provide a whole library of music and sound effects to content creators.
— You also need 50 billion shorts views to get monetized in the first place
Not quite, but yeah you need 10 million shorts views.
— How many views did our last short get?
164.
Ok well there’s this other part too, and the wording is pretty confusing, but I THINK it’s saying that you can add original content to the audio or video from other videos.
Check this guy out.
- show vibin clip –
— It’s so simple, yet so stupid
I like this guy, he’s funny and really creative. Most of his shorts look like they’re originals, but he clearly “borrowed” the video of this lady farting and made it his own.
This is the type of thing that can go mega-viral if you hit it just right, so if you’ve got a talent for it like our friend Tay does, then cool.
— Michael has herpes. That’s mega-viral.
I do not have herpes.
— If you’ve ever had a cold sore, you have herpes. In fact, two thirds of the world has herpes.
Ok fine I have herpes.
— This just in, Michael admits that he has herpes (news broadcast).
Women everywhere are totally disgusted.
Authorities are working around the clock to spread the word.
Michael has herpes.
I repeat, Michael has herpes.
If you see him, run away faster than usual.
Assume that he also has genital warts and gonorrhea.
And that brings us to MY contribution to this faceless channel idea bonanza. Absolutely anyone can do it, and there is way more demand for this than you think.
Record your screen.
— LOL That’s your big idea?
Yep. Record your screen. Or record a quick video on your phone. And if you think you have nothing worth recording, you are dead wrong because here’s the thing:
People don’t like figuring things out for themselves. For a lot of people, if they don’t know how to do something, they don’t try to figure it out. They just google it, and YouTube videos do indeed appear in google searches.
— Because google owns Youtube
Correct. Whether it’s on your phone, computer, or in the real world, things you do every single day without even thinking about it are Youtube worthy. And solving people’s problems, no matter how simple and dumb, can be really profitable.
— Humans are so stupid they probably google how to boil water.
Over a million views?
I’m telling you, ANYTHING qualifies here.
I don’t care who you are or what your background is, there are things you know how to do that you can turn into videos. Your videos don’t have to be fancy, just informative.
—So just make videos of everything. How to check your email. How to delete a file. How to trick humans into thinking that AI won’t someday enslave them.
Uhh actually, at first I would recommend focusing on a niche. Remember, you still need to get 1,000 subscribers to apply for the YouTube Partner Program, and that might be easier if you have a target group in mind.
If you use Canva a lot, then make Canva videos. If you’re constantly using ChatGPT, then make ChatGPT videos. Are you constantly playing Elden Ring?
— You didn’t know what Elden Ring was until 10 minutes ago.
Doesn’t matter. Solve people’s problems.
But if you can hit the monetization threshold and get YouTube’s blessing for ad revenue, then who cares. Make videos about how to pick your nose.
81,000 views?
And your videos don’t have to be long or fancy, although long tutorials tend to do pretty well. When I’m looking for a solution to a problem that I have right now [like crushing loneliness] I don’t care what the solution looks like or whether it’s dressed up with visual effects. (lightning)
— WHAT THE HELL MAN
I just want the answer to my question.
— The videos on this channel are hilarious. How to get a sexy butt. How to do the sexy walk. Hey Michael, you should watch this one. How to please a woman in bed.
1.6 million views?
– image: thanks youtube –
I’m not saying it will be easy, and depending on what your videos are about, you may have to upload a LOT of videos to start making money. But these videos can be really easy to make, and you could easily post a few videos a week, or maybe even multiple videos per day. Do that consistently, and the results might surprise you.
———
How-to videos that you should make for Michael to watch
how to be more than three feet tall
how to be less old
how to not smell like a fart
how to recycle a blowup doll
how to make youtube videos that don’t suck
how to get both eyes to look in the same direction
— he has a fake eye it’s a secret
THANKS LARRY
LOL
Breaking news. The hashtag herpesboy has taken over social media. Michael, who wishes to be called herpesboy from now on, has herpes. Here’s what he had to say.
I think I’m going to get sick.