Just yesterday I posted a video with five tips for creating a successful faceless YouTube channel. But how would I know anything about that? I’ve never made a faceless YouTube channel!
See, that’s the thing about YouTube. You don’t have to know anything. You just present whatever you’re presenting, and hopefully the viewer gets some value from it.
I based my tips on what I’ve learned as a blogger and print-on-demand seller. I’ve learned that being original always beats copying others, that loving your content is more important than how much you think you might make by going with some other niche, and that copying success is a good strategy but only to a certain extent. You have to differentiate yourself in some way.
Oh, and I also added the importance of SEO and, for some reason, Motion Array.
But the Motion Array segment of my video is INSANE! It’s a visual tour de force of special effects, biting commentary from Larry, and just an all around fun break from the monotony of listening to some stranger on YouTube drone on about whatever.
Anyway, here’s the current title of my video:
5 Tips to Make Money With a Faceless YouTube Channel
I say it’s my “current” title because the video has been live for a little over a day, and I’ve changed the title like 10 times. And I’ve come up with several different thumbnails.
When I saw how poorly the video was doing … like 0.3% click through rate (CTR) and barely any views at all in the first 60-90 minutes, I kind of panicked.
I worked so hard on editing this beast! Just look at the timeline.
I don’t know if changing my title and thumbnail so many times helped my video or hurt its chances of being seen, but I now have a strategy to get it seen.
I’m going to post a related follow-up video that will hopefully be easy to create, should drum up a lot of interest and views (yeah, I always think that!), and I will include a “card” in the video that links to the video I’m talking about in this post. A card, in YouTube terms, is an on-screen link from one video to a different video.
Just for fun, here are my other thumbnail ideas that I deployed for minutes, maybe hours. I just couldn’t make up my mind! Also, yes I know I’m supposed to make my thumbnail BEFORE I make the video. I thought I had a clear picture in my mind of what I was going to make, but that all went out the window because it was 4 a.m. and I needed to get up for work four hours later.
My current video thumbnail looks like this, and I guess I’ll stick with it.
I guess I like this thumbnail because it hints at faceless with the YouTube play button over my face, and it refers to the very first thing I talk about in the video which is YouTube’s guidelines on monetizing content.
I show screenshots of YouTube’s policy of NOT monetizing content that is “mass-produced,” “automatically created,” or “programmatically generated.” In other words, crappy videos that get created by AI services.
Ok well, I’m hoping for the best here. I’ll chalk up this video bomb as a learning experience and hopefully do better on the next one!
Down below is my script which I more or less followed, but then I added in a whole new script for Larry’s Motion Array madness.
7 Tips for ai youtube automation success: How to get started
INTRO
——-
If I had tried to make a faceless YouTube channel 10 years ago, I would have started it with wild enthusiasm and abandoned it 3 months later. I know this because younger me did that constantly. I’ve found success since then only because my past mistakes have taught me what it really takes to start a side hustle and actually start making money. Be sure to stick around for some unfiltered Larry at the end.
If you’ve been watching videos about creating a faceless YouTube channel, there’s a good chance that you’ve seen this video.
SHOW MONSGUIDE CLIPS
There are different versions of this 100% AI approach, but that’s the general idea. Create nothing yourself, automate the whole thing, hence the buzzword YouTube Automation, and suddenly you’re a content creator.
And in case you missed it, here’s a short that I ran recently.
[SHOW THE FACELESS SHORT]
— Hey why wasn’t I in that video? You douchebag.
Language!
— Youtube says it’s fine. Look it up, douchebag.
That 23 second video kind of sums up YouTube’s general policy when it comes to monetizing, or paying ad revenue on videos that are entirely artificial. Faceless Youtube videos are fine. YouTube doesn’t care! But they do care when it comes to low effort, mass produced garbage.
— Ouch. Harsh.
Is it though?
— Not really.
Right, so there’s TIP #1: Create authentic content. DON’T produce videos that YouTube would call “automatically created,” “mass produced,” or “programmatically generated.”
— In other words, don’t be a douchebag
Ok Larry, fair point, but please stop calling people douchebags.
— OK, I will stop. (douchebag)
So if your master plan was to pump out hundreds of AI-only videos and then retire in the Bahamas, I’m sorry to poop on your lifelong dream, [nasty] but Youtube will pay you nothing, and I say that with confidence.
— You really love crushing people’s dreams, don’t you?
I do. It’s my passion! And speaking of passion, let’s talk about Tip #2: Choose the right niche.
— Or nitch.
Weirdly yes, that is also considered correct. Who cares. Larry, what’s the best way to choose a niche?
— Find a successful faceless YouTube channel and copy everything they do.
Wrong! YouTube “experts” like telling people to do that, but putting effort into something you don’t care about is stupid. And I know it’s stupid because I’ve done it myself many times.
I once hatched a plan to make Amazon affiliate money from blogging about bedroom furniture for kids. I don’t have kids. I don’t even like kids.
— Didn’t you used to teach kindergarten?
Don’t remind me. I also tried to start a Shopify drop shipping store that was supposed to sell brooches from Aliexpress. Why?
— Because you’re a moron?
Apparently I am! And this next one isn’t exactly a side hustle, but I went and got a master’s degree in TESOL, which is Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, and yes that’s a thing. Guess what? I only did it because I lived next door to the university. I don’t care about TESOL. TESOL is so boring.
— Where are you going with this?
I forget. Anyway, choose something that you love doing, know a lot about, and is appealing to a lot of people, also known as viewers. So here’s what you do.
Make a list of things you love doing
— So for you that would be getting drunk and soiling yourself
I’ll rephrase. Make a list of things you love doing that are advertiser friendly, assuming you’d like to make money with this faceless channel.
For example, here’s my list. Now let’s—
— Michael, did you create this list just to make people think you’re an alpha male who is also sensitive and caring?
No
— LIAR – THE ONLY THING YOU’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT IS PLAYING IPAD GAMES WHILE YOU SIT ON THE TOILET – YOU ARE THE LAZIEST —
OKOK, this list might be a bit exaggerated
— LOL Just a bit
So let’s look at my list and keep only the things that I have real experience with and can talk about with some authority
— You mean your list of bullpoopy
Fine, let’s IMAGINE that I have done these things which, btw, I totally could
— If the triathlon is drinking, smoking, and eating pizza, sure
So out of these topics, let’s pick the one that advertisers will probably pay the most for. To do this, try googling terms like “highest paying youtube niche” and be sure to check multiple sources. For our purposes here, we’ll just go with this one.
Ok, well it’s a good thing I’m a car expert
— Bullpoopy
According to this random website, tech and car-related content pays pretty well compared to other niches, and way more than fitness, which was our other option based on my imaginary love of triathlons.
— But where are you going to do for video content? Stitch together stock video clips of cars you don’t own?
That’s a great question. Where is this content coming from? You might need to make 50 or even 100 videos before you make a dime.
— LOL way to motivate the audience
So because we’re going faceless here, I would probably use manufacturer photos and videos to spotlight new car models, and mix in Amazon product roundups of auto accessories like 5 best seat covers, car stereos, dash cams, etc. for those affiliate dollars.
The competition is pretty high for videos like that, but guess what? Everybody and their mother wants to make faceless channels now. This is the pool you’re diving into.
So there’s your niche. You know it, you love it, and assuming you reach the point where you can get ad revenue from YouTube, you should do pretty well.
Just be careful that you don’t choose your niche based solely on potential payout.
— Ok great, we’ve got a niche. How do we turn that into videos?
Thank you Larry for that very convenient segue into Tip #3: Do what your competition isn’t.
Youtube experts love to tell you to copy successful channels.
— That’s how they became successful
Yeah that’s probably true for a lot of them. But they all have different personalities and present things in their own ways
— So you admire them
No, I can’t stand them. But I think there’s some validity in imitating success. If I were starting a faceless channel, I’d be looking at my competition to see what topics they’re covering and learn from what I think they’re doing right.
— In other words, copy copy copy
In some ways, yes. But find ways to be different.
Look at their videos and think about what topics they’re not covering. And if you’re doing your own voiceover and editing, use that to add your unique personality and style. Offer a different brand of content within your niche.
You could even add a unique end screen to every video as a little bonus for watching until the end. Watch until the end of this video to see how we do it. Larry gets the last word in every video we make.
— I totally kill in those bits. Too bad literally nobody watches them
Ok so on to Tip #4: Use a YouTube keyword tool
— Let the shilling begin
Ok what Larry is referring to is my affiliate links for VidIQ and Tubebuddy, but I wouldn’t be suggesting them if they weren’t actually useful.
— Spoken like a true salesman
As I’m sure you know, keywords are one of the ways that YouTube’s algorithm knows what your videos are about. And I can tell you from my years as a blogger, SEO is something you HAVE TO pay attention to if you want to succeed.
Tools like VidIQ and Tubebuddy are designed to help you with that, and they also provide other tools that help you come up with new content ideas.
— So which one is better?
Well I only use VidIQ right now. I’ve never used TubeBuddy. But both tools have a free plan, so you can test drive some of their features. I’m on VidIQ’s Pro plan, which is their cheapest paid tier, and I just started using it like last week. In fact, I used it to research keywords for this video, and also to create the title, description, and tags.
— What happens if people don’t use VidIQ or Tubebuddy?
Whether you use one of these tools or not, getting to monetization will be a challenge, but in theory, these tools will get you there faster by helping you get more views.
— LOL in theory. Hey idiot, you have to guarantee success if u want that sweet affiliate cash
Affiliate cash would be nice, please use my links and thanks for supporting this channel, like and subscribe, etc., but believe it or not, this particular tip is all about helping you succeed, and ultimately the decision to use one of these tools is entirely up to you.
— You need to practice lying about more than just your imaginary hobbies
Let’s move on to Tip #5: Sign up for Motion Array or Artlist io.
— oh my god stop it
Ok for starters, Motion Array does NOT have an affiliate program, and it just so happens that I highly recommend joining to get access to their content library. I gain nothing from this, but I will put a link down below.
Artlist io, well I don’t have an affiliate link for them yet, but that’ll change eventually.
The point here is not whether I’m getting paid to recommend these things, so let’s get back on track.
— Ok so what are these things and why does anyone need them
Motion Array and Artlist io are both essentially content libraries. They seem like they’re pretty similar, but since I use Motion Array, I’ll talk about them specifically.
I rely heavily on Motion Array for filling spots in my videos where I need to keep things interesting or convey an idea in a way that is visually appealing. They have tons of video clips, motion graphics, music, sound effects, and somehow just today I discovered that they have a ridiculous number of titles and transitions. Without Motion Array, I wouldn’t have been able to create this gem for my thing about monetizing rain videos, or that avalanche of poop emojis you saw earlier.
I paid for their annual plan, but you can go monthly if you just want to dip your toe in.
— I’m poor and I don’t want to spend the money.
That’s fine, you don’t HAVE to pay for a content library like this. But if your videos are entirely faceless, you’re going to need visuals to cover every second of your video and break up longer segments.
Our videos here aren’t faceless, but I still struggle at times with breaking up the visual monotony of watching me talk.
— Looking at your face is excruciating
I get that a lot. Scouring the various free sites for what I want is a massive pain, so to me, this is totally worth the price of admission. It saves me time and my videos come out looking more polished.
And as long as what you’re creating is authentic and truly yours, YouTube’s policy against reused content will not be an issue. All of the most successful YouTube channels use Motion Array or something similar, and I do mean ALL of them.
— It sounds like you’re saying that a good faceless YouTube channel isn’t really free to make
Nono, you can definitely create faceless videos without spending a dime. But if you’re really committed to starting this, and sticking with it, you’re gonna want VidIQ or Tubebuddy eventually, and content from Motion Array or Artlist io could be the difference between a very monotonous video with long stretches of boredom or one that’s interesting and holds people’s attention.
— Ok so what would you like people to spend money on next?
Nothing! Tip #6 is something you can do for free and might already be doing, which is to become a student of the YouTube game.
It’s a process, and I myself am definitely in that process right now.
— This channel has 137 subscribers. You’re totally killing it.
Exactly. The YouTube experts out there make it sound like you can start pumping out faceless videos and everyone will be rushing to watch them. That’s not how it works. From what I’ve learned so far, here’s what I personally am planning to do, and it actually starts with this video that you’re watching.
- Make videos about what’s trending
- Use the thumbnail and title to make people want to click
— Also known as clickbait
True, and that’s a fine line that I’m trying to walk.
3. Deliver on that promise as much as you can. Even if you can’t deliver 100%, the viewer needs to feel like he or she got something of value by watching your video.
— So overpromise, underdeliver. Brilliant!
I hate to say it, but that’s kind of how successful YouTubers become successful Youtubers. But the one thing they all do right is that they give something, even if their title and thumbnail turns out to be total bullpoopy.
Anyway, there’s much more to the YouTube game than this. Learn to put together a catchy intro, keep people watching, build viewer loyalty … there’s just a lot to learn, and I’m still working on it myself.
— You’ve got a long way to go, buddy.
Believe me, I know.
So if you’re going to do this faceless Youtube thing for real, then following the tips that we just went over WILL help you reach your goals.
You just have to stick with it, always find ways to improve, and hopefully you’ll have fun and eventually start making money. It might not happen this year, or even next year, but it’ll happen if you keep at it.
And don’t forget: The one way to guarantee that you don’t reach your goals at all is to give up.
Things that Michael is actually passionate about.
Shucking corn
Seasoning his meatloaf
Celebrating Palm Sunday
Liquidating his inventory
Discovering his own potential
Crying on the toilet
Cooking cucumbers
Badgering the witness
Somewhere near the end of this is Larry’s script:
Uh we’re on fire
What the fresh hell is this
get these flying rats out of here
OMG who does your makeup bozo the clown
Excuse me ladies Halloween is a ways off
Too late you late you just missed them
Grab that money they dropped I’m sure you need it
Go back to the shopping mall loser
oh wait they’re all closed
Dear god please tell me that’s milk
Actually wait he looks better this way
Fire nation, thank god
Ok Michael I see what you’re doing here
It’s your wacky Motion Array demo
Very clever you little weenie
Emphasis on little LOL you’re not even listening
You know Motion Array isn’t paying you for this right
Oh hey now this works
I could get used to this
Circuits are hot
You know who else is hot? The Terminator
but not the liquid one
OMG we’re going live
This just in
A middle aged Korean man on Youtube refuses to shut his face
Women everywhere are super annoyed
Authorities fear that everyone will literally die of boredom if this continues
The big question is: Will this monster ever stop rambling?
What we need right now is a hero. Can anyone
Ok fill the screen with Youtube thingies, that’ll shut him up
Oh I like this
This is nice
Let’s stay here for a while
Can someone turn that damn radio off
Oh no
Dammit