10 Ways to Make Money on YouTube Without Making Videos

The most straightforward way to make money on YouTube without making videos is to get someone else to make videos for you. By getting someone else to handle the video work, you can focus on the bigger picture of strategizing ways to grow your channel or access other business opportunities.

Freelancing platforms like Upwork and Fiverr are good places to find freelancers to help you film, edit, or handle the other aspects of video production. Just be sure to properly vet your applicants to ensure that they’ll be able to achieve the results you’re looking for.

Once you’ve hired a video production specialist, you’ll be able to access the full scope of YouTube monetization strategies and unlock limitless earning potential on YouTube.

YouTube Monetization Strategies

Many of the most popular and lucrative ways to earn money on YouTube require you to meet certain requirements when it comes to the number of viewers or subscribers you have. For this reason, you need to combine high-quality video production with a well-thought-out marketing strategy for gaining traction on YouTube.

If you’ve already spent a good bit of time creating videos in the past, then a quick and easy way to generate new content is to create compilation videos using your older content. This still involves producing and editing videos, but you won’t need to film new content.

For instance, you can compile the funniest or most awkward moments from the videos you published in the past year. You can even combine several existing videos of the same nature into a single long video for viewers to watch all of them in one sitting.

To give examples, the creators of the Best Ever Food Review Show curated the best food moments from their videos in 2023 to create their 2023 Besty Awards!! Best Food Moments of the Year!! video. Another example is Kraig Adams, a YouTuber specializing in hiking videos, who compiled 13 videos on his channel into 3 Hours of Ambient Silent Hiking.

Can you use videos from other creators?

If you don’t have any videos of your own, then an alternative is to curate content from other creators. However, when you do so, you must put your own spin on the content to comply with YouTube’s fair use terms.

Regulations around using copyright-protected material vary from one country or region to the next. Each case is reviewed individually according to local laws. In the US, if your video is subject to a copyright removal request, a judge will review the case based on the following factors:

• Did you add new value and meaning to the original content?
• Does the original content primarily contain factual work (fictional work is more likely to infringe upon copyright)?
• Did you only use parts of the original content to supplement your video?
• Did you ensure your usage of the original content won’t affect the copyright holder’s ability to monetize their work?

If the answer is yes to all of the questions above, then you’re likely in the clear and should be able to monetize your videos without issue.

To see an example of fair use, take a look at this Buffy vs Edward: Twilight Remixed video. Even though the creator has no ownership over the original video content, they’ve edited and woven together scenes from the two productions to create something entirely new.

Content repurposing, also known as content recycling, is when you modify existing content on one of your channels and turn it into new content to publish on another channel. This method is a good content creation strategy if you want to become a content creator on multiple platforms.

For example, if you have a podcasting side hustle, you could upload the audio from your episodes to YouTube to reach a wider audience.

Alternatively, if you’re running a blog, you could convert your blog posts into videos. There are many content creation tools that can help you to do this. For example, AI tools like Synthesia and Zebracat can generate videos for you from textual input. All you have to do is paste the link to your blog post and choose your desired tone and style.

When you repurpose content, think of ways to offer a fresh and unique perspective. If the original content was a video or similar format (e.g., you’re repurposing Instagram or TikTok videos), it’s particularly important to put more effort into differentiating the new content from the original so your audience will be willing to consume both.

Audio-based content can be more efficient to produce since it requires minimal visual content and saves you time filming and capturing interesting shots for your videos. This is a popular format for the rising trend of creating faceless YouTube videos.

Examples of Audio-Only / Faceless YouTube Videos

Many audio-only video creators use royalty-free stock images or AI-created animation to accompany the audio track. The only catch is that YouTube will demonetize duplicate or overly similar videos, so you’ll need to be careful to ensure that all your videos are unique.

While screen-recording is technically still creating a video, it’s a pretty different process from ordinary filming and doesn’t require a camera. A good way to use this method is to create instructional videos that help people visually understand how to handle specific tasks that can be done on a computer.

This can be anything from how to create a Facebook account to how to do a screenshot on a Mac. You can create these types of videos easily by screen-recording the procedure as you demonstrate it on your computer and then adding background narration to guide viewers through the process.

For example, Technology for Teachers and Students is a YouTube channel dedicated to screen-recorded videos on how to use different computer software applications and digital educational tools. One of their screen-recorded instructional videos is this Most Useful Microsoft Word Keyboard Shortcuts video.

One of the easiest ways to get paid to play video games is to live stream your gaming sessions, and YouTube is a great place to do that. Live streams offer you the unique opportunity to get fan funding in the form of Super Chat and Super Stickers, which your top fans will pay for to get highlighted comments or animations.

While live streams are technically videos, you don’t need to do any video editing. All you need to do is hit the record button and start playing.

After streaming your gaming session, you can leave the video as-is on your channel to garner more views. You must manually change your privacy settings to make past live streams visible on your channel.

In addition, you can edit key moments from your live streams into shorter videos to post on your channel to maximize your reach. One good example of this in practice is the gaming YouTuber Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, who maintains playlists of his past live streams.

As a YouTube channel manager, you won’t have your own YouTube channel, and you won’t be creating any videos yourself. Instead, you’ll run YouTube channels for various clients alongside a team of professionals, such as scriptwriters, editors, and thumbnail artists.

As a YouTube channel manager, your exact responsibilities will vary depending on your client’s needs. Here are some common duties you may be expected to perform:

• Develop a content strategy
• Plan a content schedule
• Conduct competitive analysis
• Assign footage to editors
• Upload videos
• Create thumbnails
• Perform minor SEO duties
• Coordinate with a team

Many YouTube channel managers work as freelancers, but you can also find some big companies offering in-house positions. To land one of these jobs, you should have good communication skills and proven experience successfully operating a YouTube channel.

For freelancing gigs, you can search for opportunities on freelancing websites like Upwork, Fiverr, and Freelancer.com. For full-time or part-time in-house positions, check employment websites, such as Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and CareerBuilder.

As a YouTube channel consultant, your job is to improve a YouTube channel by analyzing its performance, developing tailored strategies, and assisting with the execution of those strategies.

You may specialize in a niche, such as guiding newbies through how to start a YouTube channel from scratch, helping budding YouTube channels grow their viewership, or organizing rebranding campaigns.

Ultimately, what you’ll do as a consultant is identify your client’s problems and provide solutions. It’s a good idea to undergo consulting training to develop these skills. But the main thing you need to become a consultant is plenty of YouTube experience and tangible results that demonstrate your skills.

To find clients as a YouTube consultant, start by networking and advertising your services across all social media networks. It’s also a good idea to set up a professional website so potential clients can find you.

An indirect way to make money with YouTube is to invest in its parent company, Alphabet Inc. Alphabet Inc. is a public company on the stock market, meaning anyone can purchase its shares.

Alphabet Inc. has two classes of stocks, GOOGL and GOOG. The main difference between them is that GOOGL shares are Class A shares with voting rights, while GOOG shares are Class C shares without voting rights.

Whether it’s a good idea to invest in GOOGL or GOOG is tough to say. This strategy isn’t guaranteed to earn you money. In fact, it’s highly possible that you’ll actually lose money investing in YouTube, so make sure you fully understand all the risks involved before you make this commitment.

To invest in YouTube, you need to first open an account with a brokerage. There are many brokerages to choose from. Look into their features, fees, and reviews to pick one that best suits your needs.

Last but not least, the most direct way to earn from YouTube is to be employed by Google, its parent company. They offer job opportunities in a variety of fields, including engineering, product management, design, and business development, to name just a few.

Just bear in mind that these jobs are highly competitive. You’ll need remarkable skills in a relevant area to be considered. The hiring process will vary depending on the role.

According to Google, their standard hiring process involves the following steps:

• Take a Google Hiring Assessment
• Join 1–2 virtual chats with the hiring manager or your peers
• Complete a small project
• Undergo 3–4 in-depth interviews

Use Google’s careers search tool to look for and apply to job openings that align with your skills and interests. You can apply filters like location, experience, and job type to narrow your search.

Remember to give your resume an update and thorough review before applying for your desired position. Read the job description, and tailor your resume accordingly. Highlight skills and experiences relevant to the role and remove the ones that aren’t.