Become A Youtube Personality - Business Ideas
Please note that the data provided in this article are estimates and may vary depending on various factors, and should not be considered as perfect or definitive.
YouTube personalities produce videos on YouTube and post them on their channels. YouTube personalities make money through the following:
- Advertising revenue - Ads revenue from the display, overlay, and video ads
- Channel Memberships – members earn recurring revenue in exchange for special perks they offer
- Merch Shelf – When channel fans browse and purchase official branded merchandise, you showcase it on watch pages.
- Super Chat & Super Stickers – Fans pay to get their messages highlighted in chat streams
- YouTube Premium Revenue – Get part of a premium subscriber’s subscription fee when fans watch your content.
You can start earning money through either or all of the above options, so long as you meet their YouTube-defined criteria and they are available in your location.
If you want to make money on YouTube, you must apply and be approved for the YouTube Partner Program, which gives creators greater access to YouTube resources and features.
Becoming a youtube personality requires a great deal of effort, dedication, and most importantly passion.
If you're interested in how to sell online video creation services, or selling online video creation services online, you can use this page as a guide for everything you'll need to know.
Key Stats
Startup Costs
Min Startup Costs | Max Startup Costs | |
---|---|---|
Office Space Expenses |
$0 |
$7,000 |
Training & Education Expenses |
$0 |
$1,000 |
Software Expenses |
$0 |
$594 |
Advertising & Marketing Costs |
$0 |
$2,750 |
Website Costs |
$13 |
$215 |
Specific Industry Expenses |
$0 |
$100 |
Total Startup Costs |
$13 |
$11,659 |
Case Studies
Successful Businesses
Business | URL | Rank | |
---|---|---|---|
|
Rosanna Pansino YouTube Channel |
youtube.com/user/rosannapansino |
2 |
|
MrBeast YouTube Channel |
https://www.youtube.com/c/MrBeast6000/about |
2 |
|
Kashvi Adlakha YouTube Channel |
https://www.youtube.com/c/kashviadlakha |
2 |
|
Zoella YouTube Channel |
youtube.com/zoella |
2 |
|
Maxamilli |
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdmvushOUQt97JP0xTb07Fw |
2 |
|
Elena Taber |
https://www.youtube.com/c/ElenaTaber/about |
2 |
|
Adam Waheed |
https://www.youtube.com/c/AdamW |
2 |
|
Jon Corres |
youtube.com/c/JonCorres/featured |
2 |
|
Rhett & Link YouTube Channel |
https://www.youtube.com/c/rhettandlink/about |
2 |
|
Rebecca Rogers |
https://www.facebook.com/rrogersworld/ |
3 |
|
MKBHD |
mkbhd.com |
150,946 |
Pros & Cons
Pros | Description |
---|---|
Flexibility |
You can put as much time into the business as you'd like. If you like the work and have some initial experience, you can start small and manage all aspects of the business on your own. |
Ability to start your business from home |
It's not necessary to have a physical storefront or office space to get your business started. You can do everything from the comfort of your own home, at least in the beginning! |
Little startup costs required |
The cost to start a youtube personality costs significantly less money than most businesses, ranging anywhere from 12 to 11,659. |
Rewarding work |
Starting a youtube personality can be really rewarding work. After all, you are solving an immediate issue for your customer and you're working on something you truly care about. |
Scalable |
With businesses and processes changing daily, there will always be demand for new features, products and services for your business. Additionally, there are several different business models and pricing tiers you can implement that will allow you to reach all types of customers. |
Traffic to your website |
A youtube personality gives people a reason to visit your website and to keep coming back to you! |
Cons | Description |
---|---|
Crowded Space |
Competition is high when it comes to your youtube personality, so it's important that you spend a good amount of time analyzing the market and understanding where the demand lies. |
Constant maintenance of publication |
You may find yourself constantly needing to update your youtube personality in order to stay relevant for your audience and for those searching on google. |
Lack of benefits |
With a youtube personality, you are typically self-employed and responsible for finding your own insurance, which can be quite costly and time-consuming. |
Isolation |
Often times, as a youtube personality, you typically work alone and do not have much face-to-face interaction with other team members. |
Taxes |
As a youtube personality, you typically pay self-employment taxes which can be quite high. It's important to understand what you will be paying in taxes each year so you can determine if the work you're taking on is worth it. |
No safety net |
Typically, as a youtube personality, you do not receive a consistent pay-check and instead earn money based on your transactions each month. During the slow periods, you typically take away less since the job is based on commission. It's important to budget accordingly for the slow times. |
Marketing Ideas
-
1
Affiliate Program
Affiliate marketing is a great way to bring in a new revenue stream, especially when you don't sell products or services.
Simply put, an affiliate program is an agreement where a business pays another business or influencer ("the affiliate") a commission for sending traffic and/or sales their way.
The affiliate typically gets a unique link where clicks and conversions can be tracked.
-
2
Direct Sales
Direct sales strategy implies a direct contact between a seller and a consumer without the involvement of any third party. Direct selling is popular in sectors where sellers communicate with their clientele personally. The sales technique occurs at non-store locations which include at home, work, or online.
For direct selling to succeed, hire a few (or many) salespeople to support the sales conversion process. It's critical that you assign them specific roles and responsibilities to nurture the client and provide excellent support.
-
3
Word of mouth
Word of mouth is when a consumers reflects their interest in a company’s product or service in their daily dialogues.
Therefore, word of mouth advertising is essentially a free advertising triggered by the customers experience.
According to Nielsen, 92% of people trust recommendations from friends and family.
Therefore, in today’s hyper-connected world, a single recommendation through a word of mouth can have a huge impact to your business.
Hey! 👋 I'm Pat Walls, the founder of Starter Story.
Get our 5-minute email newsletter packed with business ideas and money-making opportunities, backed by real-life case studies.

- 4,818 founder case studies
- Access to our founder directory
- Live events, courses and recordings
- 8,628 business ideas
- $1M in software savings