Wouldn't it be nice to have a side hustle you could make around $20 per hour from and completely manage on your phone?
Here are a few great apps that let you do that:
1. Gaming Clips/Lets Play
You don't have to be a live streamer like Ninja to make good money playing video games on YouTube.
Just look at a popular channel like Red Arcade.
Red Arcade basically creates video compilations of crazy wins, fails, and highlights from popular games like Fortnite and Rainbow Six Siege.
Here's an example:
Some YouTubers with these kinds of channels get clips from Twitch, use their own clips, or have a submissions page like this one to get the content they need.
Or, you could just create a channel that has tutorials or your own highlights. Xbox One, PS4 and other gaming platforms usually have a way for you to record clips after you do something cool within about 5 minutes of it happening.
Edit those clips, do some keyword research and post them on YouTube to see if you can make some money.
For instance, Boss Fight Database just does video clips of them beating video game bosses.
There's no commentary or camera involved at all.
Here's an example from Boss Fight Database:
2. Reddit Channel
I haven't seen a lot of these channels yet, but the ones I have seen are doing pretty well.
These subreddit channels basically take the top posts on Reddit for a certain category and put them together in a compilation.
A lot of times YouTubers who do this will narrate the posts or comment on them.
One example of this is the Emkay channel.
Then, you have another Reddit-related channel called “Sir Reddit” that uses a computer voice for narration.
The videos usually consist of a post on r/AskReddit and the top responses.
It seems like a strange YouTube channel idea, but they get over a million views on many of the videos.
3. Vlog
A vlog can also be a great channel to do as a beginner because it's unique to you and doesn't require a lot of equipment.
In fact, a lot of vloggers start out with just the camera on their smartphone and document highlights and lowlights of their lives.
If you go solo, an example of a popular vlog would be the one by Jennelle Eliana.
She documents her life as someone who lives in a van/RV.
Or, you could go the family vlog route.
One great example of a family vlog on YouTube is The Edwards Family.
They type of vlog you do just depends on your situation, but either one can work very well.
4. Reactions
Another easy channel to start doing as a beginner is a reactions channel.
They're pretty straight forward.
You basically film yourself watching or reading something, giving a genuine reaction to it.
For example, you one popular form of this is vocal coaches reacting to different songs.
Another example of a YouTuber who gets MILLIONS of views doing reactions to random stuff on the internet is SSSniperWolf.
All you need is a decent camera, a video editor, a mic, and a personality that attracts fans.
You can find content to react to just about anywhere.
I've seen people build channels reacting to Instagram content, Reddit videos, TikToks, and much more.
5. Compilations
Then of course, you have the compilation channel.
There are countless successful compilation channels where people have no idea who runs them because they're never in the videos.
You can do compilations of gaming clips, Tik Toks, interviews, sports highlights, etc.
You can use the audio from the clips or even just the visuals while adding copyright-free music over them.
Or, you could do the opposite.
You could have compilations of audio from interviews or something and have stock footage as the visual.
Either way can work, but you'll have to watch out for copyright strikes.
For example, People are Awesome is a channel that does compilations of people doing sports, stunts and other active things:
I also recommend checking out a channel like Red Arcade if you want to see how this is done with gaming clips.
6. Relaxing Noise Channel
Another kind of channel that is becoming popular is sleep/ambient noise channels.
These channels have videos that typically last around 8 hours because they are full of relaxing noises that help people sleep, work, relax, etc.
What's crazy about these channels is how little effort they probably require while making thousands of dollars per month.
Plus, because these videos aren't designed to be watched intently for long periods of time, but rather be played in the background, you can just have a static image as the visual.
For the audio, all you have to do is find copyright-free nature sounds.
You can find these by recording sounds at your home, finding some online at site like SoundJay.com, or even getting them from video games.
For a channel to model after, you might look at something like Sleep & Relaxation.
Here's an example of what one of your videos could be like:
7. Podcast Channel
If you really want to start a simple channel, you can almost completely cut out visuals and just have a podcast channel.
Now, there are different ways you can do this, but as a beginner, you can just use a static image as the visual and let the audio from the podcast be the reason people stick around.
The only way this works is if the podcast is great by itself and people just use YouTube as a secondary way to find and listen to episodes.
Here's an example of a video that does this:
This is from the Tim Ferriss channel where Tim posts episodes of the podcast interviews he does on YouTube so more people can find them.
Many of the videos on this channel are just like the one above.
There is just an image that includes the podcast cover art as well as the name and picture of the person he's interviewing.
And obviously, for the audio, it's just the podcast episode.
Tim Ferriss is transitioning more and more to doing video chats for some interviews, but you can still create a pretty popular channel with the simple method used above.
And this can work with pretty much any podcast about any subject.
8. Unboxings
If you're passionate about technology, Pokémon cards, toys, or just about any other kind of product, you can make an unboxing channel.
These can be great for beginners as long as you have a job or some money to invest in it.
And with this type of channel, you don't even have to include your face or voice, if you're not ready to be on camera yet.
All you have to do is figure out what kind of product you want to specialize in, order some of the hot new items, and then film the unboxing of the product.
One successful example of this is a channel called TheRelaxingEnd.
This channel has videos where the person unboxes what are usually gaming consoles and PCs.
Here's an example of a video:
As you can see in the video, the person is wearing gloves and never reveals their face.
This not only conceals their identity, but also makes videos easier to record, because it's just their hands and whatever the product is, plus a little gaming footage at the end.
As far as audio, there's almost none at all.
There's no music, no talking, nothing.
All you hear is the sound of them cutting open the box and opening everything up with a little audio from the gameplay at the end.
And because there's no dialogue, they use text within the video to reveal specs and whatever info you may need to know about the product.
So, as far as complexity for making these videos, they're super easy.
Probably the hardest part of doing these types of videos is making sure you can return the products after filming, so you can get your money back.
Once you figure that out, just make sure you have a decent camera, mic, and video editing software.
No special talent necessary.
9. Pets
There used to be a stereotype for YouTube.
It used to be the place where people went to go watch cat videos.
Even though it is now the #2 highest trafficked site in the world, it still has plenty of cat, dog and other pet videos that get millions of views.
This can be a fun channel idea that may get more traction than you think.
Plus, it's fairly easy to do. All you need is a playful pet or 2 and some things for them to do on camera.
Take a look at this example:
This video from the Kittisaurus channel has gotten 51 million views!
It's crazy!
A lot of the videos are only around 3 minutes long too, so they shouldn't take too much time to edit.
If you're an animal person and want to make a YouTube channel, you might consider doing something like Kittisaurus and let viewers fall in love with your pets.
10. Live Commentating/Watch Parties
So, this last YouTube channel idea is something that isn't very mainstream yet, but I believe could take off in the coming years.
What you do is commentate on live TV shows, sports events, etc.
You'd be amazed how many people are sick of the TV network commentators that are on live broadcasts these days.
What if you could instead pick your favorite commentators for live events you watch? Pretty cool concept right?
One example of this is The Joe Rogan Experience.
This channel, before giving exclusive rights to Spotify, used to have live YouTube streams where Joe Rogan and his friends would comment on live fighting events.
You would have a nice mix of knowledgeable ex-fighters, comedians, and coaches that would be like an alternative group of commentators.
It gave you different perspectives and a more care-free, funny experience while watching certain events.
Here's a clip from one of the Fight Companion events as an example:
But my point is, I hardly ever see YouTubers do this.
And if I do, it's like a hobby they do sometimes instead of a professional YouTube channel.
So, there isn't that much competition really.
You could commentate on your favorite sports team, live broadcasts of The Bachelor, or whatever popular show/event might be live.
Plus, you can interact with your fans in the chat as the event goes on.
Here's another example of some friends that do NBA watch parties sometimes:
You can even branch out into newer services like Hot Mic that are built for this kind of thing.
Either way, I'm telling you, there is some potential here.
Also, check out:
5 Easiest YouTube Channel Ideas Without Using Your Voice or Talking
