Monetizing a YouTube channel is an excellent way to get paid for being creative. However, for your channel to succeed, it needs a profitable theme.
Most people build a channel around things they are knowledgeable about already. While this is an excellent way to dive into a niche area, it isn’t always profitable. If you want your YouTube channel to make money, use one of the following channel ideas. Don’t put this off! Hundreds of creators are jumping on these ideas even now.
1. Recreating Things
According to Channel Makers, recreation videos will be some of the most popular content on YouTube this year. It doesn’t matter what you’re recreating either!
If you love watching movies, recreate popular movie scenes. Are you a baker/chef? Recreate some of your favorite recipes. The possibilities are endless. Watch the following Vine recreation video which got more than 11 million views!
2. Travel Vlog
Travel vlogging is a competitive channel niche, especially post coronavirus. That said, there’s still a market for it!
If you already travel a lot for work, create a travel vlog! Film yourself traveling to and from exciting locations, eating at restaurants, and meeting up with friends.
To run a successful travel vlog, you’ll need to rack up lots of views. This will require utilizing other social media platforms to build your subscriber base.
3. Home Office Lifestyle
While the pandemic sent some traveling, others simply brought their office home. This shift will likely continue as companies move more towards remote working arrangements.
If you’ve got a unique or efficient home office, share your secrets! Perhaps you have hacks to keep kids entertained while you’re working from home. Any content related to working from home can be featured on this type of channel.
Use affiliate links to earn additional income off this channel idea.
4. Health and Fitness
Health and Fitness channels will always be popular. These channels share workout videos, nutritional recommendations, and more. To make money off this type of content, use YouTube memberships and affiliate links. When someone joins your channel membership, give them access to workout courses and meal planning calendars.
To run a successful Health and Fitness channel, you don’t even have to be in shape. This channel could simply track your fitness journey. Discuss your successes and your missteps all while encouraging others to pursue a healthier lifestyle!
5. Virtualize Your Job
If you already have a successful job, start a YouTube channel explaining how to do it! That, or take your knowledge and services to the internet. For example, if you work at a financial advising firm, create videos teaching viewers how to budget successfully.
Before you put your job talents on YouTube, make sure it doesn’t violate any non-compete contracts you may have signed.
6. Make-up Tutorials
Make-up is an art form. For that reason, every make-up video will be a bit different. The uniqueness of every channel only increases views!
If you love doing make-up, get creative. Start producing makeup tutorials! You can use affiliate links to the products you use to make more money with this YouTube channel idea.
7. Gardening / Homesteading
According to Channel Makers, now is the time to get back to the basics. Gardening and homesteading channels are gaining lots of buzz right now. Share all of your gardening tips, tricks, and hacks on a YouTube channel.
Pair this type of channel with a blog and affiliate links to make the most revenue.
8. Tech Reviews
Technology is continually advancing and improving. Be the first to review the latest and greatest tech releases to get lots of views. You can also use affiliate links to make more money from tech reviews.
Once your channel gains enough subscribers, tech companies may even sponsor you to review their products! This is a great way to make money on YouTube.
Unfortunately, to get your channel off the ground, you’ll have to pay for all the tech you review. Purchase tech second-hand or find great sales to minimize this channel’s start-up costs.
9. Beauty Product Reviews
Like technology, the beauty industry is continually releasing new products. However, consumers don’t want to purchase these new products until they’ve seen them in action.
So become their guinea pig! Test all the new products and give your review. Be honest and let consumers know what you think about the product. Use affiliate links in your videos to earn extra profits.
Like tech reviews, this is another channel idea that could get you sponsored.
10. Side Hustles
Everybody loves a good side hustle and there are thousands of options to choose from. However, no one wants to attempt a side hustle if they don’t know that it will actually work.
Record yourself trying different side hustles. Explain how you got started and how much you made in the end. You could even do this in a series style. Side hustle series is a good way to draw subscribers into a channel membership. Save the important videos for the membership page!
Remember, this is a competitive channel area.
11. Storytelling
Storytelling is a very popular niche area on YouTube. Creators tell stories in a variety of different ways. Some while doing their makeup, others while driving their car to work.
Types of stories you could tell include true crime, horror mysteries, or even interesting historical facts!
12. Gaming Videos
Gaming videos are another niche area that has a lot of competition. However, gaming channels also draw in a lot of views. Get a camera and start screen recording while you play!
Every game won’t be quality enough for your channel. In other words, you’ll need to play more to get enough footage!
13. YouTube Shorts
No matter what type of channel you run, you should include some “shorts.” What exactly is a YouTube short? It’s a quick and informative video. These videos draw subscribers in. You don’t need to monetize these videos since you’ll be making more money with the rest of your videos!
14. Faceless Content
Faceless content channels are extremely versatile. To create a faceless channel, you use stock footage and images to create visuals. Then you record a voice-over about the video content.
Not only do faceless channels protect your identity, but they allow you to run multiple YouTube channels without being associated with both.
This type of channel will require video editing skills, but what YouTube channel doesn’t?
15. Unboxing
Unboxing videos are extremely popular no matter what is in the box! Items that you can unbox include kitchen appliances, car accessories, and so much more! Use affiliate links to all the products you unbox.
You can also record yourself shopping for some extra footage.
Like other review style channels, companies may sponsor you to unbox their products.
16. Cooking/Recipes
The cooking theme will never get old. Even better, it will never run out of content.
Whether you’re using family recipes or trying recipes sent to you by viewers, it will gain lots of views. Further, monetize this channel by selling cookbooks and linking your video to a cooking blog!
17. Restaurant Reviews
If you like food but don’t like to cook, there is still a YouTube channel that could make you money.
Food Critics are very much not a thing of the past. While traditional food critics who report to newspapers, magazines, and Michelin still exist, people are more likely to find help online.
Start giving a review of the restaurants you visit. If you keep your identity anonymous, you can review a lot more places. However, if you show your identity, people may ask you to leave. Regardless, always get permission before filming or taking pictures of patrons/employees at a restaurant.
Restaurants may even ask you to come to review them. This could mean sponsored travel, accommodations, and a complete meal.
18. Fantasy Fandoms
When Hollywood makes a movie, it includes hundreds of subplots. Additionally, they leave room for interpretation. These gaps in the logic allow fans to theorize how certain characters or stories came to be.
If you love movies, books, and graphic novel series, start a channel sharing your theories. To do this, you’ll need to be able to tell a good story.
19. Teach Music
Music lessons are the first job for many teenagers. However, if you play an instrument or have vocal training, you could pass on your knowledge via YouTube.
Earn more money by posting courses under the channel membership. If you use products such as reeds, mutes, or rosin for your instrument, include affiliate links.
20. Life Hacks
We all want life to be a bit easier. Start collecting all your life hacks and posting them on your YouTube channel. These channels continue gaining views for a long time. Why? Because life hacks are always relevant!
Life hacks could even include handy kitchen utensils, which give you the perfect opportunity to use affiliate links.
21. Do it Yourself
DIY, or Do it Yourself videos are very popular. While they are similar to Life Hacks, these videos focus on ways to cut out the contractor. You don’t need to hire someone to build you a bookshelf, you can do it yourself!
There are dozens of DIY projects you could do for your channel. You may need to ask others to teach you how to do some projects.
22. Hairstyling Tutorials
Make-up hairstyling is an art form. While doing hair can be fun, it is an area many people struggle with. If you’re good at doing hair, teach hairstyling tutorials.
You can also cover topics such as proper hair care and products that you use. Be sure to cover topics for people of all ages and hair types. Always use affiliate links when discussing products.
23. Crafting
Crafting is another competitive channel area. The best way to make money from these types of videos is with ads. You can also link your videos to a website that uses on-site ads to improve your passive revenue stream.
You could also film yourself trying other people’s craft videos!
24. Pet Vlog
Your life may be interesting, but it will never be more interesting–or as adorable–as the life of your pet. Pet Instagrams are blowing up, so start a pet YouTube Vlog!
This vlog should capture all the adorable moments you have with your pet.
25. Travel Tours
While we already discussed a travel vlog, that is more of a diary than a tour. When you film a travel tour, you need to know the area. In other words, you should explore it, learn about it, and then film the tour video.
Think of these videos as a travel guide rather than a “documentation” of your travels.
26. Challenge Channel
There are thousands of challenges floating around the internet. If you’re ready to take on the challenge of trying every challenge, then you’ve got the perfect content for a YouTube channel.
When your videos gain traction, viewers may even suggest challenges for you to try! Another way to monetize this channel type is with channel membership and selling merchandise.
27. Yoga / Meditation
While Yoga is a form of exercise, many choose to focus their channel on this subject alone. Use YouTube membership to earn money when people watch your most elite Yoga courses and affiliate links to the clothing, mats, and incense you use.
28. Tracking the Supernatural
Whether you believe in the supernatural or not, there are plenty of people who do. So hit the road chasing ghosts! The best ways to monetize this channel type are with YouTube ads and merchandise!
29. Vlog
Vlogs are extremely popular, but running a successful one isn’t easy. Vlogs need to be interesting to gain subscribers. To make money off this type of YouTube channel, you need to have lots of subscribers.
Take advantage of other social media platforms to increase your YouTube video views.
30. Art Tutorials
Becoming an artist takes practice. If you’re interested in art–and good at it–start teaching others. Start with basic techniques or follow along drawing videos. You could also explore other art mediums such as pottery or mosaics.
Even if you aren’t good at teaching, art has a special place on YouTube. Do timelapse recordings of your projects!
31. Cover Videos
While many go to platforms such as Apple Music and Spotify for songs, YouTube is still a popular place to listen to cover songs.
Pick some popular songs, and sing them with your own unique flair. Pair up with other cover artists to share subscribers and increase views on both your channels.
32. App Testing
Unless you’re part of the beta team, developers won’t pay you to try their apps. However, consumers will pay you with YouTube views to try the apps for them.
There are millions of apps on the market, and many of them are duds. Help others find the best apps by testing them yourself.
This channel idea is perfect for anyone hoping to run a faceless content channel. Rather than filming your face, you could use screen recordings from the device using the app.
33. Renovation
For a house to become a home, it needs some personal touches. However, renovating can be quite intimidating and expensive.
Help your viewers lower their renovation expenses by sharing all your renovation tips and tricks. This channel is the perfect option for anyone bringing life to their fixer-upper.
Use YouTube membership and affiliate links to make money with this channel idea.
34. Parenting Videos
Raising a child can be difficult. As a parent or educator, use this channel as an opportunity to guide those expecting to expand their family tree. Discuss topics from pregnancy all the way to sending them off to college. Use affiliate links when appropriate, such as when suggesting baby lotions for sensitive skin.
Once again, this channel type will never be irrelevant.
35. Ranking
Ranking channels are the perfect option for those interested in a variety of topics. When running a ranking channel, you find the best–or the worst–of something and review them!
For example, the 5 best BMX bikes or the 10 worst places to eat sushi in LA. Whenever you discuss a product, use an affiliate link to earn money.
36. Teach a Language
Do you speak more than one language? If so, start teaching it on YouTube. While there are online language learning apps, some prefer to learn on YouTube. This is especially helpful for visual languages such as American Sign Language.
You can monetize this channel idea with YouTube memberships for language learning courses.
37. Today in History
The world has been around for a long time. While current events are interesting, so is the history of this vast planet. While you could do random history videos (which gives you more flexibility), discussing what happened “today in history” draws in a lot of viewers.
Remember, this channel type will require you to do lots of reading and research. You’ll also need to be a good storyteller.
38. Book Reviews
Like everything else, people only want to read good books. To avoid reading bad books, people flock to YouTube reviews.
When running a YouTube book review channel, you get paid to sit around reading! It doesn’t get any better than that!
