YouTube is one of the largest online platforms with over 122 million daily active users.
It’s an entertainment behemoth and creators can make a substantial amount of money if their channel is able to attract subscribers. From ad revenue to paid sponsorships, YouTube creators have multiple ways to earn income nowadays.
According to Intuit, YouTubers make, on average, $3 to $5 per 1,000 video views. Although this varies widely depending on the niche their in and the RPM they receive. With the potential for big money, this makes being a YouTube a great side hustle for teens or even those looking to make extra income every month.
That being said, the job of a ‘YouTuber’ is not for everyone. Many people are too shy in front of a camera, Fortunately, putting your face in front of your viewers is not one of the job’s prerequisites.
If you are wondering how to make YouTube videos without showing your face, I have a few suggestions that you may be interested in.
Can You Be Successful on YouTube Without Showing Your Face?
You don’t have to be in front of the camera to establish a connection with your audience. Even though some of your viewers may want to see your face, many YouTube users are interested in the content of the video; as long as you do your research and make good clips, you can be successful without ever revealing your face.
Many ‘faceless’ YouTube channels are making millions yearly, even the ones that you’d expect to be a bit more present in front of the cam. ChrisFix, for instance, specializes in car mechanics and has managed to collect over 9 million subscribers all while simply filming videos with a Go Pro attached to his person.
Below, I’ll outline 13 niches (along with examples for each) of videos that have been quite successful on YouTube without having to show anyone’s face (besides maybe some stock footage faces).
13 Ways to Make YouTube Videos Without Showing Your Face (Examples)
1. Car Mechanic Videos
Millions of people are tired of wasting cash whenever their car needs minor repairs. They’d rather save those few extra hundred bucks than give it to Jo Shmo down the street. If you’re an experience mechanic you can share your knowledge with others online, make a tremendous amount of money, and not need to show your face.
People want to see how professionals approach car repair and maintenance and don’t care so much about your appearance. So you only need to film the step-by-step process and vocalize each step of the process.
Just take a look at ChrisFix, one of the most popular car mechanic YouTubers. He has over 9 million subscribers on this platform and nearly 1.5 billion video views. He achieved all of this in barely over a decade.
ChrisFix makes up to $627,000 annually, but I should emphasize that he’s among the top-ranked YouTubers in this niche.
Just like Chris, you can start small and gradually build your audience with videos that people are searching for the most.
For example, you should begin by catering to the needs of car owners that have minimal technical knowledge about their vehicles – show them how to replace a water pump, how to change rear brake pads, or how to properly install windshield wipers.
2. Compilation Videos
If creativity is your strong point, compilation videos may be perfect for you. Whether it be a collection of funny fails, a playlist of the best 80s songs, a compendium of the latest memes, or a compilation of the cutest animal clips, there are no limits to what you can do in this niche.
A perfect example of a rising star among compilation video makers is UnusualVideos. This channel was launched in 2018, and it already boasts 3.6 million subscribers and roughly 824,000,000 video views.
What may surprise you is that its estimated annual earnings range between $88,800 and a whopping $1.4 million despite having nearly half as many video views (and subs) as ChrisFix.
Finding the right team for creating compilation videos is quite simple. Search for people with video editing and content research skills; you can narrate each video personally, or simply release them with the original audio.
UnusualVideos and the majority of successful compilation creators publish new videos weekly. The real challenge of this niche is acquiring legal permissions from the creators of videos and clips you want to use in the compilations; remember, without this step, YouTube can not only demonetize your clips, but the original creators can sue you as well.
3. “The Life Of” Videos
“The Life Of” videos are short narrated biographies. The difference between these clips and more ‘traditional’ biographies you’d find on the History channel is that you can pick the brains of virtually anyone.
You can choose to create films about your idols, popular celebrities, rock stars, or even other YouTubers. The latter was the case with Sigma Financial, which is a trending YouTube channel that went semi-viral after creating a clip about Jordan Welch, an educational YouTuber.
Sigma Financial surfaced on YouTube as early as June 2022. It currently has only four videos, the biggest of which boasts nearly 100,000 views. This YouTube channel makes around $12,300 annually and has about 275,370 total views so far.
You can carve out a niche for your channel by sticking to a certain theme; whether it be creating “The Life Of” infamous criminals, the rising stars of e-sports, prominent crypto collectors & NFT creators, or you can do a bit of everything.
Keep in mind that “The Life Of” videos are supposed to be considerably shorter than real biographies; keep your content adequately sized so that your audiences can catch up to earlier stuff while eagerly waiting for the next video to come out.
4. Hydraulic Press Videos
Did you know that an average hydraulic press can exert a force between one thousand and three thousand psi? These things can crush about anything placed underneath its ram.
There’s something peculiarly satisfying in watching the hydraulic press pop a basketball, flatten chunks of firewood or destroy seemingly indestructible objects. Hydraulic presses can also be used for educational purposes, such as testing the durability of steel pipes, or hardening chunks of refined brass.
The Hydraulic Press Channel is one of the most popular YouTube channels in this niche, boasting 3,21 million subscribers and over 400 uploads.
They’re earning up to $228,000 a year while filming a press demolish all kinds of things, from children’s toys and biscuits to nails, frozen hammers, watermelons, and everything in between.
This is an excellent faceless YouTube video creation idea for people that know how to operate this machine; if you’ve never used one before, a hydraulic press can be quite dangerous, so I recommend asking someone to show you the ropes.
5. Timelapse Videos
Timelapse clips are a special kind of art; if real life had a fast-forward button, capturing hours, or sometimes days’ worth of time as timelapse videos would help us see what would happen in seconds or minutes.
This form of videography is a bit more ‘passive’ since you won’t need to hold the camera or even be present as it films the progression of your target. A schoolbook example of a timelapse video is a film of a day – 24 hours rushed in a couple of minutes. Clouds dart by, day turns to night, and the target holds still as if frozen in time. It’s always beautiful to watch, and it’s not rocket science.
Photo Owl Time Lapse is among the most popular YouTube channels specializing in this type of videography. With over 630,000 subscribers and more than 85 million video views in roughly five years, this channel makes about $190,000 annually.
This is an ideal way to make money on YouTube without showing your face if you’re already an experienced photographer/videographer with at least decent recording gear and editing skills.
If you’re the patient kind and someone who has the money to invest in multiple pieces of recording equipment so that you can record multiple timelapses at once then this niche of video creation might be for you.
6. Educational Videos
One of the reasons why the internet was invented was to share information between millions of people. Even though a good chunk of its content is purely for entertainment, many people are using it to teach others, raise awareness about certain topics, and empower their audiences with knowledge.
Making educational videos is noble, but it can also be very financially advantageous. Among dozens of channels in this niche, Brainy Dose stands out; a channel founded in 2016 that accumulated over 239 million views and more than 2.06 million subscribers in such a short time. Brainy Dose earns up to $162,000 each year.
The format of videos this channel uploads resembles blog articles – they dive deep into personal topics and are meant to motivate, not just educate.
Dozens of purely educational YouTube channels exist, such as Khan Academy, Asap Science, Common Sense Education, and many others.
I should point out that creating educational videos can be a bit challenging. You may want to consider the following:
- Having a few people on fact-checking tasks
- Having several professionals searching for relevant video content
- Hiring a translator to make your videos available in multiple languages
If you feel like this is something you’d like to do, it wouldn’t hurt to also have a team of researchers and content editors.
7. Entertainment
As I alluded to a second ago, entertainment is the main reason why most people use the internet today. YouTube is so heavily saturated with entertainment channels that it’s almost impossible to not find a good compilation of memes, fails, funny animals, reviews of your favorite movies, or someone playing the game you wanted to buy.
Although it’s easier to start by specializing in one ‘genre’, many entertainment channels cover all of the aforementioned topics.
Looper, for instance, kept covering the latest movies for over seven years with regular uploads; consistency in terms of quality and format is usually very rewarding in this field.
Looper came to YouTube in 2015, and since then, it has accumulated a fan base of over 5.66 million subscribers and nearly 4 million views. The channel makes between $50,000 and $820,000 a year; a gap this huge is to be expected, as some movie and gaming titles garner more interest than others.
One of the best things about YouTube entertainment videos is that you can do whatever you want, however you want it. In terms of personality, you can act naturally or create a persona that doesn’t necessarily have to do anything with you. When it comes to the format, you can create reviews, cover news, react to what other people are posting, or take a more active approach.
‘Rant’ videos are also extremely popular. Even though many mistake ‘rant’ clips for people venting their frustrations, they are actually a part of a fairly trendy marketing strategy that targets people who dislike certain types of content.
If you don’t like what the developers of your favorite game are doing, or if you’re disappointed by the casting, sequels, or prequels of your dearest movies, making a rant video can enable you to connect with thousands of people that feel the same way.
8. Fact Videos
Among all the faceless video creation ideas I’ve mentioned so far, Fact Videos is the one that has the highest potential of attracting millions under your banner. It’s not just that people are more interested in facts than fiction – it’s that facts are usually far more complex, have deep lore, and sometimes challenge everything we thought we know about certain topics.
BE AMAZED is not only the trendiest channel in this niche; it’s also the richest channel among the ones I’ve listed so far. BE AMAZED was launched in July 2015, and so far it gathered nearly 11 million subscribers; its total video views count recently eclipsed 3.5 billion.
From its conception, BE AMAZED was making around $190,700 per year; today, this channel is earning as much as $3.1 million annually, and its popularity continues to grow. Many YouTube creators have had a similar degree of success, such as 101Facts, The Infographics Show, Top5s, and such.
This is also one of the most challenging jobs you could have as a faceless video creator, though.
Hundreds of hours need to be invested in thorough research; you’ll need a team comprised of people that will keep track of everything you’ve said to avoid repetition; professional fact-checkers, and competent photo & video researchers that can dig up multimedia content about the content you intend to make.
Although you aren’t guaranteed success in any YouTube niche, fact videos are a bit different. The competition in smaller leagues is not as stiff, mainly because the people that know how difficult it is to create a single clip either back out or aren’t doing a great job.
Either way, I think this is one of the best faceless video creation ideas for people that have their sights set on making huge profits online.
9. Interesting/General Knowledge Videos
People that are into fact videos often search for something specific; these clips show a fraction of the whole picture, which is often covered by YouTubers that make the ‘general knowledge videos’.
The point of these clips is to take the viewer on a journey in which they can immerse themselves in their selected topic. A showcase of Viking artifacts can instantly transport you to the early 800s, just like a report on the recent developments in space travel can help you peer into the future.
General knowledge videos have a more casual format but are often as well-researched as fact videos. In some cases, it’s hard to make a distinction between the two. For example, BRIGHT SIDE is widely regarded as the top general knowledge video creator on YouTube, and some of their clips share a similar format with BE AMAZED (e.g. 9 Most Impressive Impact Craters or 50 Creepy Phenomena to Keep You Up at Night).
BRIGHT SIDE is a relatively young channel that was formed in March 2017. Today, it boasts 44,1 million subscribers, nearly 5,000 uploads, and over 10 billion video views. Similar to BE AMAZED, this channel earns between $179,400 to $2.9 million in revenue per year.
10. ASMR Videos
ASMR stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, which most people know as the ‘tingling sensation’ or goosebumps.
Even though most people commonly experience this feeling while listening to powerful music or observing a breathtaking piece of art, many clips were purposefully designed to stimulate your senses and induce this tingling sensation in the weirdest of ways.
My first introduction to ASMR videos was when I came across Stacy Aster. I watched a clip of her tapping on various bottles, bags, tables, and other pieces of furniture with her nails, and it didn’t take long before the hairs on my arms were standing up.
Stacey is very close to reaching a million subs; she created her YouTube profile in February 2017 and currently has approximately 215 million video views. Monetization-wise, YouTube pays her up to $151,100 a year.
I recommend checking her account, as she has quite a few clips that provide details about how ASMR triggers work, which props can be used to stimulate the tingling sensations, and such. Even though it may not be as profitable as creating mechanic or fact videos, making ASMR clips does not require any special skills and shouldn’t take too much of your time.
11. Meditation Videos
Meditation keeps me sane while the kids are turning the house upside down, as I’m sure is the case with many fresh parents out there. Until recently, I struggled to find a quiet spot where I could focus on silencing my mind, and then I discovered meditation videos.
I’m not talking about meditation explainers; I’m talking about clips with special audio frequencies that can lead you to a meditative state if you listen to them on your headphones.
Meditative Mind has been one of my best friends in recent years, as this channel has dozens of helpful videos, such as full body restoration, energy boosters, third-eye activation, and other meditation clips.
This channel was launched in December 2009; it now has over a billion video views, nearly 5 million subscribers, and over 1,500 uploads. They’re making about $1,2 million a year and are among the top meditation video creators globally.
12. Story Time
Everyone loves a good story; whether it’s true or not is irrelevant, as long as it keeps your attention. Aside from Bailey Sarian and Mr. Black, I love having lunch/dinner while Storytime is on.
Storytime is a storytelling channel that picks some of the juiciest content from Reddit and transforms it into chilling yet beautifully narrated content. The channel came to YouTube in 2014 and currently has over 116 billion views and 142,000 subscribers.
13. Tech How-Tos
Technical how-tos and explainers are in outstandingly high demand these days. Aside from people wanting to learn more about their gadgets and devices, many content creators and researchers pull their data from these clips.
Processing Brains is one of the most popular Tech How-To video creators, boasting 186,000 subs and 101 million video views.
It’s also the most prolific channel on the list with 2,396 uploads. Processing Brains only makes about $108,700 a year, but since its popularity is rising, I’m sure it will quadruple its profits in the years to come.
How to Scale & Outsource Faceless YouTube Video Creation
It would take days to create a proper YouTube video alone, regardless of which type of niche you’ve set your sights on.
To fully automate your new business, you will need a content researcher, a decent writer, a professional video creator & editor, and a fact-checker. As the channel grows, you should invest in marketing and you will also need an accountant and a lawyer (just in case).
Some of the biggest faceless YouTube video creators have dozens of people working for them, although when you’re starting from scratch, it’s best to seek help from your friends with filming, narration, and content ideas.
That being said, there are now many tools and methods that can help you scale your YouTube content creator process. This includes:
- AI writing software for video script creation
- Drop servicing certain parts of the process to other freelancers
- AI voice generators to convert text to speech for video narration purposes
- AI video generators that can create entire videos just based on some text that you provide
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been paying attention, you are probably no longer wondering how to make YouTube videos without showing your face – you are more focused on choosing the right path for your upcoming career as a YouTuber.
Let me give you a bit of parting advice; the profitability of a certain YouTube niche does not always reflect the quality of the videos. Some trends rise and fall overnight; for instance, I know many people that were not as amazed by ASMR videos a couple of years ago, yet this niche is growing at the speed of light today.
Do your best, do your research, and good luck!
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