YouTube – The Great Multiplier
Why YouTube is indirectly one of the best sources of Passive Income
I’ve had a YouTube channel for over a decade, with various degrees of success. However, one thing holds true over the long-term, YouTube has led to more passive income than any other channel for me. Please understand, I’m not referring to the money you make off of a monetized YouTube channel. The money you make from a monetized YouTube channel isn’t much unless you have a huge following, and that will most likely take a good bit of time to build. I make around $50 most months from YouTube, as my niche is a very small niche. I also do not have the time to make videos every day or even every week.
- My YouTube Data and Stats
- Method
- How to generate subscribers faster through social media
- Closing Thoughts
Some of my YouTube stats for you:
30% of referral traffic to my main website comes from YouTube (This number comes from my Google Analytics dashboard). At least 80% of digital product sales on my website are from people that arrived from YouTube one way or the other. Once again, this data is from my Conversion Funnels inside Google Analytics. In summary, most of my non-Organic traffic is coming to my site because someone clicked SOMETHING on my YouTube.
YouTube spreads into everything else that brings me passive income. I’m a professional musician in case you don’t already know from prior blogs (hence some of the items below). Here are a few of the other items that YouTube influences:
- Online Courses at Udemy, Skillshare, and Teachable
- Patreon
- Digital Product Sales
- Music Streaming Income
- Music Gigs
Patreon is my biggest source of “passive income.” YouTube is the primary reason my Patreon site has grown. Furthermore, without YouTube, my Digital Product sales wouldn’t grow.
What is the method?
What is my method for using YouTube to drive passive income to these other places?
- Do free tutorials, how to guides, and teaching videos
- Mention paid products or other websites within the video or in links underneath
First, you need to host free tutorials, informational, or teaching videos on YouTube. Next, mention your paid products in the links underneath the video. You can also mention your products in the video, or as an in-video link. This presumes you have something to sell (beyond the scope of this particular post). At some point, after putting up enough regular content, viewers will trust you and have an interest in your products. They’ll want to know more. This takes time. You don’t throw up a few videos and get to this place in a month or two.
I have links to my online courses, in-video pop ups with Patreon mentions, and direct product links underneath all of my videos. While not as regular, I’ve even gotten the occasional music gig from someone seeing me on YouTube. By the way, a rather well known “celebrity” once hired me due to my videos (crazy, but true!). These gigs led me to making $500 or more dollars in one day for a few hours of work. I know this isn’t passive income, but I want you to see what all YouTube has been responsible for.
Lastly, YouTube videos show up in Search Engine Results. After all, YouTube is owned by Google themselves. So, anything you post on YouTube, not only has a chance of showing up on YouTube, but Google Search Engines as well. You already know how many people search using Google daily. More and more you are multiplying the people that can potentially see you.
This is what one YouTube channel is capable of generating, and once again, I’m not even talking about monetization through Google.
How do you build a channel fast?
I honestly haven’t actively built a new channel in years. However, knowing everything I know now, this is how I would do it if I was starting over. Ironically, it doesn’t start with concentrating on a Youtube account.
TikTok
1)First and foremost, you need a Tiktok channel. Why? It’s easier to grow a Tiktok Channel than anything else. People on TikTok will interact with your videos more than any other platform and they have less resistance to follow you. Most importantly, the YouTube algorithm is finicky. It may not like you very much and you won’t know what to do in order to change that. It won’t matter if you are regularly driving new subscribers to your channel via other methods. This is how I am growing my main channel faster than ever (My subscribers were up 44% month over month this past month!).
Cons-The con to TikTok and why we use it to drive traffic to YouTube? TikTok users don’t convert as much. However, TikTok users that follow you on multiple platforms are more likely to convert. More subscribers on YT shows more social proof that will influence others to trust and buy from you.
2)You need an Instagram account. Don’t waste your time with endless posts and stories. Post Instagram Reels that contain shortened versions of your content. Instagram reels, when done right, are a quick way to get thousands of views on your content. I do this consistently each week.
Cons-Getting followers on IG is more difficult than TikTok. At the same time, I HAVE converted followers to full-time regular clients via instagram.
Put links to your Youtube channel on both TikTok and Instagram. Mention if they want to see the longer content to go to YouTube. Mention it any way you can, but get them to your YouTube channel.
Posting more and more content to YouTube and hoping to build a following MIGHT work, especially if it’s good content and you’re consistent. However, it’s tougher and tougher to organically grow a YouTube channel due to so much competition and an over-saturated market. This is reality, not me selling you a pipe dream that so many others will.
In summary, TikTok will partly be what feeds the YouTube channel, especially once you get enough followers on TikTok to go live (You need 1000 followers). Many tuning into your live will want to know where else they can find you. You can do live streams on Instagram as well; however, I’ve had a lot less luck with this.
3)Reddit is also your friend. Find related reddit boards to your topic. Don’t just jump in by posting links to your materials; answer questions and be helpful. Otherwise, people will get annoyed. When someone has a question about your topic, you can post your video, blog post, or content link.
Closing Thoughts
I think a big mistake is concentrating all of your efforts on YouTube in order to grow your YouTube. It’s my experience that people are much slower to subscribe on YouTube. Interactions are not as high as they are on TikTok and other social media platforms. Once you gain enough followers on all platforms, they tend to merge a bit. You’re building your brand.
Posting on every single social media platform including YouTube takes a lot of time; in fact, you’d almost need a team of people to do it all correctly. It’s overwhelming. I think you need to choose three at most and concentrate on building your audience up on them.
For me, I think your best bet is YouTube and TikTok at the same time, while supplementing from time-to-time with IG reels and Reddit. This will drive traffic to your website and online courses like no other is capable of.
