Transcription
Jen DeVore RoR turned her then 967 YouTube subscribers into 11,000 bucks—not in a month, but in a week. Austin Armstrong turned his 1,700-view video into five figures and counting. But they're not the only ones. So how are some really small YouTube channels actually making more money than ones with a million-plus subscribers? Contrary to what you may think, it's not about how many people are watching; it's about who's watching and what you're doing with them.
Coming up, I'm going to show you how small channels consistently outperform larger ones on YouTube, four proven ways to turn views into profits, and I'll show you hard proof that this can work for you even if you have fewer than 1,000 subscribers. But first, I think we need to get really clear on why subscribers aren't nearly as important as you think they are.
So think about the channels that you're subscribed to. Of those channels, how many do you still watch every new video they come out with? I'm personally subscribed to more than 30 channels on YouTube, and there are a ton that I forgot even existed. Now let's flip that: how many channels do you find yourself watching all the time even though you haven't subscribed to them? I don't know about you, but I haven't hit that subscribe button on anyone's channel in at least a year. Yet YouTube still knows the channels that I like and always watch, and they keep showing me all their new videos every time they drop one.
That's because YouTube's algorithm is designed to serve you videos based on your viewing habits, not your subscriptions. And that means that people who are genuinely interested in your content are going to keep seeing your videos, whether they've subscribed or not. So if subscribers don't really matter here, what does? Well, it's all about views and watch time because those are the metrics that are much more of a direct reflection of how engaging and valuable your content really is.
So when your videos capture attention and keep viewers watching, YouTube takes notice, and they start recommending your content to more people who are likely to be interested in it. The best part is you don't even need a massive number of views or hours of watch time to succeed here. What really matters is reaching the right audience—you know, the people who are most likely to become your clients. For a small service business, a few hundred engaged viewers can be far more valuable than thousands of unengaged subscribers.
But how do you get those hundreds of engaged viewers in the first place? To really maximize your YouTube channel's potential, you want to focus on search-based topics and titles your ideal clients are searching for. Take Austin Armstrong as an example. He focused on creating highly targeted videos on really niche topics like drug rehab marketing strategies. These videos didn't get millions of views; one particular video titled "Drug Rehab Marketing Strategies" only has around 1,700 views. However, because the content was so specific and valuable to his target audience, it generated multiple five figures in revenue. By addressing the exact questions and needs of his potential clients, Austin was able to attract the right viewers and build trust with them over time.
So just take a page out of his playbook and create videos that answer the questions that your clients ask you all the time. For example, if you're a landscaper, you might create videos on topics like "How to Choose the Best Plants for Your Garden" or "Top Five Lawn Care Tips for Spring." By focusing on these search-based topics, you attract viewers who are actively looking for solutions to their problems, usually right before they're ready to pay you.
So that's how you get more eyeballs on your content when you're just starting out. But the question is, how do you turn that into profit for your business? The cool thing is there's not just one way to make big money from your small YouTube channel. There are four proven revenue streams that work incredibly well for small businesses on YouTube.
So first, and most obviously, there's client generation. Your videos just showcase your expertise and help build trust with viewers, moving them to the point where they become clients. Take Jay Hail as an example. He has a small YouTube channel with under 1,000 subscribers and an average of 255 views per video, but it helped his local gym make double its revenue to over a million dollars in the past year. By consistently providing valuable niche content, Jay attracted his target audience and accelerated trust over a really short period of time. His videos are educational and inspirational to his viewers, and they're really highly targeted, addressing specific needs and questions that his prospective clients would have.
To really make this work, just casually mention your clients often and sometimes share full stories and case studies. This way, your viewers won't just see you as a free resource but also as a pro that they can hire to get even bigger results. And don't forget to link to your website in every video description and on your channel page, just to make it really easy for viewers to become clients.
The great thing about YouTube is that it gives you better quality leads because these viewers have been binging your content, getting to know, like, and trust you, making the sales process much, much easier. But there's a catch. So while having potential clients binge your content is fantastic, you can't always rely on them finding every single video you put out.
So how can you be sure that you're always staying in front of your potential clients, even when they're not actively watching your videos? You can and should use YouTube to help you build your email list. With an email list, you create more chances to make sales, and the way you would build your list is through a lead magnet. A lead magnet is just a valuable resource that you offer your viewers in exchange for their email address. This could be a checklist, a cheat sheet, a mini course, or even a benefit-first newsletter sign-up. The key is just to create something that solves a really specific problem or addresses a pain point for your target audience.
Take Jen DeVore RoR as an example. She uses her YouTube channel to generate leads for her marketing agency, and Jen offers a free webinar about how to make money with a magazine funnel—super niched down and specific, right? This webinar not only educates her audience but also brings them into her own sales funnel, and it led to her best week ever, bringing in 11,000 bucks. By offering valuable resources and then educating your audience, you can turn viewers into email subscribers and those subscribers into clients. Just make sure that you're linking your videos that are really closely related to the lead magnet topic directly to the page where they can opt in for it.
Then, once a viewer puts in their email address for your lead magnet, they're added to your email list, and that's where the magic happens. You can now keep up with these leads by consistently providing value and building trust over time. One of the most effective and lightest lift ways to do this is just by emailing your list whenever you come out with a new YouTube video. That's going to bring people back to your channel, boost your views, and keep your business top of mind, too.
So now you've been working hard growing your email list and building those relationships, but there's only so much time in a day, right? And if you're a local in-person business, you're pretty much limited to making money from just the people in your area. But what if I told you there's a way to create a new income stream that doesn't require any extra hours or limit you to your own backyard? That's where affiliate sales come in. When you do it right, it's like you're just a trusted friend recommending your favorite products to people, and your viewers will appreciate your honest suggestions. They're generally going to be pretty happy to support you by buying them through your link.
The great thing about affiliate sales is that you can promote products that perfectly complement what you already offer. So let's say you're a fitness coach; you might promote your favorite protein powder or workout gear. All you really have to do is find the right fit product, app, or service that actually has an affiliate program. I actually do this myself. I make website creation tutorials for beginners, and I recommend that they go with Bluehost for hosting because it's really easy for newbies and it works really well. So I show them how to use it, then they can click on my link to get a discount on it, and then I get paid for each sign-up that I make.
But if you're stuck for ideas or finding that affiliate product that's perfect, almost anyone can do this through Amazon's affiliate program. Through Amazon, they have literally everything. Then, by creating review or tutorial videos showing off these products, you're providing valuable content for your audience while also giving them the chance to buy something that you actually trust. If you're an Amazon affiliate, the coolest part is when someone clicks on your Amazon link, you're not just going to get credit for the product you sent them to; you're going to get credit and paid off on anything else that's in their cart at the same time. It's a pretty good upside.
Now, affiliate sales are a great way to dip your toes into the world of passive income, but what if you could keep all the profits for yourself rather than splitting them? You can when you use YouTube to sell your own digital products like eBooks, online courses, or templates. The key is to create something that solves a real problem or meets a need for your target market. Take Thomas, the YouTuber who teaches people how to be more productive and organized. His digital products, like "The Ultimate Brain" and "Creator's Companion," have brought in over $2.5 million in sales.
Now, I know creating a digital product sounds like a ton of work, and I'm not going to lie, it does take some effort up front. But trust me, it's so worth it. As much as I hate the whole "make money while you sleep" cliché, you can actually make money while you sleep. I sell a digital course, and I almost always wake up to new sales that came in overnight, and it still feels amazing every single time it happens.
So yeah, when you commit to making a digital product, you're building a very real asset for your business that you can sell over and over again at scale. The key to making the process easier is just leveraging AI tools like ChatGPT and MidJourney. These AI tools can help you generate ideas, write your content, and even create designs in a fraction of the time that it would take you to do it all yourself. For example, you could use ChatGPT to brainstorm product ideas and outline your eBook, then use MidJourney to generate beautiful graphics and cover art.
Of course, you'll still need to put your own spin on things and make sure that the final product is ready to sell, but AI can give you a serious head start. Your YouTube channel is the perfect place to sell your digital products. You can promote them directly in your videos, link to them in your descriptions, and even offer exclusive discounts to your subscribers. So by the time someone finds out about your product on YouTube, they already know, like, and trust you from watching your content, so they're pretty primed to buy.
And of course, the best scenario to make a ton of money without a ton of subscribers is to include as many of these revenue streams as possible in your business. That way, there's something for just about everyone in your audience at various price points and commitment levels. Having all those different revenue streams doesn't even take multiple marketing methods; it all just comes in through YouTube.
If you want to see exactly how I do this myself and make over 600,000 bucks a year, check out this video where I break down my own YouTube sales funnels so that you can do the same thing. It's pretty exciting stuff; it's completely changed my business over the past seven years. So click right here, and I'll show you everything I'm doing. I'll see you over there!