Creating a YouTube channel without showing your face has become an increasingly popular trend, especially for those who prefer anonymity.
If you intend on earning with this kind of channels, you may need to create one with a style and a niche that gains lots of subscribers and views so that you can earn a good amount of money.
There are many ideas that I will share with you today, with examples, estimated costs, pros and cons for each of these ideas, along with tools to help you create faceless YouTube videos for each of these channel ideas.
I will also give you some monetization ideas after I finish the list.
And due to the risk associated with generating income through faceless channels on YouTube, I will tell you at the end of this article about a better alternative for long-term sustainability.
Note: Some of the example channels I will give have the creators showing their faces, but you still can make faceless videos on similar topics. Use these examples for inspiration.
Without further ado, here are fifteen faceless YouTube channel ideas that make money:
1. Hobby Tutorials
Hobby tutorials cover a vast range of interests from knitting to coin collecting.
The idea is to teach, guide, or share knowledge about a particular hobby and gain a targeted fanbase that you can easily monetize with relevant products or services that you can sell or promote as an affiliate or influencer.
Example: “HappyBerry Crochet” – a channel dedicated to crochet tutorials.
Why It’s Good: With millions of hobbyists worldwide, the potential audience of each hobby is huge. Moreover, specific hobbies often have dedicated communities.
Cost: Varies, starting from $20 for basic materials.
Pros: High audience potential, allows sharing of personal passion, adaptable content.
Cons: May require investment in materials, some hobby niches are highly competitive, quality demands.
Tools/Resources: Screen recording software, camera, hobby-related tools/materials.
2. Local Business Reviews
This involves reviewing local businesses, such as eateries, cafes, gyms, playgrounds, cinemas or shopping centers.
It allows locals and tourists to make informed choices, and you can make partnerships for sponsored content with local businesses around you.
Example: Channels that feature “best restaurants in a certain city.
Why It’s Good: Useful for locals and tourists, establishes community connections, potentially sponsored content.
Cost: Varies, starting from the price of meals or services.
Pros: High community engagement, potential collaborations, versatile content.
Cons: May become expensive, negative reviews might upset business owners, potential for bias.
Tools/Resources: Camera, video editing software, Google Maps.
3. DIY Home Works
Covering home maintenance, renovation, and cleaning tips. This type of content can be incredibly useful for homeowners and renters, who are literally everywhere.
Example: “DIY Creators” – features various DIY projects. (You don’t have to show your face for most of the videos)
Why It’s Good: Practical value, broad audience, potential for brand collaborations and affiliate promotions.
Cost: Varies, starting from $50 for basic tools and materials.
Pros: Useful content, potential sponsorships, broad audience.
Cons: Requires DIY knowledge, potential for mishaps, high initial investment.
Tools/Resources: DIY tools, camera, video editing software.
4. Ten Quotes with Explanations
This channel would focus on analyzing and delving deep into notable quotes from history, literature, and more.
Example: “Quotefancy” occasionally deep-dives into the meanings behind certain quotes.
Why It’s Good: Allows for short yet profound content that resonates emotionally with viewers.
Cost: Minimal – mainly time for research.
Pros: Easily shareable content, fosters deep thinking, vast source material.
Cons: Possible content limitations, potential for over-saturation, copyright concerns with contemporary quotes.
Tools/Resources: Research tools, simple video editing software, creative graphics tools.
5. Controversial Videos
Videos that tackle controversial subjects, offering views, insights, or just presenting the controversy, but without being offensive or inciting hate and violence.
These trigger the people to make discussions in the comments’ section, which triggers the YouTube algorithm into promoting your videos even to non-subscribers.
Example: “BuzzFeedVideo” sometimes tackles controversial topics to inspire you, but you can make it in a different format without showing your face or interviewing others.
Why It’s Good: Drives engagement and discussion, often leading to higher visibility due to engagement metrics.
Cost: Minimal to moderate – depending on research tools or platforms used.
Pros: High engagement, broad subject range, thought-provoking.
Cons: Potential backlash, requires careful content curation, risk of demonetization.
Tools/Resources: Research tools, fact-checking sites, and a neutral mindset.
6. Weird Information about Countries or History
Sharing obscure or less-known facts about various countries or historical events, in order to evoke curiosity and make the viewer binge watch your videos.
Example: “Geography Now” touches on lesser-known country facts occasionally.
Why It’s Good: Sparks curiosity, educational, wide range of content.
Cost: Time for research and potential subscription to research platforms.
Pros: Engaging, educational, endless material.
Cons: Requires extensive research, potential for inaccuracies, potential cultural sensitivities.
Tools/Resources: History books, online libraries, encyclopedias.
7. Product Reviews
Focus on reviewing specific products within a chosen niche, showing how they work, their pros and cons, and comparing them to other products for the same use.
Example: “Unbox Therapy” – focuses on tech unboxing and reviews.
Why It’s Good: Helps consumers make decisions, potential for affiliate sales, vast array of products.
Cost: Depending on the niche, product costs might be incurred unless sponsored.
Pros: Can lead to brand partnerships, clear target audience, high viewer intent.
Cons: Initial investment, potential bias, rapidly changing market.
Tools/Resources: The products, video recording equipment, potentially affiliate marketing platforms.
8. Top Ten Lists
Curate lists of “Top 10” in various categories, from movies historical events to tools and courses.
Example: “WatchMojo.com” creates various top 10 lists across genres.
Why It’s Good: Engaging format, easily shareable, wide range of potential topics.
Cost: Research time and potential costs associated with obtaining certain content.
Pros: Popular format, endless content possibilities, potential for engagement.
Cons: Highly competitive niche, potential for disputes over rankings, repetitive.
Tools/Resources: Research tools, video editing software.
9. Cuisine Channels
Sharing recipes, cooking techniques, or reviewing cuisines without necessarily showing the chef.
Example: “Tasty” produces videos often without showing the chef’s face.
Why It’s Good: Universal appeal (everyone eats!), potential for cultural exploration, recipe sharing, lots of brand partnership opportunities.
Cost: Ingredients, cooking equipment if not already available.
Pros: High engagement, vast content possibilities, potential for recipe book sales.
Cons: Requires cooking knowledge, potential for wasted ingredients, high competition.
Tools/Resources: Cooking equipment, camera setup for overhead shots, recipe sources.
10. Specific Philosophy Channel
Dive deep into specific philosophical ideas, thinkers, or schools of thought.
Example: “School of Life” explores philosophical and psychological topics.
Why It’s Good: Thought-provoking, appeals to an intellectual audience, vast philosophical literature.
Cost: Mainly research time, perhaps books or subscriptions.
Pros: Niche audience, fosters deep thinking, potential for academic recognition.
Cons: Can be complex, potential for misunderstandings, requires deep knowledge.
Tools/Resources: Philosophical literature, animations for visual explanations.
11. Video Game Reviews & Walkthroughs
Review video games or provide game play walkthroughs without showing the player.
Example: “SourceSpy91” offers game walkthroughs.
Why It’s Good: Gaming is a massive industry, avid gamer audience, potential for early access to games and lots of sponsorship opportunities.
Cost: Cost of games, gaming equipment.
Pros: Vast gaming community, potential for sponsorships, varied content (different games).
Cons: Highly competitive, rapid content turnaround, potential for copyright issues.
Tools/Resources: Gaming console or PC, screen recording software.
12. Job Skills Teaching
This involves imparting skills or knowledge related to specific jobs or careers, from resume writing to specific job tasks.
Example: “ExcelIsFun” – a channel dedicated to teaching Microsoft Excel.
Why It’s Good: Career-focused content is always in demand, and many are seeking to learn new job-related skills.
Cost: Minimal, mostly time and potentially some software or materials depending on the skill.
Pros: Evergreen content, vast audience potential, sponsored opportunities.
Cons: Requires expertise, might get monotonous, high competition.
Tools/Resources: Screen recording software, PowerPoint, relevant job tools.
13. Software & Tech Tutorials
Focus on explaining software, apps, or tech devices. Offer guides, walkthroughs, and reviews.
Example: “Skills Factory” that explains the ins and outs of different software tools.
Why It’s Good: Tech is constantly evolving, meaning there’s always something new to cover.
Cost: Cost of the software or tech device, unless it’s free software.
Pros: High demand, potential for brand partnerships, tech enthusiasts community.
Cons: Rapid tech evolution, potential steep learning curve, saturation.
Tools/Resources: Screen recording software, the software/device in question.
14. Book Reviews and Summaries
Discuss and review books, recommend lists of genre books, or provide summarized versions and key takeaways.
Example: “Better Than Yesterday” offers concise book summaries.
Why It’s Good: Appeals to book lovers and those seeking knowledge without reading the entire book.
Cost: Cost of the books, unless borrowed.
Pros: Engages readers and learners, vast genres to cover, potential for affiliate marketing with book sales.
Cons: Copyright concerns, potential backlash from subjective reviews, reading time.
Tools/Resources: Good lighting for showcasing books, Kindle or other e-readers, note-taking tools.
15. Relaxing Music Streaming
Stream or post compilations of relaxing, royalty-free music.
Example: “Yellow Brick Cinema – Relaxing Music” offers various relaxation tracks.
Why It’s Good: High demand for relaxation, study, or sleep aids. People run such videos for hours long.
Cost: Licensing or cost of royalty-free music.
Pros: High replay value, loyal listenership, passive streaming.
Cons: Licensing issues, high competition, potential copyright claims.
Tools/Resources: Good quality speaker or headphones, sound editing software.
Monetization Ideas for Faceless YouTube Channels
You can earn with Faceless YouTube channels from the ideas above in many different ways, but some ways work better than others for certain Faceless channel ideas and niches.
Here are some examples from my full guide on the 7 best ways to earn money with faceless YouTube channels:
- AdSense Revenue: Once qualified, YouTube channels can earn money from ads shown in their videos.
- Affiliate Marketing: Promoting relevant products or services and earning a commission for every sale made through your link.
- Sponsored Content: Brands might pay you to feature or review their products.
- Merchandise Sales: Selling branded merchandise like T-shirts or mugs through print-on-demand platforms that would handle everything for you.
- Channel Memberships: Offering exclusive content to subscribers for a fee.
- Super Chats: During live chats that can be activated on live streaming videos or premiere videos, viewers can pay to have their messages highlighted.
Recommended Tools & Materials for Creating Faceless YouTube Videos
- Video Editing Tools: Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve.
- AI Video Creation Tools: Lumen5, Magisto.
- Graphic Design and Animation Tools: Canva, Blender, Adobe After Effects.
- Royalty-Free Music and Video Sources: Epidemic Sound, Artlist, Pexels, Pixabay.
Risks of Relying on Faceless YouTube Channel Ideas
Relying solely on faceless YouTube channels for income has its risks:
- Algorithm Changes: YouTube regularly updates its algorithm, which might affect your channel’s visibility and income.
- Monetization Rules: The platform’s monetization criteria can change, affecting your earnings.
- Potential for Channel Strikes or Bans: Copyright issues or community guidelines can lead to strikes or even bans.
My Recommending Alternative (And without Showing Your Face)
Niche blogging offers more control over content and revenue, and you don’t have to show your face or even create videos.
With affiliate marketing, bloggers promote products and earn commissions for sales made through their links, which is a flexible and beginner-friendly way to earn money.
It’s scalable and sustainable as bloggers own their platforms and aren’t as vulnerable to sudden platform changes like it is with the faceless YouTube channel ideas mentioned above.
For those interested in blogging and affiliate marketing, Wealthy Affiliate is a recommended platform.
They offer training, tools, and support, making it easier to kickstart a blogging business.
Conclusion
This guide serves as a comprehensive starting point for anyone interested in faceless YouTube channels and the potential for monetization.
It shows you many ideas for creating YouTube channels and videos without showing your face, the pros and cons of each, and the required cost to start with each idea.
Whether you choose YouTube or blogging for more security and sustainability, consistency, quality content, and authenticity are key.
Let me know in the comments’ section below if you still need help or if you have any other ideas for faceless YouTube channels.