A YouTube automation channel is a dream come true for many creators because it turns a YouTube channel into a cash-flowing online asset.
An online business.
That means that a successful YouTube automation channel can make you money while you sleep.
It’s one of the best ways to make money online from the comfort of your home.
However, it’s not so easy to start an automation channel because, in the beginning, you have to learn about these things yourself:
- How to start a channel?
- How to write a script that optimizes retention?
- How to create a clickable thumbnail?
- How to pick a niche?
- Which tools to use?
- How to write engaging titles?
- And many more little things that make a complete YouTuber.
There are many nuances when it comes to YouTube and only if you get all the things right will you be able to win big.
That’s why today I’ll walk you through everything you need to know about doing YouTube automation:
What is YouTube automation?
YouTube automation means that you can outsource everything in your YouTube video production process and allow your YouTube channel to run without you having to do anything yourself.
There are various stages of YouTube automation and each channel could have varying degrees of it.
Most YouTubers outsource editing, thumbnail design, and writing which makes their YouTube channels more automated.
There are also tools, like AI writing software or keyword research tools that help anyone automate certain parts of their YouTube channels for cheap.
The less you, as a creator have to be involved in the video production process, the more automated your YouTube channel is.
Best YouTube automation tools
TubeBuddy is used by most beginner YouTubers on the platform to help rank their videos on YouTube Search.
This tool is popular for a good reason.
It gives you the ability to find low-competition and high-search volume keywords that you can make videos about.
Once you create a video for a low-competition keyword you’ll have a higher chance to rank for it and expose your video to new viewers.
TubeBuddy also has a thumbnail A/B testing feature which is available through their paid plan.
It’s essential for optimizing video thumbnails to get the highest possible CTR.
I recommend checking out my full TubeBuddy review here.
Get started with TubeBuddy.
Fiverr is a great platform to hire freelancers for your YouTube automation video production process.
You can use Fiverr to headhunt and try to find different freelancers to outsource.
It’s a good idea to hire multiple freelancers for the same job and then see which one does it best.
When you find a freelancer with the best skillset you can reach out to him through email and hire him outside of Fiverr which is a lot cheaper.
Get started with Fiverr.
Jasper AI is a content generation tool that can help with script writing and YouTube title ideas.
If you’re automation channel is not yet bringing in enough Ad revenue you can use AI tools to help automate your channel which is a lot cheaper than a freelancer.
However, AI cannot yet beat humans so it’s best for writing rough script outlines or generating ideas that then could be worked on to make them better.
Get started with Jasper AI.
It’s a great practice to plan out your YouTube automation business.
Things like ideas for multiple videos at a time or keywords that you’re going to target.
Notion is an all-in-one productivity software that lets you plan your life or online business.
With Notion, you can create pages and dashboards to monitor your video production processes like scripting, editing, SEO, thumbnail design, and more.
Learning to use Notion will help you manage your YouTube automation channel much more conveniently because everything will be in one single place.
Get started with Notion.
Editing is one of the most crucial parts that can decide if your video goes viral or flops completely.
Editing can break or make a video.
That’s why in order to stand out above the current competition between YouTube automation channels improving your editing is the best place to start.
Envato Elements is an unlimited creative subscription with which you can download 11+ million creative assets for your videos.
Envato Elements have motion graphics, stock footage, royalty-free music, copyright-free photos, and much much more.
Their subscription starts at €14.50/m. and the creative assets that you can find through Envato Elements will make your videos stand out among the competition like nothing else.
I recommend checking out this list of the best stock video sites for YouTube to determine which one is best for you.
Get started with Envato Elements.
How to start a YouTube automation channel?
1. Find a niche
Your niche is arguably one of the most important parts of starting a successful YouTube automation channel.
If you target a very competitive niche where there are already hundreds of established YouTube channels then it’s going to be very hard to stand out amongst them.
The good news is that you can combine 2 or 3 topics to create your own sub-niche (a blue ocean).
A blue ocean is a segment of a marketplace where there is no competition or the competition is irrelevant.
A blue ocean niche is usually achieved by differentiating yourself from the competition.
You can create your own blue ocean niche by looking at what everyone else is doing and then make it better or different by:
- Changing the content format;
- Changing the length of the videos;
- Changing the pacing of the videos;
- Changing the thumbnails and titles (eg. if everyone in your niche uses mostly green color for thumbnails you could use a different color);
- Improving the production quality (motion graphics, VFX, better storytelling, better video scripts);
- Presenting information quicker than the competition;
- Using different music or adding sound effects;
- Combining 2 niches into 1 niche (eg. tennis niche + motivation niche to get a tennis motivation channel).
I’ve made an entirely separate resource covering the YouTube blue ocean strategy more in-depth.
You can read more about the YouTube blue ocean strategy here.
2. Outsource or make videos yourself without showing your face
Once you figure out a niche for the automation channel then usually a YouTube video is made in these 6 steps:
- Research.
- Creating a thumbnail and title.
- Scripting.
- Recording voice-over.
- Editing.
- Optimizing for SEO and uploading.
You can find and hire freelancers on Fiverr, Upwork, or PeoplePerHour to do each of these steps for you.
However, outsourcing costs money.
The best part about YouTube automation is that in the beginning, you could be the one creating all the videos but once your channel starts generating Ad revenue you could start outsourcing.
This is possible because a YouTube automation channel doesn’t depend on you running it.
Viewers are interested in the content, not the person creating it.
The purpose of a YouTube automation channel is to have you detached from it so everything can be outsourced.
Of course, if you choose to, you can work on the channel even after you can afford to outsource it.
But at any point, you could choose to move away from the automation business and hire people to run it for you assuming that it generates enough revenue.
Here’s a guide on how to maximize your earnings from YouTube (without Adsense).
3. The 33 video rule
A lot of YouTube niches are saturated and that’s why it’s best to test out the niche beforehand instead of going all in.
If you’ve been working on a new channel for over a year and are not seeing significant progress or growth then it’s probably time to rethink the automation strategy or create a new channel.
A rule of thumb for a YouTube automation channel is 33 videos.
If after 33 videos you don’t see any potential or progress then it’s probably best to leave the channel and work on a new one.
Of course, the channel with 33 videos might blow up later but until it does it’s probably best to work on a new niche.
YouTube automation channel ideas
1. Money /Finance / make money online channel
An example of a finance YouTube automation channel is MrLuxury.
They create well-produced videos about the most expensive things in the world.
There are tons of below-average financial channels on YouTube getting thousands of views by remaking other people’s videos using a voice-over and free stock footage.
If you can create better videos than the current competition your channel will eventually blow up.
Another reason for picking a finance niche is high Ad revenue.
The financial niche is one of the highest-paid niches on YouTube and often has a CPM larger than $30.
Even if the channel doesn’t work out it could also be a good opportunity to learn financial literacy for yourself.
You can read more about how much different YouTubers earn in different niches here.
2. Documentary style channel
Documentary YouTube automation channel could be about any topic.
Here are some examples:
- History (Business Casual)
- Other YouTubers (Paddy Galloway)
- Film and media (WatchMojo)
- Interesting facts (Be Amazed)
- Sports (FDOR)
- World events (Hazards and catastrophes)
- World problems, economics, geography (Wendover Productions)
3. How-to / educational
This doesn’t involve you showing your face however it’s harder to outsource because people have to have some sort of specific knowledge to be able to teach something.
Here are some examples of channels in the how-to niche:
- How to start or grow a YouTube channel (VidIQ, ThinkMedia, Film Booth)
- How to make money online (Biaheza)
- How to fix computers (iFixit)
- How to code (Fireship)
- How to exercise (AthleanX)
- How to be charismatic (Brainy Dose)
4. Cars channel
A YouTube channel about cars is great if you already have a passion for them.
There are many channels creating content surrounding racing, fixing, modding car spotting, or interesting facts about cars.
Examples of such channels are Modern Muscle, Supercar Blondie, ChrisFix, and many others.
5. Gadget / Tech
The tech and gadget niche YouTube automation channels make the most of their revenue through affiliate marketing.
Amazon Associates is one of the most frequently used affiliate programs by gadget and tech channels.
Examples of YouTube channels in this niche are Tech Zone, RandomFrankp, YouFact Tech, and many others.
The best part about YouTube gadget automation channels is that you don’t have to get a lot of views to earn a lot of money on YouTube because the bulk of the revenue comes from affiliate sales.
That’s why there are hundreds of small YouTube automation channels in the gadget and tech niche that make a great living from affiliate sales.
Was this YouTube automation guide useful?
Just like with any other online business, your success with YouTube automation depends on how well you differentiate yourself from the competition or how much better you are than the competition.
Ultimately what it comes down to is making better videos.
That’s why I’ll leave you with a few great resources to help you make videos better than anyone else in your niche:
- How To Grow A Faceless YouTube Channel – Notion Template
- 5 Best Stock Video Sites [For YouTube Automation]
- How To Make A GOOD YouTube Thumbnail Like Mr.Beast
P.S. The full YouTube content system, the fundamentals of editing engaging videos, and real world implementation of your ideas can be found in my YouTube Video Course.