Discover how to monetize your social media in 7 days
Most creators believe you have to teach people how to make money online in order to make money on YouTube. But what if you picked a completely different niche—like paint?
77 days ago, I launched a faceless YouTube channel about paint colors. In this post, I’m breaking down exactly what’s happened since then: how much traffic I’ve generated, how I automated the content, the money (or lack of it) so far, and how I plan to scale it next.
Why I Started a YouTube Channel About Paint
The inspiration came from a video by Marcus Campbell. He suggested that you could make money by simply talking about paint. It stood out because it wasn’t the typical “make money by teaching people how to make money” model.
So I decided to test it. And within the first 48 hours of uploading my first video, I saw real traffic start coming in.
Now, nearly 80 days in, I’ve learned a lot — and I’m seeing the kind of traction that tells me this niche has serious potential.
You Need to Look for Early Signs of Success (Not Just Money)
Most people get discouraged when their first few videos don’t earn them cash. But the truth is, money comes later. The early wins are things like:
- Views
- Subscribers
- Watch time
- Comments
If you’re seeing engagement, you’re heading in the right direction. Monetization is just a few steps behind.
My Exact Process (That You Can Copy)
Here’s how I create each video from start to finish — and most of it is now automated.
1. Find Viral Video Topics
I search YouTube for high-performing videos that have more views than the channel has subscribers. This tells me the topic has broad appeal.
2. Use ChatGPT to Generate the Script
I ask ChatGPT to:
- Suggest 10 related paint colors
- Write a 10-minute script
- Break it into sections (intro, each color, outro)
Having it write in sections helps avoid the common issue of the output getting lazy toward the end.
3. Create the Video with HeyGen
I paste the script into HeyGen, where my voice and avatar are cloned. It generates a complete video in about 20 minutes.
4. Add B-Roll and AI-Generated Images
I import the video into Premiere Pro, remove my avatar, and overlay B-roll and AI-generated visuals (from Leonardo AI or ChatGPT) to match each paint color.
5. Upload 3 Times a Week
Every Sunday, I batch create and schedule videos for Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Once they’re queued, I don’t touch the channel again until the next week.
Performance So Far: Views, Watch Time, and Growth
One of my videos has generated nearly 37,000 views in 60 days — about paint colors. Several others are in the thousands.
YouTube is rewarding these videos with:
- High view-to-subscriber ratios
- Strong watch times (many viewers watch over 50%)
- Suggested and search placements
That tells me the format works and the niche has legs.
Monetization: Why I’ve Made $0 So Far
Even though the channel is gaining traction, I haven’t made any money yet — and that’s 100% on me.
I’ve been slow to set up affiliate links or optimize monetization strategies. That changes this week.
My Monetization Plan:
- Amazon Affiliate Links for paint supplies, brushes, rollers, etc.
- Private Label Digital Products around color design or painting
- YouTube Partner Program (I’m at 607 subscribers and 2,994 watch hours—almost eligible)
- Home Depot & Lowe’s Affiliate Programs through YouTube’s built-in partner integration
This is a missed opportunity that I’m fixing now by:
- Adding affiliate links to my most-viewed videos
- Setting default links on all new uploads
- Creating specific videos around Amazon products with built-in search demand
Growth Strategy Moving Forward
Once the channel earns at least $50/day, I’m outsourcing:
- Research
- Scriptwriting
- Video creation and editing
The goal is simple: remove myself from the workflow while scaling results.
Key Takeaways
If you’re starting a YouTube channel:
- Don’t limit yourself to the “make money online” niche
- Look for high view-to-subscriber ratio topics in overlooked markets
- Automate as much of the process as possible using AI tools
- Measure success by growth metrics before profit
- Monetize with affiliate links sooner rather than later
This channel is proof that any niche with demand and purchase intent can be monetized on YouTube.
And once it’s fully monetized and automated, I’ll replicate this model in other niches.