How To Make Money With Faceless YouTube Videos

Let's explore five YouTube content formats you can create without showing your face: compilations (funny moments, sports highlights), gaming walkthroughs/reviews, text-guided tutorials, stock footage explainer videos (motivational content), and product reviews/unboxings.

Want to make money on YouTube without showing your face?

Lucky for you, it's more than possible to create and make money without showing your face on YouTube.

This guide will walk you through five in-depth content formats for building a channel, growing it, and making money on YouTube, all without showing your face.

A faceless figure with a question mark on its head, against a dark background with the text "MONEY ON YOUTUBE" and "FACELESS EDITION" below.
This image symbolizes the mystery surrounding YouTube income and the question of how much money YouTubers actually make. It also suggests that success on YouTube doesn't necessarily require a recognizable face.

1 - Compilation Videos

A stick figure building a structure with blocks, with the text "FORMAT 1" and "COMPILATION" above and below the image.
This image symbolizes the process of compiling content for a YouTube video, where different elements are pieced together to create a cohesive and engaging video.

What This Means

Compilation clips are collections of clips around a specific theme, like funny moments, sports highlights, or DIY projects. These videos do well on YouTube because they're solely focused on one theme people enjoy.

Before creating your compilation videos, we need first to address that niche's total available market (TAM). The TAM is the amount of people interested in the subject you want to create videos about.

If you want to create videos about Fortnite it will have a higher TAM than a video about a smaller game.

So, we need to make sure the TAM you plan to make compilation videos about is big enough to get a lot of views but not over-saturated with large channels taking all of them.

1 - Pick your theme based on the TAM. If you can't think of anything, think about the type of content you enjoy and whether there's a market for it.

2 - Find clips that match your theme. YouTube itself has a Creative Commons section where you can find videos that can be legally reused. Just make sure to give proper credit if required.

3 - Edit it all together with some voiceover and add transitions between clips to keep the flow smooth.

This strategy is incredibly simple, but you need to be careful with the clips you use. Make sure you have the right to use them or stick to public domain footage. If you use copyrighted material without permission, your video could be taken down or demonetized.

Some channels you can use for inspiration are FailArmy, People Are Awesome, and Daily Dose of Internet.

2- Gaming (Without Facecam)

A webcam icon with a red X over it, with the text "FORMAT 2" and "GAMING (NO FACECAM)" above and below the image.
This image represents a YouTube video format where the focus is on gameplay and screen recording, without the inclusion of a facecam. This format is popular in gaming channels.

What This Means

Gaming is one of the most biggest, broadest and popular niches on YouTube so theres many gaps in the space to create content like gameplay walkthroughs, game reviews, or even tutorials without ever showing your face.

Just look at Dream before he showed his face. If anything, that helped him create the brand he has now.

1 - Choose Your Game Select a game or a type of game to focus on. It could be a popular game like Fortnite or Minecraft, but make sure to fit into a select niche in that game.

2 - Record Use screen recording software like OBS Studio (which is free) and record the game you chose. Here's some advice from someone who's been there: make sure your computer or console can handle the recording process without lagging.

3 - Add Commentary Commentary is a necessity, whether you're showing your face or not. If you’d rather not use your voice, consider using text overlays or text-to-speech software.

4 - Edit Use editing software to trim and add music to your gameplay. The way you edit your video is based on the game you're playing and how you're playing it. If it's a survival game, slower editing will probably work best. If it's a player-vs-player game, fast-paced editing and music will work perfectly.

3 - Text-Guided Tutorials

A stick figure pointing at a whiteboard, with the text "FORMAT 3" and "TUTORIALS" above and below the image.
This image represents a YouTube video format commonly used for tutorials, where the creator explains a topic or demonstrates a skill to the viewer.

What This Means

Text-guided tutorials are videos where you provide instructions on how to do something through on-screen text instead of spoken words.

Record yourself doing what the topic of the video is about. That can be using OBS if it's on a computer or a phone.

You can add text on the screen using software like Capcut or DaVinci Resolve. Make sure the text is clear and easy to read. For example, you can add step-by-step instructions, important tips, or warnings directly onto the video.

These work exceptionally well in the "How-To" niche on YouTube. SImply type "how to" and there are several examples online on how to do create a how to video.

4 - Stock Footage

A film reel icon with the text "FORMAT 4" and "STOCK FOOTAGE" above and below the image.
This image represents a YouTube video format that utilizes stock footage to create visually appealing and engaging content, often used for explainer videos, vlogs, and short-form content.

What This Means

Stock footage consists of pre-recorded video clips that can be used in your own videos. You can find Stock videos on websites like Pexels, Pixabay and Videvo for free. This is a great way to create professional-looking content on almost any topic without ever needing to film anything yourself.

Find a popular topic with a large TAM and create a script based on that niche.

Note: Motivational videos are killing it on YouTube.

You can find stock footage on the websites I listed above, record your voiceover, and edit it all together.

After that you might want to include background music if it fits the topic being discussed.

The Richest and Alux.com formulated this style of content to a science, so I highly recommend looking to them for inspiration.

5 - Product Reviews/Unboxing Videos

This image represents a YouTube video format commonly used for product reviews and unboxing videos, where the creator opens and examines a product, providing their opinions and insights.
An open box with stars below it, with the text "FORMAT 5" and "REVIEWS/UNBOXING" above and below the image.

What This Means

As like how-to content, product reviews and unboxing videos can be some of the easiest content to get found with.

People about to buy something usually want to see how the product looks and works before they actually purchase it.

The best part is that you have something that can be reviewed by people who are looking to buy, whether that's a phone, console, or book.

Everyone is always buying something, so everything is being bought - which means that with the right product, you can increase the view potential of the video!

Record on your phone and talk about your experiences with it, good or bad. Viewers tend to appreciate it more when you talk bad about something than when you talk about how good it is. Nonetheless, be honest and transparent.

YouTube offers endless ways for creators who prefer to be behind the camera to make money on YouTube. Whether that's gaming, tutorials, reviews, a compilation of videos or stock footage with voiceover, or a video or stock footage with voiceover, everyone can make money on YouTube without showing their face.

To learn more about faceless channels, we interviewed Noah Morris, who has made over 1.8 million running several faceless channels.