Can AI Provide Passive Income? Week 4 Insights
The first month of the challenge to use AI for building a passive income channel is now over!
In this update, I’ll break down the performance of my YouTube channel against the monetisation metric, as well as sharing a general insight into the first month of this challenge.
I was encouraged to start this journey by the AI boom going on around us. So, if you are looking at ways that AI can generate passive income, keep reading.
YouTube Partner Program Reminder
As a reminder of the monetisation scheme for YouTube, to join the YouTube Partner Program, you need either:
🔹 1,000 subscribers & 4,000 watch hours (long-form videos) or
🔹 1,000 subscribers & 10 million Shorts views in 90 days
Video Performance Insights
In comparison to the monetisation metrics required with YouTube, below is the current position of the Faceless channel, as well as the best-performing Short:
All Content:
- Channel Subscribers: 13
- Total Views: 20,718 views
- Total Watch Time: 122.4 hours
- Shorts Published: 10
My Top Short:
- Views: 8,430
- Subscribers Gained: 3
- Average Short Watch Time: 89%
- Swipe Rate: 73.1% watched, 26.9% swiped away
To put these numbers into perspective here are some interesting facts:
- My top video performance, achieved every day for 90 days, would come to 758,700 views, which is well below the monetisation target.
- These Shorts take 1& ½ hours to produce each, even with the support of AI.
- 10 Shorts published over 28 available days is low and always likely to struggle to achieve the growth desired for monetisation.
What Next?
I have structured this update to reflect that even with the support of AI tools, making money from a Faceless YouTube channel is hard. However, when you accept this fact, the next step is to update your strategy and move forward.
As an additional point, it’s worth noting that averaging my top-performing video across the month isn’t the most accurate way to project potential, given that leading channels in this niche achieve up to 6 million views per Short.
Growth Strategy for Month 2
There are plenty of lessons learnt over this first month and I am determined to persevere while seeking more ways that AI can save time and improve my output. With this in mind, I have set the below ambitious targets for month 2, in an attempt to generate high growth:
- Produce & Release 21 Shorts
- Produce & Release 1 x Long-Form Video
In terms of engagement tactics for these releases, I will explore the quality of my hooks, engaging with trending topics around my subject, as well as some further optimisation around the use of thumbnails.
Conclusion
This challenge has been a fascinating exploration of the potential of AI for passive income. Taking the learnings and shortfalls from this first chapter, and developing ambitious targets for the second month, I am confident of having interesting findings over the next four weeks.
This is just the beginning. As I refine my approach, I’ll be testing more AI-driven strategies and sharing the results.
If you’re curious about AI and passive income, let’s explore this journey together - subscribe now!