50 Small Businesses You Can Start on YouTube



YouTube can be a great place to monetize your best video content. Here are some small businesses ideas to consider if you want to make money on YouTube.

You probably already know that YouTube can be a great tool for businesses. But did you know that you can actually build a business almost entirely on YouTube as well? Here are 50 different business ideas you can pursue to make money on YouTube.



Make Money on YouTube

YouTube Personality

Just as you can build an online following by starting a blog or social media accounts, you can also build a following on YouTube sharing personal videos or expertise on a specific topic.

Vlogger

Ideas to Make Money on YouTube - Vlogger

Or you could start a video blog with a specific purpose and regularly scheduled video content and make money through ad sharing or similar options.

Web Series Creator

You can also start an official web series and host the videos, or snippets of the videos, on YouTube.

eCommerce Marketer

Even if you sell actual tangible items, you can use YouTube as your main method of sharing information with your customers. Then you can use your videos to share instructions on how exactly people can go about purchasing your items.



Infoproduct Marketer

YouTube can also be a great place for you to share your expertise on a topic. And if you can build a following on YouTube, you can work on selling infoproducts like e-books, courses or guides.

Blog Content Promoter

If you’re a blogger, you can also use YouTube as a way of directing traffic to your blog, where you can include advertisements, affiliate links or other sources of revenue.

Specialty Websites Promoter

Ideas to Make Money on YouTube - Promoting Specialty Websites

You can also start a different type of website, like one that charges a regular membership fee, and then use YouTube as a way to convince people to visit your site and sign up.



Affiliate Marketer

Affiliate marketers share information about products or services from other companies and then get a share of the sales that they drive to those companies. So you can become an affiliate with different brands in your industry and then share information with your following on YouTube.

How-to Video Creator

How-to or tutorial videos are especially popular on YouTube. If you share this type of video, you can use it to sell products like tools or guides. Or you can just build a following and earn a share of ad revenue from the platform.

YouTube Partner

There are many different types of videos you can share on YouTube. But as long as you have a decent following and number of views, you can earn revenue from ads based on how many views your videos receive by signing up as a partner.

AdWords Partner

You can also sign up as an AdWords partner with Google and earn a share of that advertising revenue on the sites where you post your video content.



Product Tester

YouTube can be a great place to show off products. You can build a business by testing out other products and getting input from your YouTube audience for various business clients.

Product Demonstrator

You can also use YouTube to demonstrate how different products work as a way to help other businesses promote these products to potential customers.

Product Reviewer

Ideas to Make Money on YouTube - Product Reviewer

Or you could choose to serve as an impartial reviewer who customers can rely on for information about a range of different products. You can share your opinions and earn money through ads or even charge businesses for the exposure.



YouTube Shopping Ads

YouTube Shopping Ads allow businesses to advertise specific products directly on YouTube videos. You can allow those advertisements on your videos to earn revenue, or use them as a way to spread the word about your own products.

YouTube Keyword Expert

If you know a lot about YouTube, you can actually build a business that doesn’t involve making any videos. Instead, you can help video creators increase the reach of their videos by coming up with keywords, titles, tags, descriptions and more.

Videographer

Or you can work with clients to create their videos that they can then post on their own channels in exchange for a fee.

Animator

Animated videos can also be popular on YouTube. So you can create your own animated videos to post on YouTube or take commissions from clients.



YouTube Influencer

If you’re able to build up a significant amount of influence online, you can work with brands to share information about products or services as an influencer on your own YouTube channel.

Musician

You can also share music videos and musical performances on a YouTube channel as a way to get attention for your band or musical act and then book performances or sell merchandise.

Actor

Ideas to Make Money on YouTube - Actor

If you’re trying to make it as an actor, you can also use YouTube as a platform to showcase your talent and get potential gigs.



Comedian

Likewise, you can showcase comedy acts and funny videos on YouTube to showcase your comedy skills.

Magician

You can even use YouTube to show off other, more unusual talents. For example, if you want to work as a magician, you can post videos on YouTube as a way to gain attention for your services.

Dancer

You can also post dancing videos on YouTube as a way to get attention for a dance studio or business.

Pet Personality

Building a business around an animal might seem unusual. But animal celebs like Grumpy Cat have turned into big business. And you can use platforms like YouTube to promote them.



Makeup Artist

You can also use YouTube as a way to share makeup tips and tutorials. Then you can promote your makeup services or products to viewers.

Hairdresser

Likewise, you can promote your services as a hairdresser by sharing tips and products on your own YouTube channel.

Q&A Video Creator

Ideas to Make Money on YouTube - Q&A Videos

You can also post question and answer videos on a variety of different topics and use that to build your expertise so that you can sell products or services related to that niche.



Video Columnist

Similarly, you can treat your YouTube channel like an opinion column to build up your expertise in a specific niche.

Inforgraphic Video Creator

Infographics have become popular ways to share information. And you can create similar graphics to share information in video form, either for clients or your own business interests.

Video Game Creator

If you want to build a business creating video games, you’ll need more than just YouTube. But the video platform can certainly be a useful tool for promoting those games.

Professional Gamer

You can actually also build a business as a professional video gamer by live streaming your game play or posting videos on YouTube.



Screencaster

You can also share video content from your computer screen to show viewers how to use software or other computer programs.

Stop-motion Videographer

Stop-motion videos are popular on a number of online platforms, including YouTube. So you can specialize in creating those videos for your own channel or for clients.

Video Course Creator

You can also create online courses to sell to people in your niche or industry by creating videos and hosting previews or demonstrating your expertise on YouTube.

Video Marketing Consultant

If you have some past YouTube expertise, you can also build a business by helping others use the YouTube to market their products or services.

Viral Video Creator

Or you could specialize in creating videos that are specifically intended to gain publicity for businesses or other clients.

Interviewer

Interviews can be popular video subjects. So you can build a business by offering that type of content on YouTube.

Video Tour Guide

For tourism businesses, real estate agents or other types of businesses that might benefit from offering tours, posting video tours on YouTube can be a great way to gain attention.

Testimonial Creator

A variety of different businesses can potentially benefit from posting video testimonials from customers. So if you can facilitate and create those videos for business clients, you can potentially build a business around that.

Motivational Speaker

If you offer motivational speaking services, you can post videos to promote your services on YouTube.

Webinar Host

You can also host webinars as part of your business, and post previews or replays on your YouTube channel as a way to spread the word.

Video Training Service

Video can also be an effective way for businesses to provide training or education to employees. So you can specialize in creating that type of content.

Event Promoter

If you host or promote events, you can shoot video footage and then post it on YouTube to reach more potential attendees.

Online Ad Producer

You could also specialize in producing ads to be posted on YouTube for business clients.

Video Press Release Service

You can even start a public relations service that specializes in creating online press releases for business clients.

Stock Video Creator

Just as there are stock photo services, you can offer stock videos that people can purchase to supplement their content and promote them via YouTube.

Presentation Creator

You can also specialize in creating video presentations for business clients.

Digital Marketing Specialist

Since video is such a big part of many businesses’ digital marketing strategies, you can build a digital marketing business that offers a strong focus on YouTube.

Social Media Specialist

Additionally, social media specialists can offer to help clients create content for YouTube along with some other social platforms.

Related reading:

YouTube, Woman VloggerBlogger Before CameraProduct ReviewActorMan with Headset Photos via Shutterstock.


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Annie Pilon Annie Pilon is a Senior Staff Writer for Small Business Trends, covering entrepreneur profiles, interviews, feature stories, community news and in-depth, expert-based guides. When she’s not writing she can be found exploring all that her home state of Michigan has to offer.

3 Reactions
  1. YouTube is now becoming more popular than before. I think it has something to do with faster Internet connections. Videos now load easily online.

  2. Can you please explain what happens after your channet hits 1 million views .

  3. Yeah, that was a great list, a very informative and authentic one . To manage any business we need some kind of software that can perform all your accounting and finance related work, and Quickbooks is such a software which can perform all such activities, but as technology is prone to errors Quickbooks also has some errors which need to be fixed, one such error is QuickBooks error 15227, to know more about this error and how can we fix it you can follow the instructions.