Do you like the idea of making money with content creation, but you’re an introvert? Never fear; here are 14 faceless content ideas that allow you to make money without showing your face!
It’s undeniably the age of the influencer. Even if you’re not following lifestyle influencers, there’s a pretty good chance you’ve listened to a podcast or followed a YouTube tutorial on anything from cooking to household repairs. Some of the best content comes from creators with smaller followings, and these types of channels can be a fantastic source of income.
Now is a great time to get started since recent changes to YouTube’s algorithm are making it easier than ever for smaller creators to generate regular earnings. If you’ve ever thought about getting into content creation yourself but the idea of appearing on camera is holding you back, you might be surprised at how many faceless content channels or profiles are thriving on video sites like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram.
As someone who writes content for videos on sites like Looper and Islands, I know firsthand how rewarding faceless video creation can be — and you might be surprised at how many topic ideas there are out there just waiting for new faceless content creators to snap them up.
Earning Money With Faceless Content
How to earn an income with any type of video content can vary depending on the platform. But these days, most content creators who are doing well tend to maximize their income through multiple revenue streams.
One common monetization strategy is affiliate marketing, or promoting products with a dedicated link that sends your viewers to a website. When users purchase products through that site, the creator gets a commission.
Once you’ve built up a following, you can use sites like Redbubble or Gelato to create branded merchandise with a favorite slogan your fans will love to rock. As the mom of a Gen Alpha kid, I’ve shelled out a few times for some fairly spendy branded merch from creators like Jaiden Animations through the years.
Almost every video content platform will also have a way for fans to pay the influencer directly. This might be through a subscription that gives subscribers access to additional content and special events, or it could even be through something like a special “sticker” they can purchase that comes with a donation to the content creator.
Along those same lines, Patreon offers creators across all platforms a place to connect with their fans for a subscription fee or direct donation to the content creator.
While pinning down an influencer’s income can be tricky, especially since it can vary by year or month, several digital marketing consultant sites that estimate creator earnings suggest small to mid-level creators can earn anywhere from a few hundred to several thousand dollars per month.
1. Create a Faceless Cooking Channel That Sizzles
If you love cooking or consider yourself a foodie, you might find running a cooking channel easy as pie. There’s a huge demand for this type of content, which is probably why recipe sites are always on the lookout for new freelance writers.
Simply grab video clips of your cooking process from several camera angles as you prepare your favorite recipes, and then add the audio during the video production process to walk viewers through your cooking process. If you’re not sure where to start, consider niche cooking — things like long-forgotten recipes, food from famous movies or TV shows, or unusual ingredients.
2. Help Folks Chill Out With ASMR Content
As someone who occasionally struggles with getting to sleep, I can’t say enough good things about some of the faceless channels that focus on autonomous sensory meridian response, more commonly known as ASMR. In a nutshell, ASMR channels offer content that’s meant to be relaxing.
Some use gentle sounds like whispers, turning pages, or rain to stimulate relaxing sensations for their viewers. Others might use soft-spoken language laid over soothing music to help their subscribers relax.
Several of my favorite ASMR channels feature faceless YouTube videos. Check out The French Whisperer ASMR, who presents well-researched, informative content in his calming French soft-spoken voice.
3. Develop an Affirmation or Meditation Channel
This is another great faceless YouTube channel idea to help bring down viewers’ stress levels, and it works really well for the short-form video format of sites like Instagram. I’m obsessed with my sister-in-law Mel’s faceless Insta channel, Slow Mel Wellness, where she presents gentle affirmations and health wisdom in her soothing British accent laid over inspiring visuals.
4. Help Folks with Language Learning
The world of freelance writers is full of English majors who pivoted away from education for any number of reasons. Put those writing and grammar skills to use with a faceless language learning channel that uses stock footage to help English language learners pick up a new language. Likewise, bilingual speakers and polyglots can provide valuable insights into pronunciation and the language learning process.
5. Start Posting Book Reviews or Book Summaries
Love to read? Put your passion for the written page to good use by joining the world of BookTok or BookTube — a community of book lovers who share their insights, reviews, summaries, and opinions. Summarize your latest read, and then talk about themes, characters, and plot points that stood out to you and what you loved or didn’t love. This type of content pairs really well with stock footage and art images. Check out Raven’s Rants for a fantastic example of a Gothic literature BookTube channel.
6. Share Scary Stories
Spooky channels, particularly the ones with faceless creepypasta (internet legend) videos, are one of my favorite guilty pleasures. If you’re into the macabre or you’re even slightly gothy, this is a great content idea to get into.
There are a lot of different approaches you can take to a spooky channel. Share urban legends, real historical horror stories, or classic horror literature over creepy and dark imagery like KyotoRobato does. Be sure to infuse your retellings with a unique style or approach that helps you pick up more subscribers.
7. Review Products
Shoppers, this one’s for you. Product reviews and unboxing videos can perform really well because people are always on the lookout for information about the products they’re thinking of purchasing — especially since you can’t always tell how cheap a fabric is or how good a duplicate looks when you’re just browsing an Amazon page.
My husband does tech product reviews for a living, and he’s always amazed by how many folks use his reviews to help with their pre-purchase research process. Follow his advice: talk about a product’s features and then share your commentary to help viewers make an educated purchasing decision.
8. Review Digital Products
As someone constantly looking for new productivity tools to help me manage my workflow, I love finding sincere digital product reviewers who give genuine reviews rather than shameless, half-baked promotions. As many games, phone apps, and even new software products are always coming out, the content titles practically write themselves.
9. Start a Recap Channel
If you’re like me and you love talking about TV, try starting a recap channel where you break down the latest episode of your favorite show and then talk about things like fan theories or Easter eggs viewers might have missed.
I’m a huge fan of the MGM series “From” right now, and I can’t get enough of the content from YouTube creator The Faceless Girl, who recaps “From” and another of my favorite TV shows, “Severance,” using video clips from the two series. Her clever insights into the series have me looking for her videos almost as soon as a new episode has ended.
10. Make Workouts Fun
During the pandemic, I accidentally stumbled onto a faceless, whimsical kids’ workout channel format that gives viewers fitness games to complete. It’s a blast to do these with little kids, but even my teenagers love them when we just need to shake out a little bit of the stuck-at-home blues. One of the best examples of this format is P.E. with Mr. G, which presents colorful characters like Mario players or Paw Patrol critters along with energetic music and a series of fitness goals.
11. Start a Gameplay Channel
If you’re much better at gaming than I am, there’s a huge market for gameplay channels, a video format at least one of my teenage kids can’t seem to get enough of. Subscribers to these channels like seeing video walkthroughs that help them with their own gameplay or cool tricks they can use in games like Minecraft or Roblox.
13. Share Inspiring Travel Content
Something I’ve learned as a travel writer for Islands and Explore is that good travel content helps viewers go beyond the obvious things they could learn from a travel guide. And you don’t necessarily have to hop a jet every time you post since every trip can generate dozens of ideas, and there’s plenty of room for advice on everything from packing to choosing the right hotel accommodations.
14. Review Local Restaurants
Pick up your phone right now and take a look at your camera reel. If there’s at least one image of a dinner plate, something I’m personally guilty of, a restaurant review channel could be a good fit for your interests. It’s also a great way to support local businesses and bring something positive into your community.
Just Hit Record Already!
I personally know how daunting it can be to get started on your first video channel. But remember: learning is a valuable part of the process. Even if you don’t feel like you’re killing it on week two, I’m reminded that some of my favorite content creators started off in one direction before eventually finding their footing in a slightly different niche.
The trick is just to hit record already, so you’ve got something to work with. Find an easy-to-use video editing app like CapCut, a favorite of my good friend who runs ZOh My, an adorable (and, you guessed it, faceless) cat content TikTok page. Once you get the ball rolling, you can partner with affiliate marketing, sell your own merch, or use Patreon to support your channel.
So what are you waiting for? Settle on a niche and just hit the record button already!