I started the DrVax YouTube channel to teach people about the technology they can use to make things, be creative, become a "maker" in late 2018. For the first couple of months, I ran several tests, paid for some views (as video ads), and got the lay of the land. Starting in 2019, I began to publish 2 to 6 videos a month with a heavy focus on low cost, hobbyist accessible, tools, and technologies for "makers." Over time I focused a lot of energy on reviewing and teaching about $200 - $500 3d printers, free CAD programs for creating 3d models to print, and a bit of woodworking thrown in for variety.
It took about four months to obtain my first 1,000 subscribers, and I am currently adding over 2,000 subscribers a month. However, while subscribers are good for your ego, 70% of my video views are not from subscribers. Google (YouTube) pays me when they run an ad on the channel. Much like the way television worked when I was a kid. The most important metric for YouTube creators is "watch time."
My subscribers now watch monthly over 130,000 videos for almost 1,000,000 minutes. These minutes translate to about $600 a month of ad revenue. In addition to ad revenue, I earn $100-$400 a month from affiliate links my viewer's click, which I place below in the descriptions below the videos.
Fortunately, this is a retirement hobby for me as I would not have been able to send four kids to college and graduate school on $1,000 a month.
What I have learned in the last 20 months is that Video is a compelling medium that I underappreciated when I was working in the corporate world. My videos have tens of thousands of comments where viewers have reached out to discuss the Video with me and each other.
My daughter-in-law, a product marketing manager for a tech company, has declared me a new "influencer." The number of companies offering to send me free products for reviews validates this observation.
Throughout this journey, it has become apparent that you need to both execute well and put in the time in the Youtube world. I now believe that someone willing to post 2-3 times a week could build a thriving community of 100k plus subscribers in about two years. At 100k subscribers, as an influencer with a bit of work, I would expect you could earn $100k plus a year plus additional income from speaker fees and paid educational events.
I have now expanded the DrVAX channel into a community with a web site, a Facebook page, and a discussion forum, all available for free. You can visit these locations with the links below:
If you want to subscribe to the channel, for free, click the link below:
https://youtube.com/c/drvax?sub_confirmation=1
All the best.
Irv
