u/DeputyFI

I currently have a channel that brings in about $8-9k a month with about 18k subscribers reviewing bikes. Even though I don’t have THAT many subscribers, i still have a very livable income.

I wanted to see if I had just gotten lucky and this was a one off so I started a second channel in a completely different niche that I’m also passionate about…bbqing, smoking meats, cast iron cooks, and life updates within these videos.

My 2nd channel only has 4 videos, but the very first video already has 1.5k views within 3 weeks. I pretty much unboxed and assembled a Weber Kettle grill. I’ve had another vlog channel in the past that struggled to get even 50 views.

I’ve come to the conclusion that if I’m making videos with the goal to make money, it is near impossible/extremely difficult to gain traction by just doing vlogs/lifestyle videos.

Finding certain products that you are truly interested in and diving into that niche might be the easiest route to make money. If you’re interested in a product, there’s a high chance others are as well. So far with the 2nd channel, I’ve made almost $4 from Amazon affiliate but I’m hopeful eventually I can earn something substantial.

Not sure where I was going with this post, but I think I got a little lucky with my first channel in terms of finding the right niche but it taught me a lot of skills for the 2nd channel where I might have less luck lol. Good luck everyone!

I’m posting here to share that you don’t need a CRAZY amount of subscribers to make good money on YouTube and also because this is a huge win for me and nobody else but you guys understand.

I currently have 16k subscribers and I have a review channel. Companies will send me products from my niche and when I’m done with the video, I sell the product on marketplace. I also make money from collaboration fees which I charge $800, but a lot of times it is negotiated down. If it is, then I negotiate for a higher commission fee (5-8%) for the affiliate sales when people use my discount code.

I do mainly long form videos and aim for about 6 videos a month. Adsense pays me around $1,500 a month on average. So far from January 2026 - June, I have made around $50k.

Three years ago, I began by just filming and talking about the products that I had purchased myself just because I love the hobby. Eventually one company wanted to send me something and then more companies reached out after which is how I became a review channel.

My goal is to start a side business and sell my own physical product through Shopify. I think I can eventually get to a combined $20k a month, but it’s going to take a lot more time and effort.

Hopefully sharing some of my numbers help. Unfortunately, I won’t be sharing what my niche is but I’ll be in the comments for any questions.