You Tube as side income? Would you watch?

I've been tossing around the idea of starting a YouTube channel as a way to make a little side money to further my permaculture projects. I just finished my PDC and need to start implementing my skills. Ideally I'll be starting a consulting business over the course of the winter but in the meantime I thought I'd make some videos to spread the word and maybe develop an online presence for my homestead business. I'd also like to share the journey with you as I go. I know there are some Permies making videos and many of us watch them. I'm a visual/auditory learner so online video is my main source for gathering knowledge. The online PDC with Geoff Lawton was just about prefect for me and I'm so proud to have done it.

What type of content would be of value to you and in what format would you prefer it?
I like things formatted as "How to" "Documentary" "Teaching" "Skill sharing" and "Q and A"
How about you?

What about video length? 3-6 minutes would be a goal but longer segments could be done. To begin I'd be using video and still images from here on my property with narration. I'm using really basic software and equipment to start but if it's worthwhile I'll invest in better equipment. Likely the first video would be a tour of where I'm currently at and it would be broken into a few separate parts.

Are there topics that haven't been covered enough that I could add to? (I think compost has been done to death.) Remember I'm in the Northeast, so no dessert videos.

From time to time I see a question in the forums here that inspires me to make a video response. Is that something that anyone would be interested in?


Please leave your feedback and suggestions so that I can determine if this is a worthwhile venture.
Thanks a pile.

Craig Dobbulyu : I will not take away from YOUR space to bitch about u-tube. Please take the time to look at the sites with good content and notice

1) The mostly positive comments of viewers !

2) The authors way of dealing with people who comment on his video !

3) a serious effort to make a video w/ good production values

4) more than 1 video on a given topic ( not a L@@K what I just did video w/ no follow-up

5)Ability to express themselves well unseen sue crds or prompts !

6) Knowledge of material

7) Clear demonstration of key points

little or no 'dead air' and little or no profanity !

Thats a good list to start from talk about what you know, don't bullshit and don't cut corners especially when tired ! Big AL

You want high production value but NOT Hollywood. If it looks too professional you won't get subs or clickthroughs unless you look are really good. This takes a little bit of equipment and software, but nothing close to what it used to. A good mic and a tripod are the only MUST HAVES, but upgrades can make things easier. Definitely get a camera with stabilization if you plan to hold it at all.

It has to be something you are passionate about. It shows through. If you could fake it, you wouldn't be asking here now.

The length needs to vary based on the subject, and changing it up a bit helps. Some short teasers and quick topics, and a occasional in-depth presentation.

Don't expect the ad revenue to make you. It pays the way for the top handful of channels, most get very little. Affiliate links and general promotion of your ebook probably make more. Not the hard sell, but casual reference. And you can't tease "all the answers are in my book, BUY IT" but actually give answers on the videos and then a "even more answers can be found in my book..."

From what I remember you might need to have millions of views to generate decent ad revenue. Could be $1000 for a million views? I guess it depends on how people engage with the ads. Could be $5000.


Paul's channel has 13 million views over 7 years. So let's say 2 million views, or $2000-$10k per year. So if you can have the same following as Paul you might get a nice side income. He has a big forum and a mailing list.

Geoff Lawton's website gets maybe 1million visits per year (source: http://www.similarweb.com/website/geofflawton.com). So same kind of range in terms of views. Then again, he has a big following that will watch all his videos.


So my conclusion is to do your research on what you can expect before you dive into it.

If I wanted to get a lot of views doing permaculture videos, I would probably find topics that appeal to more than just permies. Paul's most viewed videos are about rocket mass heaters. Find a niche that has some mass appeal, become really good at it, give away some really good specialized info, and you'll get a following.