Though I don’t cover it in my YouTube for Niche Sites course, YouTube automation is a hot topic for both people who want to get into YouTube without a blog or niche site and people like me who want to use YouTube as an extension of my sites.
While it has a cool sounding name, YouTube Automation is actually really simple – it’s just the process of outsourcing every single thing about your YouTube channel.
Since you’re not actually doing any of the work, it gets the fancy ‘automation’ name.
And yeah, this is for faceless channels (also known as cash cow channels) and not really things like my channel.
I mean, I know we’re getting closer and closer to being able to create deep fakes of ourselves, but we’re not quite there yet.
If you’re interested in this sort of passive YouTube money making machine, then I’ve compiled this quick guide for you.
Just know in advance that I do take a more hands-on approach with my own faceless channels, but I’ve tested all the things just to see how it works.
**And as always, I’m an affiliate marketer and this post contains affiliate links, meaning I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my link.
How To Get Started With YouTube Automation
In order to be able to pull this off successfully, you’re gonna need more money than time.
Sure, there are plenty of people selling video creation for faceless cash cow channels for just $50 per video.
Let’s be serious though – you’re a sucker if you’re spending that little and thinking YouTube riches are headed your way.
Video editing is not a cheap skill and it’s not something that you can do quickly.
And yes, you may be able to find someone in a third world country who does a good job on the cheap, but this is the exception rather than the rule.
So, you need a pretty decent budget to get started – but you can opt to only outsource parts of the process instead of all of it.
Here’s a look at the various parts of the process that you can outsource and automate:
- video ideas (keyword research)
- video scripts
- voice-overs
- video creation/editing
- video thumbnail creation
- video description and title writing
- video uploading
As you can see, there are a lot of moving parts here and some people even offer complete management of faceless channels, like Chems (I don’t know him, just found him offering the services), which is the ultimate YouTube automation play.
Let’s look at each of these parts to see how to outsource them.
You can use UpWork, or go the route I did with my testing and use Fiverr.
Outsourcing YouTube Video Ideas
Personally, I think this is the worst thing to outsource because it can make or break your channel.
If you pick bad topics to make videos on, then your channel will never get any traction.
So, if you are going to outsource this part, then you MUST make sure that you’re outsourcing it to someone with a proven track record here.
For my channels, I use a combination of manually browsing YouTube and TubeBuddy.
If you want to get started outsourcing on the cheap, then I’ve seen some decent results with Fiverr (I don’t currently use Fiverr for this, but I did test it).
Here are the only Fiverr gigs that I can recommend for YouTube keyword research:
- First recommendation (starts at 5 keyword ideas for $5)
- Second recommendation (starts at 10 SEO Optimized YouTube Video Titles + their Search Volume + their Competition for $40)
Obviously, the second recommendation is the better option overall, but if you’re on a budget then go with the first one.
Outsourcing YouTube Video Scripts
Honestly, this is one of my least favorite parts of creating YouTube videos because it tends to be the biggest time suck for me.
Now, before you end up paying someone for this, just know that you can use chatGPT to get pretty great scripts for YouTube videos.
So, if you’re going to outsource your scripts, then what you need to look for is a YouTube script writer.
Again, you want to find someone with proven experience doing this who knows that works well on YouTube. (this is the problem with using chatGPT if you’re a noob at all of this)
Some script writers will give you a document that is blocks of text broken down by the parts of a YouTube video (hook, intro, etc.) while others go as far as giving you stock footage recommendations for each bit.
For the most part though, I recommend that you stick with people who are writing standard scripts because the stock footage stuff should be done by the person you hire to create the videos.
If you want to get started outsourcing on the cheap, then I’ve seen some decent results with Fiverr (again, I don’t currently use Fiverr for this, but I did test it).
Quick note here – don’t be tempted to pay for the scripts that are for short 3-minute videos! You need at least 8 minutes in order to qualify for all the types of ads on a video when you reach monetization.
Here are the only Fiverr gigs that I can recommend for YouTube script writers (not Shorts, but regular videos):
- First recommendation ($25 for script up to 10min or 1500 words)
- Second recommendation ($250 for script for 10min video, SEO-Optimized Titles, Description, Hashtags and free Educational Resources & Templates)
So, there is quite a difference between the cost of these two gigs and the first one is likely fine for most people.
That being said, the second gig is definitely worth it if you want the highest possible quality AND you’re in a niche that is high paying.
Outsourcing YouTube Voice-overs
You’ll notice that I have voice-overs listed here before the actual video creation, and that’s on purpose.
You need to have your voice-over in order for the video to be created because you need the visual to match the audio.
So, it needs to be done in this order.
Before you pay someone for this, just a quick note on AI voice-overs – you can get your channel monetized using AI voice-overs, but you run a very real risk of getting demonetized for it eventually. If you insist on this, Eleven Labs is the best option.
If you want to get started outsourcing on the cheap, then I’ve seen some decent results with Fiverr (again, I don’t currently use Fiverr for this, but I did test it).
Here are the only Fiverr gigs that I can recommend for YouTube voice-overs:
- Male voice-over recommendation ($54 for 1500-word script and you order by word)
- Female voice-over recommendation ($170 for for 1500-word script and you order by word)
You’ll notice that the best female option is considerably more expensive – that’s because most of the women tend to charge several hundred bucks to read a 1500-word script!
If the $170 gig is too pricey for you, this is the next best option that I’ve found.
As you search for a good voice-over option, keep in mind that people who market themselves as ‘YouTube voice-over artists’ tend to have lower rates that people who simply market themselves as ‘voice-over artists.’
Outsourcing YouTube Video Creation/Editing
When you’re ready to outsource someone to create and edit the videos for your YouTube channel, you need to know what type of videos you want created.
They can be:
- stock footage (also called b-roll videos)
- whiteboard
- animated
The reason you need to know this is because you need to know what skills you’re looking for in a video editor/creator.
You’ll also need to find someone who already owns or has access to all the tools and resources needed.
For instance, if you want stock footage videos then you may look for someone who has a subscription to StoryBlocks and access to video editing software, or even just something like ClipChamp or Renderforest.
But if you want whiteboard videos, then you’ll need someone who has access to something like VideoScribe instead of StoryBlocks.
You may be tempted to use an AI video creator, like Pictory, to save time and money. Based on my testing, I don’t recommend this for the long haul.
If you want to get started outsourcing on the cheap, then I’ve seen some decent results with Fiverr (again, I don’t currently use Fiverr for this, but I did test it).
Here are the only Fiverr gigs that I can recommend for YouTube video creation and editing:
- First recommendation ($85 for up to 10 min + voice + script 1080P or 4K quality/ copyright free stock footage/ and all types of animations and effects)
- Second recommendation ($50 for AI Voiceover, Premium Stock Footage, BGM, and Text Animation)
If you end up choosing the second recommendation above, I highly recommend that you give him a voiceover file to work with instead of using the AI voice he provides.
Also, you’ll notice that I’m not sharing any gigs for just editing because I’m assuming that if you’re creating your own videos for a faceless channel, then you can edit them as well.
Outsourcing YouTube Video Thumbnails
Thumbnails on YouTube are one of those things that have a big impact on your channel because it ends up being what gets people to click through and watch.
So, when you’re outsourcing this, you should check out what type of thumbnails your competition is doing (or just what’s on popular videos) and try to do something similar.
Often, you can just do this yourself for free using Canva – but if your niche needs a little something extra, then you’ll have to outsource it.
If you want to get started outsourcing on the cheap, then I’ve seen some decent results with Fiverr (again, I don’t currently use Fiverr for this, but I did test it).
Here are the only Fiverr gigs that I can recommend for YouTube thumbnail creation:
- First recommendation ($20 for 1 YouTube Thumbnail)
- Second recommendation ($20 for 1 YouTube Thumbnail)
One thing to keep in mind as you shop for a thumbnail creator is that there are a lot of charlatans selling the same templates you can get in Canva for free – so make sure you’re paying for something unique!
Outsourcing Other YouTube Tasks
I cannot make any recommendations for outsourcing any of the rest of your YouTube channel because I’ve not actually tested it.
You can find people for cheap on Fiverr to do things like setup/create your channel, design a logo and banner for your channel, upload your videos and write the description and title for you.
Obviously, the only way to do complete YouTube automation is to have someone do complete channel management for you and doing 100% of the things that need to be done.
Tools That Can Help You Kinda Do YouTube Automation
Let’s say you just don’t have the budget for the things discussed above, or you just don’t want to give up control (like me).
Fortunately, there are a few tools that you can use to kinda sorta do the automation thing while not fully committing to that method.
What I’m talking about is essentially automating parts of the process.
I’ve got two favorite tools for that myself:
Honestly, TubeBuddy is an essential part of my YouTube process because it speeds up things like keyword research and finding good tags.
VidIQ is great for seeing popular videos on channels, and not just the videos that got an initial burst of views, which is perfect for when you’re on the lookout for content ideas.
If you want to use AI to put together your videos, then you need a tool that can essentially convert a blog post to a video.
Ezoic has a tool like this called Flickify, but if you want something a bit more robust then Pictory is your best bet.
Just don’t use the AI voiceover so your channel doesn’t get demonetized, or fail to even qualify for monetization.
What Else To Know?
If you do a search on YouTube for YouTube Automation (super meta, I know), you’re going to find tons of videos telling you how rich you’re gonna get doing this.
What those YouTubers are not telling you is that they’re buying up channels that already have monetization but are dying or basically abandoned – so they start out ahead of everyone else because they’re monetized from the beginning.
The reality is that unless you’re using AI for this whole process, it’s going to take time and money to do it right.
Even using AI, it’s going to take a bit of your time.
Sure, you can find people to make videos at $10 a pop, but the quality won’t be there and your entire channel will be a waste of time and money in the end.
Hey, I’m Shawna. I make a living working from my laptop in places like London, Sydney, Dubai, Rome, Oslo, Bangkok, Las Vegas, Barcelona, and Amsterdam. I share how I do some of that on this website.