Passive income from YouTube is highly effective at generating cash flow, whether you’re trying to establish a brand business or just hoping to supplement your income each month.
A successful YouTube channel can help you earn more money during economic ebbs and flows. And the best part is that your YouTube channel will be recession-proof – if you invest in the right ideas and topics. Here are the top YouTube channel ideas for passive income.
WordPress and Website Development
Nearly every business in 2022 has a blogging platform and an online interface. They are usually powered by WordPress and a myriad of other content management system software.
Millions of people use WordPress to build their online presence, express themselves, and boost brand awareness.
Large organizations and small businesses may hire professional web developers to build a technical website. However, hobbyists, startups, and entrepreneurs often don’t have the budget to build a website and take on the task themselves.
These hobbyists will often look to YouTube for tutorials and simple guides. This has created a burning need for professional YouTubers in California who can provide advice on how to help hobbyists maintain their websites.
You can provide tutorials, tips, and even courses on YouTube to help these struggling website owners maintain their presence online.
The best part about this niche is that it’s always in demand. So if you created a how-to guide on building a website from WordPress in 2020, it would stay relevant for years.
Accounting
Everyone needs an accountant these days. In fact, accountants are among the most sought-after services for freelancers, entrepreneurs, and startups.
This is primarily because taxes and accounting in California are complicated. Most people haven’t received an education on how to start and what to do. No business can survive without an accountant unless they want to end up on the wrong side of the law.
If you are proficient in accounting, you can start a YouTube channel to explain procedures, advice, and accounting practices within various industries. Try to simplify the information in layman’s terms.
However, this is a sensitive niche, and you need to provide authoritative, reliable, and accurate information. Failing to provide accurate information could open you up to liability problems.
The best way to monetize an accounting YouTube channel is to provide information and tools that your audience might find helpful.
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Cooking and Food
When it comes to YouTube videos, cooking and food remain a popular niche. People have had more time to themselves in recent years and have taken up an interest in cooking.
This means food channels that provide information on how to cook delicious meals are getting more popular. When launching a food channel, it’s a good rule of thumb to specialize in a particular niche, such as vegan and vegetarian, gluten-free foods, paleo diet, and keto diet.
In all cases, you should focus on making videos about food that you are most knowledgeable about.
To make your channel more popular, you may add more content besides just how-to videos.
You can, for example, explain to your watchers how you came up with a recipe, your philosophy behind choosing certain ingredients, and even a back story about the recipe.
Bonus points if you can add referral links to recommended products such as kitchen appliances, utensils, and cooking ware that you used.
Make sure to provide your audience with a timestamp about essential areas in the video. This way, people who don’t care about the extra information can skip to the part that they need the most. As a result, you can improve your audience’s overall experience and retain them.
Try to create exciting videos that discuss delicious recipes. Put a fun spin on things by creating a story around the meal, provide quick tips and hacks, and build a connection with your audience.
Fitness and Wellbeing
The past few years have made more people aware of their health and the need to work on their quality of life.
With so much clutter in the way of fitness information, you could provide readers with useful advice and tips on how to work out and take care of themselves.
You could also provide tips on mental health and well-being. Fitness channels on YouTube may have become an overcrowded niche, but there are ways you can differentiate yourself.
You can publish tutorials, and exercise routines, and even offer counseling services. Create the content people want to see, whether it’s to provide serious fitness videos or something more lighthearted, such as interviewing fitness goers at the gym.
Try to stand out and be as creative as possible. Try to bring your personality on display even if you think the idea is crazy. After all, the crazier you get on screen, the more views you can bring in.
If your channels grow big enough, you may have enough star power to launch your own lineup of supplements and equipment.
Gaming
Gaming will forever occupy a central place in the world of streaming. The niche first found its home in YouTube and served as a stepping stone to success for many celebrities, such as PewDiePie, Ninja, and Pokimane.
The problem with the gaming niche is that it is incredibly saturated and has grown massively. A 2020 estimate by YouTube found that there are nearly 40 million active gaming channels.
80,000 such channels have hit 100,000 subscribers. You will have to work overtime and creatively to set yourself apart from the crowd.
And while you’re at it, you can provide affiliate links for products and computer equipment that you endorse. Make sure these products and services are helpful to you, and by extension, to your audience.
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ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response)
This niche is a bit weird, but it’s a money maker for many ASMR creators. It is unclear why or how ASMR works on the brain, but it is clear that the niche has millions of viewers.
The trick to making brain-tingling ASMR videos is using the correct equipment and location for filing. You will also need to edit your ASMR video with specialized software such as Adobe Premiere Pro.
Most ASMR videos are about 15 minutes long, with some videos going over 4 hours long. The goal of these videos is to relax the audience and put them to sleep. The movement in the frame should be slow with pleasant and smooth audio.
You could talk about your favorite book, video game, or even whisper in hushed tones without saying actual words. Make sure no loud noises in the video could disrupt your viewer’s experience.
Bonus points if you can also include a role-playing component to the ASMR videos. Most role-playing ASMR videos are based on real-life experiences of someone being cared for with quiet sounds. Examples could be a trip to the doctor’s office or a hair salon.
Something as simple as brushing a Barbie doll’s hair can also help people experience ASMR sensations. The act of gently caring for the Barbie can cause the brain to feel safe and sleepy.
Relationship Advice
Relationships are a great niche to make videos about. You can explore endless angles, questions, and issues in dating.
The rise of online dating has also made relationships more complicated for couples. Most people want to learn how to establish a genuine connection with their better half.
If you are a love and relationship expert, it is essential to connect with your audience. You will have to provide them fresh content they can engage with.
You can also share your experiences to make viewers feel more connected with your stories.
This is also a saturated niche so providing good content can be challenging. We recommend looking at leading channels in this niche so that you can learn from them.
The best YouTube relationship channels include Hayley Quinn, Kezia Noble, and Dating Logic.
The common theme across all these channels is that they empathize with their audience and provide them with actionable advice.
You can also focus on a specific niche within dating. For example, you could make videos about love and marriage for elderly couples or relationships, breaking up, and managing the pitfalls associated with long-term relationships.
These were just a few examples of content you can explore. There are endless ideas and angles to explore with a YouTube channel on relationships.
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Traveling vLogging
Are you fond of traveling around the world and want to share your experiences with your viewers? Then consider starting a vlog channel that takes the audience through your expeditions.
It doesn’t matter whether your goal is to document your picnic trip through state parks in California or to post videos of your adventures around Europe, travel vlog channels are always popular.
Your first goal should be to select a niche within traveling. Do you like traveling on a budget? You could make videos about gear, food, and destinations that are budget-friendly.
Do you have a favorite destination you want to travel to? If so, you could focus on specific destinations for tourists who plan on going there.
Do you enjoy certain types of cuisine? Your travel videos can be on restaurants and pizza parlors. The choices are endless.
You could even post travel videos that inform your audience about scams in certain destinations. It can be tempting to make random videos of your travels but these seldom, if ever, work.
Instead, your videos should have a unique angle around which everything else revolves. Start by looking at other travel vlogging channels and how they generate audience interest.
A major component of successful travel channels is the correct equipment. Invest in the following tools:
- Lightweight camera with image stabilization (such as a GoPro)
- A tripod
- External microphone
- Editing software such as Adobe Premiere Pro
Traveling is a fun niche that both you and your fans will find entertaining.
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Skincare and Beauty
Skincare and beauty videos are examples of evergreen content on YouTube. However, creating them can be difficult for beginners because the market is abuzz with ever-changing fashion trends.
With the correct strategy and planning, you can generate passive income with a YouTube channel on beauty.
But first things first, decide who your target audience is and what type of content people expect from your channel.
Will you be providing beauty tips to struggling college students or providing professional tutorials for cosplay artists?
Choosing an appropriate niche will help you market your channel and attract viewers. Don’t worry, you can always change your channel’s direction later on.
There are a few tools that are essential for starting a beauty channel:
- DSLR camera
- Ring light
- Editing software
- External microphone
A ring light is particularly useful because it allows the camera to cast an even light on the subject. This minimizes blemishes and minimizes shadows.
They are the perfect tools for making you and your advice look good on the camera.

How to Make Your YouTube Channel Stand Out
There are many YouTubers in just about every niche you can think of. This is why you need to work on your own niche – something that few other people can replicate.
Take a few hours to brainstorm ideas for videos you want to make and how often to upload them. Make sure to stick to your schedule for making videos.
While a YouTube channel does provide you with a passive income, we don’t recommend slacking off once the views start pouring in. Your fans will expect regular content.
In all videos, try to engage with your audience and reply to their comments. Ask them for their input on what topic you should cover next.
It’s also a good idea to ask your fans to follow you on other social media platforms. This will help you diversify your income stream across multiple platforms.
Wrapping Up – Ready to Start Your YouTube Channel?
Although it might seem difficult, starting a YouTube channel can open up a world of opportunity for you and your goals for generating a passive income.
There are millions of viewers who want someone original and creative, such as yourself, to start uploading high-quality continuity. Have you got YouTube channel ideas for passive income? Share them with us and we might update this space with more information.
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I am Steven Martinez, an online entrepreneur based in New York, United States. As the founder of several successful niche websites, I got the expertise in areas such as making money online, blogging, YouTube, affiliate marketing, and more. Through this website and blog posts, I am trying to provide insightful and actionable tips to help aspiring entrepreneurs, find ways to make money online. Read more.