1 Hour Per Week, $5000 Per Month
My Incredible Journey to Boosting My Monthly Income in 2023
We’ve all heard the saying “time is money,” but what happens when you can turn one hour of your time into an extra $5000 each month?
That’s exactly what happened to me, and it’s growing rapidly.
This sudden burst of additional income has inspired me to share my story with others.
The Challenge
I have been creating content on Youtube for years. Despite publishing hundreds of videos, my channel hadn’t grown as I expected it to. While it was profitable as it led to business, it wasn’t growing at the rate I wanted.
So, I realized it was time for a change.
It was time for me to look at what I was missing and figure out how to close the gaps.
After some thought and research, I realized that if I wanted my channel to earn significant profits through ad revenue and affiliate income, I needed to create content that appealed to all bloggers, not just real estate bloggers.
The Journey Begins
With my knowledge of the platform, a knack for captivating thumbnails, and all the right gear in hand — I knew that it wasn’t production value holding me back. Instead, it was likely topic selection and consistency.
After scouring the world of top YouTubers, I stumbled on a video sharing something truly profound. Even if only one lesson was learned from it all, that’s enough for me — and this particular gem still resonates even now!
I wish I could remember which video it was so I could share it with you, but it was the idea of getting a number one video in your own analytics account.
Let me explain.
The Breakthrough
The video creator gave this tip:
‘Keep publishing videos til you get a #1 video. And then keep doing that.
He was referring to the latest video ranking in your Youtube dashboard, the same metric I had previously ignored. By using the performance tracking tool, we creators can understand how our video is performing — not just the raw view numbers but a comparison to previous work.
The performance of the latest video published is ranked based on the number of views it receives, compared to the typical performance of our own previous videos.
We are competing against ourselves, and I love that.
I decided to get more consistent about my videos and take his advice. I planned to publish one video per week, on the same day, at the same time. But if I didn’t get the #1 spot in my dashboard, I’d keep going throughout the week until I did.
I created videos on various topics, spending about one hour total on each, and in January of 2023 — the breakthrough happened.
The Results
Everyone was talking about the hottest new digital tool of the decade: ChatGPT.
ChatGPT is a revolutionary AI-powered language model designed to understand and converse with people in ways that mimic natural conversation.
With its ability to quickly generate human-like text based on input received, ChatGPT opens up endless possibilities for content creators by allowing them to use the technology across multiple applications — from customer service interactions to content creation and beyond!
This tool was so “in my lane,” so to speak, that I created a video tutorial on integrating it into content creation.
My video went viral and, in just one week, had 30,000 views and hundreds of comments. The channel gained more than 1000 new subscribers, and the ad revenue doubled.
In addition, the content allowed me to provide examples of software I use in my blogging practice, which I also have affiliate links for.
So, when someone clicked a link and became a paid subscriber, I received a financial benefit. And these commissions are recurring.
Each month that subscriber stays with the tool as a paying customer, I earn that commission. It’s generally 25% or more.
The success of my video inspired me to continue trying this strategy — publishing one video a week, with the goal of reaching #1 in my analytics dash. The next week, I made another video on the same topic, and it went to #1.
In the middle of the next week, I tried one of my usual topics, and although it did better than average, it only reached #3 on my dashboard.
So I went back to ChatGPT videos. If it’s working, ride the wave until it doesn’t anymore.
By the end of the month, having produced five full-length videos achieved the following results.
- $2,500 in ad revenue, a 733% growth over the average month’s income
- 5000 new channel subscribers
- 800 new email subscribers (I created a lead magnet)
- $2,500 in affiliate commissions
- 420% more views than average
- and 617% more watch time than average.
This morning’s video went to #1 and then dropped back to #2.
And. In the last 7-days alone, I’ve made nearly $1000 in ad revenue, so the month is trending at $4000 + the affiliate income. February could be a $7000 — $10,000 month from Youtube alone.
Some creators make this or much more on a regular basis. For me, it’s a first. And I’m excited.
What I Learned
- Follow the leader. Whatever the skill you need to learn, there’s likely someone teaching it (probably for free on Youtube).
- Find one or two pieces of advice you will implement, and stick with those until you have enough time to see how they work.
- Find hot trending topics! While tried and true topics are great, there is nothing more viral than the “buzzword” everyone wants to learn more about.
- Be consistent. I have found that posting one full-length video per week is manageable and effective. I’m now testing short content and am surprised at the results (I will share more later), but one full-length video that reaches #1 has a nice rhythm and is working for me.
- Respond to comments. Not only is this a great way to build community, but it also gets the algorithm’s attention.
Videos
Here’s a list of January’s videos if you want to see what I produced.
I hope you are inspired and empowered to create. New Year, New goals — time to take action.
