I know YouTube has changed a lot over the years. It was once a space where people just uploaded videos as a hobby, then it turned into a career or business, now it is a bit of both but it seems much harder to actually start a YouTube channel that earns. I have a few ideas for channels I think could do well. I am not looking to become rich or anything but have passive income via my channel. I know you need to get a certain amount of subscribers and views before you qualify to become a partner. What else should I know heading into this?

I have tried a few different YouTube channels and nothing ever worked out for me. Maybe I was being impatient? Some say it can take months or years before you see any real growth. I feel like if I am going to put that much time and energy into something, I would rather see smaller growth sooner rather than waiting a long time.

From what I have read though, you really have to stick with it even if you are seeing no views. I will tell you the one channel I made for a forum I used to run (to help boost traffic) took a good 3 years to see any traction but one video I made got to over 70k so I was proud of it.

Yes, I am noticing this. I have been trying to get mine going for awhile. I have yet to get any new subs and only have one comment. I am getting some views but nothing over 100 so far. I think I have done 20 to 30 videos so far.

I am finding that when I keep the titles on point and avoid intros and outros entirely, my videos do much better. So I guess you can consider those two things.

On 6/12/2026 at 9:24 AM, amberb94 said:

I have tried a few different YouTube channels and nothing ever worked out for me. Maybe I was being impatient?

I will tell you right off the bat that this is the biggest mistake people make. You give up before the algorithm has enough information to start pushing videos to people. I would recommended doing a minimum of 100 short form (6 min or less) or a minimum of 20 long form videos before you stop trying.

1 hour ago, ChrisWP said:

I will tell you right off the bat that this is the biggest mistake people make. You give up before the algorithm has enough information to start pushing videos to people. I would recommended doing a minimum of 100 short form (6 min or less) or a minimum of 20 long form videos before you stop trying.

This is soooo true! Channels can take a YEAR of posting videos before the algorithm plays nice with you and starts showing your videos in recommended. I have friends who have got lucky and their 3rd or 4th video took off, but they also posted a lot of shorts, which gotbthem quick views and watch time.

I made a YouTube channel maybe 5 or so years ago to boost traffic to a website of mine. I had no expectations for it. I wasn't doing it to gain subs or views, but rather redirect traffic. What ended up happening is 3 of my 10 videos hit over 50k views and I got 500+ subs. I will tell you this did not happen right away. It took a good 2 years before anything got more than 100 views. It sucks but you need to be prepared for that. Don't make it your goal to earn on YouTube. Make it your goal to improve over time and enjoy the process.

On 6/12/2026 at 9:24 AM, amberb94 said:

Some say it can take months or years before you see any real growth.

Yeah that is unfortunately what I saw too. I guess I probably should have started this a few years ago when I thought of it lol

On 6/13/2026 at 10:10 AM, Cozmic said:

I am finding that when I keep the titles on point and avoid intros and outros entirely, my videos do much better. So I guess you can consider those two things.

I will keep this in mind, thank you!

On 6/16/2026 at 9:25 AM, GZip29 said:

It took a good 2 years before anything got more than 100 views. It sucks but you need to be prepared for that. Don't make it your goal to earn on YouTube. Make it your goal to improve over time and enjoy the process.

That is unfortunate. I mean I have my goals but I guess being more realistic about them would be a better approach.

A lot of people that do YouTube channels wish they had started sooner. I think most do. Don't think too much about wasted time and just keep at it. Something will eventually stick. Even if it is a smaller channel, you can still reach the goal of becoming a partner and earning from your videos.

On 6/20/2026 at 11:02 AM, jonasb23 said:

I will keep this in mind, thank you!

Also to add, do not use their AI generating thing for titles or descriptions if it gives you the option. Everyone says it is terrible and actually hurts channels. It doesn't seem to do accurate keywords.

12 hours ago, AlexMorrison said:

I used to think success was a book deal. Now I think success is writing what I want and finding people who care.

What does this have to do with YouTube?

On 6/15/2026 at 10:42 AM, WilliamHend said:

This is soooo true! Channels can take a YEAR of posting videos before the algorithm plays nice with you and starts showing your videos in recommended. I have friends who have got lucky and their 3rd or 4th video took off, but they also posted a lot of shorts, which gotbthem quick views and watch time.

Yes, shorts do give you a boost and seem to do better overall. It is easier to go viral that way but shorts don't pay as well and not as many people on the platform watch them. I for example don't bother with them. I tend to just get bombarded with low-quality AI content.

I was looking into this a bit more and it seems like thumbnails are fairly important so make sure you are making quality ones. There are some sites that help you make them. I am looking into Canva. It has built in AI. It seems like a good option!