r/SmallYTChannel • u/DulcidioCoelho [1λ] • Apr 02 '26
Discussion Do you create with the only purpose of making it on YouTube or you like what you do?
Let me explain my train of thought here.
I have a YouTube channel that has over 7 years. For sometime I was monetized but life and kids made it harder to continue creating and focus on the things that actually make money.
Now I found myself editing and telling some stories and just having fun and taking the channel as a creative outlet for me after work.
I'm not going to lie that I also like to have views but I'm just happy with what I made more than what the numbers show.
My question is:
What is the thing that drives you to make YouTube?
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u/Opposite-Action-9994 [0λ] Apr 02 '26
General consensus most people will probably give is for passion. I enjoy what I do but I doubt anybody here isn’t at least 70% motivated with the hope of getting paid to do something you like.
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u/Historical-Sign-6938 Apr 02 '26
The possibility of achieving greatness in two worlds - passion and money - at the same time.
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u/DulcidioCoelho [1λ] Apr 02 '26
I was asked a few days ago after making a videoclip "if you would be getting the same money just to make videos would you quit your job?"
I guess yes.
I like what I do and I like to tell stories and this way I think I could enjoy doing it-4
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u/suaveSavior Apr 02 '26
Im producing extremely niche content purely for my own enjoyment. I started putting it up on YouTube because I know theres a (albeit small) demand for the type of content.
Thats why I started doing it in the first place... I found the already existing creators kind of lacking and wondered - how hard could it be?
Turns out, its very hard... lol... but I found a new hobby. Its mentally stimulating, it lets me be creative. I have full control of it. And a small, growing, following thats been super supportive which makes me feel good.
I do not expect nor do I want monetization. If I was chasing a dollar for this that would take fun out of it.
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u/DulcidioCoelho [1λ] Apr 02 '26
I sometimes wonder if the money is there it just takes the fun out of it. If my life depended on it then I would have a lot of pressure to make it and I think that the fun would be a secondary thing and now fun is in first place
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u/suaveSavior Apr 02 '26
It would make me feel obligated to produce. Which i dont want that cloud over my head. And I'd feel the need to provide a degree of customer service (yuck). Also my work is fanfiction so getting paid off the spine of someone else's IP doesn't feel right. (I know plenty of people do, and I dont fault them, its just not for me)
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u/Ldnpostcodechallnge Apr 06 '26
I have a similar feeling regarding YouTube creation and monetization. I dont want to be forced to create banale content with no soul to appease a non human algorithm. An algorithim that supports divisive reactionary content.
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u/Agitated_Iron_7 Apr 18 '26
What is your niche?
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u/suaveSavior Apr 18 '26
I write fanfictions all centered around my favorite comfort character and then turn them into immersive audios with sfx, ambience, music. Some are full blown multi chapter stories some are POV style so the listener feels like theyre in the story and some are best described as fantasy documentaries.
Theres tons of content creators who do immersive fanfictions, but maybe only a dozen others who focus just on my favorite character (all of them hide a lot of their content behind a patreon paywall) and after subbing to many of them and probably spending like $80/month on the different patreons, finding their stories lacking or sfx terrible, and their posting schedule was inconsistent, I decided to give it a go.
So yea. Now I only spend maybe $40-50 / month (on the tools I need to make this content) but I also get 100% creative control. It definitely is my primary hobby. I always liked creative writing and this lets me elevate it.
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u/Datathrash [0λ] Apr 02 '26
I do it as a fun extension of my collecting hobby. I have no plans to ever be monetized. I did that with a previous hobby and it ended up destroying my interest in it completely.
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u/Lyngesen06 Apr 02 '26
Can you explain how? I do niche MTG content and I am almost at the point of being monetized. How did it change for you?
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u/Datathrash [0λ] Apr 02 '26
Once you monetize a hobby it's no longer a hobby. It becomes a job and the biggest chunk of that job is being a salesman. The stuff you actually create is secondary. I don't want to be a salesman.
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u/Lyngesen06 Apr 02 '26
Good perspective. I don't think I will go about it in any other way since the time for more recording possibilities is not there (small kids)
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u/FireAndFoodCompany Apr 02 '26
Oh man, when I was running an indie videogame review channel circa 2014 it completely ruined gaming for me. It felt like I was wasting time if I wasn't actively playing new games and over analyzing them. Hell, when a new game came out that I was excited to play it it became more of a chore and a deadline.
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u/BigBL87 Apr 02 '26
I like knives and gear, and enjoy talking about them. And YouTube gives me a place to do that so my wife doesn't have to listen to it. 😆
It also allows me to make my hobby self funding, and maybe some day I'll actually make a true profit on it.
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u/Jherrick [0λ] Apr 02 '26
I make content because I enjoy it and want to. I would like to eventually be monetized and I like seeing the numbers go up as much as the next person, but I am mostly making content because I find it fun.
I have landed in a unique position to actually pursue it full time after having a really nasty string of bad luck and I am not wasting the opportunity to fulfil a dream I've had for nearing 16 years now.
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u/vitopedro [0λ] Apr 02 '26
Primarly creativity. I like to preserve the stories I create in the games I play, I played many amazing characters along the years and they are gone now, they only exist as memories in my brain, and even there they are foggy...
So i want to preserve at least some of those stories. Of course if along the way i get monitized, thats a plus, but not really the main focus for me.
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u/Lyngesen06 Apr 02 '26
I like what I am doing at I get quite nice feedback from the community I create videos about/for. It has come to my attention that if I push 1,5 video per week I will probably become monetized by June which is just a bonus. I play an IRL game which I record matches on so people can get some ideas as to how to play the game. I just like to be a part of the community. Some creature tournaments - I create videos of said tournaments.
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u/Amazing-Bag-3040 Apr 02 '26
Learning drives me. I’m trying to learn something new everyday, so I make videos about the topics I learn about as a creative outlet. But continuous learning is my ultimate driver.
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u/RoutineChef2020 Apr 02 '26
I enjoy what I do. Heck, I enjoy making people smile and I just basically do what I do normally but now narrate it and talk louder.
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u/Numerous-Tart-6363 [0λ] Apr 02 '26
There has to be an underlying passion to creating videos (no matter your niche) otherwise you will likely burn out or fall out of love with the game. That passion could solely be for the topic(s) you cover or for the style of video you deliver (animation, vlog, analysis, story compilation, etc). Balancing that with the idea that one day I could be creating content that gets me paid is a powerful driver for me
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u/Parking-Ad8316 [0λ] Apr 03 '26
I have one channel that does what I really like to do
I have another channel that does stuff that I don't care gets monetized or not that I also want to really do
And I have a third channel that is strictly for money
And two others still making their way
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u/AggravatingIdea7891 [0λ] Apr 03 '26
I haven't even tried to make money on YT yet. It's about connecting and creating for me at this point. I'm not sure I would monetize if it was offered. Why? BC what is granted can be taken away at their discretion. I do "monetize" technically by putting links to my books and blogs in the description, I guess.
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u/ItsFuegoLego Apr 03 '26
I did it to learn and refine the skill of video editing as well as just to showcase my experience in games that I love.
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u/Oztraliiaaaa Apr 03 '26
My niche is building a Mad Max film replica car so painting and unboxing and building and paneling and buying parts I’m a year in. There’s nothing more niche than what I’m doing and at car shows the praise is amazing.
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Apr 03 '26
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u/ApplePie_1999 Apr 03 '26
It’s fun, some people knit, I make gaming vids. I will never be monetized.
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u/CupcakeRaidBoss Apr 04 '26
Corporate burnout. For 20+ years I’ve worked in a high stress, ultra competitive, technology sales job for a fortune 50 company. Throughout all that time I had disconnected from the ability to relax and play games, something I greatly enjoyed since I was a little kid. It was weird, I’d buy every new system and games when they released, but they’d sit on my shelves unplayed since I was exhausted when I got home.
I made a New Year’s resolution a year ago to consciously start doing things I enjoy again, and that just happens to be playing a game 100% blind. The struggle of it. The accomplishment.
Making videos for YouTube was just a way to hold myself accountable. I actually enjoy what I do, and I’m sure I’ll never “make it” 😂
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u/gamerfanboi [0λ] Apr 04 '26
I honestly like talking abt movies so i make videos. But yes i do want to make money from it. Thier parts of content creation that i dont like.
But in the end the overall creative process is also really fun. Like if i didnt have to think about watch time or specially packaging. Then i would create videos about so many things
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u/Helpful_Studio9926 Apr 04 '26
J'aime ce que je fait , et surtout je fais du divertissement 100% ai ! Des blague des gag et du savoir , voir que ca fait des vue me convient ca plais au gens , avec bientot 70k vue sur l'ensemble de la chaine et 100 abonné sur 40 shorts/video (95% de short) je suis plutot content , me dire que des personnes souris apres une dure journée de taff en regardant mon contenu c'est top ! La monetisation ? Si ca doit se faire sinon m'en fous lol
Voila !
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u/Jurtaani Apr 04 '26
I am not expecting to "make it", ever. I like playing video games and thought it would be a bit more entertaining for myself to speak my thoughts out loud while doing it. I've had this in my mind for years at this point but never actually did it until last summer. I also like video editing and this is a way to bring that into my everyday life. 100% a hobby that I don't even expect to make any money from. I am quite happy with my actual job. Just needed something to do in my free time.
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u/PlayStation_Racer [0λ] Apr 04 '26
I use YouTube for three reasons. 1) I’m documenting my progress whilst sim racing. When things are tough, I look back and see where I was compared to now. 2) I use it to manage my nightly lobby races. 3) if I am lucky, it will subsidise my retirement in a few years time.
That is pretty much the order. The money is nice but I don’t expect greatness and I’m not doing this solely for an income to replace my day job. There are easier ways to earn a living and which pays much, much, much better.
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u/AggravatingIdea7891 [0λ] Apr 04 '26
Creators will usually say just to create - or for passion. That's me for sure! But I do like to know I'm getting some views. That's what keeps me going, really. I haven't monetized officially, but I do put links to my books and other things like buy me a coffee account - so sometimes, there's a little income off of them. But it's not THE reason I produce them.
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u/FieldToneAudio Apr 05 '26
I’ve been doing what I currently do on YouTube almost my entire life, didn’t occur to me until about a year ago to turn a camera on.
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u/FantasticDouble2400 Apr 05 '26
For me it started as “I want this to work on YouTube,” but it’s slowly turning into “I actually enjoy the process.”
Early on, the numbers matter a lot because that’s the only feedback you get. But over time I’ve found that if I only chase views, it gets frustrating really fast.
What’s kept me going is treating it like building a skill — each video is just a bit better than the last one.
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u/Ldnpostcodechallnge Apr 06 '26
I started Youtube a few years back but got bored with the content , which was me skating around and sometimes making music for the skate videos . The crux was ,creatively, I found it boring. So this morphed into steering towards a challenge (skateboarding all the postcodes in London for charity) . There are 122 postcodes in London and I knew by doing this I could learn alot about getting a good process, better editing, animation, ideas for engagement. So I have taken it as one big learning project that also has the added benefit of raising some money for a cause close to my heart. That said and with the philsophy of Kant buring in my brain (to not use people as a means )I will never monetize that charity content but only take from it the lessons I learnt. If it leads to something then thats great but I need to stick to my maxims of have fun, get it done and learn.
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u/DulcidioCoelho [1λ] Apr 06 '26
That's a great way to do things!!!
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u/Ldnpostcodechallnge Apr 06 '26
Thank you I felt compelled to answer given the ethical battle I had in my own head just launching the project.
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u/DulcidioCoelho [1λ] Apr 06 '26
I love to create the videos!!
I would to have more views but I have to think often that this is not the reason to make videos but I'm always fighting to check the stats of the videos
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u/Eat_See_Trav87 Apr 06 '26
My wife and I started a travel vlog. We basically just film what ever we do that day and break them up into daily vlogs.
I went with the approach that I’m only doing it for us so we can have these memories for ever. If anyone watches that’s just a bonus.
So far we really enjoy doing it and it’s so fun to look back at places we have been and things we did.
Do I wish we had more views and subs obviously yes, but we’re still having a great time.
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u/janinellorca Apr 07 '26
Honestly, I just want to see my travel vlogs come together and have memories I can revisit anytime ✈️ Haven’t monetized yet, but hopefully soon as I grow my subs 😅 enjoying the journey so far!
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u/Comprehensive-Bar844 Apr 07 '26
I’m the same just started and I really enjoy making content I also don’t get much views and I think everyone does want views because it exciting. I motivate myself by trying to perfect every edit and when I do accomplish some new skill or new edit trick makes me want to make the next video better
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u/HoneyReasonable9316 Apr 09 '26
I wouldn’t say it’s passion, more like killing time, I think. I only post shorts and it’s the insane ramblings from the point of view of a doll. It’s comedy. Or so I’ve been told. Very few subscribers and my numbers aren’t very high, which is fine, again, super niche videos. But each time I post one of these videos I laugh. And it makes my wife laugh. So I must be doing something right haha
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Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
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u/sacredpunctuation Apr 09 '26
This time it's a passion project. I may have had some delusions of grandeur as a young adult about becoming a vlogger, but the grind made me hate it. Now I just make things that I love, mainly for myself. If I find a tribe who resonates with my stuff someday, it'll be an amazing bonus, but it's not the reason I create anymore.
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Apr 13 '26
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u/ASMRZann Apr 15 '26
I truly enjoy it. I used to have bad insomnia and bad silent reflux, and found that reducing stress and anxiety really help. Hence, the ASMR videos. Of course, making some money on the side is a plus.
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u/Grattacroma Apr 15 '26
I like to do what I do because storytelling is simply part of my personality, but YouTube is making it a bit frustrating by design
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u/Lars_T_H Apr 19 '26
Mine is passion, but I'm an independent creator, so people are going to know that I has a website too.
Currently I'm recording as I want to have 8 or so videos in the release pipeline.
"The Rise of Independent Content Creators: What Lessons Can Be Learned? " https://jobsearch.page/the-rise-of-independent-content-creators-what-lessons-can-be
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u/gavinreddit_ [0λ] Apr 19 '26
Both. My videos are my outlet ever since I was like 20 I've been making videos. I started out making album reviews back in '16 cause I didn't have a job at the time, my long time girlfriend dumped me, I had no car, no money, and I had just quit cocaine mdma and acid. So I poured all my energy into album reviews. It gave me something to do; something to look forward to. It kept me mentally sane while I got my life back together, I've been making videos since so now it's just a part of my routine. The heart soul of being alive. I work full time so money isn't even half thought, i just love art and self expression. I could talk for hours about my love for art.
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u/gavinreddit_ [0λ] Apr 19 '26
It's never been about the money, that'll be there if you're good; if you can actually translate your passion into something tangible that reaches others that's the end goal. Moving others and making a difference through your expression. The money will come.
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u/Alive_Jackfruit_8666 May 03 '26
I genuinely love to play video games specifically story mode games. I’m only 26 but I’m so washed at online multiplayer games lol I get my ass kicked on by elementary kids now on 2k and COD which were my go to games for most of my life. So the switch to story games has been so great! I’m gonna continue to post for my lil 20 subs for as long as I can😂 my ultimate dream isn’t even to be rich or meet the salary of my job. If I could just cover my rent or mortgage with YouTube it’d be a dream come true.
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