To calculate how much a faceless YouTube channel is making, I take its long form views, divide by 1,000 and multiply by 5. That quick math fits channels making 10 to 15 minute videos. Then I adjust: longer videos get about 1.5 to 2 times that rate, Shorts views are worth about 10 cents per 1,000 so I ignore them, and a sponsor mentioned in the video adds roughly $15 to $30 per 1,000 views. For the channel I used as the example, 40 million views in three months came out to about $200,000 on the quick math and about $920,000 once I adjusted for length and brand deals.
- The quick formula: views, divided by 1,000, multiplied by 5. For 40 million views that's about $200,000.
- That math is really good for 10 to 15 minute videos. For a channel making 20 to 40 minute videos I use about 1.5 to 2 times the rate, so $8 to $10 per 1,000 views.
- I ignore Shorts views. They're usually worth about 10 cents per 1,000 views.
- If a channel mentions a sponsor in the content, I add $15 to $30 per 1,000 views for the brand deal.
- ViewStats is probably the most accurate tool I've seen for this (pretty solid 80 to 90% of the time). vidIQ is the fast way to see the last 28 days.
What RPM means
Before the math, there's one term you're going to hear a lot: RPM.
RPM stands for revenue per mille. Mille is Latin for a thousand. So RPM is the revenue a channel generates for every thousand views.
You might also hear the word CPM. That's more of an advertising perspective. As a YouTuber, the one you care about is RPM, because that's the ad rate you're getting paid.
The tools I use to check a channel
| Tool | My read on it |
|---|---|
| vidIQ | A classic. It doesn't usually calculate the revenue, but you get a good glimpse of a channel really quickly. |
| ViewStats | Probably one of the best tools I've seen, and the most accurate. Pretty solid 80 to 90% of the time, though I've still seen the revenue be off. |
| NexLev | My friend Noah created it. I haven't used it for this feature as much, but the tool overall is really solid. |
The fastest way is ViewStats. If you get the Chrome extension, it adds a little button on the channel. Click it and the ViewStats profile pulls up. I usually look at the last three months, to get an average of what they're making.
The quick formula: views ÷ 1,000 × 5
- Take the channel's views for the period.
- Divide by 1,000.
- Multiply by 5.
The channel I pulled up in the video had done 40 million views in the last three months. So:
- 40 million divided by 1,000 is 40,000.
- 40,000 multiplied by 5 gets you about $200,000.
ViewStats estimated the same channel at between $100,000 and $270,000. My number is a little bit conservative for this channel, and the next step is why.
Adjust for video length
The multiply by 5 math is really good for a channel making 10 to 15 minute videos.
The example channel makes a lot longer videos these days. They're half an hour to 40 minutes long, and about 20 minutes on the low end. In that longer range, I'd say the channel is probably at around 1.5 to 2 times the rate. A safe bet for this one is $8 to $10 per 1,000 views.
| RPM I assume | The math | Ad revenue, last 90 days |
|---|---|---|
| $5 (the quick formula) | 40 million ÷ 1,000 × 5 | About $200,000 |
| $8 | 40 million ÷ 1,000 × 8 | $320,000 |
| $10 | 40 million ÷ 1,000 × 10 | $400,000 |
Niche goes into it too. This channel is what I'd call geopolitics. I have some channels in this niche, and I know it's about $5 that you're probably going to get paid on average. You can certainly get paid less and you can certainly get paid more (I compare niches in YouTube RPM by niche).
Longer videos push the rate up. More on that in how to increase your YouTube RPM.
Ignore the Shorts views
The reason I love ViewStats is that it breaks the views down into Shorts views and long views. I always ignore the Shorts views, because those are basically worth nothing.
If you do want to count them, take the Shorts views, divide by 1,000 and multiply by about 10 cents. That's a little bit conservative, and there are ways to get it up.
On the example channel that math was 2,000 times 10 cents. That's like 200 bucks from Shorts in the last three months.
The vidIQ version: last 28 days
If you use a tool like vidIQ, a lot of times this is faster. Hit "view channel stats" in the vidIQ extension.
The same channel did about 20 million views in the last 28 days. 5 times 20 means they did about $100,000 on the quick math. Their videos are a little bit longer, so I'd say they probably did about $140,000.
Add brand deals on top
If you watch a channel's videos, you can usually tell if they have a brand deal, because there's a sponsor in the content. This channel had a couple (Ground News and Nebula).
Usually, if a channel is doing a brand deal and mentioning it in the content, they're getting paid anywhere from $15 to $30 per 1,000 views. So you take the ad RPM and add the brand deal to it.
For the example I used $15:
- I said their ad RPM is probably 8, so the RPM becomes 8 + 15.
- Multiply that by 40 (the 40 million views, divided by 1,000).
- That comes out to about $920,000 in the last 90 days.
The channel was RealLifeLore, which had 7 million subscribers when I recorded this. Based on my estimations, they'd made about $900,000 in those three months. With all of the brand deals, I'd put them at over $200,000 a month.
It could be more, it could be less. I think it's about spot on, but I bet I'm off by maybe $100,000 or $200,000 over the three months.
Do the math on a channel yourself
My challenge in the video was to go find a channel, do the math, and drop the link and your numbers in the comments.
If you need channels to practice on, I made a six figure channel list. It has over 300 faceless YouTube channels that, from what I calculated, are making over $100,000 a year. I put over 40 hours into the initial version, and I'd bet at least 80% of it is up to date.
I also made a calculator to go along with this video. The link is in the video description.
Video Chapters
- 0:00What this video covers
- 0:31What RPM means (and CPM)
- 1:02Tools: vidIQ, ViewStats, NexLev
- 2:03The quick formula: views ÷ 1,000 × 5
- 3:06Adjusting for longer videos
- 3:36Why I ignore Shorts views
- 4:07Long form math at an $8 and $10 RPM
- 4:39What the geopolitics niche pays
- 5:09The vidIQ check for the last 28 days
- 5:41Adding brand deals
- 6:44The full estimate for the example channel
- 7:15Your turn: do the math on a channel
- 7:45The six figure channel list
FAQ
How do you calculate how much a YouTube channel makes?
Devon Canup's quick formula is views divided by 1,000, multiplied by 5. For a channel with 40 million views in three months, that's about $200,000 in ad revenue before adjusting for video length and sponsors.
What RPM should I use to estimate a faceless YouTube channel's earnings?
Devon uses about $5 per 1,000 views for channels making 10 to 15 minute videos, and about $8 to $10 for a channel making 20 to 40 minute videos.
How much do YouTube Shorts pay per 1,000 views?
Devon estimates Shorts at about 10 cents per 1,000 views, which he calls a little conservative. He ignores Shorts views when he estimates a channel's revenue.
How much do YouTube sponsorships pay?
Devon's estimate is that a channel mentioning a sponsor in its videos gets paid anywhere from $15 to $30 per 1,000 views, on top of ad revenue.
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