I Copied a Viral Chinese Surreal AI Art Channel Making $32K/Month (It Worked!)

A surreal clip of towering creatures walking down a foggy street hit 31 million views. A train with hands got 10M, and a giant head 6M. The channel has only 34 videos and 188K subscribers, likely $9K+ a month from ads alone, and posts the same clips to Instagram (300K followers) and TikTok (114K). On top of that, a digital product brings in an estimated $30K+ a month.

Post everywhere

Don’t stick to YouTube. Post the same videos on TikTok and Instagram too. Each platform has its own monetization thresholds, so building all three multiplies your chances.

Step 1: Image prompts

The hardest part is a prompt good enough to look like a Marvel still. I spent hours refining one (in the Google Doc). Paste it into Microsoft Copilot. For this style it gave better image prompts than ChatGPT.

Step 2: Generate the images

In Leonardo AI (free) → Image creation, choose the Flow State model and 9:16, then paste each Copilot prompt. Make different types of figures to keep the video varied, and pick the best six.

Step 3: Animate

Kling, Pika, Hailuo or Runway all work. Hailuo AI gave me the best results. Use Image to video, upload each image and add a simple action like “walking slowly.” New users get a free trial, plus daily free credits.

Step 4: Edit and sound

In CapCut: add the clips, a smooth transition (Apply to all), and the Play pendulum effect for realistic camera sway.

Sound effects make it real. In DupDub → Sound effects, paste a Copilot-written description, keep clips under 10 s, and max out stability. Match each SFX to its clip. Add cinematic or “fear” music from Pixabay (or Epidemic Sound) and export at 1080p, 60 fps.

The $32K/month strategy: sell a guide

Digital products are set up once and sold unlimited times, with no shipping and no stock. This creator sells a guide with all the steps and assets for about $32. Just 1,000 buyers a month across platforms is $32,000.

1. Write a step-by-step guide in Google Docs (start from mine), add screenshots, and export a PDF.
2. Sell it free on Payhip: Products → New → Digital product, upload it, add a title, and price it (about $30 in an untapped niche).
3. Make a product image in Canva (search digital product templates).
4. Put the link in every bio, with a CTA in descriptions or pinned comments: “Click the link in my bio to learn how to create these AI videos.”

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