Income beyond AdSense

Digital products, print-on-demand, affiliate links and services: the extra income streams behind the channels I've broken down, and how to set each one up for free.

Some of the biggest numbers in my videos don’t come from ads at all. The surreal AI art channel earned an estimated $30K+ a month from a $32 guide, on top of its ad money. The painting channel added an estimated $32K a month from prints and phone cases. And all of these work before you’re monetized.

The math in this guide is the math from my videos: simple “if X people buy” examples, not guarantees.

1. Sell a digital guide (Payhip or Gumroad)

A digital product is made once and sold unlimited times. No shipping, no stock.

In my videos: the surreal art creator sells a guide with all the steps and assets for about $32. Just 1,000 buyers a month across platforms is $32,000. The road restoration creator sells a $12 step-by-step guide from a simple site linked in their TikTok bio. If 1,000 of 36 million viewers buy, that’s $12K+.

It works in any niche:

1. Get views first (YouTube, TikTok, Shorts).
2. Write a guide to one specific thing people keep asking about in your comments. Add screenshots and export a PDF from Google Docs.
3. Sell it free on Payhip (Products → New → Digital product) or Gumroad. Upload the file, give it a clear title, write what’s inside, and price it around $10–15 (about $30 if it’s a full system in an untapped niche).
4. Make a cover or product image in Canva in five minutes (search digital product templates).
5. Put the link in every bio and description, with a call to action in the video or a pinned comment: “Click the link in my bio to learn how to create these AI videos.”

2. Print-on-demand (Redbubble)

In my video: the painting channel pitches at the end of every video, when the emotional connection peaks: “If you’d like this painting in your home…” The link goes to phone cases (about $42) and prints and canvases (up to $199), using public-domain paintings. At just 0.1% conversion that’s about $33K a month for that channel.

Set it up free:

1. Use public-domain artwork (Wikimedia Commons, museum archives) or your own AI art.
2. Make mockups in Canva: Elements → Mockups → iPhone case.
3. Open a free Redbubble store and upload the designs.
4. Put the link in every description and pitch it at the emotional peak of the video, not at the start.

3. Affiliate links

You earn a commission when someone buys through your link.

• Amazon Associates (sign-up takes about 5 minutes). In my product video, one affiliate video for a $30 knee pillow had 38 million views. Pick products that are trending on Amazon Movers & Shakers and solve a problem.
• TikTok Shop. Add the product link to your video so viewers buy in-app. This is how the $1M/month UGC page in my video does it. Products with 10,000+ sales have proven demand (check Kalodata).
• The tools you already use. If your audience makes videos too, the tools in your workflow are natural affiliate links. Many AI tools run affiliate or referral programs. Always disclose them, like I do on every page of this site.

AI makes the content: in my UGC videos, TopView AI turns a product image or URL into an avatar video with a sales script, instead of paying a UGC creator $100–300 per video on Fiverr.

4. Services

The skills you build making faceless videos are worth money to businesses:

• Motion graphics. Companies pay hundreds of dollars for a single 3D motion-graphics clip.
• AI video edits. Swapping a product, model or location without a reshoot (what I showed with Higgsfield Genjutsu). Add it to your rate card or offer it on Fiverr or Upwork. Reshoots are expensive, so charge well.

5. 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. The surreal art channel had 188K YouTube subscribers, 300K Instagram followers and 114K on TikTok from the same clips.

6. Fan funding (500 subscribers)

YouTube’s lower YPP tier unlocks channel memberships, Super Chat, Super Thanks and Shopping from 500 subscribers. Details in Monetization & staying safe.

Where to start

Pick one. If you already get questions in your comments, start with a $10–15 guide. If you’re in an art or visual niche, start with print-on-demand. If you review or use products, start with affiliate links. Then see what your ad income could add with the RPM calculator.