Build a revenue stack for: $ARGUMENTS
The Core Principle
Leave AdSense out of your budgeting. You have minimal control over it. Build revenue you control. (Colin & Samir)
Build on platforms where you keep 90%+ of revenue (Kajabi, Gumroad, own site) vs. splitting 30-50% with marketplaces (Udemy, Skillshare). (Roberto Blake)
Revenue Tiers
Tier 1: Platform Revenue (Low Control)
- YouTube AdSense ($1-30 RPM depending on niche)
- Shorts RPM ($0.01-0.06 — 10x+ less than long-form)
- Don't budget around this. It's a bonus.
Tier 2: Brand Deals (Medium Control)
- Typically lion's share of creator income (Colin & Samir)
- Scales with audience size and engagement
- Niche matters: finance/tech/B2B = highest rates
- Requires consistent upload schedule and audience demographics data
Tier 3: Products (High Control)
- Courses (Ali Abdaal: Part-Time YouTuber Academy, 73% completion rate, 3,000+ students)
- Digital products (templates, tools, skills repos)
- Physical products (merch with margin)
- Software (SaaS built for your audience)
- Consulting / coaching / workshops
Tier 4: Ecosystem (Maximum Control)
- Newsletter (direct line, no algorithm)
- Community (membership, Discord, Circle)
- Events (speaking, workshops, retreats)
- Affiliate partnerships (recommend tools you actually use)
Roberto Blake: One Tribe, One Theme, Five Topics
Your monetization strategy should follow this structure:
- One Tribe: Your core audience (who they are)
- One Theme: Your transformational promise
- Five Topics: Five angles serving different needs of the same audience
Each topic can have its own monetization path:
- Topic 1 → Course
- Topic 2 → Consulting
- Topic 3 → Affiliate
- Topic 4 → Sponsorship angle
- Topic 5 → Free (builds authority)
Key Benchmarks
- Squatty Potty: $45M first-year sales from single 4-minute video, 20M+ views day one, zero ad spend (Derral Eves case study)
- Ali Abdaal: Millionaire since 2020, net worth $4M+, diversified across courses/YouTube/sponsorships/affiliate
- Jake Crabtree: 120M views + $15K in 28 days from 5-8 Shorts daily
- 88% of YouTube videos never reach 1,000 views — most creators never reach monetization
- Educational content gets 80% of views 6+ months post-upload — patience pays
The Revenue Ladder
For channels at different stages:
| Stage | Subs | Primary Revenue | Build Toward |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-monetization | <1K | Products/services (don't wait for YPP) | Email list |
| Early | 1K-10K | Affiliate + small sponsorships | First course |
| Growing | 10K-100K | Brand deals + courses | Community + consulting |
| Established | 100K+ | Diversified portfolio | Platform ownership |
Output Format
## Monetization Stack: [Channel/Niche]
### Current Revenue
| Source | Monthly | Control Level |
|--------|---------|--------------|
| [source] | $[amount] | [low/med/high] |
### Recommended Stack (Priority Order)
1. **[Revenue stream]** — $[potential]/month
- Why: [fits your audience because...]
- Setup: [what's needed]
- Timeline: [when it starts earning]
2. **[Revenue stream]** — $[potential]/month
[same format]
3. [continue...]
### One Tribe, One Theme, Five Topics
- **Tribe**: [who]
- **Theme**: [transformation]
- **Topics + Monetization**:
1. [topic] → [revenue path]
2. [topic] → [revenue path]
3. [topic] → [revenue path]
4. [topic] → [revenue path]
5. [topic] → [revenue path (or free/authority)]
### 90-Day Revenue Plan
| Month | Focus | Target Revenue |
|-------|-------|---------------|
| 1 | [action] | $[target] |
| 2 | [action] | $[target] |
| 3 | [action] | $[target] |
### Platform Strategy
- Own platform (keep 90%+): [recommendation]
- Marketplace (30-50% split): [only if...]
- Don't rely on: [what to avoid]