How to Grow Your YouTube Channel and Make Money

Dear Business Owner,

You've been doing a little researching, trying to figure out how to grow a YouTube channel and actually make sales from it.

I think you found the right place.

I've been doing YouTube for over 9 years now.

I just hit my anniversary - 108,000 subscribers.

But here's the thing: I don't make any money from YouTube ad revenue.

I make money when somebody calls me and says, "Hey Brad, I've watched all your YouTube videos. I'm ready to sign up."

Then we can work on a bigger project together.

I'm Brad Smith, owner of AutomationLinks. Been doing marketing for 10 years, worked with over 2,500 brands.

I'm not going to sell you anything.

I'm just going to show you how to make your YouTube make you money.

The Problem Most YouTubers Face

Most people think YouTube success means millions of views and ad revenue.

Wrong.

While everyone else is chasing viral videos and pennies from ads, I'm converting viewers into $10,000+ clients.

The difference?

I don't try to entertain people - I educate them.

When they're ready to buy, they already know who taught them everything they know.

The 3-Step YouTube Money System

Step 1: Create Educational Content That Your Customers Actually Search For

You got to make a YouTube channel. Hopefully you already have one.

But here's what most people get wrong, they make content about what they want to talk about, not what their customers are searching for.

Here's my research process:

1. Go to Google and search what you think your ideal customer would search.
2. Let's say "how to grow my business with AI."
3. Then click on videos and it's actually going to show you what they're looking for.
4. All these people have already done the research.
5. If they're at the top, they've probably done the research.
6. So they're looking for "make money with AI," "test AI," "easy way to start one person business with AI."
7. Find topics that your ideal customers are searching.

As long as you're an expert.

If you have no idea what you're talking about and you just get on a YouTube video, that's probably not going to work.

The Content Framework:

• Start with a hook under 30 seconds
• Tell them what they're going to learn right away
• Break down exactly what you're going to do: Step one, step two, step three
• Don't say "I'm the best person at this" - get to the point and give them what they want

Remember: We're not trying to get them to be entertained.

We're trying to get them to actually learn from you.

So when they're ready to work with you, they're like, "That's the person I learned from. That's the person that helped me, so I'm going to work with them."

Step 2: Turn Every Video Into Multiple Content Pieces

This is where most people leave money on the table.

You make one video and post it.

That's it?

Here's what I do:

1. I take the transcription from my video and create a blog post from it.
2. Then it'll start ranking over time.

Quick tip:

You want to do an FAQ AI summary at the top of your blogs now.

This is basically going to answer a question somebody would type into ChatGPT, give them a quick answer, and then this will actually start ranking in AI search results.

Here's the key:

Somebody that finds you in an AI search result trusts you 22% more than a Google search.

So you should probably do it.

I like to embed my YouTube video in the blog and make this all about the words I said in my video.

None of this is AI-generated content.

It knows it's original, it's helpful, then it's going to start showing up.

Then you need to start posting it on other networks:

• Make some shorts from it
• Create a Medium article
• Write a LinkedIn article
• Post on Reddit
• Share on X

All of this stuff will start building brand authority for you and it'll start showing up in AI search results, ChatGPT, and it'll be great places to do retargeting and ads when you're ready.

Scaling tip:

If you're not available to do it on your own, try doing it on your own if you're new.

Once you hit $5,000 a month, have a virtual assistant do it for you.

Once you hit $10,000 a month, you need to have a team do it for you.

Step 3: Run Strategic YouTube Ads (Not Annoying Pre-Roll)

You don't want to show up as an annoying ad before the video.

What you want to do is show up as an ad on the side or as a recommended ad or show up as a YouTube ad after they visited your website because you track them properly.

The types of ads that work:

• In-feed ads with educational videos
• Recommended videos after they watch competitors
• Retargeting ads for website visitors

Here's my strategy:

For people that have never heard of me before, seeing me for the first time, I like to run an ad to one of my educational videos to build value so they learn about me.

Then I like to retarget them again with a shorter one specifically talking about the business and service.

What we want is the one with two buttons with the actual video.

I'm on YouTube to watch a video, not to click on a banner.

That's the key here.

You can find maybe 5 to 10 of your competitors or similar companies, and as soon as somebody learns from them, you can actually place your ad as a recommended video.

So they're like, "Oh, I'm watching Brad's channel now. I can go watch this channel" — which would be yours.

The Complete YouTube Growth Timeline

Before you start ads:

• Have at least 3 videos published
• Be posting one video per week consistently
• Build brand authority across all channels
• Set up proper tracking and retargeting pixels

Then start with:

• Video view campaigns for people who've never heard of you
• Educational content that provides real value
• Retargeting campaigns for website visitors
• Conversion campaigns for warm audiences

Why This Works When Everything Else Fails

Most YouTube "gurus" teach you to chase views and subscribers.

That's backwards.

The real money is in building an audience that trusts you enough to buy from you.

When someone watches 10 of your educational videos, they're not just a viewer — they're a pre-qualified lead.

The psychology is simple:

1. People buy from those they know, like, and trust.
2. Educational content builds all three systematically.

Get Started Today

Step 1: Research what your customers are actually searching for on Google and YouTube

Step 2: Create one educational video per week addressing those searches

Step 3: Turn each video into blog posts and social content across all platforms

Step 4: Set up strategic YouTube ads to amplify your best content

Don't wait.

Your competitors are already doing this.

Every day you delay is another day they're building relationships with your future customers.

Want the complete system?

Join our free AI SEO course by clicking here.

Upgrade to our grow plan and you’ll get everything, including the exact ad templates and content creation process I use.

Brad Smith

Owner, AutomationLinks

9 years on YouTube, 108,000 subscribers, converting viewers into $10K+ clients