How Much Money Do We Make On YouTube? Can You Buy Your Dream Car By Making Videos?

( www.alltfl.com/ ) Check out our new spot to find ALL our content, from news to videos and our podcasts!
In this video we talk about how much money we make on KZbin and find out: Can you buy your dream car by making KZbin videos?
( / tflcar ) Visit our Patreon page to support the TFL team!
Watch more videos from TFL Studios:
The Fast Lane Truck ( / tfltruck )
The Fast Lane Car ( / tflcar )
TFLoffroad ( / tfloffroad )
TFLbike ( / tflbike )
TFLnow ( / tflnow )
TFLclassics ( / tflclassics )
TFLtalk ( / tfltalk )
TFL Podcasts:
TFL Talkin' Cars Podcast ( redcircle.com/... )
TFL Talkin' Trucks Podcast ( redcircle.com/... )
#Chevy #Corvette

[@shanesprojects213]

Love the transparency here. Thank you both for the quality content over the years. Looking forward to many more!

[@SM-gw4xf]

Will watch more for you guys being very transparent..

[@TheDrivenDave]

I’ve been watching since around 2011 and I’m so impressed with your dedication to quality over the years. Also, Tommy has become a great presenter in his own right. Keep up the great work!

[@TFLcar]

Thanks for the kind comment and thanks for watching!

[@sergeysmelnik]

Andrey and tommy are my favorite

[@anengineer_]

​@@TFLcarI remember Tommy's first video, he made a huge progress as a journalist 👍

[@FirstGearDrive]

It's a tough business but it speaks volume looking at how long TFL has been around and still producing quality content with interesting stories. Keep growing and evolving with your audience.

[@tjbryant1638]

I am grateful for y’all’s approach and dedication. We have enough influencers, your journalism and storytelling is appreciated!

[@bostondan77]

Sounds very stressful, thank you guys for putting in the work. I pitch in a Starbucks Latte's worth every month through Patreon and If at some point I was no longer financially comfortable with that , I would continue to support by giving every video I watch a thumbs up and writing a comment (to help with the "algorithm") . Keep on rocking.

[@TFLcar]

Thanks for the kind Support!!

[@kahless0173]

patreon helps out a lot of smaller channels. i contribute to the whiskey tribe but thats all i can spare a month and if they werent local i probably wouldnt

[@danielmad]

This is why you guys are amazing. You’re so down to earth and I have nothing but sincere esteem for the hard work you guys put in. I wish there was a way to make things easier for everyone at TFL.

[@tclg1]

I like the video. This is what Roman is all about, the business side of the channel and all. He's very knowledgeable and inspiring for success:)

[@Tool0GT92]

You guys make a lot of content, I don't watch everything but there is usually a few videos a week that I'm interested in. Keep up the hard work.

[@miguelochoa2103]

Highschool gang where y'all at? 🎒✌️ Yes every lunch I had at school I would watch TFL and ChrisFix! Thanks for uploading awesome videos both of y'all and for being part of my highschool memories ❤

[@drnick40]

Like everything else in order to make it successful it takes a lot of work and dedication.

[@ReservistOutdoors]

Hey TFL. I love the transparency and the total honesty. I just want to say keep up the amazing work you guys do. I've been watching your videos ever since 2021 when I enlisted into the Marines and had nothing else better to do with my free time, and needless to say I'm hooked on your videos. Keep up the amazing work guys!!! Also...just a suggestion, maybe for your next video series/challenge, a minivan series? How can you guys modify a minivan to make it the ultimate adventure wagon for the outdoors while still maintaining the cargo/people hauler niche? Thanks guys!!!

[@2001bandit1200]

Great video. I think the best thing about your company is that people know that you guys are always honest and forthright. You have a small business that people around the world a rooting for. Keep up the great work.

[@RK57AZ]

Thank guys, While you give a great cost analysis on your vett series, it doesn’t cover the high, low or average revenue of your content. Based on that series you couldn’t afford an office, staff or to buy vehicles, oh or buy a ranch! If you truly want to put your cards on the table, then show your cards. You didn’t include monies from patreon, sponsorships etc.? Please don’t be that used car salesman that claims every vehicle he sales was owned by an old lady who just drove her car to church on Sunday! In reality her grandson used it to street race on Saturday night! “You need to clean the bugs off the windshield “for a little more transparency ! As always stay safe and healthy Ron

[@TFLcar]

Thanks for the comment but we’re not used car salesmen. That’s an unfair statement. We mentioned sponsored videos and they only account for about 15 percent of total revenue as Tommy stated.

[@mohanc2010]

It is tough for sure to run a KZbin channel full time, funny how some people complaining about all the sponsors or manufactures flying you guys out to test their new vehicles. We are All human and we all needed to get paid and bringing foods to the table. Nothing is free, you want entertainments, you want information, then you need to put up with the sponsored contents, simple as that! Many out there imagining that all KZbinrs are making millions off their viewers. But sadly it is far from reality. Anyway, keep up the good work TFL team!! 💪🏻🔥

[@lewster215]

I've been a TFL viewer for several years and love the content. And I love that of the channels I watch, someone has finally made a video about the back-end business side of KZbin. :)

[@haydenf1353]

Guys, we appreciate the transparency. Good work

[@Queensizemusic]

Believe me, I know how hard it is to make a living in media. Thank you for your passion, your honesty, your reporting, and your discipline.

[@anthonypena6322]

Thank you for the insight into what it takes and what you and the crew go through to create all the great content. I used to watch a dozen channels a couple of years ago but with all that you guys do I don't need to watch as many. Carwow is another I watch as well as Throttle House. For my crazier content I watch Hoonigan and DDE. I became a Patreon sponsor with you guys because I love all of the content and the people you have on staff. Thank you again for all you guys do!

[@JustMe-ut5rn]

I miss the father son road trip videos, but absolutely love the content that you are producing. I will even forgive the purchase misspelling :)

[@lovemye36]

Thanks for explaining it. It’s one of the biggest mysteries about KZbinrs. How WD can buy Ferraris while others have to work a full time job on the side.

[@micahv9365]

I feel like there’s a GIANT elephant that you hardly even acknowledged, which is ad reads. Even if it’s an extra $300-$500 a video, that pretty much covers a fair amount of overhead per video. Obviously it’s not 10k per ad read but I wish you would have included that number in there, even in just a general sense as to not show us too far behind the curtain on those deals.

[@is6566]

I think the KZbin payment is based on those ads you mentioned. I think it’s already included.

[@AkioWasRight]

I'm sure there's a lot they leave off the table. However, "transparency" is not really the point. These "How much do we make" videos have become apart of the online creator's regular cycle of content. Basically, every fews months, you make a video that throws a bunch of confusing numbers at people and leads people to believe you're barely making money, helping virtue signal yourself as honest and humble. In reality, it's just another way to generate clicks.

[@micahv9365]

@@is6566 I am specifically talking about when they do an ad read for a company that makes tires or some other automotive accessory, those are entirely apart from KZbin. When they say “this video is presented by Flo chargers” that’s because they have a separate revenue stream from that company coming in. Same reason some people do ad reads for mobile games, those companies pay thousands for someone to advertise “Raid Shadow Legends” or “World of Tanks”, not referring to the stupid shooter games that have an ad from KZbin at beginning of videos.

[@TylerHaley]

thanks for being transparent and showing this side of the business. I was wondering once or twice about this. Im glad you guys can stay afloat and do what you love! Cheers to many more years! Have fun guys.

[@964tractorboy]

Thanks for "running the numbers". I appreciate your collective dedication, commitment and hard work. I wish you were better rewarded; you guys deserve it.

[@Stuka87]

I have been watching since the really early days. And I have kept watching because you guys are more far more "journalist" than "entertainer". Not that there is anything wrong with the latter, but finding quality videos like you all produce is getting hard. Plus, your videos are always up super fast, sometimes its crazy how fast the video gets up.

[@jpmiller99]

I've always wondered about some of the business behind KZbin'ing. Thanks for the info!

[@RealMrNails]

Can you please give us a peak into sponsorship money, which by far MUST be the way you make actual money?

[@MrGrantSDavis]

It's not that much at all. We offer sponsors a vastly discounted rates to convince them to work directly with us rather than just buy ad placements on KZbin. And as you can see, KZbin doesn't pay us that much, so sponsors, what few we have, pay us a lot less. --the TFL marketing guy.

[@henkstols9326]

I think the Land Rover video was the best luck you ever had, I could be mistaken but that was a massive boost in content.

[@mitchstein288]

I've always loved that guys are so transparent. This is a great video. Thanks for doing that. You guys really have something special and unique with TFL. I stumbled upon it about a year and a half ago, and I almost immediately subscribed to Truck, Car, Off-Road, EV, Talk, and now Classic. I watch almost every video you guys put out, and one of the first things I check on KZbin everyday is what new video you guys published. What I like is that you guys always show us what we want to know. Newest car? You have a video on it. Plus, you give us very relevant information. This channel is setup for success, I know it's going to keep growing. Good job guys, keep the videos coming 👍

[@brianowens1002]

So glad you shared this info. Super interesting.

[@cattlerepairmancattlerepai9414]

Would anybody ever accept a job where the boss said: "Put in the work, and you get paid, provided you work enough, but I won't tell you what "enough" is, and depending on whether I and the clients like your work. We won't tell you how much you get paid. Money will show up, take it or leave it. If you feel you don't get paid enough, just try working more. " And, yet, in the gig economy of KZbin, everybody nods and says "yeah, that sounds totally reasonable and normal!"

[@MichaelSmith-kr9qw]

I will be honest I find a lot of the older car content to me is boring, unless it is like your cheap jeep or 4x4 content then I love watching them ! But I also understand you have to produce tons of content to make ends meet !! Maybe do a series of OFF ROAD Trails in and around the Denver/Boulder area you don't have to do the hard rock crawling stuff but easy to moderate trails. Or even a scenic driving roads series around the area testing out the latest cars and SUV. But overall you guys do a awesome job !!!

[@is6566]

9th channel: TFLtrails LOL.

[@upshifter5316]

See that’s why they have to make such diverse content. I don’t care at all about the old junky jeep stuff. But I love the old classic car and sports car stuff! Different strokes.

[@Qrail]

Thanks for putting this show on. Roman should be grumpy here, but I think he gets the point. Make it interesting, and the people will watch. When that C5 video has been on the internet for 5 years, give us an update.

[@walterthomas6162]

Super video, guys. Really appreciated the behind the scenes analysis of the money behind your videos. I've been a subscriber for years and it's truly interesting to see how valuable your videos really are. Thanks!

[@ZuMi_rcf]

I can’t believe the transparency that your team brings. Much respect to TFL team for not glorying the “KZbin” scene. Keep at it and wishing your team future continued success.

[@BeyondtheBrick]

Thank you for the interesting look behind the scenes!

[@troyspring9143]

Very interesting. Big fan of your videos and also a neighbor down the road in Arvada. I bought a used Ranger to pull our boat and your Ike video really sold me. Impressive truck. High quality work from you guys!

[@LukeEdward]

Roman, Tommy, I now understand reasons why there aren’t those father/son trip videos anymore. I sure do miss those.

[@Outsider.Reviews]

It's definitely a grind lol We started about six months ago and are far from being monetized but we enjoy doing it, even though it's costing us money right now. Love watching TFL and how you guys stay honest. Hopefully one day we meet you guys at a car show.

[@V8AmericanMuscleCar]

I agree with you guys about the frequent posting. I have a small KZbin channel and unfortunately I don't have much time for it, but when I don't post a video for a while, the views and everything else drop a lot. I wish I had more time because I love doing it. Maybe in the near future. Thank you for the entertaining content! Greetings from Croatia!

[@jamescharles8663]

I’ve came across to it a Chanel around 2019 / 2020. You guy provide wonderful content.

[@true_identity]

Im so glad you guys keep making content! Honestly when im off work I instantly turn youtube on and see if yall have a new episode uploaded! Keep up the vids!

[@revgordon91]

Wow! This is pretty amazing... and pretty stressful at the same time. Hats off to you boys. The content you put out, is informative and entertaining! Keep up the great work guys!

[@user-ib6fu3ux1q]

Thank you for providing this useful information. Whole lot of work by many people to produce the content we, your viewers, enjoy. I too give a Starbucks Latte's worth of money monthly through Patreon, and am happy to do so. I feel that your TFL team provides useful, honest and entertaining information on all the videos produced.

[@hitchedtohorsepower]

Love the breakdown! I'm someone that's been putting out automotive KZbin content on and off for a couple years and that's on the verge of being monetized it was very interesting. I'm making videos because I enjoy it but it would be even more fun if I could get enough income off the videos to justify buying a $7,000 to $18,000 car, enjoy the car, make some videos, take the tax write off, then sell it and hopefully at least break even. I know this is getting into the weeds a bit but I'd love to know more about how KZbin income is taxed. I've heard different things from different people I know that are actually making a living off this but maybe that just depends on how you're set up as far as a business or just personal income 🤔

[@CJ-rk5eg]

Thanks! Would also love to see a behind the scenes or a video about how you make videos….the photographic equipment, the editing software, the story development process, etc.

[@NWI_Steel]

Yes! TFL Behind the Scenes I love the "making of" type videos

[@ianberry5562]

Private sponsorships have to carry a lot of the load I imagine Onx off-road and all that right?

[@cerwilliamyatesjr71]

I've been watching you guys for years...keep it up.

[@cummins12valve57]

Thanks for showing a real behind the scenes. Great info!

[@MrMrbeast]

Very interesting seeing the small margin you guys have to be profitable. There should be more paid to you guys per view considering how many ads there are.

[@jlautomotive6349]

Love that you guys have taken the time to show us and be super transparent with what you do!! First off, love all the channels and all the hard work you put in… that said have you ever been approached by the likes of Amazon for your off road series that you do?? That would be super cool and awesome to watch you on the big screen??… Keep up the amazing and incredible work!! 👍

[@GarnockReviews]

Thanks for sharing! I think everyone that enjoys KZbin should run a KZbin channel. It's only at that point you really appreciate the time, money, and effort involved to having a KZbin channel. I'm glad you are still making a profit and enjoying doing what you are doing. Keep those videos coming 😉

[@pmkstudios]

Great details and definitely appreciate the efforts to have journalism in the new medium. Does having more channels help or hurt you? I know for me it can be tricky to find which video is on which channel. The how much did it sell for at the auction videos and comparos are definitely my faves, Appreciate it all as it sounds like a heck of a juggling act to stay afloat. You twos and especially Andre's genuine enthusiasm for everything too keeps us entertained!

[@Nick-wn5ng]

Appreciate what y'all are going.

[@pale4980]

Thank you for this transparency. Very sobering. You're one of my 2 goto channels all things cars. Love the content and all the different personalities in the team.

[@dougmanck4149]

That's very insightful. Difficult to keep a business going on those margins. Great work

[@brycechapman5529]

Even though you’ll get hate for this one I’m super glad that you made a video breaking this down! Thank you TFL

[@richardnottelmann58]

This video was awesome. Thank you for all for the wonderful informative and educational content.

[@sufficetosay]

I don't know why you guys do it but I am glad you do! You guys should make more money on the videos imo.

[@MrFlavadave]

9 out of 10 dentist agree Shorts don't pay Plus KZbin pulls a higher percentage on shorts

[@swartzbay30]

I appreciate this, hubby and I have a podcast that's popular. Ghosts n Bears and yes we are net zero because it's not about the income, I'm an accounting guy and finance guy by nature working on my MBA at the moment. There are fixed costs and variable costs. The fixed costs would be your property, insurance, utilities, and then variable costs will be your team and per video output costs... Basic philosophy of fixed vs variable. If you shit down operations right now, the expenses still payable are your fixed and variable is the per unit or video costs. Aggregation is the key which means keep putting our content. You have to feed the beast ! Love your content. Ian and I drive down to Utah often as we love it down there!!! Love Zion and Bryce...

[@michaelhalstead64]

what can we as viewers do to help you make money? when I skip through commercials, does that reduce your revenues? There is so much I appreciate you guys do. I've even been watching some of the old videos. Which, by the way, there are some great series from the past.

[@ronthompson2366]

This was great information about the inner workings of having a YT channel. I enjoy the content you produce. I really like that you step away from the term or classification of being a "influencer". I don't know who started that ridiculous title. But it really seems to have swelled the heads of many KZbinr's. Your journalists putting out stories about the car and truck industry. Just like the magazines we used to purchase a read and subscribe to. You actually in that regard lose money. Because KZbin is free to watch. Unlike magazines that were purchased and or subscribed to. Plus magazine publishers collect revenue from advertisers. You can get some income from advertisers. However it is paid by YT. So very interesting information and you barely skimmed the surface. That being said... what a great deal on a 'Vette.. !! Having lived in Colorado I suppose I can see finding a great deal for a "Vette. Because they are kind of a seasonal vehicle. They are not much fun in the snow. So a good 4wd truck or early year model Surburban 4wd... probably considerably more expensive. Of course a new truck on the market now. Rivals the cost of a new Corvette and some other "sports/ super" cars on the market. ....

[@dlakerguy]

Thanks for all the great content! Maybe one day you can get a traditional TV show and bank some extra money for all the work you've put in.

[@RegsChannel]

Thanks so much for the breakdown guys! I really appreciate you featuring my Trans AM on TFL classics and getting it out to the world! You inspired me to dig in and work hard on my own KZbin channel and I can 100 percent attest that it is a grind! Planning, filming, editing, and publishing can be a beast, and I'm not even at the 1000 subscriber threshold yet. Percverance is definitely key, and thank you as always for showing us all that there is light at the end of the tunnel! Keep up the awesome work!

[@Bearbok]

I appreciate your content and hope you can keep the business going strong while holding to your principles. Good luck! I really like your long form adventure videos like your "cheap" series as you have the personalities to really pull that off similar to top gear adventures of the past

[@hypershadow87]

*Yeah..., short form content is WAY more popular than regular length videos, but they pay next to nothing. One of my close friends is a major KZbinr with 1.69M subscribers and multiple videos with over 10 some nearly 30 million views. Last year we were hanging out one night and he told me that a short he had released recently would've probably generated normally around $10k for him, but since he made it short form, it made him approximately $50. He said it's great to boost popularity, but expect next to no money at all.*

[@moosepeak]

I really like TFL. Great group who loves cars and trucks and tells fun and engaging stories. Helps folk’s understand the real world use cases of cars and trucks. Still want more Buhanka content…

[@TFLcar]

We’ll let Andre know.

[@Rogger_50]

I appreciate the transparency. It's not an easy job for sure, keeping people's attention is key.

[@muko2002]

With 7 channels . That’s money dude 🤑

[@berthogendoorn2133]

I really appreciate the back story, and look forward to many more great videos! Keep up the great work!

[@t0ny21]

Thanks for the honesty good video

[@benjaminfallon1072]

Good stuff guys. Appreciate the insights.

[@Fishman20]

This is why they have the in video Morgan & Morgan ads.

[@Randyrancor]

Love TFL - watch everything you do and sometimes more than once

[@stevectl1]

I appreciate the content. Keep up the good work

[@NWI_Steel]

Love these deep-dive type videos on the analytics and hearing Roman talk about the business side of things

[@stevenivankin9613]

You guys should cover if youtube premium takes away from your profits due to no commercials/ads

[@marcuscain9150]

Would love to see how much some of their more popular cars made in total such as the TRX or Cummins

[@erikhanes9491]

Wow eye opening, thanks guys.

[@typxxilps]

You might devide the total income from the corvette by 2 cause most of these were Corvette versus another car like the camaro. To be fair the Camaro needs to get 50% of that income and that would half the Corvette money in most videos. I like this kind of business explanation a lot cause it makes the channel more accessable or touchable. I have not been aware of all the channels you are running in parallel. But I loved for example the video series about a roadster in the 90s , I mean the SL500 for example, the whole story from hunting a car and finally buying it to compete all of them in whatever discipline. That was really fun. And I still remember the days when you were missing a car or better telling the nightmare of owning and repairing a tesla after a parking accident if I remember right. Not to forget: the Volkswagen Touareg channel I like your style down to earth and the creativity that comes out of smaller production budgets, all the tiny details and the will to create something unique with lots of winners and also lots of loosers if you do such comparisons each car with his own driver and protagonist. Sad to see the decline of youtube, the cuts, the view counts that drop due to so many new channels pushed by youtube for a short time before the next channel will be pushed instead for looking for continuity and success over time.

[@jeffrentsch4318]

First question I have is what is "your" dream car. Mine was Jeep. Well I have 2 but want a WWII Jeep. That is a much further down the road like retirement.

[@daweed980]

Love these types of videos of what it's like behind the curtain. I've always wondered about the breakdown

[@Blackacreonfire]

In watching your content, I've come to appreciate that you are a small business living in the real world. I like and respect that. Much more so than some privileged goof telling me that a million dollar car that will never see the outdoors on a rainy day gets points for being "practical" because it has a glove compartment.

[@michaelmiddleton578]

Always great content!!!! ..any channel about trucks and cars--> definitely the best on youtube

[@henrikhkarpynskyi8712]

If there are 2 cars in the video - it makes sence to divide income from video by 2 to get amount per car. Same with expenses per car

[@emilramirez7543]

I love y'all's videos. Keep up the good work! I know it's not an easy business but you guys make it fun and interesting for car guys like me.

[@einfeldt777]

Have been enjoying all your hard work since 2009, please keep them coming 🤗🤗🤗

[@upshifter5316]

Whatever money you guys are making, it’s not enough!! Appreciate the content over the years (been fairly religious viewer since 2015). I am always curious about YT earnings, but with that in mind you don’t owe anyone any disclosure. Having run multiple businesses I’m willing to bet most viewers don’t appreciate your business expenses, let alone the long hours, and just assume every penny of revenue lines your pockets just for turning on a camera.

[@bigmacmach1185]

Great video, thank you for being clear and forthcoming about this. Love the channels. Keep it up guys!

[@derek6947]

Thanks for the information. The era of new successful KZbin channels is probably over.

[@danielleslie6771]

@tfl, have you ever thought of making videos on rumble? they pay good as well

[@bcosVic]

Thanks for sharing this information - explains Harry's Garage (one man production) and the late lamented Carfection. Keep your videos coming!

[@CharlesAnsman]

I think your doing a great job !

[@eyesurgeon69]

Consider moving some of your content to twitter. They're paying content creators and it seems like that could become the next youtube, as youtube itself is strangling creators.

[@MinnesotaPikeVideos]

I enjoyed this video. Thank you!

[@mattstaron1073]

Thanks for the video. Very interesting.

[@machfive916]

Thank you for sharing, as I have always wondered how much money TFL made on their videos. Great topic.

[@joneclegg]

I feel like this is the beginning of the end for this channel. I've loved them for a long time, but the scene is changing, and they'll probably have to make some big adjustments.

[@ritch97x]

Appreciate the transparency, keep up the great work!

[@C5Cse7en]

Love you guys! esp the vette content