the truth of what youtube pays

[@leah3801]

"I'm going to unionize." Bless, I love how William manages to be funny in just little text only slide inserts

[@Xavis0]

Ever since his first little text insert, I look forward to seeing more. They always have great timing. Love that Amanda understands they're great and allows them.

[@falsedfaith69]

16:57

[@Hilijix]

Shoutout to William honestly, he's the real hero here

[@dragonfireartistea]

The financial reviews are for the chronically nosy people who've been here from the beginning, who just like knowing things

[@scarletbitch866]

I don't need you calling me out like that 😅

[@CatTheEpicRamenNinja]

I mean, yeah

[@carrotman]

Yeah, I'm not sure they'll have the reach of a product or an event review because they're more personal. Not that there's anything wrong with either ☺️

[@CreativeC13]

Yepppp

[@EnchantedEssays]

That and people who have teensy weensy channels like me who are curious about what it's like to be monetised! 🤭

[@Revolver258]

It’s so refreshing to hear a content creator talk about keeping costs low and maintaining cost of living as much as possible, even if your income increases. It’s probably one of the worst mistakes people make in general… keeping track of how much you’re spending is key. Thanks for making these!!!

[@Sauceyjames]

A lot of creators just do a big purchase on credit/loan and then they fall off KZbin views, only to be worse off at the end.

[@SilentNyite]

I love these breakdowns because there are precious few resources about content creator finances that don't feel like I'm being sold something so these are invaluable to me

[@nunyabusiness164]

for real

[@SC-zg6iv]

Interesting to see how the behind the scenes works. Thanks for sharing! Also, I'm an accountant. Yours isn't mad. You seem like a great client. Everything is an organized and ready to go. We only get disappointed when folks show up with the shoe box of chaos.

[@noralewis5390]

Gotta ask - what's worse? Shoebox or "I don't know how to get any documents I need".

[@SC-zg6iv]

@@noralewis5390 The shoebox. The second problem I can fix 😂

[@Zaftique]

@@SC-zg6iv I'm a bookkeeper for 5 different Old Guy contractors - I handle the shoebox so you don't have to. XD

[@SC-zg6iv]

@@Zaftique lol! And on those you have look through the grease to read the receipts 😂

[@Cab895]

$140k without brand deals... damn she's killing it

[@peachxtaehyung]

Wait how do you know? It's blurred

[@Kazooples]

You’re the only youtuber I follow that does this and I look forward to it every year, I’m so happy for you you’ve done so well! It’s so helpful for others too.

[@star2061]

I hope the "I'm just here to be annoying", shirt sold well so it can be made again. I was wearing it during my family Christmas stuff and i felt like it perfectly matched my role in the family.

[@yeetymcneety]

THANK YOU FOR THE CAPTIONS!!! I'm autistic and have really bad auditory processing issues, your captions are so helpful! It's nice to see someone do manual captions rather than the shitty auto-caption or just no captions at all, to me it feels like you put more care into your content. Keep up the great work and I wish you a good 2023 here!! :)

[@rikkipoynter]

I second this.

[@rebeccatomlin3916]

Can assure the “tent-pole” videos section would’ve been HORRIBLE by auto caption.

[@justinhamilton8647]

me too i love the captions i am hard of hearing and i truly appreciate the amazing subtitles amanda really doesn’t have to add them and she does anyway she’s amazing

[@CMarieMuse]

it's refreshing that you're so transparent but lord it's rough seeing my yearly gross in a single month lmao. I wish I had the personality and the passion to do this type of stuff, it's awesome that you're able to

[@Tvd97]

As an accountant, I love these videos. You give a lot of great advice that sadly a lot of people either never get or choose not to hear. Also love the fact that you view things in terms of how many hours it would have taken at a normal job. I use to do that when purchasing items, and it really helped determine if an item was worth it for me.

[@mojo.adventures]

Thank you for this video 👍 Unrelated niche here, but going through the "quitting youtube" video binge and this was a suggested vid. We are hitting the exact opposite cycle shown in your graph here!Views were great, steady 200k-500k average and now since the start of the year a 10k video is good. RPM dropped around $5 while CPM has remained the same (KZbin will try to explain this off in support chat). In a way it's been a blessing because it pushed us off platform to start other ventures (merch, patreon, thatch guide, etc). Since this happened, we are realizing what you are saying here by diversifying and not relying on even sponsorships. Many other creators push the sponsorships hard because KZbin is returning less and less to its creators. Ever since the "invalid traffic" glitch things just different with the algo. Sometimes I think we need a creators union around here to get some stability (shout out the video editor, I'm with you!)🤣✊We haven't even accepted any sponsorships yet because most are completely unrelated brands. Thoroughly enjoyed your breakdown though, even after we've seen 20 of these "how much does youtube pay" videos! Cheers~ ✌

[@lisahoshowsky4251]

This is 100% not bragging. I’m not a KZbinr but I am a small business owner and I really appreciate you taking the time to talk about this as openly as you feel comfortable and giving clarity to those looking to get into this. I think it’s probably reassuring to smaller creators getting into it as well as a nice break down of a few essential basics that can help others be successful as well as how to diversify your revenue streams. This just feels like someone with experience taking you under their wing and being open with them about how things work and demystifying the experience. I basically equate this to talking with your co-workers to make sure you’re all being fairly compensated so the company can’t screw you over which is a good thing to do🤷‍♀️🙌💜

[@skylarkblue1]

As someone who's hard of hearing I very much appreciate you having proper captions on your videos (and having them so speedily added to videos, very very few channels do that!). It's not perfect and does often mess up (including on this video lol), but I have seen a LOT worse out there, some channels have subtitles that are miles worse than youtube's own automated subs!

[@shadycatz85]

i also feel like amanda speaks so clearly that youtube autocaptions work super well for her!

[@softwaifu]

For real, same 🤍

[@hawiiankiwi]

I enjoy these videos from you because it doesn’t feel like bragging it more just an informative look at content creating. Others it does feel like bragging and telling ppl they should do it without talking about the time or negative outcomes that come from it. I was helping my friend with content creating and it is just not for me but I love seeing that it works for others. And I’m glad u are able to make this your job and I enjoy watching your videos and help me make informed purchasing decisions. Love y’a! Here’s to hoping 2023 is good to u too!

[@weirdhousewivesclub]

You are one of the creators for whom I am consistently interested in almost all content you upload bc the broad range of topics you cover often meshes with mine or if I don't know about them, you cover them from a really neat angle. The expenses you have are not surprising to me and in fact I find it impressive that you've been able to maintain your consistency to your style of content without falling into the trap many creators do of splashing out a ton of money into content blindly, hoping for a return.

[@ladynoluck]

It’s not bragging. It’s just really cool insight/giving us an inside look at something, which is what most of your content already is. ☺️

[@--julian_]

and i like that she does not say like "ugh being an influencer is so hard"

[@bearman1625]

I think William needs a raise.

[@princessmanitari4993]

are you a part of that union?

[@cantevenandrew]

Better yet, are you William?😂

[@l.s.11]

I too think William needs a raise! And that makes two of us. (and this is totally not William's second account)

[@beanman3290]

i agree william definitely deserves a raise

[@kneau]

3:28 Hi Amanda! Authenticity can often be checked via logo plaque. Must be the same color as the bag: ☑️ Must mention Prada: ☑️ Must mention Milano: ? Must mention Dal 1913: ? So far? Inconclusive, yet that's only because I cannot discern everything on your bag's exterior plaque. The hardware ought to have branding as well; the zippers likely displaying Lampo, YKK, Riri, Opti or Ipi. Unfamiliar with the shop you mention, I'm curious to know if these are being sold as new or secondhand? This probably gives it away, since new bags are designed to contain a "sealed authenticity card" with that specific bag's serial number. There's an interior "plaque" as well, though I'm starting to get carried away.

[@bribabyzeroni]

I’m not sure if you’d ever see this but your financial reviews help SO much as someone who wants to do what you do! Not just content wise but generally discussing things from a sociological perspective as well. thanks for uploading it even if you weren’t going to!

[@andienoya]

The audience for these videos may be smaller but we are DEDICATED 😤

[@siegejohnson]

I think the people who find this video interesting are a niche subset of your usual audience, but please keep these annual reviews going as long as you're comfortable doing so! The financial transparency is both refreshing and resourceful(:

[@seanthebluesheep]

As much as sponsorships are probably the most interesting thing from an outside perspective, it's definitely understandable that you don't share them since there are actual contracts involved. Equally though I desperately want someone to spill the beans on how much these companies pay per 100k subscribers/views.

[@daniellebittner13]

I'm definitely one of the people that excited waits for January, cuz I know you'll post a financial breakdown. The analytics are always so interesting, and the transparency is very appreciated. Can't wait till next years! XD

[@danad474]

I’m nosy and this is the iconic transparency I watch for

[@izzymiller2058]

As a graphic designer it would be a DREAM to work with you Swell! Hope this is something we are notified of in the future!

[@Indigochan]

It is so refreshing and lovely to hear someone who's a content creator be so honest and up front about how much they make from their work- I really appreciate these videos!

[@beec6801]

thank you for captions amanda! its something so few youtubers, even incredibly popular ones, put an effort into. im not hearing impaired at all but i always always always watch with captions when i can because its easier for me to focus, so thank you!!!

[@YoBGS]

This video is like the vision board for us creators stuck just under 100k. It’s always cool to see this breakdown and what to aspire to.

[@gingerseed123]

honestly love how transparent you are in regards to how much your videos make

[@azerol33power]

Please keep doing these, it puts a realistic true perspective on content creation, and you are one of the only creators I trust on this app lol

[@jcobb2073]

Love seeing behind the curtain, very few creators share these metrics in an accessible way. It's also super encouraging that you don't need to have 1mil subscribers to make a living on youtube! Thanks for making swell content.

[@animeaftermidnight2765]

Random comment but those purple stone earrings you're wearing are STUNNING and they really look good on your skin tone and eye color. Idk anything about color theory but that particular purple is super lovely on you!

[@XxdextriousxX]

21K for one month made my jaw drop. Like I know compared to like bigger YTers that’s not a lot but definitely a lot more than the average working person thanks for the honesty

[@andymcnamar2339]

i'm glad u mentioned captions! i really appreciate that you have captions, i see a lot of youtubers that are much bigger than you who don't have captions or have a lot of mistakes in the captions. i haven't noticed any mistakes in your subtitles and i've been watching for a while.

[@hocuspocusfocus6229]

4:41 Release the Umms Cut!

[@emikosakabu]

I just wanted to say I really appreciate your captions!!! Most people choose to use automatic captioning and they're so much harder to read and don't often work and that stops me from watching a lot of videos. As a hard of hearing person captioning is essential for me and I really appreciate when someone takes the effort to make their videos accessible, thank you!!

[@joannediaz2055]

Hey Amanda! You mentioned the jury is out on streaming vs. static content because of the volume of playback watches… I almost never watch streams live. However, I do watch them when it is integrated with the channels normal content. For example, taking this specific video and doing it as a live stream would probably work, because the same people that are interested in the financials are going to be interested no matter what. They would watch the playback because they want to know how much money you made.

[@Zombie_Problem]

Prada bag, take a close look at the stitching, it will be perfect if genuine.

[@Som1stolemycookie]

Honestly even if you are bragging I think you're allowed to. You are a great happy medium between a friend telling me about stuff and a journalist. A fair but honest look at things

[@migoreng7789]

that bag looks like Prada Saffiano Lux Small Leather Double Zip Tote. from what i noticed when you showed it, it matches the typical heavy finish Prada saffiano bags have, basically they stamp a certain pattern on the leather along with waterproofing. they make it in maaany colors, if you look up the name of the bag a lot of results pop up, it comes in bunch of sizes too - your seems to be the small one

[@kneau]

I wish the exterior plaque were in better focus, based on what it looks like out of focus -- I say it's fake, though I've got no grief with Amanda.

[@migoreng7789]

@@kneau true! tbh it could be one of those outlet versions. when they make low quality stuff to sell in their official outlet stores because people think it's the real deal and 'just bit damaged' i just wish people were more informed on leather because those designer bags are supposedly leather but the finish either buries the beauty of it or is heavy to cover up they used low quality materials 🤡

[@itsapplepai]

I look forward to these so much every year! Your very candid transparency is always so appealing, plus the bonus of pride getting to see you grow from year to year. Also, thank you soooo much for your consistent captions!!

[@VeronicAM313]

*laughs* I'm here for William unionizing! Edit: I've heard people say how inconsistent Tiktok is with paying their creators and it does make me think about not putting a lot of effort into it.

[@cuppaint]

The good thing about tiktoks is you can post them to youtube shorts. that's what I've been doing and even though I don't get nearly as many views as on tiktok its worth it to me because I've been gaining subscribers for the first time in years

[@VeronicAM313]

@@cuppaint Wait, I didn't think about putting my tiktoks on KZbin shorts. 🥲 BRB.

[@vinnm4516]

For anyone wondering about the bag: It's a Prada Galleria Mini that appears to be a rarer version of burgundy. From what I can see it looks like the burgundy bags photograph very differently in different kinds of lighting, going from a brighter red to a kind of moody brown with the browner ones being older. It looks like as fashion trended towards brighter colors they might have tweaked the dye to be brighter. While obviously none of us are holding the bag and can't make any formal judgements there ARE some Prada Galleria Mini's that do have a similar coloring. Real or not it's a good looking bag!

[@WiscoDbo]

Now time to pick up the expensive hobby of being a barista at home and buy a $2k espresso machine, so we don't have to.

[@annasullivan2564]

That's a dangerous hole to fall into though, because it's not just about buying a machine, especially if it's a good quality machine worth having. It's normal to end up spending a lot of money just on a good grinder as well, plus all the other equipment you need. And then you start seeing what you want to upgrade...

[@OfficialBabygirlEnterprises]

The Prada is a Burgundy Saffiano

[@stephanielarson6686]

I like hearing your voice, it's got such a friendly cadence that makes it easy to listen and learn but also clean my house. So honestly I'll watch pretty all your videos, including the yearly reviews! I think it's cool to see how it looks from the creators point of view too

[@justmonika1]

I appreciate these videos, not enough people talk about the business side of being a content creator, people only get shown the flashy stuff.

[@abalkkeesa]

I know you said these videos don’t perform well, but THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR MAKING THEM! I kept refreshing your channel the last few weeks because I was so excited.

[@kevin10001]

These videos are good to show how KZbin runs from a creator perspective cause it not something creators talk about often

[@theylienn]

Please never stop doing these, the information is fascinating and I love coming back to these each year, I think I've been subbed since just before the pandemic and it's been fascinating to watch your channel grow and to listen to your experience of being a creator here on KZbin and I personally think you're making some of the most useful content surrounding financials and other details surrounding the creator landscape and I honestly really appreciate the work you do with these reports as well as the rest of your videos.

[@Marmar-1212]

I love seeing these and I definitely don’t think it’s bragging, and I think it shows that you really do put so much work into this channel and you deserve every penny! So glad I found your channel in 2022

[@vadalia3860]

I have absolutely no intention or desire to become a YT content creator but I do find these videos fascinating as someone who just likes finance stuff. Shout out to you for making captions such a priority- that's awesome!

[@joles8]

really nice to see you being successful on youtube

[@nickisaac8671]

This video took me from a viewer to a subscriber. I appreciate the transparency and honest talk about what it takes to be an LA based creator, your story telling is great to get me interested in the experiences even if I don't know who the people are at Ace Fest or who's participating at Chess Boxing, and I will buy a 'Williams Union' shirt the second it's on the FourthWall.

[@maurinet2291]

I randomly found your Gone Girl Cruise video, because I follow a lot of cruising, and stayed for the rest. Love the convention reviews and would be interested in more travel type stuff. Love your practicality and willingness to tell all in whatever content you make.

[@ColossalKiwi]

As a fellow creator who is looking at branching out (gaming RPMs are painful), I always appreciate these videos every year.

[@evangosse471]

I love seeing you talk about your finances. I just like data in general.

[@samanthaandal6580]

as someone who only found your channel last year, i only just recently saw one of your financial roundup videos last month when i was going through your whole back catalog (KZbin doesn't promote that video on my homepage, it's usually your product or event reviews). i found it fascinating and really educational and i'm really glad you made one again for this year. i'm excited for what's about to be my first full year subscribed to your channel and am looking forward to watching it grow even more!!

[@msABEARRRRR]

I think I became an active subscriber during your boom in July. It's been fun watching your deep dives into new experiences, products and pop culture. Thank you for the insight!!!

[@MarcusTSMarcus]

My favourite videos are probably the ones where you discuss something obscure from TikTok or the like. I am happy to see that those are doing well for you profit wise. I am looking forward to seeing your work from the coming year!

[@ishimao1184]

19:53 "'merika" captions into "markup" made me laugh. Glad you had a good year! Hope this year treats you well

[@Zimmertwin]

I get really anxious when I drive and I listen to your videos like a podcast and it helps a lot! Thanks for doing these!

[@jabtrack123]

I went back thru your videos and realized I hadn’t seen any of your vids before July but nearly all since then. The algorithm is wild

[@yusmiffins]

Not bragging, pay transparency is so important. i love this. I wish you did talk about sponsorships. I also think it's good to remind/explain how 1099s result in 30% taxes after the fact - I believe you have to pay ~30% of that $140k to taxes yourself?

[@ctcstan1406]

I love the financial review! I'm a poor undergrad from Spain but I still find it so fascinating haha. Been watching you since tanacon btw

[@racheldare.]

honestly I just like listening to Amanda talk I don’t care what the topic is

[@moira329]

I enjoy these videos because you break everything down great. As for analytics I find it very interesting to see trends and how during some parts of the year ad revenue is up or down.

[@AmericanTouristAbroad]

Thanks for sharing this info. 😊

[@repulseiv]

I'm a little sad that you don't share sponsorship info, it would help a lot of new content creators estimate their value. Still, I appreciate the information that you did share

[@Pr0d3gi]

the contracts prevent you from doing that

[@repulseiv]

@@Pr0d3gi ohh ok, that sucks even more then.

[@killler240]

@BobHopeIsGod they prevent you saying how much from them. If a total is said it is fine since you cannot pinpoint who

[@kayc7298]

I think financial reviews are cool because it tell you about KZbin as a platform and with a new majority of kids saying they wanna be a KZbinr, these are informative to see the type of lifestyle you can live on the income of a KZbinr

[@iwantmoretoys9178]

Found your channel this year and love it. Also for fake bags check the inside. The fake bags don't put the effort to make it as good as it should be.

[@alexdawson2738]

I like getting actual information cause so many other youtubers treat it like it some kind of trade secret. Also I had a good giggle at waching Siri on your computer behind you pop on. But thank you for putting this info out there it is very helpful and insightful.

[@toaofender]

Bless your editor and his lovely follow up notes

[@ryllharu]

I love that you do these because no one else does.

[@thesingularityseed]

I really appreciate these videos! I don't plan on doing youtube or anything, but I always find these inside looks super interesting. And it's pretty neat to see how the numbers grow.

[@AceIsInLastPlace]

to be honest I would like to know more about your sponsorships. But not just the pay from the sponsorships, the process of it, how you negotiate price, genuinely just the overall process.

[@Sam_on_YouTube]

These are really a great service to help with media literacy and business education. Knowing where content creators get their money, what brings it in and how much, helps knowing the motivations of the people telling you things which is critical in evaluating what they say. It is also really helpful for anyone who may have unrealistic views of this business and may try to model behavior based on that to change those views. As a parent raising kids on the internet, I appreciate this. They are not old enough and don't really have the interest to watch your channel, but it helps me to make sure they understand what they're watching as I talk to them about it. Thank you.

[@theadventuresofzoomandbettie]

i fricken love these financial youtube videos. keep doing them

[@undesputedkg]

Very useful to see videos like this which are made by people who are clearly not the biggest creators but are clearly not doing something else full time.

[@Yotsubaandmochi]

I've seen other creators say they'll go over how much they make and they give estimates and wiggly numbers. I appreciate your hard numbers! I also appreciate the subtitles. I have a really hard time hearing/comprehending everything that is said without them, even though I'm a native English speaker.

[@meganhw-muse]

You have informed me on such interesting pop culture topics over the past few years! I like this video specifically because it gives a realistic view of what it takes to make a living as a content creator. Thanks Amanda!

[@blufluffya_496]

This is not bragging, the intent is very clearly to deliver insights, not to boast about it

[@MJ-98]

I've never seen these financial reviews (new subscriber within 2022), but I appreciate the idea! There are about 3 people who talk about the business of KZbin on here so. Plus, this is helpful for anyone who may be interested in trying to do KZbin.

[@trillian7590]

William... we need an "Ummm" Supercut

[@codasylphanthi2187]

I love William's snarky asides from the editing room.

[@enhunter82]

Love that I got distracted and paused this video to go watch your TikToks!

[@a.p.4993]

Even if someone were to assume you are bragging (which I don’t think u are imo), this is still super helpful and frankly encouraging info to have. To know that someone at a level I desire to be at someday is being transparent about their income helps solidify my drive ya know

[@Raicheru13]

Thank you so much for doing this. I avoided watching your other breakdowns because I felt like I was being intrusive. But my curiosity got the better of me this time. I may have cried a little when you talked about what you made in July last year. I've been fortunate enough to get a significant increase recently so financially, I'm finally solid. But that July amount is what I used to make in a whole year from a full time, 40 hour/week job.

[@Shyguy624]

Ngl I was waiting for this video to come out I find Financials so interesting to watch, it's very cool to see your different income streams

[@AlyGhostface]

The thank you at the end was very sweet - thanks Amanda 😊 happy to be here!

[@jollynaut]

Hey amanda just wanted to say thanks for the nice videos. Your content keeps me entertained while i eat or cook. Also i really appreciate how honest and transparent you are with your content i feel like thats a quality a lot of creators are still missing. Wish you a successful 2023

[@AmmyWolfable]

I think for sponsorship if you ever share them, you could mention the total amount made. No break down just the total

[@thestormwar]

I just wanted to pop in and say I always love to watch these videos of yours. I've been watching since 2019 and I like to see behind the scenes since so few creators outside the financial space talk about these kinds of things. Can't wait till next year's!!

[@glosstial]

I love captioning, thank you!

[@SunnyMuffinsRox]

seeing you thrive is fucking amazing amanda! Love your honesty and transparency

[@sbr2439]

I appreciate your transparency! We've been conditioned to not share our earnings since it keeps the Capitalist machine running, so thanks :)

[@y-yyy]

Always love the captions

[@akchica907]

Thank-you! I enjoy seeing how much you make! It's not bragging, it's reality. And I love seeing your hard work rewarded

[@theangryricefarmer6715]

I love the transparency. It's part of why I love your content