How YouTube Saved a Photographer in 2020

2020 was horrible for a lot of photographers, leading many of us to work on finding alternate income streams to shore up our businesses. For one photographer, this meant leaning more heavily on his YouTube channel, and this fantastic video breakdown shows you how he generated income through his channel and offers some tips for how to do so with your own work.

Coming to you from John Branch IV Photography, this informative video features him discussing how he turned to YouTube to save his income after 2020 saw him lose 75% of his wedding photography business due to the pandemic (dropping from about $120,000 to $30,000), including a breakdown of his income, which consisted of ad revenue, affiliate money, and merchandise. It also offers some tips on how to achieve this yourself. What I find really fascinating is that his channel does not necessarily have blockbuster levels of views; do not get me wrong, it definitely does well, but it is not drawing in millions per video like some more well-known channels. It goes to show that consistent content with high production value; expert commentary, instruction, and insights; and a genuine approach that builds a loyal audience can go a long way. Check out the video above for the breakdown and a lot of insightful advice. 

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

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2 Comments

That's some insane revenue per view, good lord.

Perfect roadmap and I appreciate his candidness about the money. Anyone who may have been on the fence about starting a youtube channel (like myself) will hopefully see this as the final push they need to get started. Thanks for sharing. https://www.photosophic.com