In the beauty industry, being face-to-face with clients is a daily requirement. No matter what you’re doing, whether it's giving a haircut, eyebrow wax, or facial, you have to be inches away from your customer to do your job properly.

However, during this global pandemic, social distancing is still the law of the land. It’s a difficult reality that threatens the collapse of appointment-based work, but at the same time, it provides an interesting opportunity to grow and adapt.

If you're looking for ways to diversify your income, now’s the time to create a value-driven YouTube channel. Making videos around your beauty expertise is a great way to make money, and you can earn in multiple ways: AdSense revenue, affiliate marketing, live stream Super Chats, and more.

But before you press record on your camera, it’s helpful to learn the basics of running a successful YouTube channel. Here on the 

, we have a number of tutorials that are extremely useful for beginners.

Once you’ve done that, the next step is to learn from the best! Keep reading to see how top-notch beauty gurus make money on YouTube.

Lana Summer: Cashing In On YouTube Keyword Trends

, currently at 371K YouTube subscribers, uploads videos about the full beauty experience, from hair to makeup to skin care to fashion. But if you didn’t know that, her channel banner instantly communicates that fact. Nestled between delicate pink flowers, and right below Lana’s name, six powerful words tell you everything you need to know: “lessons in curls, beauty, and happiness.”

Of all the ways Lana is making money on YouTube, we’ll focus on her hairdressing skills. On her channel, viewers can browse hair tutorials of all kinds: mini-twists, wigs, braids, hair straightening, and more.

When salons shuttered during the pandemic, Lana uploaded a haircut tutorial that was extremely useful and relevant. Even though many creators were making these kinds of videos, (and keyword competition was high), she still managed to get over 23,000 views on her haircut tutorial (below):

Talking of hair cutting tutorials, what kind of terms have viewers been searching for on YouTube around DIY haircuts? We ran the phrase ‘how to cut your own hair’ through vidIQ’s own 

 and these are the top 15 keyphrases for the past 30 days:

Around 538K viewers searched for ‘how to cut your own hair’ in the last month alone, but with long tail queries and variations in keywords use, searches around this topic amount to millions.

That's a golden tip for any hair dresser, hair colourist, or barber. Viewers are actively searching for tutorial content that perhaps only you can provide!

We also checked Google Trends for YouTube, and search interest in the phrases 

‘how to cut your own hair’, 'haircut tutorial,' and 'how to cut hair at home'

 all, unsurprisingly, spiked in March and April 2020 around the world:

So, according to both Google Trends and vidIQ statistics, a massive amount of people are searching (and could keep searching) for hair care content!

As a beauty professional, you have the expertise to create these kinds of videos, upload them to YouTube, and monetize them to make extra income. Now, let's take a look at another couple of people creators:

Michelle Marino: From Beauty Facials to Increased Finances

 creates beauty, style, and health videos. She’s reached many milestones on her growing channel, and the 40.8K subscribers she’s earned over the years is proof of that. If you specialize in skincare, her channel is a great source of inspiration for starting your own YouTube journey as a beauty professional.

Furthermore, if you offer facials as a part of your business, watch the video below. Michelle shows her viewers how to give themselves a facial at home and combat stress acne, which she says can happen during social isolation. As some people cut back on close-contact services, such as skin-healing treatments, this is a great example of the kind of content you could be making and monetizing on YouTube:

In addition to that, every video provides an opportunity to guide viewers to another income stream you’ve set up. For example, in the description of the above video, Michelle has various affiliate links for viewers to purchase products she endorses. And every time one of her viewers makes a purchase, she earns a commission.

Sona Gasparian: Makeup Tutorials For Any Occasion

 has a massive following of 762K YouTube subscribers. But don’t let that number intimidate you. As we saw with Michelle Marino and Lana Summer, creating the right kind of content can help beginners to intermediate YouTubers reach new heights on the platform.

On her channel, Sona uses her status as a professional makeup artist to produce high-quality videos on skincare, hair care, and fashion. However, one of her makeup videos in particular is extremely relevant to professionals that work from home.

In the video below, Sona gives a tutorial on how to look presentable in a video conference:

Do your clients have a work from home makeup routine? If so, could it be better, faster, and a tad more glamorous? Create a YouTube channel and invite your clients to subscribe.

With consistent effort, you can use your network of customers to eventually earn the 

Watch Time requirements for monetizing your videos

Extra Ways to Make Money Online From Your Beauty Skills

As you grow your YouTube channel, you’ll have the ability to take your audience with you across the internet. If you want to make money beyond AdSense revenue, there are a few ways to do that as a beauty professional:

Give beauty tutorials on Zoom, Google Hangouts, etc.

Create courses for other aspiring beauty professionals

No matter what your expertise is in the beauty industry, you can use your skillset to make money on YouTube. All it takes is the right YouTube education, a knack for creating helpful videos, and a passion for building your online platform.

If you want more insights into YouTube then make sure to download vidIQ. Over 1 million creators use vidIQ to help with keyword and competitor research, channel audits, and so much more. 

Set of makeup brushes with powder residue on a dark textured surface.

Beauty content is one of the most viewed verticals on YouTube. If you’re a beauty professional, it’s time to start cashing in.

How to Make Money on YouTube as a Beauty Professional

It’s been an incredibly disruptive and turbulent past few months, what with the 

, and the coronavirus pandemic. But at last, we have some great news: Firing someone for being gay or transgender is now officially illegal in the U.S.

On June 15th 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that the 

 totally protects workers against this type of discrimination. It’s a decision that couldn’t have come at a better time because right now, it’s 

. And to commemorate that fact, millions of people are celebrating the decision, with LGBTQ communities across the country are attending (often virtual) parties, parades, workshops, concerts, and more.

But while there are celebrations to be had, Pride Month has its own deeper historical significance. One of which is to memorialize the 

, which set a firecracker under the gay liberation movement.

On YouTube, the result of these triumphs is clear. Every day, more creators feel empowered to celebrate their sexual/gender identity before millions of viewers. It’s an incredible thing to witness because hands down, there’s no greater joy than living an authentic life.

To celebrate those who do that extremely well, we’re here to uplift some amazing YouTubers. Coming right up, here are three creators who make the LGBTQIA community proud, day in, and day out.

 is a transgender activist, as well as a talented illustrator. On her YouTube channel, she boldly uploads videos about race, sex positivity, gender, art, and more.

Never one to shy away from tough conversations, she makes videos most people wouldn’t have the nerve to share on the internet, such as “

” and “Am I Too Sex Positive” (see below).

It’s fearless content like this that makes Kat Blaque a gift to the LGBTQ community. One of her best contributions is her ability to champion transgender women while refusing to succumb to one, constricting identity.

For example, Kat is a Black trans woman, but as you’ll discover when watching her videos, she doesn’t feel the need to choose one identity over the other. And while the world may want that, Kat is not giving in to societal pressure. In the intro of her video, “Do I Even Belong In The Black Community?”, she states:

“I think sometimes when you’re LGBTQIA+ and you’re Black, you feel like you have to choose between being Black or LGBTQIA. You feel that way because a lot of Black people’s attitudes toward it is, ‘Oh, we don’t do that.”

. Judging by her content, she seems to be secure in her Pride - and the LGBTQ community needs people like her to look up to.

vlog channel with over 9.3M subscribers and 2B views

, long-time YouTube creator Joey Graceffa runs a 

 with 2.65M subscribers. Almost daily, he uploads fun streams from popular titles such as Minecraft, Roblox, and The Sims.

Joey, who identifies as gay and who came out publically in May 2015, uploads insanely fun gameplay.

One thing that stands out about Joey and his videos is that you don’t have to be a hardcore gamer to enjoy them. He mostly plays Minecraft, and seasoned gamers as well as newcomers will appreciate the light-hearted commentary in his streams.

In one such video (above), fed up with the state of his Minecraft farm, Joey chops down a massive sugarcane field. As a viewer, seeing the giant stalks come down is immensely satisfying, but not as much as Joey’s reaction to it all.

 that's generated over 2.4M subscribers, and 333M views, Hannah Hart has a powerful platform to discuss, promote, and celebrate LGBTQ topics.

Much of her content videos speak directly to the LGBTQ+ community, including a Playlist titled 

 which, to date, houses 37 of those videos. Between topics like “

,” and "Perks of Dating a Girl," (below), the list of videos in this Playlist is pretty comprehensive.

That alone makes Hannah Hart an inspiring queer creator. She’s loud and proud about who she is (an engaged lesbian), and her content aims to either inform or entertain members of the LGBTQ community.

As Pride month continues, give the YouTube channels of these creators a visit, as well as any others that inspire you. These three are pretty awesome themselves, but there are plenty more to celebrate all year long.

 then make sure to download vidIQ. Over 1 million creators use vidIQ to help with keyword and competitor research, channel audits, and so much more. 

If you’re serious about growing your YouTube views and subscribers, sign up for exclusive access to the 

. Learn how to launch a successful YouTube Channel in just 30 days.

Crowd with raised hands celebrating under a vibrant rainbow flag at a lively event.

Pride Month is a celebration of LGBTG+ voices and communities across the U.S. Let's take a look at some of the top LGBTG creators on YouTube.

3 LGBTQ+ YouTubers to Watch & Celebrate in Pride Month

For all the parents out there, how are your kids holding up? Are they growing restless with all the time spent indoors and need something exciting to do?

If the answer is yes, YouTube hears you, sees you, and wants you to know that help is on the way. To ease the disappointment of a summer indoors, the platform is launching 

, a learning program for kids to safely learn, grow, and have fun.

This virtual experience could replace in-person camps that temporarily closed due to the coronavirus. To that end, YouTube will provide a balance of fun content that inspires kids to stay active, as well as educational lessons to help them grow.

The platform will organize these video experiences into four categories: STEM, the arts, sports, and adventure.

YouTube’s science, technology, engineering, and mathematics camp is about learning and 

. For families with teenagers, the STEM for teens section contains videos on topics like space exploration, how to build a robot, and surprisingly, how to make a lemon battery. These videos come from a range of well-known channels. 

, and Adam Savage’s Tested (below) are just a few of the information hubs that will help teens appreciate STEM.

Additionally, Camp YouTube also has STEM content for children under 13. These younger students will learn how to cook up slime, where black holes come from, what happens to the human body in space, and more.

YouTube’s art camp is an exciting place for kids to explore their inner creativity. Some of the videos that stand out in the teens section include a creative writing workshop and a 10-day guitar starter course. For the videos catering to kids under 13, there are DIY challenges, lessons on drawing, cooking tutorials, and more.

In this section’s description, YouTube says the arts camp will foster self-expression, and that certainly seems to be the case. If any kid wanted to grow creatively, from a visual or performing arts perspective, this would be the place to do it.

It’s going to get noisy for this virtual 

, but that’s OK, right? It’s a good idea to move your nice rugs, coffee tables, and lamps out of the way, because here, you can expect everything from running drills to basic soccer moves.

The video content for both age groups is pretty exciting. On the teen side, a baseball history overview and football training tips are just two videos that could potentially hook young viewers. Also, there’s an ultimate kickball lesson that looks like an absolute blast for anyone, kid or adult.

One of the unexpected benefits of the sports camp is that it contains videos on meditation. You can find them in both the teen and under 13 sections, and YouTube did a great thing by adding this wellness content - especially when kids are cooped up inside.

 helps kids appreciate the natural wonders around them, big and small. They’ll learn about what to bring when going on a hiking trip, the fun activities they can do outdoors, nocturnal wildlife, and more.

While the goal of this camp is to bring the outside world inside, kids could take some of these lessons to the backyard too. There are photography adventure videos that kids could repeat in their own neighborhoods, as well as a guide for using binoculars.

The STEM, Arts, Sports, and Adventure sections make up the bulk of Camp YouTube, but the program has even more benefits, such as:

Campfire talks on race and discrimination

Break time clips that share snack recipes or craft ideas

Traditional summer camps are risky during a pandemic, but Camp YouTube is a great alternative to explore. It inspires kids to learn new things and get moving physically, which is exactly what summertime is all about.

Smiling girl with raised arm and space doodles near YouTube play button on blackboard background

After a long few months of lockdown and homeschooling, YouTube wants to bring the excitement back to learning with its new Summer Camp

YouTube Brings on the Learning & Fun with its Summer Camp Initiative

The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and many other Black people at the hands of the police and others, have sparked protests and riots across the world.

But outside of their families, and local communities, the names of those who have died still might not be as widely known by the public without video evidence. But when racial injustice goes viral, it amplifies conversations about inequality in ways that the justice system does not and can not.

Following the death of George Floyd, social movements were initiated, fundraisers were organized, and new laws were penned to create change. It’s almost too magnificent to believe, but that’s 

YouTube seems to understand this more than any brand. As a pioneer of online video, the company is using its platform to support anti-racism - both independently and with the help of talented creators.

To help spread the word, we’re highlighting important conversations from creators, plus what YouTube is doing to help. Keep scrolling to hear their perspectives, then do everything you can to support the 

 is highlighting racial justice issues. These featured videos, which you can view as playlists on YouTube’s own channel, share perspectives from Black creators, educational resources, and historical viewpoints on race.

Here are the 10 Playlists YouTube is promoting:

How to Talk to Kids About Racial Injustice

The videos within these playlists, namely “

”, discuss what it’s like to be Black in America. These featured creators talk about why Black people are angry and tired, what Black Lives Matter protests are really about, how to stay positive during dark times, and more.

Marques Brownlee on Tokenism and Racial Profiling

In terms of YouTubers creating conversations around racism and inequality, top tech expert 

 explains the loneliness of being the only Black person in white spaces. In a video published on June 4th, he taps into his youth, expressing his love for golf, ultimate frisbee, and making tech videos.

Although these things were great in the beginning, Marques confirms that as you climb the ranks, there’s much less diversity.

As a result, he began to question everything. Did he make the professional ultimate frisbee team because he was good enough? Or were decision-makers using his skin color to satisfy diversity quotas?

Being a competitor was almost enough to distract him from those worries, Brownlee says. Almost. He’d snap back to reality while driving away from practices, hyperaware of how he could be stopped by police for next to nothing.

To Brownlee, this painful duality—being tokenized but also hunted by authorities isn’t something we should try to disprove. He states:

“Not only is racism obviously unacceptable, but we also have to actively work against it. There’s always, somehow, people twisting that, making it political, making it a two-sided thing. I don’t understand how being anti-racist can possibly be controversial.”

Uninterrupted on the De-humanization of Black Athletes

, a sports network co-founded by Lebron James is also front and center of the conversation. The publisher uploaded a video on June 12th imploring sports fans to view professional athletes as more than just their jobs.

The video addresses the paradox of rooting for Black athletes on fields, courts, and arenas but nowhere else. It states:

“You ask us to move the chains, apply pressure, go for the jugular. You scream our names and wear our names and protect our names because we’re supposed to be family. But what about out here? Are you willing to scream for these names out here?”

Under that quote from the video, four names quickly flash across the screen: George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tamir Rice, and Trayvon Martin. Uninterrupted doesn’t hold back in its message. The moving rhetoric of the narrator gives undeniable truth to every scene on the screen.

Important Conversations: Allyship and Black Trans Lives Matter

YouTube’s Spotlight playlists are only one way to join the conversation. TV personalities Jimmy Fallon and Stephen Colbert are addressing racism on their own channels too.

By publishing videos about what it means to be anti-racist and 

, they are supporting Black lives and anti-racism.

These are great videos to watch because they normalize what allyship is supposed to be - using your platform, money, or time to dismantle racism as a non-person of color.

Nevertheless, the world has a long way to go in supporting all Black people. Often times, cisgender people carry the bulk of the conversation while members of the LGBTQ community are left out - especially Black transgender people.

Creators are addressing this too. YouTubers like Chauncey Jadore (below) and 

 are sharing their frustrations about the 

 because there are simply too many names: Riah Milton, Dominique Fells, Muhlaysia Booker, Kiki Fantroy, and Bee Love Slater, among others.

And what’s more, Black trans males are a part of that number, including the recent shooting of Tony McDade.

YouTube’s Initiative to Support Black Creators

In response to the global outcry for equality, YouTube is taking action. In a 

, she confirmed that YouTube will “amplify and develop the voices of Black creators” with a multiyear, $100M fund.

The money is already being put to use, and one of the first events was a live-streamed fundraiser called “Bear Witness, Take Action” on June 13th. It included artists and public figures such as Roxanne Gay and John Legend, as well as YouTubers 

For nearly two hours, “Bear Witness, Take Action” shared roundtable discussions, panels, and musical tributes to raise awareness for racial injustice. As of today's date, the live stream has generated over $1M.

The message from Black creators is clear: systemic racism, inequality, lack of visibility, police brutality, and other issues directly impacting Black lives need to be addressed on a global scale. Now.

YouTube is boldly amplifying that message and so should every other person, company, and brand.

Black Lives Matter word cloud highlighting racism, activism, resilience, and social justice terms.

As a pioneer in online video, YouTube is supporting #BlackLivesMatter both as a brand, and as a platform for Black creators.

Black Lives Matter: How the YouTube Community is Amplifying Black Voices

Now that summer is ending, we’re officially over the midyear hump and sliding toward the end of 2020. Considering everything that’s been going on – 

, the social isolation, and the financial uncertainty – how are you, as a YouTube creator, doing these days?

We’ve noticed that many of you are still creating on the platform and sharing your interests with the world. We’ve seen your at-home cooking tutorials, which have helped people feed their families during lockdowns. We’ve watched hours of your quarantine fitness videos to make sure we stay healthy outside the gym. 

And perhaps most importantly, we’ve absorbed your positivity during hard times, aiming to shift our perspectives just as you shifted your content to help others.

With that being said, you can’t continue to do for others without checking on yourself first. Creator burnout, especially on YouTube, is a real thing. If you’ve been pushing through stressful situations to upload non-stop, it’s time to take inventory of where you are right now, both mentally and physically.

 CEO Josh Zimmerman spoke to us about the 

 and urged stressed creators to take the time to recalibrate.

vidIQ: Thanks for joining us, Josh. What are some of the things that may be contributing to creator burnout, particularly during COVID-19 and everything else that’s happening in the world right now?

Josh: COVID-19 has really just magnified all the circumstances that would normally lead to 

. All of us have had our routine and normalcy taken away from us (which has been a good thing because it's helping us protect others.) However, that’s forced many of us to blend our work-life balance in a way we’ve never had to before.

For creators, their work-life is already blended. So, a lot of people would assume, well, hey, this is not going to affect them, but it does because of a few things. CPMs are down, brand deals have been off the table, but at the same time, those creators still have expenses that need to be covered. The bigger channels may have a production team or a manager or agent that still needs to be paid. And of course, the need to pay taxes on income earned from YouTube never goes away.

What I’ve been seeing over the past few months is that YouTube views and watch time is up because people have been watching more content, but potential ad revenue has decreased so there’s a huge disparity happening here. Now, for creators to make up that deficit, they’re having to turn out two or three times the amount of content, just to make the money they were getting last year.

This is a hugely stressful position to be in. And when you get stressed, your body releases adrenaline, and there's only so much adrenaline in your body before your adrenals are tapped out. Once that happens, your brain and body go, "Oh, we got to replace this with something." So, it replaces it with cortisol, a chemical that induces fight, flight or freeze, but also blocks neurotransmitters of creativity. It’s a vicious cycle for any creator to find themselves in.

vidIQ: What are the early warning signs of burnout?

Josh: That's a really, really great question. One of the things that is most important when identifying whether you're burnt out is, if you think you are, then you probably are. You need to start letting that cortisol drain out by doing things that help calm and relax you. Perhaps you’ve done that in the past by socializing with friends or going to the gym, but of course, those things have been out of bounds.

I know a huge number of creators are caught on the hamster wheel right now, but I stress that if you keep going and you don't take a month or so off, how's that going to look for you? Taking a break is more than OK, otherwise, it may take you two, three, four, or even five months to fully recover from the stress. What's the worst that can happen if you take a break now.? Would you rather just step back and take care of yourself and work with a coach, or would you rather keep going and suffer and watch your channel spiral?

vidIQ: Being a YouTube creator can be quite a lonely business, can’t it?

Josh: It's one of the most lonely existences because you're often just looking into a camera, editing and uploading all by yourself, and then you do it all over again. Often, the only interaction you have is with people that you don't know. For the most part, subscribers won’t even comment, they’ll just watch then jump straight to another video.

It doesn't mean that you didn't make a difference, but you don't know. So it's very easy to be like, "Oh, I didn't do anything meaningful.” But just because they didn’t leave a comment doesn't mean your content didn't affect them. They had to log into YouTube, they had to see there was a new video, they made the decision to click on it, and perhaps sit through a couple of ads. So, they went through all of these steps just to watch. That is a huge feat in and of itself.

What people need right now is to feel connected to one another at a safe distance. And so, creators of any size have a great opportunity to spread that happiness and joy of their creativity, but they have to take care of themselves first.

vidIQ: What advice would you give to new creators who are just starting out? Perhaps those who were very enthusiastic at the start of the pandemic, and saw an opportunity to control their career and generate revenue from YouTube. But maybe two or three months into it, they're feeling demoralized or demotivated by the effect the pandemic has had on their lives and creativity.

Josh: Stay healthy. Because if you love creating and people like watching your content, you're helping more than you think. And that's the big thing; it doesn't matter how many subscribers you have, and it doesn't matter how many views you have. It only takes one view or one subscriber and suddenly there’s somebody out there in the world who’s connected with what you're saying and what you're doing.

And it's so easy to say, "Oh, only 100 subscribers, or only 100 viewers." That's 100 people! Imagine that amount of people sitting in your living room or bedroom, waiting for what you have to say! Keep going, because those 100 people are watching YOU. They're watching you for a reason because you make them happy. You give them something. And so, I would encourage those creators that are starting out to keep going.

Sometimes it takes years and years to be a success on YouTube, and unfortunately, we have a pandemic that has put a damper on everything. But what you're putting out there is helpful. So, read those comments, and engage with your audience. You’ll be amazed at why they're watching your videos, and that's going to give you the energy to keep going.

vidIQ: What advice would you have for someone who knows a creator who may be struggling right now?

Josh: I would say that the best thing that anybody can do is to reach out and check in with people you care about (whether they are a creator or not) and ask them, "Hey, how are you coping today?” Also, I would highly encourage creators to reach out to each other, and to their communities. The most successful creators are the ones who started to build their community almost from the get-go, so they know they have a section of their audience that now has their backs.

Many thanks to Josh for his insights. You can connect with him via 

Man sitting on blue sofa, looking stressed and overwhelmed, holding head in hand.

We know the last few months have been tough for many online video creators, so we're checking in to see how you're doing.

Lydia Sweatt

Posts Written By Lydia Sweatt

How to Make Money on YouTube as a Beauty Professional

3 LGBTQ+ YouTubers to Watch & Celebrate in Pride Month

YouTube Brings on the Learning & Fun with its Summer Camp Initiative

Black Lives Matter: How the YouTube Community is Amplifying Black Voices

Hey, YouTube Creators – Are You Doing OK?