Can you whip up a cake from scratch without following a recipe? How about making a delicious ramen, sans the microwave-ready cups they’re packed in at grocery stores?
If you can work such miracles in the kitchen, that means your cooking skills are far above average. It’s possible that you’re either an advanced hobbyist, a certified chef, or somewhere in between!
No matter which category you belong to, one thing's for certain: If you’re willing to share your culinary expertise online, you have the potential to make money - especially if your platform of choice happens to be YouTube.
There are plenty of ways to do this, but the first crucial step is to learn all the secrets of the most successful YouTube channels.
Once you do that, you’ll have the necessary knowledge to monetize your cooking channel and start generating revenue from ads run against your content.
As amazing as that sounds by itself, the money-making opportunities don’t end there. If you’re ready to earn some extra income as a culinary expert, here’s how three YouTubers are making it happen on the platform right now.
Steph and Adam are a popular YouTube duo that specialize in vegan cooking. On their channel, which currently has 555K subscribers, they upload meal prep videos and share healthy, plant-based recipes.
When the quarantine and lockdowns became a global norm, Steph and Adam responded with timely, relevant content. To start with, they compiled 25 of their previous recipe videos into one, value-packed YouTube Playlist.
Then, to make this resource even more accessible, they uploaded a video that breaks down each recipe, which is titled, “25 Pantry Meals To Make During Quarantine.” In that video (below), Steph and Adam share a list of meals that anyone can prepare with common pantry ingredients:
This was a much-needed video at the beginning of the current pandemic as circumstances changed, and people started to cook at home a lot more. There are plenty of reasons for that, and they all stem from challenges surrounding COVID-19: empty shelves at grocery stores, the rising cost of essential items, and the need to practice social distancing.
After a crazy first half to 2020, no one knows what’s going to happen next, so if you’re a culinary whiz, your knowledge and advice could truly make a difference this year.
We plugged a few keywords into Google Trends for YouTube, and the results show that searches for a lot of cooking-related content increased once an official pandemic was declared.
In the graph below, the search terms ‘quarantine recipes’, ‘how to make banana bread’, and ‘how to make sourdough bread’ spiked from February to April on YouTube. In particular, the banana bread and sourdough increases reflect cooking trends that began during widespread lockdowns.
With a YouTube channel, you could get paid to share your culinary skills and capitalize on the popular, always-in-demand topic of food preparation.
For example, Steph and Adam make money from their cooking videos year-round because they’ve fulfilled the Watch Time and subscriber-count requirements for monetizing a channel. Therefore, they can collect AdSense revenue on each video, which is what most creators strive for.
But that’s not the only way this duo is earning from YouTube. Steph and Adam have a couple of cookbooks, and they use their channel to promote those and bag more sales.
Want to follow in their footsteps? Create your YouTube channel today, then start sharing your cooking knowledge with the world. Over time, you’ll have the opportunity to earn more cash and visibility for your business.
Tom Dyer is an expert at flair bartending, a performative way of mixing drinks that involves tossing, juggling, and expert pouring. While most people mix drinks the regular way, Tom does it with a ‘flair’ by performing tricks with bar tools and liquor bottles.
On Tom’s channel, which currently has 46.1K subscribers, he uploads cocktail tutorials, bartending tips, and more. However, those skills are part of a much larger business.
Tom also sells bartending tools, hosts a 'Flair' camp, and even co-founded a school for bartenders. Because of all that success, Tom is a great example of how a culinary professional can extend their business to YouTube and make money.
In fact, Tom did just that recently. As meme culture crossed paths with lockdown lifestyles, he capitalized on a funny internet trend: __the quarantini. __
The mixed drink, which consists of Emergen-C and vodka, began as a joke. But as lockdowns continued, any drink was eligible for quarantini status - especially those with a hint of citrus. In the video below, Tom puts his own bartending twist on the quarantini:
If bartending is your speciality and you’ve been unable to practice, bring that passion to YouTube and start making more money.
In Tom’s case, he not only earns money from paid advertising on his videos, but everything else that comes with a tightly integrated brand: merchandise, training camps, and courses.
YouTube is a great platform for promoting entrepreneurial ventures, so start building your channel today.
TabiEats Recipes uploads cooking tutorials, specifically around Japanese cuisine. On their channel of 11.1K subscribers, viewers can watch how-to cooking videos for dishes like menchi-katsu (ground meat patties) and yakisoba (noodle stir-fry).
About two months ago, TabiEats started live streaming. In those videos, viewers watched cooking tutorials that earned a decent amount of views. For example, in the video below, TabiEats shows over 7,000 viewers how to make a ginger pork sandwich:
Live-streamed videos don’t carry ads, but they still have description sections where you can include links to your culinary products online. In the case of TabiEats, there’s a Patreon link in every video, and that’s where loyal subscribers can pay to view exclusive content.
Furthermore, the strategy of doing a livestream and encouraging donations has been gaining traction for a while.
On Facebook Live, rapper and cooking enthusiast Big Freedia started a “Watcha Cookin’ Wednesday” series when lockdowns were still in session.
During those live streams, Big Freedia encouraged attendees to join a Patreon of private, pay-to-view recipes.
Likewise, chefs who were out of work also flocked to Instagram Live to host virtual cooking classes. And on YouTube, some channels are eligible to earn money via Super Chats, a feature that allows viewers to donate during a live stream.
If you want to create live cooking content, consider doing that on YouTube and other social platforms. It’s a great way to connect with customers, give them something of real value, and receive donations for your hard work.
Creating and growing a YouTube channel is a great way to turn your passion into a serious money-making profession.
However, the most successful creators use the platform as a springboard for additional opportunities. Once you’ve built a loyal audience of passionate foodies, you can carry them with you to a host of exciting new ventures, such as:
The ability to cook a delicious meal or whip up a tasty cocktail never goes out of style. If you’re serious about making more money in this timeless industry, YouTube is a really great place to get started to build your presence.
If you want to get 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. Click here to install now for free!
And if you’re serious about growing your YouTube views and subscribers, sign up for exclusive access to the vidIQ Academy. Learn how to launch a successful YouTube Channel in just 30 days.
Lydia Sweatt is a writer who loves balancing her article/blog time indoors with a healthy dose of nature. She bikes, hikes, and identifies edible plants along the way.
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