Revenue Breakdown of a Viral Video

People have asked me to share more about the business side of being a full-time artist on the internet.

So this week, let's take a look at the revenue generated from my 10 Types of Magic video (and my surprising conclusion).

Three important factors:

1. This video is an outlier and its success isn't repeatable.

2. I posted these videos in March 2023, so this revenue spans two years.

3. I'm Canadian and don't make ad revenue on platforms like TikTok or Instagram.

YouTube Shorts: $9,792 USD

Shorts don't pay well relative to views! That's $0.06 per thousand views. However, there's something to be said for the increase and value of 700k subscribers. The recent average is about $7 per day.

YouTube: $6,098 USD

My 10-minute, behind-the-scenes video pays better at an average of $2.48 per thousand views.

Facebook: $1,110 USD

Believe it or not, Facebook still has potential for revenue. I've grown my page to 638k followers and still make a bit of money every month.

Conclusion

My takeaway isn’t about chasing viral hits or relying on short-form content for revenue. The real lesson here is the value of recording a long-form breakdown. It's made 60% of the revenue from 1.4% of the views!

It took me a total of two days to script, film, and edit the breakdown. In a recent post, I broke down a 'formula' for creating long-form videos like this.

👉 After over a decade of trying, I'm finally finding a balance between short and long form content. Short form lets me flex my artistic skills, while long form lets me share my expertise. The two support each other naturally - without relying on YouTube clickbait.

Moving forward, I'm exploring the sustainability of this short-and-long form video relationship and how it can be repeated by any artist.