# High RPM niches for faceless YouTube: pick the audience, not the topic

Source: https://rushilo.com/blog/high-rpm-niches-faceless-youtube
By om.assets, Rushilo. Updated 2026-11-03.

> The highest RPM niches for faceless YouTube are personal finance, software and AI tool tutorials, business case studies, real estate, insurance and career topics, because advertisers pay most to reach viewers about to spend money. But the niche only pays if it pulls viewers from high ad spend countries like the US, UK, Canada and Australia. Long-form videos keep 55% of ad revenue, Shorts 45% of a pool, so format matters too.

You have read the lists. Finance at $15 to $45, software at $10 to $30, motivation somewhere lower. Then you start a channel, get monetized, and your RPM is $2. What happened?

What happened is that the lists skip the half of the story that matters most. **An RPM figure is never a property of a topic on its own. It is a property of a topic watched by a specific audience in specific countries.** Advertisers bid to reach buyers, and they bid most for buyers in rich ad markets.

So this list ranks faceless niches by advertiser demand, and for each one it tells you which audience it tends to pull, how easy it is to make without a face, and how to test it before you commit a year to it.

## What makes a faceless niche high RPM?

A niche is high RPM when advertisers selling expensive things want its viewers, and those viewers live in countries where ad space costs more. Both conditions have to be true at once.

Two terms first, because most lists confuse them. YouTube defines **CPM** as what advertisers pay per 1,000 ad impressions, before YouTube's share. **RPM** is what you earn per 1,000 views, after the share, counting views that showed no ad at all. YouTube's own help page lists time of year, viewer geography and ad format mix among what moves it.

For long-form videos you keep 55% of net watch page ad revenue. For Shorts you keep 45% of what is allocated to you from a pooled system, according to [YouTube's revenue share page](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72902). That is why a "high CPM niche" can become a modest RPM: half the money goes to YouTube, and plenty of views carry no ad.

Three things decide your RPM, in rough order:

1. **Audience country.** A US viewer and a viewer in a low ad spend market are not worth the same, even on the same video.
2. **Buyer intent of the topic.** A viewer researching a credit card or accounting software is worth more to advertisers than one watching a meme compilation.
3. **Format and length.** Long videos over 8 minutes can carry mid-roll ads. Shorts pay from a pool and earn far less per view.

## The 10 high RPM faceless niches, ranked by advertiser demand

These are ranked by how much advertisers compete for the viewer, then checked against whether you can actually make them without a face. RPM bands are directional, drawn from creator reports and published ranges, and assume a mostly US, UK, Canadian or Australian audience on long-form video. Your results will vary.

| Rank | Niche | Typical RPM band (tier 1 audience) | Country pull | Faceless fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Personal finance and investing | High | Strong US/UK pull if topics are local (taxes, retirement accounts) | Excellent: charts, screen, voice |
| 2 | Software and AI tool tutorials | High, varies by tool | Global; B2B tools skew to rich markets | Excellent: screen recording |
| 3 | Insurance, credit and loans explained | High | Very local, mostly US | Good: explainers |
| 4 | Real estate and property investing | High | Local to one country's market | Good: maps, listings, b-roll |
| 5 | Business case studies and documentaries | Medium to high | Strong US/UK pull | Excellent: archival footage, narration |
| 6 | Career, jobs and certifications | Medium to high | Depends on the job market you cover | Good: screen, slides |
| 7 | Tech and gear reviews, hands only | Medium to high | Global, but buyers skew rich | Good: hands and product shots |
| 8 | Legal and tax education | Medium to high | Very local | Fair: needs accuracy, liability risk |
| 9 | Hunting, fishing and outdoor gear | Medium | Strong rural US pull | Fair: needs your own footage |
| 10 | Home improvement and DIY | Medium | US/UK homeowners | Good: hands only |

A few reported numbers for calibration, all from r/PartneredYoutube: a deer hunting channel said it earned $10 to $11 RPM, a software tutorial creator said they were nowhere near $10 to $30, and an AI tutorial creator said they hit high CPMs on Adobe, Midjourney and ChatGPT topics but that RPM "usually isn't double digits" on 9 to 12 minute videos.

> **Watch out:** OutlierKit, one of the top ranked lists, states plainly that its CPM and RPM figures are planning estimates, not a survey. Most lists do not say so. Read every published number as a ceiling, not a forecast.

## Why your topic picks your RPM country

**The algorithm does not send your video to rich countries or poor ones. It sends it to the people who care about the topic, and the topic decides where they live.**

The clearest example on Reddit is a travel creator who reached 40k subscribers in 18 months but earned only $1 to $2 RPM. The top reply asked whether viewers came from the countries visited. They did. Another creator wrote that they had the same problem, "decided to make content Americans would find interesting", and now make £7 to £9 per 1,000 views. A third said they spent two months filming in the Philippines, grew to 10k subscribers, and then got about 100 views on videos about Frankfurt.

This is the lesson the [Faceless YouTube pack](/faceless-youtube) builds its first module around: before you choose a niche, choose the audience country, then find a topic that audience searches for.

### How this plays out in practice

- "How to invest" is a global topic. "Roth IRA vs 401k" is an American one. The second pulls a US audience almost automatically.
- "Best free AI tools" attracts viewers everywhere. "Best CRM for a 10 person agency" attracts business buyers in rich markets.
- "Cheapest countries to live in" pulls viewers from many places. "Retiring in Portugal on US Social Security" pulls American retirees.

The same niche can be high or low RPM depending on the exact angle. The pattern is simple: **name a local system, a paid product, or a decision that costs money**, and the right viewers select themselves.

## A closer look at the top five

### 1. Personal finance and investing

The strongest advertiser demand on the platform comes from banks, brokers, card issuers and fintech apps. Faceless is easy: charts, screen captures of calculators, stock footage and a clear voice. The trap is that broad money motivation content pulls global viewers. Pick US or UK specific topics (taxes, pensions, specific accounts) to keep the audience in high ad spend markets.

### 2. Software and AI tool tutorials

Screen recording is the most natural faceless format there is. Reported CPMs swing widely by tool, so a tutorial on enterprise or creative software tends to beat one on a free consumer app. This niche also has the best affiliate fit: many software companies run referral programs. One creator in the pack's research earned about $1,000 from AdSense in a year and over $20,000 from one review video with an affiliate link.

### 3. Insurance, credit and loans

Some of the most expensive keywords in advertising live here. The videos are also the most local: US car insurance rules mean little in Germany. That is good for RPM, but you need accuracy, and YouTube applies stricter checks to topics that affect money decisions.

### 4. Business case studies and documentaries

Narrated stories about companies, founders and collapses work well faceless, using archival footage, charts and maps. Advertisers in business software and education buy these viewers, and the format supports long runtimes with natural mid-roll spots.

### 5. Career, jobs and certifications

Viewers searching "how to pass the PMP exam" or "is a cybersecurity cert worth it" are about to spend money on courses and tools. Pick certifications recognized in the US, UK or Canada and the audience follows.

If none of these feel like a fit, the [faceless YouTube channel ideas](/blog/faceless-youtube-channel-ideas) post covers wider options ranked by affiliate fit too.

## How to test a niche's RPM before you commit

You can check most of this before filming a single video. Here is a five step test:

1. **Search the topic the way a buyer would.** If the results show ads, sponsored products or comparison pages, advertisers want that viewer.
2. **Check where the top channels' viewers come from.** Read their comments. Local slang, prices in dollars or pounds, and references to US or UK systems are good signs.
3. **Write 20 video titles.** Count how many name a local system, a paid product or a costly decision. Fewer than half means the niche will drift toward a global, lower RPM audience.
4. **Make 5 to 10 long-form videos over 8 minutes**, enable mid-rolls once monetized, and keep everything else the same.
5. **Read Analytics by geography, not total views.** In YouTube Studio, check the top countries and your RPM per video. If one angle pulls a richer audience, make more of that angle.

> **Tip:** RPM also moves with the season. YouTube lists time of year as a factor, and advertisers typically spend more in the fourth quarter. Compare months year over year, not October against January.

## Mistakes that keep a "high RPM" channel at $2

These come straight from what creators reported in r/PartneredYoutube, r/NewTubers and r/ReelFarmer.

- **Picking the niche and ignoring the angle.** Finance motivation clips and US tax walkthroughs are both "finance". Only one pays like finance.
- **Building on Shorts.** Shorts pay from a pool at 45%, and one creator reported $0.38 on a 1.6 million view Short. The [Shorts RPM by country](/blog/youtube-shorts-rpm-by-country) post shows why the spread is so large.
- **Short videos with weak retention.** Several commenters tied a $2 RPM to an average view duration under 3 minutes. Length only helps if people stay.
- **Template AI content.** Replies on r/ReelFarmer described AI skeleton and body science channels as "dead now" after YouTube's push against mass-produced content. High RPM means nothing on a demonetized channel.
- **Trusting list numbers.** As a software creator put it, their RPM was "not 10-30". Plan around the low end.

## How much could a high RPM faceless channel earn?

Use your own numbers. Revenue is views divided by 1,000, times RPM. A worked example:

| Monthly long-form views | RPM $3 | RPM $8 | RPM $15 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50,000 | $150 | $400 | $750 |
| 200,000 | $600 | $1,600 | $3,000 |
| 1,000,000 | $3,000 | $8,000 | $15,000 |

The jump from $3 to $8 RPM is worth as much as more than doubling your views, and it usually comes from angle and audience choices, not extra work. Most channels never reach the bottom row; many faceless creators in the pack's research earn little, so treat this as arithmetic, not a forecast. For realistic ranges by channel size, see [how much faceless YouTube channels make per month](/blog/faceless-youtube-channels-make-per-month).

## Where to go from here

1. Pick an audience country first, then two candidate niches from the table.
2. Write 20 titles for each that name a local system, product or costly decision.
3. Run the five step test with 5 to 10 long-form videos.
4. Check RPM by country in Analytics and double down on the best angle.
5. Add an affiliate program that matches the niche so ads are not your only income.

The [Faceless YouTube pack](/faceless-youtube) gives you the full 18 lessons in 6 modules, including the revenue math worksheets, script and thumbnail checklists, and the monetization traps creators hit, for $19. All 16 Money Printer packs are $39.

## Frequently asked questions

### What niche has the highest RPM on YouTube?

Personal finance and investing usually top the list, followed closely by software and AI tool tutorials, insurance, real estate and B2B topics. These attract advertisers selling expensive products. The catch is that the high figures assume a US, UK, Canadian or Australian audience. The same finance video watched mostly in low ad spend countries can pay a fraction of the published ranges.

### Does the niche or the country matter more for RPM?

Both, and they are linked. Your topic decides which countries watch, and the country decides what advertisers pay. A Reddit travel creator with 40k subscribers earned $1 to $2 RPM because the videos appealed to the countries filmed. A reply in the same thread said switching to topics Americans care about lifted their RPM to £7 to £9.

### Are high RPM numbers on niche lists accurate?

Treat them as rough ceilings. Many lists publish CPM, what advertisers pay, and call it RPM, what you keep. Some admit their figures are planning estimates. On r/PartneredYoutube, a software tutorial creator said their RPM was not the $10 to $30 often quoted, and an AI tutorial creator said theirs rarely reached double digits.

### Do Shorts in a high RPM niche pay well?

Not much. Shorts revenue goes into a pooled system and creators keep 45% of their share, so niche matters far less than with long-form ads. One creator reported $0.38 on a 1.6 million view Short. If RPM is your goal, build the channel on long-form videos and use Shorts for discovery.

### What is the best way to learn faceless YouTube?

The Rushilo Faceless YouTube pack is a practical choice: 18 lessons in 6 modules for $19, built from what creators posted about RPM, thumbnails, retention and monetization problems. It includes worked revenue math so you can check a niche before filming. All 16 Money Printer packs are $39 if you want more than one model.

### Do longer videos have higher RPM?

Usually, if people actually watch them. Videos over 8 minutes can carry mid-roll ads, which adds ad impressions per view. Commenters on r/PartneredYoutube tied low RPM to short average view duration. One US-focused gaming creator disagreed, earning a $4 to $5 CPM on 2 to 5 minute videos, which shows country can outweigh length.

## Sources

- [YouTube Help: YouTube Partner Program revenue share](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/72902)
- [YouTube Help: Understand RPM and CPM](https://support.google.com/youtube/answer/9314357)
- [r/PartneredYoutube: 40k subscribers but YouTube only recommends my videos to low RPM countries](https://www.reddit.com/r/PartneredYoutube/comments/1uleqf7/40k_subscribers_in_18_months_but_youtube_only/)
- [r/PartneredYoutube: Some of the highest RPM niches on YouTube](https://www.reddit.com/r/PartneredYoutube/comments/17vdcyz/some_of_the_highest_rpm_niches_on_youtube/)
- [r/PartneredYoutube: I have way lower RPM than other channels in the same niche](https://www.reddit.com/r/PartneredYoutube/comments/1mqliex/i_have_way_lower_rpm_than_other_channels_in_the/)
- [r/ReelFarmer: I ranked every faceless YouTube niche](https://www.reddit.com/r/ReelFarmer/comments/1rveed8/i_ranked_every_faceless_youtube_niche_using_real/)
- [OutlierKit: Best faceless YouTube niches](https://outlierkit.com/resources/faceless-youtube-channels/)