Li Ziqi Still Earns 780K RMB Monthly After 3-Year Hiatus! The Ultimate Secret to Making Money on YouTube for Ordinary People

In today's landscape of ever-increasing traffic costs, YouTube, with its over 2.7 billion monthly active users, is undoubtedly a blue ocean brimming with opportunities. For entrepreneurs based in China who aspire to develop a side hustle or build a personal brand for global reach, YouTube is not just a content platform but a commercial stronghold where long-term value can be built. This article provides a detailed action guide to help you master YouTube from scratch.

Success Story: Li Ziqi's Astonishing Earnings

The data from Li Ziqi's YouTube channel is staggering: over 20 million subscribers, a total of 3.2 billion video views, with an average of over 24 million views per video. Even more astonishing is that despite being inactive for three years, her channel still generates a monthly income of 780,000 RMB!

Data shows that during her hiatus, her channel quality remained stable at four stars (out of five), with regional CPM ranging from $10 to $18, and estimated monthly ad revenue between $101,700 and $123,800. After her return in November 2024, her three newly released videos accumulated over 6.41 million views in a single day, generating a one-day income exceeding 80,000 RMB.

Diverse Monetization, Limitless Potential

Ad Revenue Share: Impressive Earnings

The primary income source for YouTube creators is ad revenue sharing. After joining the YouTube Partner Program, creators receive 55% of the ad revenue. The more ads users watch, the higher the creator's earnings.

Other Monetization Avenues

• Channel Memberships: Fans pay for exclusive perks, increasing creator revenue. For example, the channel "Lao Gao & Xiao Mo," known for stories about urban legends, paranormal events, and aliens, has an estimated membership of around 150,000. At a monthly fee of $5 per member, after YouTube's share, Lao Gao could earn approximately $500,000 per month, translating to an annual income of about $6 million.
• Merchandise Sales: Selling branded merchandise through YouTube's merchandise shelf feature.
• YouTube Premium Revenue Share: Earning a share of subscription fees based on watch time from Premium members.
• Super Chats/Stickers/Thanks: Fans purchase highlighted comments, converting into creator income.
• Affiliate Traffic Funneling: Driving traffic to independent websites or businesses to maximize commercial value. For instance, many Web3 channels offer referral fee splits for cryptocurrency exchange registrations and trading commissions.

Li Ziqi successfully promotes traditional Chinese culture with high-quality content while reaping substantial financial rewards, making her a prime example of successful content creation and commercial monetization.

1. Mindset and Preparation: The First Step Towards Global Creation

Before you begin, you need to make core preparations:

Define Business Goals and Adopt a Long-Term Mindset: Clarify your purpose for being on YouTube—is it to build a personal IP, drive traffic for cross-border e-commerce, earn ad revenue, or simply share a passion? Clear goals determine your content direction and monetization path.

YouTube is a platform that requires patience and sustained investment. It's common to see no significant income for the first three months or even half a year. It's crucial to adopt a long-term mindset and treat it as a serious venture.

2. Positioning: Find Your Golden Niche

A successful channel begins with precise positioning. Good positioning helps you stand out in a sea of content.

Core Formula: Interest × Expertise × Market Demand

• Interest: Ensures you maintain passion throughout the long creative journey.
• Expertise: Ensures you can provide unique value and depth.
• Market Demand: Ensures your content has an audience and commercial potential.

Leverage "Information Asymmetry" and "Value Gap" to Build Unique Advantages: As creators based in China, we possess inherent advantages.

Highly Recommended Niches for Domestic Entrepreneurs:

Cultural Export: Targeting foreigners curious about China.

• Food/Cooking: Li Ziqi's idyllic pastoral style, Wang Gang's hardcore tutorials. You can focus on local specialty snacks, home-style versions of the Manchu Han Imperial Feast, etc.
• City Walks/Travel: Showcasing China's urban modernity (Shenzhen, Shanghai) or historical depth (Xi'an, Beijing) from a first-person perspective.
• Traditional Culture: Calligraphy, tea ceremony, Hanfu, traditional Chinese medicine—these have a large following overseas.

Knowledge & Skill Tutorials:

• Chinese Language Teaching: The global surge in learning Chinese presents a massive market.
• Chinese E-commerce/Market Analysis: Interpreting China's business models, Douyin (TikTok) strategies, Pinduoduo tactics, etc., for overseas merchants.
• Chinese App/Software Tutorials: Teaching the international versions of powerful tools like CapCut, WPS, etc.

Product Reviews:

• "Amazing" Made-in-China Products: Reviewing novel and unique products from AliExpress, Temu, Taobao, such as consumer electronics, drones, outdoor gear. This can directly lead to affiliate marketing or your own independent site.

Lifestyle Vlogs:

• Life of Foreigners in China: If you are an expat, sharing your life experiences in China is highly appealing.
• Specific Professions/Lifestyles: For example, "A Day in the Life of a Chinese Programmer" or "Digital Life in Rural China," focusing on unique perspectives.

3. Content is King: Creating Addictive Videos

Content is your core asset. A high-quality video typically includes the following elements:

1. Equipment: Starting with a Smartphone is Enough Avoid falling into the "gear arms race." Today's smartphones have powerful filming capabilities. Paired with a cheap microphone (tens of RMB) and a tripod, you can produce high-quality videos. The core lies in content value, not equipment price.

2. Topic Selection and Script: The Blueprint for Success A viral video is half-successful before filming even begins.

• Research Competitor Channels: Find top creators in your niche, analyze their most popular videos, and learn from their topics, pacing, and engagement methods.
• Write a Script: A simple script should include a "golden three-second hook" (grabbing attention immediately), core content points (clear structure and logic), and a call-to-action ending (prompting likes, subscriptions, comments).

3. Filming and Editing: Making Content More Professional

• Editing Software: For PC, the free and powerful DaVinci Resolve is recommended. For mobile, the international version of our familiar CapCut is the best choice—simple and easy to use.
• English Subtitles: Adding high-quality English subtitles to your videos is crucial, as it can expand your audience reach several times over. You can use YouTube's auto-generated subtitles and correct them, or use AI subtitle tools.

4. Thumbnail and Title: The Lifeline of Click-Through Rate

• Thumbnail: High contrast, featuring a human face or core object, with intriguing text. It's the first factor determining whether a user clicks to watch.
• Title: Include core keywords for YouTube SEO. Use formats like "Number + Result" or "Question + Suspense," e.g., "I Tried 10 Weird Chinese Snacks, Here's What Happened..."

4. Operations and Growth: Getting Recommended by the Algorithm

Uploading videos is just the beginning; consistent operations are needed for channel growth.

• YouTube SEO (Search Engine Optimization): Embed core keywords that users might search for in the title, description, and tags. Use browser extensions like vidIQ or TubeBuddy for analysis assistance.
• Publishing Frequency and Timing: Maintain a stable frequency of at least one upload per week. Adjust publishing times based on your audience's online time data from YouTube Analytics, typically evenings or weekends in your target audience's timezone.
• Community Engagement: Actively reply to every comment, initiate polls, and interact with fans using the "Community" tab. This effectively increases fan loyalty and channel authority.

5. Commercial Monetization: Turning Traffic into Tangible Income

Once your channel reaches 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 hours of annual valid watch time, you can apply to join the YouTube Partner Program (YPP) to unlock the most basic monetization methods.

1. Ad Revenue Share (AdSense): This is the primary source of passive income.

• Payment Issues: For users in China, directly linking a domestic AdSense account can be difficult due to the inability to provide proof of overseas address and bank account. The best solution is to register with cross-border payment platforms like Payoneer or Wise. They can provide you with a virtual US dollar bank account to receive payments from YouTube, which can then be withdrawn domestically.

2. Diversified Income Matrix (This is the main event!):

• Affiliate Marketing: Place product links from platforms like Amazon or AliExpress in your video description. You earn a commission when users purchase through your link. Perfect for review channels.
• Brand Sponsorships: When your channel gains vertical influence, brands will approach you for collaborations. Pricing is usually tied to your average view count.
• Knowledge Monetization and Consulting: If your content is educational, you can funnel traffic to your own course website or offer one-on-one consulting services.
• Traffic Funneling to Cross-Border E-commerce/Independent Sites: Use YouTube as a traffic entry point to drive users to your own products or services. This is the ultimate form of maximizing commercial value.

Conclusion

For ordinary people, YouTube entrepreneurship is a marathon, not a sprint. It tests your learning ability, execution power, and determination to persevere long-term. But once successful, you will own a global personal venture unrestricted by geography, capable of creating continuous value.

🌟 Final Note: YouTube entrepreneurship is not a shortcut to overnight riches; it requires continuous effort and learning. However, for ordinary people with ideas and perseverance, it is indeed a low-barrier, high-reward entrepreneurial choice. Remember: Content is king, persistence is queen. As long as you can consistently output valuable content, YouTube can become the starting point for your financial freedom!

Stop hesitating! This project is all about execution and persistence. Start now, and a year from now, you might already have a global "money-printing machine" for fans!

Follow me for continuous output of practical insights on AI entrepreneurship and solopreneurship. Welcome to join the community~

#CreatorBusiness #CrossBorderEcommerce #KnowledgeSharing #MakeMoney #YouTubeTutorial #ContentCreator

References

1. Liziqi's Official YouTube Channel — The main successful case channel mentioned in the article, with 20M+ subscribers, offering a direct look at the performance of cultural export content.
2. YouTube Partner Program (YPP) Official Guidelines — Official criteria for joining YPP (1000 subscribers + 4000 watch hours) and details on ad revenue sharing.
3. vidIQ Official Website — The recommended YouTube SEO and keyword analysis tool mentioned in the article, a common aid for operational growth.
4. CapCut Official Website — The overseas version of Jianying, the recommended mobile editing solution in the article, a handy tool for domestic creators going global.