🧵 YouTube AdSense is a trap. It feels like free money, but it’s one...
Abu (YouTube Strategist)@NotNotAbu2
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Aug 04, 2025
~4 min read
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🧵 YouTube AdSense is a trap.
It feels like free money, but it’s one of the riskiest ways to build a business as a creator.
Let me explain why: (thread)
It feels like free money, but it’s one of the riskiest ways to build a business as a creator.
Let me explain why: (thread)
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When you first start getting views, that AdSense payout feels magical.
You wake up to $10, then $50, then $300 a day, and you start thinking: “This could be sustainable.”
But the entire business model is built on something you don’t control. Not your product, not your customer, not your RPM, not your stability.
It’s entirely up to YouTube, a company that owes you nothing.
You wake up to $10, then $50, then $300 a day, and you start thinking: “This could be sustainable.”
But the entire business model is built on something you don’t control. Not your product, not your customer, not your RPM, not your stability.
It’s entirely up to YouTube, a company that owes you nothing.
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A while back, I got a message from a guy with 800k subscribers.
His channel was terminated overnight.
No warning. No explanation. No human to talk to. Just a simple html text saying: “Your account has been removed for violating our policies.”
He appealed and the appeal was auto-denied.
His income went from tens of thousands a month to zero.
His channel was terminated overnight.
No warning. No explanation. No human to talk to. Just a simple html text saying: “Your account has been removed for violating our policies.”
He appealed and the appeal was auto-denied.
His income went from tens of thousands a month to zero.
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And he wasn’t selling anything. No email list, no offer, no product. Just pure AdSense.
He told me that the worst part wasn't really losing the channel, it was losing his entire income.
This isn’t rare, this happens to hundreds of creators every week.
Even if your channel doesn’t get banned, AdSense is volatile.
One small drop in CTR, one bad month of RPM, one algorithm update, and suddenly your income drops 40% without warning.
You can't afford to build a business on something this fragile.
He told me that the worst part wasn't really losing the channel, it was losing his entire income.
This isn’t rare, this happens to hundreds of creators every week.
Even if your channel doesn’t get banned, AdSense is volatile.
One small drop in CTR, one bad month of RPM, one algorithm update, and suddenly your income drops 40% without warning.
You can't afford to build a business on something this fragile.
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This is the part most creators miss:
YouTube is not a business model, it’s just a distribution channel.
Just like how you don't build your house on a rented land, you don't build a business where you have no control.
That’s where external monetization comes in.
YouTube is not a business model, it’s just a distribution channel.
Just like how you don't build your house on a rented land, you don't build a business where you have no control.
That’s where external monetization comes in.
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> What is external monetization?
Put simply, it means selling a product or service on the backend of your YouTube channel. All the traffic that comes to your videos is redirected to the product/service you are selling. This way, you make money from the thing that you're selling, not AdSense.
Here's how to do external monetization:
Put simply, it means selling a product or service on the backend of your YouTube channel. All the traffic that comes to your videos is redirected to the product/service you are selling. This way, you make money from the thing that you're selling, not AdSense.
Here's how to do external monetization:
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Step 1: Create the right videos
What transformation can you offer your viewers?
Can you help them solve a problem, reach a goal, save time, or save money?
This becomes your product or service.
Could be a course, a cohort, a newsletter, a high-ticket service, even a paid community. Anything.
Start with one thing that solves one clear problem for your viewer.
What transformation can you offer your viewers?
Can you help them solve a problem, reach a goal, save time, or save money?
This becomes your product or service.
Could be a course, a cohort, a newsletter, a high-ticket service, even a paid community. Anything.
Start with one thing that solves one clear problem for your viewer.
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Step 2: Collect emails
Create a free lead magnet tied to your offer (a checklist, cheat sheet, mini course, etc.). Put that link in your pinned comment and video description and lead people to it.
Now you’re turning views into actual people you can contact whenever. You own those views now, not YouTube.
People as big as Alex Hormozi are doing this, so you have no excuse to not be doing this.
Create a free lead magnet tied to your offer (a checklist, cheat sheet, mini course, etc.). Put that link in your pinned comment and video description and lead people to it.
Now you’re turning views into actual people you can contact whenever. You own those views now, not YouTube.
People as big as Alex Hormozi are doing this, so you have no excuse to not be doing this.
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Step 3: Drive traffic intentionally
In your video, mention your offer or freebie clearly and naturally. Don't come off as salesy, no one likes that.
Be natural and make the act of clicking on whatever you're promoting be a necessary step they have to take.
If you're making a tutorial on how to make n8n AI Agent to post on all social medias, put that template behind your newsletter so that they have no choice but to join your newsletter to get the template.
In your video, mention your offer or freebie clearly and naturally. Don't come off as salesy, no one likes that.
Be natural and make the act of clicking on whatever you're promoting be a necessary step they have to take.
If you're making a tutorial on how to make n8n AI Agent to post on all social medias, put that template behind your newsletter so that they have no choice but to join your newsletter to get the template.
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Step 4: Nurture and convert
Now that you have people off YouTube, use email (and youtube) to educate, build trust, and sell.
This is the easiest part of the process because you've already done the hard step of making people care.
Now that you have people off YouTube, use email (and youtube) to educate, build trust, and sell.
This is the easiest part of the process because you've already done the hard step of making people care.
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External Monetization works in every niche:
Fitness → Sell custom programs
Education → Sell courses or live cohorts
Gaming → Sell assets, servers, or communities
Finance → Sell templates, coaching, or consulting
Travel → Sell digital itineraries, guides, affiliate recs
Motivation → Sell communities, challenges, or events
Fitness → Sell custom programs
Education → Sell courses or live cohorts
Gaming → Sell assets, servers, or communities
Finance → Sell templates, coaching, or consulting
Travel → Sell digital itineraries, guides, affiliate recs
Motivation → Sell communities, challenges, or events
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If your whole system depends on AdSense, please understand that you’re not safe. It only takes one policy change to burn everything down. And YouTube doesn't give a fuck about you.
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If you wan to learn how to implement External Monetization into your own channel, book a call with me here: cal.com/notnotabu2/ext….
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If you found this thread helpful:
1. Follow @NotNotAbu2
2. Like/retweet the 1st post
1. Follow @NotNotAbu2
2. Like/retweet the 1st post
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