Is It Worth Starting a YouTube Horse Racing Tipster Channel?

Back in the day, I remember saying I would never watch YouTube.

Wait for it…

I’m now an avid watcher of YouTube. In fact, I probably watch it more than regular TV. I used to subscribe to lots of channels but I’ve dwindled them down to 10. Most are about travel, gamblers, food and scammers.

I was on the edge of saying someone’s name…

Pretty sure the scammy accounts for most of the YouTube channels are influencers or making money online.

But is it worth starting a YouTube channel about gambling and how can it be done in an ethical and profitable manner?

The short answer is yes and it can be.

Like blogging, the only way you will stand out from the crowd is making sure your niche is your passion and you are authentic in every way. If you have a love of betting on horse racing, talking about your selections or how bookmakers are screwing over punters by limiting their accounts then you may gain subscribers.

They say the first 1000 subscribers are the hardest to gain. From there, you can build your audience and see where it leads.

However, it is worth noting that your niche may have a limited audience. For instance, if you follow UK horse racing and talk about gambling, trading and all the latest news you will probably be doing well to achieve 200,000 subscribers. I know what you’re thinking, even Mr Beast had to start somewhere.

In truth, you will probably get 1% of 200,000.

While someone reviewing food, giving their McDonald’s Big Mac a score of 6/10 may have 1M subscribers within a year. I guess it’s horses for courses.

Some gurus say (I know we shouldn’t listen to them as most are fake) your best approach to a successful YouTube channel is simply not trying too hard. I’m sure some of those very successful YouTubers say these things to wind people up. There are always new fads and fashions about how to make a video and what to say. Most of the successful ones on the gambling front or the infamous/scammy making money online tell people how easy it is to make £40,000 a month doing little work. They are usually selling a course or giving coaching. Those who make the most money are selling an in-person Mastermind (basically coaching to a similar bunch of slimy course sellers).

I think starting a YouTube channel is a long-term strategy to making a second income, which may evolve into a primary income. However, please don’t take my words as fact. It’s usually the case via the algorithm that the only channels we see are the popular ones. The other millions don’t see the light of day.

If chatting about horse racing, I’m not so sure giving tips is the best approach. You may well be a victim of your own success (if you give winners) or the haters may turn on you and make your life a misery. That’s the trouble with anything related to gambling especially if you are a good, honest person. Most of these gamblers with a following have, amazingly, never backed a loser, always have a wad of cash in their hand (as if it has been glued in place), and often featured wearing a heavy gold chain or gold teeth (what is it about people with all-gold teeth). They sell racing picks (as they call them in the US) for 1K a time because they are advising you to bet at least 100K. Yes, I say that with a smile on my face but it is actually how most of these influencers work. As John Crestani (affiliate marketeer) says: ‘We’re talking BIG MONEY’ and the camera zooms to a table with a mountain of cash just sitting on it. I can assure readers there is nothing contrived about the video and its just the way he lives with cash on every surface. It’s just the way he rolls. I’m not interested in the course but I do enjoy his videos.

‘BIG MONEY!’

It has nothing to do with small money.

If you are an honest soul and love your horse racing I would simply talk about horse racing and turn the videos into stories which relate to life as much as betting itself. Everyone loves a good anecdote about some old sap who learned a valuable lesson.

There is a channel on YouTube called Dry Creek Wrangler School which talk about horses, wrangling and all manner of related stuff. Dwayne, a man with a big bushy beard and a fondness for cigars, tells stories which go beyond the horse and he has a massive following of 1M subscribers. He talks a lot of sense about life, especially to young men who seem to have lost direction or have no father figure. If his channel was just about horses alone he wouldn’t have so many subscribers. He’s made a good business out of telling his life tales.

I’ve rarely seen an honest YouTuber with millions of subscribers who doesn’t put their success down to blind luck. Sure some worked a little harder than others but the concept worked because they got lucky. However, you may be able to glean some insight from these successes. That doesn’t mean copy them word for word. No two species in the environment are exactly the same for a reason. One is better adapted to surviving than the other.

The best approach for being a YouTuber is being yourself. Give value and be predictable in your posting, whether that is once or twice a week. I’ve seen some very successful channels which only make a video once a month and have millions of subscribers.

You may be asking: ‘Do I have a channel?’

I was one of those people who didn’t really bother to upload anything much with no plan in mind. I think I have 32 subscribers.

I’ve got some way to go to get to the million.

It’s all about intention, hey.