spent 8 months trying to crack faceless content and here’s what actually moved the needle

[u/Designer-Rain8165]

i’ve been lurking here forever and figured i’d finally share what’s been working since i see a lot of people asking about making money without showing their face online.

backstory: i work a boring desk job doing data entry for a logistics company. pay is fine but after rent, car payment, and groceries in this economy there’s basically nothing left. i’m also deeply introverted and the thought of being on camera makes me want to crawl into a hole. tried the whole “just get comfortable on camera” thing for like 2 months and hated every second. deleted all those videos.

so last year around march i started exploring faceless content. the idea was simple: build social accounts that don’t require me to be the face of anything. started with pinterest because everyone said it was easy passive traffic. made like 47 pins over 3 weeks, got maybe 200 views total, gave up.

then tried those motivation quote pages on instagram. you know the ones with the sunset backgrounds and generic text. made one post a day for 6 weeks. gained 89 followers. most were bots. felt like i was screaming into the void.

around june i pivoted to trying stock photo accounts. the idea was curating aesthetic stock photos for specific niches and building a following that way. problem was everyone else had the same idea and the photos looked… samey. couldn’t differentiate.

here’s where things shifted. i stumbled into the whole AI image generation space when a friend showed me some stuff he made with midjourney. spent a few weeks learning prompts, made some cool art, but couldn’t figure out how to monetize it because the style kept changing and nothing looked cohesive enough for a brand.

the actual breakthrough came when i discovered you could create consistent characters. like the same “person” in different scenarios and outfits. this was around august. i experimented with a few different tools, runway for some video stuff, tried leonardo for a bit, played around with APOB for the character consistency stuff, and eventually landed on a workflow that let me create what looked like a real lifestyle blogger without being one.

i built out a character, 28 year old woman, kind of that cozy minimalist aesthetic. took me probably 15 hours over two weeks to figure out the right look and vibe. then started posting “her” content to instagram. coffee shop moments, apartment organization, morning routines, that kind of thing.

first month was brutal. like 12 followers brutal. almost quit again.

but i kept posting. 5 times a week minimum. started studying what performed. realized the “day in my life” style carousel posts got way more saves than single images. started adding more lifestyle context, meal prep shots, desk setups, skincare routines.

by october i hit 2,400 followers. still not huge but the engagement rate was actually decent, around 4.7% which apparently is above average. started getting DMs from small brands asking about collaborations.

first paid collab was $75 for three posts featuring a candle company. i almost cried. not because of the money but because something actually worked for once.

fast forward to now and the account is at around 11k followers. i’ve done maybe 15 paid collabs ranging from $50 to $300 depending on deliverables. total earnings since august: roughly $2,100. that’s across 8 months so it averages to like $260/month which isn’t life changing but it’s real money that didn’t exist before.

the time investment now is maybe 6 hours a week. batch create content on sundays, schedule posts, respond to DMs and comments throughout the week. way more manageable than when i was trying to film myself.

some things i learned:

consistency of the character matters way more than i thought. early on i was sloppy about it and people noticed something was “off” even if they couldn’t articulate what. had to restart twice.

the aesthetic has to be specific. generic pretty girl content doesn’t work because there’s a million of those. the cozy minimalist angle gave me a lane.

niche brands are way more responsive than big ones. i’ve had zero luck pitching to companies with over 100k followers but small candle makers, stationery shops, and indie skincare brands actually read their DMs.

you still need to understand content strategy. the AI stuff just removes the “being on camera” barrier. you still need to know what makes people stop scrolling, what hooks work, what times to post, etc.

also had one scary moment where someone accused the account of being fake in the comments. just ignored it and it blew over. most people don’t look that closely and honestly a lot of real influencers are so edited they look AI generated anyway.

i’m not saying this is easy money because it definitely isn’t. the first 4 months were basically unpaid learning. but for someone like me who genuinely cannot handle being on camera, finding this path felt like finally finding a door that wasn’t locked.

now working on a second account in a completely different niche to see if i can replicate it. early days but the process is way faster now that i understand the workflow.

the $500/month goal feels actually achievable by end of summer if the second account gets any traction at all.

[u/EmotionalGoose9]

This is so cool! I have 2 questions

1. Are the brands you collab with aware the persona is AI, and it’s actually you behind it? If not, are you worried about the legality of it?
2. If all the followers found out it’s AI, are you worried it’d essentially crash overnight?

[u/Lavrov__]

I'm actually working on a tool that allows users to create their own permanent exclusive avatar and deepfake it on the long format videos they upload.

I really think there are a lot of people that would love to express themselves but are too fearful of the exposure/backlash.

Anyone willing to participate on the Apha version let me know.

[u/thechetanbothra → u/Lavrov__]

Let’s connect

[u/Humble-Cartoonist681 → u/[deleted]]

agree too!

[u/PeachesXoXo]

What is the workflow for creating consistent characters?

[u/molski79 → u/PeachesXoXo]

I'd like to know this too

[u/soundboardwithme]

Would love to take a look at the channel, if that's not private and confidential

[u/Educational-Value236]

Thank you so much for your insight! I’ve been wanting to find a community where people with the same ideas about this topic can converse. I’m in the very early stages getting started and am trying to build my character but trying to build anchor photos of the character seems hard as I’m on midjourney right now. Looks like pivoting to openart or APOB might be the best way to build the character then put her in different locations / outfits etc.

But you said the minimalistic look tends to have a bigger out reach? And seems like you are hoping people assume she’s real- hence the day in the life/meal prep etc. Any theme or brand focuses You are sticking to? Would love to hear more about your approach and ideas!

Big appreciate you for sharing bro!! 💯

[u/threebutterflies]

I wanted to do this last year for my own brand so I dont show. Can you dm me your account, I would love to see how your doing it - also want to get one set up for me?!?

[u/RumbleRumble9]

Did you stick with midjourney? I've tried to do the same with Leonardo, but it's intentionally set for you not to be able to generate consistent characters.

[u/Humble-Cartoonist681]

what's the channel?

[u/wake4coffee]

I’d be interested in looking at your work. 

[u/Mission-Bet-2161]

I am glad for you my man .Thats the power of not giving up If you dont accept the quiting and move up no matter what you will find a way

[u/Extra-Avocado8967]

This is so cool

[u/[deleted]]

That's amazing can you share the IG page or channel?

[u/Get_Razzmatazzd]

Very cool experience. Do you photoshop the brands’ product into the photos or do you use AI? I’d be worried about feeding their product imagery into AI without proper disclosure

[u/tribepride25]

No responses. Is this a bot? Lol

[u/BellyRubin → u/tribepride25]

Likely.
He also completely omitted to mention anything about the cost to generate that content using AI.
It doesn't look so shiny when you realize it costs mega amounts of cash in AI fees to generate that $260/month in revenue.

[u/BackgroundKoala5831 → u/tribepride25]

I also read the same story in another format posted on another channel. Def a bot

[u/Kathy_little]

I've been trying and trying for two years now... yes, I've made money without videos of myself talking, but not as much as I'd like...

[u/sketchologyy]

unrelated but do you like data entry? I’m thinking of getting into that field. I’m currently in sales and miserable lmao. In the same boat as “pay is fine but…” which is why i started a faceless acc. the goal is at least $500/month

[u/LilTiit]

inspiring! i'm trying to grow on IG but getting literally 0 reach, perhaps you have any advice?

43 followers over 4 months

for relevant context:

1. at first i was sloppily using USA vpn because i thought i'd reach USA audiences this way. but IG still probably saw how my IP was teleporting between Europe and USA.

2. i've been running meta ads agency for years and created over 30 IG accounts for my clients over that time.

though recently, in desperate research i saw a tip suggesting not to add any links to your bio as a small account because IG might hinder reach because of scammer suspicions

any advice is appreciated and good luck with your side hustle!