How often do you turn to YouTube to learn how to do something? Well, according to a new survey by the Pew Research Center, roughly half of U.S. adults who use YouTube say it’s helped them learn to do new things. And those behind popular how-to videos are making big bucks.
For Greg Wickherst, he began his channel to help other dads struggling just like him.
"When I got custody of my daughter, I didn't know how to do her hair,” he says. “I couldn't even do a ponytail, and I didn't want to have her going to school looking like a ragamuffin."
Wickherst’s first few videos went viral and he quickly became known as “The Hair Dad.”
But it's not just hair tutorials, YouTube is the go-to platform for people to learn how to do stuff. According to the recent study, 41 percent of adults ages 65 and older also turn to the website for help.
You can find video featuring anything from how to change a flat tire to how to cook the perfect Thanksgiving turkey to makeup tutorials.
Popular self-help videos also bring in the sponsors.
"The most popular video I have done is called ‘Straw Curls,’” says Wickherst.
The father soon had companies reaching out to him, asking him to use their products for some side cash.
Wickherst might only make a few hundred dollars from his videos, but there are ones raking in the cash.
This kid, Ryan, made $11 million in just one year off of his popular toy review YouTube page “Ryan ToysReview.”
Learn more about the study, here.