"It Works": SA Man Builds Faceless YouTube Channel With 180K Views in Just 3 Days
- South African creator @hanreretief shared a Day 3 update on his faceless YouTube channel business, revealing staggering early growth
- His third video alone pulled over 100,000 views, while a fourth followed closely behind with more than 70,000 views
- South Africans flooded the comments asking how to get started, with many eager to replicate his results
PAY ATTENTION: Mark Briefly News as a preferred source, and our content will appear higher in your Google feed!
Source: Instagram
A South African content creator has left the internet stunned after revealing that his brand-new faceless YouTube channel racked up over 180,000 views in just three days.
@hanreretiefshared a selfie-style video update on Instagram on 8 October 2026, filming from what appeared to be a home study or bedroom. Guitars and wardrobes were visible in the background as he spoke directly to the camera with an on-screen caption reading:
"Day 3 of starting a faceless YouTube channel business as a South African 🇿🇦."
The numbers he shared were hard to ignore. In just three days, the channel had accumulated more than 180,000 views, over 13,000 watch hours, and more than 300 subscribers. His third video was the real breakout, pulling over 100,000 views on its own. A fourth video followed with more than 70,000 views.
PAY ATTENTION: You can now search for all your favourite news and topics on Briefly News.
"I think I found the winning recipe," he said, holding up a wireless lavalier microphone. "I should be monetising in the next week or two."
What is a faceless YouTube channel?
A faceless YouTube channel is one where the creator never appears on screen. Content is typically built around voiceovers, stock footage, and scripted material, meaning anyone can run one without showing their face or revealing their identity.
The format has grown dramatically in recent years. According to industry data, faceless channels now account for 38% of all new creator monetisation ventures on YouTube in 2026, up from just 12% in 2022. YouTube itself has roughly 2.7 billion monthly active users globally, with daily watch time exceeding 1 billion hours.
Watch the Day 3 update that got South Africans talking.
Mzansi wants in
The comments section on the Instagram page quickly filled up with South Africans eager to follow in his footsteps.
@jaredallen.za said:
"This is why I tell people to stop worrying about YouTube raising the watch hours requirement to 8000 😂 1 good performing video will cream through that even before hitting 1k subs 💪🏻 well done brother."
@grant_esterhuizen01 shared:
"I also tried it. I had a great niche, and I got monetised in about 1 month."
@marichelle_prinsloo wrote:
"I'm interested in doing this."
@benzo_1106 suggested:
"Show the videos and dates bro; you can blur the title of the videos and channel name."
@thabang_98 asked:
"Hey do you mentor peeps as well? Can I be part of your team and get guidance? Step by step."
@thisisgarfield123 wanted to know:
"So can one just start posting videos of anything without yourself in it and get paid? Do you also have to apply to get paid, or do they just pay you??? 🤔"
@simply._.ebi added:
"Can we get a tutorial please 🙏"
More on YouTube
- Briefly News recently reported on Nadia Nakai hitting 1 million monthly listeners on YouTube Music for the first time.
- The Podcast and Chill episode with Benjy Maponya, which had over 1.9 million views, was deleted from YouTube amid the MySol court battle.
- MacG has broken his silence over why the Benjy Maponya interview was removed.
PAY ATTENTION: Follow Briefly News on Twitter and never miss the hottest topics! Find us at @brieflyza!
Source: Briefly News
