If you’ve ever wondered how some finance channels upload just a handful of animated videos and still cross 100,000+ subscribers, this guide is for you.
This post walks you through a complete, automated workflow to create Crayon Capital / Casual Economics–style faceless finance videos using:
- ChatGPT (for ideas, scripts, prompts, SEO)
- An AI voiceover tool
- An AI image generator (for characters and scenes)
- An AI animation tool
- A video editor (e.g., Filmora)
- A simple design tool (Canva/Photoshop) for thumbnails
You’ll go from idea → script → voiceover → visuals → animation → editing → thumbnail → SEO, in a repeatable system.
Why the Finance Niche + 2D Animation Works
In the original walkthrough, the creator analyzed two channels:
- Crayon Capital
- Only ~10–12 uploads
- Over 100K subscribers
- Millions of views
- One 10–15 minute video roughly every month
- Clean 2D vector/animation style
- High‑CTR, curiosity‑driven titles and thumbnails
- Casual Economics
- Only ~5–6 uploads
- Tens of thousands of subscribers
- Millions of views
- Same: infrequent uploads, but strong 2D animation explainers
Key takeaways:
- You don’t need daily uploads. A few high‑quality, evergreen finance explainers can perform extremely well.
- Finance CPMs are high. Advertisers pay more for finance/content related to money, so good view counts can translate to strong revenue.
- 2D animated explainers are ideal for faceless channels. You stay anonymous while still looking premium and trustworthy.
This guide shows you how to recreate that style with AI.
Tools You’ll Need
You can swap specific tools, but the workflow stays the same.
- ChatGPT (or a similar LLM)
- For titles, scripts, character sheets, scene breakdowns, thumbnail concepts, and SEO (titles, descriptions, tags).
- AI Voiceover Tool (e.g., ElevenLabs, Speechelo, etc.)
- Convert text narration into natural audio.
- AI Image Generator
- To design characters and scene illustrations in a consistent 2D style.
- AI Animation Tool (e.g., Runway, Pika, Flow/“image to video” tools)
- Animate static images using text prompts.
- Video Editor (e.g., Filmora, Premiere Pro, CapCut Desktop, etc.)
- Assemble voiceover, animated clips, music, transitions.
- Design Tool (e.g., Canva or Photoshop)
- Add text to thumbnails, refine visuals.
Step 1: Study Competitors & Lock in Your Visual Style
Before creating anything:
- Study a few successful finance channels:
- How often they upload
- Average video length (commonly 8–15 minutes)
- Their thumbnail style (bold text, 1–2 main elements, high contrast)
- Their video style (2D flat vector, minimal color palette, simple animations)
- Decide your style:
- Example: “Clean 2D vector, flat colors, simple shapes, light outlines – similar to Crayon Capital.”
- Stick to this style across all videos and thumbnails for a consistent brand.
You’ll use this style phrase repeatedly in your image prompts.
Step 2: Use ChatGPT to Generate High‑CTR Finance Ideas
Set up a “Title Prompt” in ChatGPT that tells it:
- Your niche (Finance / Economics)
- Your target audience
- Your desired style (Curiosity‑driven, high‑CTR titles)
- Your competitors (optional)
Then ask something like:
“Give me 5 video ideas for this channel.”
The script you shared produced ideas such as:
- The Secret Business Behind Free Apps: How Your Data Makes Billions
- How the Poor Stay Poor: The Mathematics of Money Traps
- Why Big Companies Sell at a Loss on Purpose: The Loss Leader Trick
- The Hidden Economy of Time: Why You Never Feel Free Anymore
- How Rich People Pay Zero Taxes: The Loophole You Never Thought Of
These are clickable topics: clear, curiosity‑based, and tied to money or economics.
Choose one idea to develop into a full video script.
Example: “The Secret Business Behind Free Apps: How Your Data Makes Billions.”
Step 3: Turn an Idea Into a Structured Script With ChatGPT
Now use a “Script Prompt” that tells ChatGPT to:
- Take your chosen idea/title
- Write a script for X minutes (e.g., 10 minutes)
- Structure it as scenes with:
- A hook
- Background / setup
- Conflict or question
- Key explanations
- Examples
- Climax / key reveal
- Conclusion + call to action
- Separate:
- Narration text (what will be spoken)
- Scene description / directions (what we see on screen)
For example, you might enter:
Idea: “The Secret Business Behind Free Apps: How Your Data Makes Billions”
Duration: 10 minutes
ChatGPT then generates:
- Scene 1: Hook
- Visual directions
- Narrator text
- Scene 2: Background
- Visual directions
- Narrator text
- …and so on, until the full 10 minutes are covered.
Important: In the generated script, there will be labels like:
Scene 1Narrator:/Voice-over:- Visual cues like: “Ali looks at his phone screen full of app icons.”
You’ll use:
- Narration text → for voiceover
- Visual directions → for scenes & image prompts
Step 4: Extract Narration for Voiceover
You do not want to copy everything into your voice tool. You only want the voice lines.
From the script:
- For each scene, copy only the lines under:
Narrator:Voice‑over:
- Do not copy:
- Scene numbers
- Visual instructions
- Any “Note to animator/editor” text
Organize them:
- Either create one long narration file for the whole video
- Or separate files per scene/act (which makes editing easier).
Clean the text if needed (remove brackets, instructions, etc.).
Step 5: Create AI Voiceovers Scene by Scene
Open your AI voiceover (TTS) tool and:
- Paste the narration text for Scene 1.
- Choose:
- A suitable voice (neutral, clear, perhaps slightly serious for finance).
- A natural pace (not too fast).
- Generate and download the audio file.
Repeat for:
- Scene 2 narration
- Scene 3 narration
- …until all scenes are covered.
By keeping each scene’s audio separate, syncing during editing becomes much easier.
Step 6: Ask ChatGPT for Character Sheets
Once you’re happy with the script and narration text, go back to ChatGPT and simply reply:
“Approved.”
Your prompt can instruct ChatGPT:
- “Once I approve, generate detailed character sheets for all recurring characters.”
ChatGPT will then:
- Identify main characters (e.g., from the script: Ali, Appy, Data Boss, Ad Marketer, etc.).
- For each character, generate a character sheet including:
- Name
- Role (e.g., “Ali – main user”)
- Appearance (age, clothing, hair, style)
- Color palette
- Typical facial expressions
- Suggested image prompt snippet (in your chosen 2D style)
Example (simplified):
Character 1: Ali
Young professional, late 20s, casual clothes, smartphone in hand, curious expression, clean 2D vector style…
These descriptions will feed your image generator.
After reviewing, tell ChatGPT:
“Characters approved.”
Step 7: Turn Character Sheets into Actual Character Designs
Now open your AI image generator.
For each main character:
- Copy the entire character description from ChatGPT (name, look, style).
- Paste into the image generator’s prompt field.
- Make sure you include your consistent style, for example:
“Clean 2D flat vector, minimal shading, smooth shapes, in [Crayon Capital] style.”
- Set aspect ratio (for full‑body references, 1:1 or 3:4 is fine).
- Generate a few variations.
- Choose one design that best fits the personality and style.
- Delete/discard the rest.
- This one becomes your “official” version of that character.
Do this for:
- Character 1 (e.g., Ali)
- Character 2 (e.g., App icon “Appy”)
- Character 3 (e.g., “Data Boss” – villain)
- Character 4 (e.g., “Ad Marketer”)
Now you have consistent character models ready to be reused in every scene and every future video.
Step 8: Ask ChatGPT for Scene‑by‑Scene Image & Animation Prompts
Next, use your “Image Generation Prompt” in ChatGPT. This prompt tells it to:
- Read your full script
- Break it down into scenes/shots
- For each scene, output:
- A short description of what’s happening
- Which characters appear (Character 1, 2, 3…)
- Their expressions and actions
- Background and objects
- An Image Prompt (for still illustration)
- An Animation Prompt (for later, when turning the still into video)
ChatGPT will usually:
- Generate the first batch of scenes (e.g., Scene 1–10).
- Ask for confirmation: “Approve to continue?”
- You reply “Approved” until all scenes are covered.
At the end, you’ll have:
- Image prompts: one per scene, with which character IDs to use.
- Animation prompts: exactly what motion or camera moves to apply to that still.
Step 9: Generate All Scene Images (Key Frames)
Back to your image generator.
For each scene:
- Copy the Image Prompt for
Scene 1. - Check which characters it mentions:
- Example: “No characters, only a phone screen full of free app icons.”
- Or: “Character 1 (Ali) holding his phone, surprised expression.”
- In your image tool, if it lets you reference saved characters:
- Select the appropriate character(s): Character 1, 2, etc.
- Set aspect ratio to 16:9 (1920×1080) for YouTube.
- Generate 2–4 variants.
- Pick the best, most readable image.
- Download and name it clearly:
scene01.png,scene02.png, etc.
Repeat this for every scene:
- When the prompt says “Character 1 and 2 together,” select both characters.
- When it says “Character 3 only,” select just that character.
- Some scenes may have no characters (just concepts, graphs, icons).
By always selecting the right character IDs, your intire video will look visually consistent (the same Ali, the same Appy, etc.).
Step 10: Animate Each Scene With an AI Video Tool
Now you animate each still image using your Animation Prompts.
In your AI video tool (e.g., Flow or any “image to video” tool):
For Scene 1:
- Upload
scene01.png. - Paste the Scene 1 Animation Prompt from ChatGPT:
- e.g., “Zoom slowly into the phone screen as app icons glow slightly…”
- Choose duration (often 3–8 seconds per scene, depending on your narration).
- Generate the clip.
- Download and save it (e.g.,
scene01.mp4).
Repeat for:
- Scene 2 →
scene02.png→ Scene 2’s animation prompt →scene02.mp4 - Scene 3 → …
- …
By the end, you have a folder of short animated clips, one per scene.
Step 11: Assemble Everything in Filmora (or Any Editor)
Open your video editor (Filmora in the original script, but any editor works):
- Import all assets:
- Voiceover files (scene‑wise or full narration)
- Animated scene clips (
scene01.mp4,scene02.mp4, etc.) - Background music track (e.g., a subtle, “mystery” or “documentary” style track)
- Place the first voiceover on the timeline.
- Put the Scene 1 clip above it, aligning visuals with narration.
- Trim the clip to match the length of Scene 1’s voiceover.
- Repeat for each scene:
- Scene 2 narration + Scene 2 clip
- Scene 3 narration + Scene 3 clip
- …
- Mute the original clip audio (if your animation tool added any sound).
- Add background music:
- Place it on a separate audio track under everything.
- Reduce its volume to around –18 dB so it doesn’t overpower the narration.
- Optional polish:
- Add transitions (fade in/out) between clips.
- Add filters or effects for a more cinematic feel.
- Add on‑screen text for key terms or numbers if you want.
Render/export the final video in 1080p.
Step 12: Generate a Clickable Thumbnail Concept With ChatGPT
A strong thumbnail is crucial for CTR.
Use your “Thumbnail Prompt” in ChatGPT:
- Give it your video title.
Example:“The Secret Business Behind Free Apps: How Your Data Makes Billions”
- Ask for 3–5 thumbnail concepts:
- It will describe composition, colors, main character, and big, readable text.
For example:
- Phone full of app icons on one side
- Your main character (Ali) on the other side, shocked expression
- Big text: “Free Apps?” or “Who Pays?”
Pick a concept you like and copy the thumbnail image prompt.
Step 13: Design the Thumbnail in Your Image Tool + Canva/Photoshop
In your image generator:
- Paste the thumbnail prompt from ChatGPT.
- Select your main character (e.g., Ali).
- Keep your visual style consistent (same 2D vector style).
- Generate several options.
- Download the best one.
Then, optionally, open it in Canva or Photoshop to add text:
- Keep text minimal and bold (2–4 words).
- Example:
- “FREE APPS”
- “DATA = MONEY”
- Use high‑contrast colors and big fonts.
Export as a 16:9 image for YouTube.
Step 14: SEO – Titles, Descriptions, Hashtags & Tags
Finally, use your “SEO Prompt” in ChatGPT.
- Paste the prompt and provide your main title.
- ChatGPT will output:
- Several high‑CTR title variations
- An SEO‑friendly video description
- A few hashtag suggestions
- A list of tags/keywords relevant to your topic
Example outputs:
- Titles:
- “How Free Apps Really Make Money: The Hidden Business of Your Data”
- “The Secret Business Behind Free Apps: Your Data = Billions”
- Description:
- 2–3 paragraphs explaining what the video covers, using key phrases like “how free apps make money”, “data monetization”, “ad business model”, etc.
- Hashtags:
#finance #economics #freeapps #businessmodel
- Tags:
free apps business model, how free apps make money, data monetization, targeted ads, tech financeetc.
Implementation:
- Use one of the best titles as your YouTube title.
- Paste the generated description, maybe tweak a little in your own tone.
- Add hashtags at the end of the description.
- Paste the tags/keywords into the YouTube tags field.
Now your video is both clickable and searchable.
Putting It All Together
You now have a full, repeatable system to create faceless finance videos:
- Research competitors & define style
- Generate ideas/titles with ChatGPT
- Write script (10–15 minutes) with scene structure
- Extract narration and create AI voiceovers
- Generate character sheets in ChatGPT
- Design characters in a 2D consistent style
- Generate scene‑by‑scene image & animation prompts
- Create all scene images (key frames)
- Animate scenes with an AI video tool
- Edit in Filmora (voice + visuals + music + transitions)
- Design a thumbnail based on AI concepts
- Optimize with SEO (titles, description, tags)
Once these prompts and workflows are set up, each new video becomes a repeatable production line:
- You change the topic,
- Run through the same steps,
- And maintain a consistent brand style and quality.
You’re effectively building your own automated finance explainer studio, without showing your face.
If you’d like, I can next:
- Draft an example full script for one of the ideas (“How the Poor Stay Poor”, “Loss Leader Trick”, etc.), or
- Help you structure the exact prompts you’ll reuse for Titles / Script / Images / Thumbnail / SEO.
Disclaimer
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