Quick Introduction
Main Character: aureliathepanda, an active Reddit member on subreddit r/PassiveIncomeAI, joined October 2024. This person enjoys experimenting with AI-based passive income methods, and the ElevenLabs post was their biggest “hit,” achieving 238 post karma points and 68 comment karma points. Clearly loved by the community!
Implementation Timeline: Started May 2024, updated through October 31, 2024 (approximately 6 months).
Key Milestones:
- May 2024: Recorded and uploaded first voice
- September 2024: Uploaded second voice
- October 2024: Reached $1,000+ milestone, published case study on Reddit
Region: Not specifically stated, but aureliathepanda uses Stripe for payments, meaning they’re in a Stripe-supported country (like US, Canada, EU, etc.). Customer base is global ElevenLabs users working on audiobook projects, videos, advertisements, etc., with 30+ supported languages, so no regional limitations.
Revenue Model
Aureliathepanda earns money primarily through selling AI voice clones, combined with some income from referral links. Here’s how:
Passive Income from AI Voices: Selling voice clones on ElevenLabs Voice Library, earning money based on characters used in other people’s projects (audiobooks, videos, advertisements, etc.). This is the main source, bringing in over $1,000 (1,046.31 EUR) from May to October 2024.
Referral Income: Using ElevenLabs referral links (50% off Creator plan first month), but not disclosing earnings. This appears to be a secondary source, insignificant compared to Voice Library.
How Revenue Flows:
Users upload high-quality recordings (minimum 30 minutes, recommended 2-3 hours) to create professional AI voices. Voices are listed on Voice Library, and each time someone uses them, owners receive money based on characters converted to speech:
- Old Rate: Up to $0.20/1,000 characters (applied to first voice, uploaded May 2024)
- New Rate: $0.03/1,000 characters for new voices (from around June 2024). If achieving HQ (High Quality) badge, can set higher custom rates (per November 20, 2024 update)
- Duration Correlation: 1,000 characters ~ 1 minute audio, meaning ~33 minutes audio needed to earn $1 at $0.03 rate
Income Statistics (from dashboard screenshots):
- Total Received: 1,046.31 EUR (~$1,100 USD, depending on exchange rate) through 9 payments from October 26 to December 26, 2024
- Examples: 66.62 EUR (November 25, 2024), 47.40 EUR (November 10, 2024), 2.13 EUR (December 5, 2024)
- Pending Income: $55.65
Operating Costs:
- Creator Plan: $11 (first month, 50% off), then $22/month. Aureliathepanda downgraded to Starter plan ($5/month) after uploading voices
- Microphone: Not specified, but recommends USB mic (<del>$30–50) or XLR (</del>$100–200)
- Software: Audacity (free)
- Total Initial Cost: ~$50–100 (USB mic ~$30, Creator plan ~$11, 1–2 months Starter plan ~$10). With XLR mic, costs could reach ~$150–250
Potential:
- At $0.03 rate, need <del>33.3 million characters (</del>555 hours audio) to earn $1,000. At $0.20 rate, only need <del>5 million characters (</del>83 hours)
- First voice ($0.20) accounts for majority of income, showing huge potential if achieving custom rates
- Aureliathepanda predicts income will increase as ElevenLabs expands and AI voice demand explodes (forecasted hotter in 2025)
Special Note: This model is super new, leveraging AI voice cloning technology for passive income with minimal initial effort. Low cost, no advertising needed, but depends on voice quality and usage levels. Risks include low payment rates for new voices, uncertainty about voice popularity, and dependence on ElevenLabs policies.
Tools Used
Aureliathepanda uses both AI and non-AI tools to create and sell voices. Let’s review:
ElevenLabs:
Used for:
- Creating AI voice clones from recordings
- Storing and distributing voices on Voice Library
- Tracking income through dashboard, payments via Stripe
Benefits: Supports 30+ languages (English, Spanish, Japanese, French, Hindi, etc.), suitable for global market. Requires high-quality recordings (recommended 2-3 hours) to achieve accuracy and HQ badge. Has tags/descriptions for search optimization (e.g., “narrator”, “calm voice”, “British accent”)
Audacity (editing support):
Used for: Editing recordings, removing noise, silence gaps, exporting high-quality WAV files
Benefits: Free, easy to use, supports MP3/WAV export (WAV recommended)
Microphone (USB or XLR):
Used for: Recording high-quality voice
Benefits: USB mics (<del>$30–50, like Blue Yeti) sufficient for beginners. XLR mics (</del>$100–200, like Audio-Technica AT2020) for more professional quality
Stripe:
Used for: Receiving payments from ElevenLabs
Benefits: Need to check if your country is supported before starting
Reddit:
Used for: Sharing case study, attracting users via referral links, building community credibility
Benefits: Post achieved 238 karma points, 68 from comments, showing extremely high engagement
Implementation Process
Aureliathepanda divides the process into 3 phases, very clear:
Phase 1: Preparation and Recording (May 2024)
What they did:
- Signed up for ElevenLabs, upgraded to Creator plan ($11 first month, 50% off)
- Bought or used USB/XLR mic, recorded 1-3 hours in quiet room without noise
- Edited recording with Audacity to remove noise (like fans, traffic), silence gaps
- Chose appropriate speaking style (e.g., audiobook reading if targeting audiobooks)
Details:
- First voice recorded 1 hour (not optimal, but worked), second voice recorded September 2024 (duration unclear)
- Audio file maximum 1.5GB, prefer WAV format
Result:
- Completed first recording, ready to upload
- Cost: ~$41 (USB mic ~$30, Creator plan ~$11)
Phase 2: Voice Creation and Sharing (May–June 2024)
What they did:
- Uploaded recording to ElevenLabs, selected Professional Voice Cloning
- Recorded verification sentence to prove voice ownership
- Added optimized descriptions and tags (like “deep voice”, “narrator”, “soothing”) for discoverability
- Shared voice on Voice Library, set payment rate ($0.20/1,000 characters for first voice)
Details:
- First voice uploaded May 2024, taking advantage of high $0.20 rate
- Downgraded to Starter plan ($5/month) after uploading to save costs
Result:
- First voice started earning from June 2024
- Total cost: ~$46 ($41 + $5 Starter plan for June)
Phase 3: Growth and Expansion (July–October 2024)
What they did:
- Uploaded second voice (September 2024) on separate account (due to 1 voice/account limit, unless achieving HQ badge)
- Monitored income via ElevenLabs dashboard, received payments via Stripe (9 times from October 26 to December 26, 2024)
- Shared case study on Reddit (October 31, 2024), used referral links to build credibility
- Updated payment rates (November 20, 2024): HQ voices can set custom rates
Details:
- First voice ($0.20) accounts for ~90–95% of income. Second voice ($0.03) contributes less due to being new
- Income fluctuates (2.13 EUR to 66.62 EUR), showing uneven usage
- No promotion outside Reddit, relies entirely on organic search on Voice Library
Result:
- Revenue: 1,046.31 EUR (~$1,100) from two voices
- Operating Cost: ~$76 ($46 + $5/month x 6 months Starter plan)
- Net Profit: ~$1,024, profit margin ~93%
Results Achieved
Money Earned:
- 1,046.31 EUR (~$1,100) from May–October 2024, plus $55.65 pending
- First voice ($0.20) is the “star”, second voice ($0.03) contributes ~5–10%
Activity: Reddit: Post achieved 238 karma points, 68 comment points, with 30+ interactive comments. r/PassiveIncomeAI community asked many questions about audio quality, languages, payment rates
ElevenLabs: Two voices uploaded (May, September 2024). Estimated:
- First voice: <del>5 million characters (</del>5,000 minutes)
- Second voice: <del>3–5 million characters (</del>3,000–5,000 minutes)
- 9 payments from October 26 to December 26, 2024, ranging 2.13–66.62 EUR
Other Achievements:
- Created completely passive income model, no additional work needed after setup
- Inspired Reddit community, encouraging others to try AI voice cloning
- Learned recording skills, audio editing, Voice Library search optimization
Challenges:
- $0.03 rate for new voices is low, need super popular voice to earn much
- Recording and editing takes 3–6 hours per voice
- Dependent on ElevenLabs search algorithm and market demand
- Uncertain if voice will be used, risk losing ~$50–100 initial investment
Key Lessons Learned
Success Factors
Audio Quality: 1-hour recording (though not optimal) still succeeded thanks to good mic and careful editing. Recommend 2-3 hours to achieve HQ badge
Early Timing: Uploaded first voice May 2024, leveraging $0.20 rate, earned more
Search Optimization: Specific tags/descriptions (like “soothing voice”, “audiobook narrator”) help voice get selected more
Low Cost: Downgraded to Starter plan ($5/month), maintained high profit (~93%)
Creative Innovations
Leveraging New Technology: Voice cloning still new, less competition, helps reach market early
Transparency: Shared dashboard screenshots, answered detailed questions on Reddit, built credibility and attracted users via referral links
Diversification: Uploaded second voice to experiment, though less effective, shows expansion mindset
Challenges and Solutions
Low Rate ($0.03): Aim for HQ badge to set higher rates, focus on audio quality
Time-Consuming (3–6 hours): Use free Audacity, cheap mic (~$30) to save money
No Usage Guarantee: Optimize tags/descriptions, follow trends (audiobooks, YouTube videos) to choose recording style
ElevenLabs Dependency: Plan to try other AI voice platforms for diversification
Tips for Beginners
Start Small:
- Buy USB mic (~$30, like Blue Yeti), download Audacity (free)
- Sign up ElevenLabs Creator plan ($11 first month via discount link)
- Record 1 hour in quiet room, edit with Audacity, upload to Voice Library
Build System:
- Choose speaking style (audiobooks, ads, etc.)
- Add optimized tags/descriptions (like “calm voice”, “Spanish accent”)
- Downgrade to Starter plan ($5/month) after uploading
Marketing:
- Share voice on Reddit, X, AI forums
- Follow trends on ElevenLabs (hot languages, styles)
- Aim for HQ badge with 2-3 hour recordings, XLR mic if possible
Initial Cost: ~$50–100 (mic ~$30, Creator plan ~$11, Starter plan ~$10 for 2 months)
Learn Skills:
- Watch Audacity tutorials on YouTube
- Read ElevenLabs Voice Library, Professional Voice Cloning documentation
- Join r/PassiveIncomeAI to learn from community
Important Notes:
- Only record your own voice to avoid copyright violations
- Check if Stripe supports your country
- Be patient 3–6 months, income may be slow if voice isn’t “hot”
Reference Sources
Original Link: Update: I Made $1,000+ in AI Passive Income Selling My Voice Clone on ElevenLabs
