Many of the online series that ape TV's conventions struggle to deliver on their ambitions: They rise to advertisers' attention during elaborate NewFronts presentations, only to fall from sight, unmissed, a year or two later.

But the web's original engine of video, a corps of professional-amateur hybrids that relentlessly posts makeup tutorials or cooking demonstrations, continues to hum along just below the radar. These videos don't look like prime-time TV or pull in prime-time-sized ad dollars, but they still provide consistent footholds for marketers and collect a tidy revenue stream for what are usually very low costs.

Charliscraftykitchen, for example, has become YouTube's largest food channel, according to Outrigger Media, through weekly clips of a young girl (Charli) making treats. The video "Cupcake Marshmallow Pops" has generated nearly 2 million views since it was posted in February; the channel as a whole nets some 29 million views each month, said Outrigger Media, which works to help brands navigate YouTube's sprawling landscape. What's more, it averages monthly ad revenue of $127,777, Outrigger Media estimates. And that's after YouTube's cut.

Outrigger also rates video producers on criteria such as content quality, publishing frequency and expertise in the subject at hand to yield a SlateScore.