In this article, we will look at the 22 highest-paid YouTubers in the world. If you want to skip our detailed analysis of the important of social media platforms for businesses, head straight to the 5 Highest Paid YouTubers in the World.
The rise of YouTube, as a content-sharing juggernaut, has not only revolutionized how we consume information and entertainment but has also birthed an entirely new breed of social media influencers and creators. Before we dive into the list, let’s explore the latest trends in social media strategies.
Reels: The Biggest Disrpution for Traditional Social Media Strategies
Reels have disrupted traditional social media strategies by revolutionizing the way businesses and content creators engage with their audiences. With their short, captivating video format, reels have become a powerful tool for driving engagement and growth. The power of such short videos are also evident from how Khaby Lame transformed his life by creating silent and humorous short videos on TikTok. By leveraging the unique power of reels, he became the top TikTok influencer with almost 150 million followers while earning a reported $10 million annually.
Reels’ impact goes beyond content creation. It capitalizes on Instagram’s existing user base and shopping features, making it easier for businesses to reach their target audience and drive sales directly within the platform. This ease of access and potential for virality has made Instagram Reels a game-changer in social media marketing
How Important are Social Media Platforms for Businesses?
In 2023, brands are recognizing that having an engaged social media community is pivotal for success. It’s no longer just about sharing content; it’s about fostering a sense of belonging and interaction. According to a survey, 90% of social media marketers consider building an active online community as a critical aspect of their strategy this year. For brands, this engagement can lead to product discovery, as 21% of community participants cite it as the primary benefit. Whether on Facebook or Instagram, marketers are advised to use customers’ insights to shape their strategy across platforms.
This trend also explains why Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) remains a crucial and popular platform for marketers. American users spend an average of 33 minutes daily on Facebook and with 67.5% of monthly users active daily, brands have the potential to reach billions daily. Despite privacy concerns, it’s still a hub for messaging friends and family and following brands for 55.2% of the total audience. Moreover, it’s the most preferred platform for customer service that translates into 60% of consumers. Meta Platforms Inc (NASDAQ:META) ads also exhibit a decent 0.90% average click-through rate and a 9.21% conversion rate which offers marketers a cost-effective way to engage and convert their target audiences.
In addition, social media is poised to be the future of e-commerce in 2023. Product discovery on social platforms has surged, with social media being the popular channel for finding new products, particularly among consumers aged 18 to 54. Over 20% of Gen Z, Millennial, and Gen X social media users made direct in-app purchases within the last three months of 2023. Social media marketers have observed a huge rise in social shopping, as 47% report in-app sales. Furthermore, approximately 80% of social media marketers anticipate consumers will make purchases more frequently on social apps than on brand websites or third-party platforms like Amazon.com, Inc (NASDAQ:AMZN)
The importance of social media marketing can also be judged by the prodigious social media presence of Nike, Inc (NYSE:NKE) has which is a masterclass in leveraging digital platforms to build brand loyalty and drive positive sentiment. With over 300 active social media profiles, Nike, Inc (NYSE:NKE) has created a vast online presence on Meta Platforms, Inc (NASDAQ:META) Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest Inc (NYSE:PINS), TikTok, and LinkedIn.
The key to Nike, Inc (NYSE:NKE)’s success lies in its multifaceted approach. Instead of solely promoting products, Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) positions itself as a motivator for a healthy lifestyle. Across its various profiles, Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) employs simple yet powerful slogans and emotional storytelling to empower its audience and share sports-related news. Notably, many Nike, Inc (NYSE:NKE)’s campaigns actively address societal issues like racism and discrimination. Furthermore, Nike, Inc (NYSE:NKE) partnerships with sports icons like Lebron James, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Serena Williams, one of the highest paid female athletes in the world, also amplify its reach which generates millions of likes and shares on social media.
However, Nike Inc (NYSE:NKE) also understands that follower counts alone are not enough. It actively engages its audience, with Instagram leading the way with an average engagement rate of 0.12%, followed closely by Twitter at 0.13%.
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Methodology
To list the highest-paid YouTubers in the world, we have included only the YouTubers whose major source of income has been YouTube. However, to rank them in order to be the highest paid, we have used the number of subscribers as a proxy to measure how much they are paid. The list is presented in ascending order.
Note: We haven’t included Joe Rogan because he has primarily moved his podcast — The Joe Rogan Experience — to Spotify in a deal worth $200 million, with his Youtube channel now primarily comprising of clips. However, we we should note that Joe Rogan still makes substantial amount of money from his Youtube channel.
Here is a list of the highest-paid YouTubers in the World:
22. Rhett & Link
Subscribers: 5.04m
Rhett James and Link Neal are a popular American comedy duo. They often refer to themselves as “Internetainers,” a fusion of “Internet” and “entertainers.” One of their most notable work is the YouTube series titled Good Mythical Morning. In addition to this, they have worked on various projects like producing comedic songs and sketches, starring in the IFC series known as Rhett & Link: Commercial Kings.
21. Ryan Kaji
Subscribers: 9.31m
Ryan runs a YouTube channel called Ryan’s World that features himself and his family. With millions of subscribers and billions of views, Ryan’s World is a popular and fun channel that provides educational content for kids. While Ryan is only 12 years old, his channel has over 54.3 billion views, making him one of the highest-earning YouTubers in the world.
20. Lilly Singh
Subscribers: 14.5m
Lilly Singh is an Indian-Canadian YouTuber who is also known for being a comedian and an actress. She started her YouTube journey in 2010 under the pseudonym Superwoman and later changed it in 2019. She has achieved huge success as one of the world’s highest-paid YouTubers, with earnings of $7.5 million in 2016 and $10.5 million in 2017. She has over 14.5 million subscribers and over three billion video views as of February 2022 and has won numerous awards like Streamy, Teen Choice, and People’s Choice Awards.
19. Roman Atwood
Subscribers: 15.4m
Roman Bernard Atwood is an American YouTube personality who is popular for his vlogs on the “RomanAtwoodVlogs” channel with over 5 billion views and 15 million subscribers. He previously posted pranks on the “RomanAtwood” channel, with over 1.4 billion views and 10.4 million subscribers, but it’s been inactive since 2016. In May 2022, he launched the “RomanAtwoodPodcast” channel, dedicated to his podcast with notable guests like Steve-O, Vitaly, and FouseyTube. He’s among the few YouTubers with two Diamond Play Buttons.
18. Jeffree Star
Subscribers: 15.9m
Jeffree Star is an American internet personality and makeup artist who transitioned from a music career in the late 2000s to launching Jeffree Star Cosmetics in 2014. His e-commerce makeup brand received huge popularity through his YouTube channel, with millions of subscribers and billions of views. His YouTube fame and cosmetics brand made him one of the highest-paid YouTubers in 2018, earning $18 million from his online endeavors alone. He is also known as one of the richest YouTubers in the world.
17. Nathan Graham
Subscribers: 16.2m
Nathan Graham, known as Unspeakable, is a popular YouTube influencer with over 16 million subscribers. Forbes reported that he earned $28.5 million in 2021 by selling his YouTube content catalog to Spotter, along with merch and endorsements. He is one of the richest YouTubers in the world.
16. David Dobrik
Subscribers: 17.8m
David Dobrik is a Slovak Internet personality who is popularly known for his YouTube vlogs. He has been immensely popular with 19 million subscribers and 7.1 billion views on his vlog channel as of July 6, 2022. He is one of the highest paid YouTubers in the world.
15. Stevin W. John
Subscribers: 18.5m
Stevin W. John is an American children’s entertainer who goes by the alias Blippi. He can be found on multiple streaming platforms such as YouTube, Hulu, Netflix, HBO Max, and Amazon Prime Video. Blippi, the character portrayed by John, embodies a childlike, lively, and inquisitive personality. His character attire has a blue and orange beanie cap, a blue shirt, orange suspenders, and an orange bow tie.
14. Jake Paul
Subscribers: 20.5m
Jake Paul’s YouTube career skyrocketed due to his Vine popularity, Disney show, and viral rap song “It’s Everyday Bro.” He capitalized on his young, relatable image, social media prowess, and collaborations which have amassed millions of subscribers despite controversies. He is one of the highest-paid YouTubers in 2023.
13. Logan Paul
Subscribers: 23.6m
Logan Paul began his YouTube career in 2013 after gaining popularity on Vine. His channels, including “Logan Paul Vlogs,” have gained over 23 million subscribers. He’s been a Forbes-listed top YouTube creator and hosts the “Impaulsive” podcast.
12. Tyler Blevins
Subscribers: 23.7m
Tyler Blevins, also known as ‘Ninja,’ rose to fame by competing in video game tournaments, particularly in Halo 3, and streaming popular games like Fortnite. He has $20 million in earnings, 23.7 million subscribers on YouTube, a $54 million net worth, and 2.5 billion total views since his YouTube started in 2011. He is one of the top YouTubers in 2023.
11. James Charles
Subscribers: 23.9m
James Charles is an American beauty YouTuber and makeup artist. He started his YouTube career by posting makeup tutorials in December 2015. He has also launched his own makeup line with Morphe Cosmetics and hosted the YouTube Originals series “Instant Influencer.”
10. Olajide Olayinka Williams Olatunji (KSI)
Subscribers: 24.1m
KSI is an English YouTuber, rapper, and boxer. He gained fame through his gaming commentary videos on FIFA and different content that included vlogs and comedy-style videos on YouTube. With over 10 billion video views across three YouTube channels, KSI is a big name on YouTube. His successful music career with chart-topping albums and singles has further solidified his popularity.
9. Preston Arsement
Subscribers: 24.8m
Preston Arsement is a prominent YouTube personality who runs various YouTube channels, with “PrestonPlayz” being his most popular, focused on gaming content, particularly Minecraft. Preston has been listed among the Highest-Paid YouTube Stars in 2022 and is known for creating engaging and topical gaming videos.
8. Evan Fong
Subscribers: 25.8m
Evan Fong, widely known as VanossGaming, is a prominent Canadian YouTuber celebrated for his gaming-related content. He rose to fame with montage-style videos of himself and fellow creators playing games like Grand Theft Auto V and Garry’s Mod. Beyond YouTube, he’s also a music producer and DJ called Rynx and produces EDM and indie electronic music.
7. Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox
Subscribers: 26.2m
Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox together make videos on their channel called Smosh which is a popular American YouTube sketch comedy and improv group. They began posting videos on YouTube in 2005 and quickly gained popularity. The Smosh channel has over 10 billion views as of May 2022. Over the years, they’ve expanded to include multiple channels, such as ElSmosh (Spanish-language content), Smosh Games (gaming content), and Smosh Pit (variety content) that have attracted audiences from around the world.
6. Daniel Midleton
Subscribers: 27.6m
Daniel Middleton popularly known as DanTDM, is an English YouTuber known for video game commentaries on games like Minecraft, Roblox, Pokémon, and Sonic the Hedgehog. His channel has millions of subscribers and views, earning him Kids’ Choice Awards and Guinness World Records. He is one of the highest-paid YouTubers in the world.
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Disclosure: None. 22 Highest Paid YouTubers in the World is originally published on Insider Monkey.