Why a YouTube toy reviewer, aged 7, earns US$22 million – more than 9 other top-ranked YouTube influencers
- The youngster, known for his Ryan ToysReview channel, has more than 18 million followers, but who else is in the top 10?
The impact of the video-sharing website, YouTube on pop culture cannot be ignored. The platform's top stars become the world’s premier influencers, coveted by media outlets and advertisers for their ability to reach tens of millions of followers each day.
As influencers become more valuable, many popular YouTubers have been able to turn their personal brands into million-dollar businesses.
While the formula for YouTube success varies between channels, the most successful YouTubers have been able to find new sources of income beyond the advertising revenue on their videos.
For some, that means personal clothing lines and television appearances, while others have capitalised on their success by staging sold-out live tours and launching customised toy brands.
Check out Forbes magazine’s list of the 10 highest-paid YouTubers, based on their earnings from June 1, 2017, to June 1, 2018.
10. Logan Paul – US$14.5 million
American vlogger Logan Paul was ranked as YouTube's fourth-highest earner 12 months ago. But his personal brand took a tumble after he uploaded a video of a dead body he discovered in Japan's Aokigahara forest, a location that is notorious for suicides.
As a result, YouTube removed Paul, 24, from the Google Preferred programme – which aggregates the website’s top content into easy-to-buy packages for brand advertisers – which hit his advertising revenues.