YouTube influencers are on a different level when it comes to business impact.
The term “influencer” might be synonymous with Instagram and TikTok these days. Thing is, YouTube creators predate both and are the blueprint for what an “influencer” is today.
And YouTubers have consistently built full-blown brands, media careers and product lines.
These aren’t just one-off success stories, either. From beauty and fitness to gaming and beyond, YouTube creators drive billions of views from any audience you can imagine.
And this speaks to the power of YouTube influencer marketing and sponsored content for brands.
This post digs into the top YouTube influencers of all shapes and sizes and why they’re notable.
Table of contents:
Who are YouTube influencers?
YouTube Influencers are creators with substantial followings and engaged communities. These creators’ personal brands are recognizable among their audiences and businesses.
While there’s no one-size-definition of what a YouTube influencer is, our criteria for this list includes:
- A sizable audience (100,000s or millions of subscribers)
- Videos that regularly earn 1+ million views
- Content that’s brand and collab-friendly
Brands primarily partner with YouTube influencers through sponsored videos and brand ambassadorships. Beyond paid partnerships, many creators will serve as affiliates for brands.
Consider that many YouTube influencers’ level of engagement dwarfs that of traditional ad channels. The platform’s largest creators drive millions of views in a matter of days.
These viewers are engaging with long-form content (hint: not 15-second ad spots). With so much content on YouTube, brands are spoiled for choice when it comes to finding the right influencers.
Top YouTube influencers overall
Below is our breakdown of some of the top YouTube influencers overall.
Bear in mind that subscriber count isn’t everything! While many of these channels represent some of the biggest YouTube influencers, we also share a few up-and-coming creators as well.
If you’re interested in learning more about how you can seamlessly find and manage influencer relationships, all the way from onboarding and project assignment through to execution, request a demo of Tagger by Sprout Social today.
1. MrBeast
With over 240 million subscribers, MrBeast is officially the biggest individual YouTube influencer.
His elaborate stunts and philanthropic videos are among the platform’s most viral content. The channel has inspired platform-wide trends including over-the-top thumbnails and “challenge”-style videos.
Inspiring so many copycat channels, MrBeast’s ability to establish trends and drive millions of views in minutes is what makes him the top YouTube influencer by a wide margin.
2. Lily Singh
Lilly Singh is a shining example of how to go from being a YouTube influencer to launching a legit media career and personal brand. With over 1,000 videos and 13 years on the platform, Singh highlights how far both YouTube and creators have come.
Over the years, her content evolved from cultural comedy skits to vlogs featuring Zendaya and The Rock. While Singh doesn’t publish as much long-form content these days, she posts plenty of YouTube shorts of her behind-the-scenes life as a celeb.
3. Marques Brownlee
Marques Brownlee is the mastermind behind MKBHD, breaking down cutting edge tech with super in-depth reviews. Brownlee’s 18+ million subscribers speak for themselves, as does the fact that his new review of the Apple Vision Pro has already amassed 26+ million views in a month.
His channel is the go-to place for the YouTube community to learn about the latest gadgets, phones, tech accessories, gaming consoles and more. What makes Brownlee notable is his welcoming presentation, making his content accessible to casual viewers and tech junkies alike.
4. Dude Perfect
Five YouTube influencers, one channel.
Despite being simply presented as five guys making videos, Dude Perfect is the blueprint for a successful comedy channel on YouTube. Their sketches and outlandish “trick shot” videos consistently go viral across social media, not to mention YouTube itself.
Getting hundreds of millions of views for flipping water bottles and making ping pong trick shots might seem impossible. That said, the personality of the Dude Perfect team is what really hooks viewers from the start.
5. Emma Chamberlain
Emma Chamberlain proves the power of day-in-the-life style content. Amassing 14+ million subscribers for her vlogs and lifestyle videos, Chamberlain presents her “real” self to viewers whether she’s filming her daily fits or exploring a new county.
Like all of the YouTube influencers on our list, her channel is a reminder that building an audience boils down to creating a legit emotional connection with your audience. Needless to say, Chamberlain has nailed it there.
6. Markiplier
Markiplier is a pioneer as a YouTube influencer in the gaming space. His channel blew up in the wake of horror game jump-scares and reaction videos taking off over a decade ago. 5,500+ videos later, Markiplier continues to create similar content with the occasional vlog or charity announcement in-between.
7. KallMerkis
KallMerkis’ channel is a perfect storm of what tends to trend across YouTube. That includes reaction videos, reviewing weird products and outlandish thumbnails. Her consistency and content variety has netted her nearly 11 million subscribers to date with no signs of slowing down.
8. Jacksepticeye
Jacksepticeye is another example of a gaming YouTube influencer who got in early on reaction content and playthroughs. While many of his earliest and most popular videos also featured original animations, Jack has also branched out into meme reviews, reaction videos and everything in-between.
9. Morgan Drinks Coffee
Morgan Drinks Coffee’s Morgan Eckroth is a barista champion turned YouTube influencer who regularly publishes super creative branded content. Unsurprisingly, most of her content is coffee-themed. This includes long-form educational videos, recipes and product reviews.
Given that Morgan is also popular on TikTok (6.3 million followers), she makes a point to regularly crosspost her videos to YouTube Shorts where they likewise earn impressive engagement.
10. JaidenAnimation
JaidenAnimations is unique as the only animated YouTube influencer on our list. Many of her recent videos focus on video games and nerd culture along with her personal experiences. Combining humorous “storytimes” with stunning cartoons, her distinct style has earned her 12.4 million subscribers to date.
11. Davie 504
David504’s content is equal parts bizarre and mind-blowing. Combining memes with creative bass guitar solos and challenges, Davie’s channel is one of the biggest independent music YouTube influencers with an impressive 13+ million subscribers.
12. Adam Neely
Another music YouTube influencer, Adam Neely has one of the oldest channels of anyone on this list (with his first video published way back in 2006). Since then, Neely has consistently published deep-dives into music theory alongside live performances and vlogs detailing his life as a gigging musician.
13. SB Mowing
SB Mowings’ before-and-after mowing videos are also a perfect example of “oddly satisfying” content that tends to go viral on YouTube. Transforming untenable lawns into something with curb appeal definitely falls under that category as millions of viewers regularly tune in to see it happen.
Even more impressive is how the channel boasts its fair share of sponsored content. SB Mowing is a shining example of just how successful niche YouTube influencers can be.
Top YouTube fitness influencers
While there’s no shortage of them, here are a few notable YouTube fitness influencers to watch.
14. Yoga With Adriene
Yoga with Adriene is YouTube’s one-stop-shop for all things yoga. Her calm presentation and the fact that she has tutorials for all skill levels have only helped her viewership grow since. From bite-sized routines and full-blown classes to in-depth yoga pose tutorials, Adrienne has covered all of the above in detail in 700+ videos and counting.
15. Jeff Nippard
Jeff Nippard is different from many of the biggest YouTube influencers in the fitness space because of his background in chemistry. His recommendations go beyond anecdotal fitness advice with a focus on science and peer-reviewed data. Nippard’s videos combine practical muscle-building and diet recs with serious educational value that doesn’t skimp on the details.
16. Athlean X
Like Nippard, Athlean X’s Jeff Cavaliere takes pride in his “no BS” and science-backed approach to fitness advice. Serving as a celebrity trainer with decades of experience, Athlean X goes to great lengths to dispel common YouTube fitness myths. Much of the channel is dedicated to addressing weightlifting trends with the potential to cause injury.
17. Blogilates
Another example of how creators turn content into careers and products, Blogilates is an “OG” fitness YouTuber who also has a thriving activewear brand to her name. Her channel primarily consists of bodyweight exercise tutorials and ~15 minute workout routines for busy viewers.
18. Carla Rowena
Carla Rowena’s channel is a notable mix of both fitness and lifestyle content. Beyond traditional workout routines, she also uses her channel as a place to document her journey as a parent. She’s recently published a series of postpartum workout videos which highlights how creators can seamlessly reach multiple audiences at the same time.
Top YouTube makeup and beauty influencers
19. Michelle Phan
While Michelle Phan’s channel initially popped off thanks to her copycat celebrity makeup tutorials, the channel primarily focuses on product reviews and routine breakdowns. Not to mention founding EM Cosmetics along the way.
Her videos are seriously in-depth and border on ASMR with a soft and calm presentation. Phan sometimes publishes lifestyle videos and personal vlogs for the sake of variety.
20. Jackie Aina
Jackie Aina’s self-proclaimed goal is to change “the standard of beauty” and she delivers with her routine videos, vlogs and self-care videos. While Aina initially built her brand on beauty reviews, self-care has become the primary focus of the channel with makeup playing a supporting role.
Some of her more recent videos are sponsored by brands like CashApp, highlighting how YouTube beauty influencers are creating content powered by paid partnerships.
21. Taylor Wynn
Taylor Wynn has been posting beauty tutorials and reviews for over a decade. She continues to consistently post routine videos and recommendations alongside long-form vlogs. With many of her videos clocking at over 30+ minutes, she’s yet another example of a beauty vlogger who dives deep into her favorite finds at Ulta, Sephora and beyond.
22. NikkieTutorials
NikkieTutorials’ content is much more in-your-face than other beauty YouTubers but that’s 100% on-brand. Her 14.5m subscribers don’t lie!
Quick edits, memes and a great sense of humor help Nikkie’s content stand out from the crowd. Testing viral hacks and bizarre routines provides serious entertainment value while also showing off her skill as a makeup artist.
While Nikkie doesn’t post as many long-form videos these days, she’s still actively publishing bite-sized makeup applications and reaction videos.
23. Huda Beauty
Like many YouTube beauty influencers, Huda Beauty went from creating makeup tutorials to building her own cosmetics empire. Huda’s 4 million YouTube subs and ever-growing brand highlight her impact as both a beauty influencer and entrepreneur.
24. Christen Dominique
With 4+ million subscribers, Christen Dominique has mastered the art of creating long-form beauty videos. Most of her videos are ~20 minutes long with the occasional unedited videos that can last for over an hour.
Routines, hacks and GRWM videos are cornerstones of her content which gets seriously in-depth. The fact that Dominique continues to publish multiple videos per month is impressive for a creator of her size. Bonus points for keeping up that sort of volume and high production value.
Ready to start working with YouTube influencers?
The list above provides a taste of what YouTube has to offer in terms of creative talent. The amount of talented influencers on YouTube across industries and genres is staggering.
And this is great news for both creators and the brands that want to partner with them.
Especially as YouTubers continue to find super creative ways to feature brands in their content. Still, simply finding the right influencers is one of the toughest parts of getting started.
If you haven’t already, check out Sprout Social’s suite of influencer marketing features to see how the platform can help you reach your target audience with creators faster.
