Ignore YouTube’s Minority Stars At Your Peril, Money-Wise

Online investors are increasingly looking to top personalities in YouTube who belong to non-white minorities as the latest candidates for stardom in terms of investment earnings – if they get discovered in time.

Washington Post this morning said there is a new spotlight on top personalities in YouTube who command millions of viewers, and may be ripe for discovery by major advertisers online.

The Post’s Hayley Tsukayama mentioned Kevin Wu, who you probably never heard of if your tube is the old traditional TV one, who has a YouTue comedy show and commands some 2 million views every time he posts his funny piece.

This is way, way over the nightly television audiences of the more known TV stars Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert.

The Post reporter noted that there is a disproportionately large share of top draws on YouTube who belong to minority groups, in contrast to mainstream television shows where the stars are mainly white.

Wu’s comedy shows have pop-up Mazda and Toyota ads, while Vietnamese-American beauty Michelle Phan has become a Lancome spokeswoman.

YouTube has declined to reveal how much its stars earn through their ads, but observers said many— one top channel regularly draws 5.2 million views—earn at least six figures annually.

Among the top 20 most-subscribed channels on YouTube, eight feature minorities, mostly Asian Americans. The top 50 have many more Latino and black shows.

Statistics important to interested advertisers indicate that at least 80% of minorities regularly watch online videos compared to 70% for whites.

The rising trend toward minority online shows reflects the long-found wisdom that even with great comparable content, it costs very little to produce an online show.

About Laurentiu Stan

Laurentiu is a young writer, who seeks to become a big name in the news field. He discovers his passion for writing in primary school and starts with short essays in his mother tongue. In college he begins writing essays in English as a freelancer, being attracted by news reporting. Now he’s the one who brings you the latest news as soon as they happen! He’s a soccer fan, music enthusiast and loves to travel.