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3 minute read
Forbes just released its list of the Top 50 Creators of 2025, and the numbers are wild. Yes, the money is big. But even more interesting is how it’s being made.
We dug into the data and noticed something Forbes didn’t say out loud: the creators who treat their channel like a business are earning more per follower — not just a little more, but a lot more.
Here's what we found...
Most Creators Think They Need More Followers.
What They Actually Need Is a Strategy.
Let’s look at the numbers.
The average creator on the Forbes list earned about $0.40 per follower.
That means if you have 100,000 subscribers, you could be making $40,000 a year. With a million? $400,000.
But here’s the kicker — creators with an Entrepreneurship Score of 4 (meaning they build their own brands) earned 28% more per follower than those with a score of 3 (who rely mostly on sponsorships).
That’s $0.45 per follower vs $0.35.
A $0.10 difference doesn’t sound like much — until you realize it adds up to an extra $100,000 per million followers.
MrBeast Isn't the Highest Earner Per Follower
Let that sink in.
The biggest name in the game — MrBeast — didn’t even crack the top 5 when sorted by earnings per follower.
Why? Because audience size doesn’t tell the whole story. Some creators with smaller followings are earning more because they’ve built smart businesses behind the scenes.
They’re selling their own products. Launching apps. Building brands.
That’s the playbook now.
YouTube Still Reigns Supreme
Among the top 50 creators, YouTube dominates. It’s the primary platform for half of the list.
Even creators who are huge on TikTok or Instagram tend to point fans back to their YouTube channel. Why? Because YouTube is where long-form trust gets built — and trust is what drives real revenue.
At Octo, we only work with YouTubers. That’s by design. YouTube is the best launchpad for businesses, period.
Sponsorships Are Great. Ownership Is Better.
Plenty of creators on the Forbes list make their money through brand deals. That’s fine — for now.
But the real winners are the ones who use their channel to launch their own brand.
Think of it this way:
| Income Source | Who Owns It? |
|---|---|
| Sponsorship | The brand |
| AdSense | YouTube |
| Your own product | You |
Building a Brand Doesn't Mean Going It Alone
We get it — building a business sounds overwhelming. You’re already buried in editing, filming, and managing your uploads.
But that’s exactly why Octo exists.
We’re your off-camera team.
We handle everything from thumbnails and titles… to course creation, to launching your own mobile app. You focus on creating — we’ll focus on scaling.
What the Data Says (and What It Means for You)
Let’s break this down:
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$0.40 per follower is the new baseline for creators who monetize smart.
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Creators with a Score of 4 (brand builders) earn 28% more than Score 3 creators.
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YouTube-first creators dominate the top earners list.
Translation?
If you’re still chasing sponsorships but not building a business — you’re leaving money on the table.
The Big Takeaway: Start Acting Like a Founder
You don’t need to be MrBeast to earn like him.
You just need to start thinking like a business owner, not just a content creator.
That means:
✅ Turning your most popular videos into evergreen courses
✅ Launching a simple product your fans actually want
✅ Building a brand you can sell — not just a channel you have to keep feeding
That’s what the smartest creators are doing in 2025.
Octo Can Help You Get There
We help creators like you:
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Package your videos into paid content
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Design and launch your own app
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Build a brand with real equity
No need to hire a team. No payroll headaches. Just one point of contact and a crew that knows exactly how to turn attention into income.
If you’ve got 5,000 to 10,000,000 subscribers and feel like YouTube is starting to feel like a grind, we should talk.
Let’s turn that audience into something bigger.
Ready to Make the Shift?
Book a free strategy call with Octo
Let’s talk about how we can help you launch your first (or next) business.
You focus on the content. We’ll handle the rest.
