Ever Wonder How YouTubers Make Millions of Dollars?
We break it all down in our new podcast. After you click the button below hit the
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Okay, guys, I know we joke a lot around here, but we need to be respectful for this one. That’s because, today, we’re talking about none other than the Queen of YouTube herself: Ms. Safiya Nygaard. Today, Safiya has garnered a cult-like following with over 9.35 million subs and a billion views on YouTube, 2 million followers on Instagram, and an estimated daily income of $109 to $1.7k.
Safiya Nygaard is a name that makes the entire Buzzfeed enterprise tremble with fear.
Okay, maybe not, but she really did a helluva number on those guys with her “Why I Left BuzzFeed video.” We all remember when those started popping up, right? Well, Safiya basically started the trend, garnering over 15 million views with the viral video…
Keep an eye out, guys. If things go well for me, I’m doing my own “why I left my owner” video soon. Of course, I have a lot of catching up to do first…
Before venturing off to create her own YouTube channel, Safiya worked for Buzzfeed between 2015-2017. During this time, she created the popular Buzzfeed segment called “Ladylike,” where she and the gang would talk about and try different beauty hacks, lifestyle gadgets, and… fart-proof underwear?
Wow, the ladylike series really went downhill after Safiya left, huh?
Anyway, Safiya was bringing in a lot of cha-ching for Buzzfeed. But alas, they couldn’t stand the spotlight being taken away from them…
Sound like anyone we know? Maybe a self-reported YouTube star with a genius rat called Buster on the benches? You tell ’em, Patrick Swayze; nobody puts Buster in the corner!
Safiya was wildly unhappy with her contract at Buzzfeed and took a risk by going solo. She started her solo YouTube career under her own name…
Gotta say, that’s a pretty ballsy move. I mean, err, hats off to you, ma’am.
But because Safiya was already so well-liked during her Buzzfeed days, her risk paid off. If my memory serves correctly (which is something we’re notorious for, by the way), she gained a couple million subscribers within the first few days of creating her new channel. There’s really no big secret here; she was an icon at Buzzfeed and her fan base followed behind her like happy little lemmings.
Of course, Safiya didn’t rely on her status from Buzzfeed to grow her channel. She had a solid base, and now she needed to build on it. Thankfully, she maintained her goofy, chaotic, queen-of-darkness demeanor, which was great because that’s the Safiya we fell in love with.
But with her new channel, she was now undertaking more creative ventures. Her “Bad Science” series is especially popular, where she easily gets at least a couple million views per video. Some viral examples from the series include “Melting Every Lipstick From Sephora Together” and “Melting Every Candle From Bath and Body Works Together,” with 29 million and 25 million views, respectively.
Basically, she melts a bunch of makeup products together to create a new “franken-product,” which is oddly satisfying to watch…
Of course, I just have to ignore the fact that most of those makeup products were tested on rodents such as myself. RIP, my fallen brethren.
After leaving Buzzfeed, Safiya also started to express herself more openly and freely on her channel. She was able to co-produce her own makeup line with Colourpop and even sold her own merch without any repercussions of “breaking her contract.”
It was like she was all caged up for the longest time, and she was finally free… you hear that?! Freedom!
Seriously, though, don’t call animal services. I’ve got a pretty good life going on here. I just want to make it big like Safiya, and here are some pointers I’m taking from her:
Cater to your fanbase as much as possible: a loyal fanbase will follow you to the ends of the world.
Follow a video formula: Safiya’s videos follow the same tried-and-tested formula; she goes into a lot of depth about each topic she discusses. So, just don’t half-ass it, and you’ll be fine.
Production value matters: In one of her videos, Safiya revealed just how meticulous and jam-packed her production schedule is. She had videos prepared months in advance because it would take a lot of research and resources to create a single 20-minute video.
Okay, here’s the juicy bit: How much does Queen Safiya make as a solo, kick-ass, don’t-need-no-big-cooperation-for-her-success YouTube star?
Estimated yearly income: $45.9k-$733.8k
Estimated monthly income: $3.8k-$61.2k
Estimated daily income: $127-$2k
You know, if I ever made $2k in a single day, I’d splurge on the really good rat food, not the off-brand off-the-rack one I’m forced to eat every day.
Also, again, don’t call animal services. Thanks, you guys are great!
That’s it from me.
-Buster
