In 2018, Graham Stephan’s online community grew exponentially after uploading an unboxing video for his new Chase invitation-only credit card. In the months leading up, the real estate tycoon and YouTube content creator posted online videos on personal finance, investing, and ways for the average viewer to save money. The 29 year old with 3.37M subscribers initially looked at YouTube as a creative outlet, a fun project that morphed into a way for him to earn more, especially in ad revenue on YouTube. 

YouTuber @GrahamStephan did videos as a creative outlet before his finance videos turned into a big business. Click To Tweet

After gaining 2M subscribers, posting three videos a week helped him earn about $171K in ad revenue in 2018. That unboxing video racked in $3.4K in one day and averaged about $1K on subsequent days.

Why we’re a Stan: Though his unboxing video went viral, we’re more impressed by the YouTube content creator for regularly posting multiple videos every week to grow his finance-focused audience. You can’t plan for a viral hit, but you can plan to provide your audience with valuable content regularly.

About the author

Shameyka McCalman is a wordsmith whose work often centers around fashion, art, and other creatives of color. She earned her communications degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston and enjoys sifting through clothes in local vintage shops, frequenting nearby plays, and gazing at exhibitions on view in museums.