The YouTube Formula

8The Real Power of Your Influence: Making a Difference

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Kids get asked this question generation after generation. The most common answers usually include job titles like astronaut, athlete, doctor, vet, and teacher. But kids these days are different, because they've grown up with the influence of the Internet, and the effect it's had on their answers is telling. In the United States, becoming a YouTuber is the #1 answer for kids these days. My son Bridger has wanted to be a YouTuber since he was in diapers.

And who can blame them? Successful YouTubers often showcase their glamorous lifestyles with fancy cars, huge houses, exotic vacations, and loads of endless fun. So many of them make it look like a life in endless paradise.

But not all successful YouTubers flaunt the lavish influencer life. Enter Jimmy Donaldson, “MrBeast,” a kid who did make a successful career out of YouTube, but who kept his feet on the ground. When I found out about MrBeast, I followed him on YouTube and his socials. Then I noticed he followed me back. A few days later, he sent me a DM on Twitter saying he had watched some of my videos, that they had helped him understand the YouTube algorithm better, and that he would love to connect sometime to talk data. MrBeast at the time wasn't as big of a deal as he is now—he only had 4.7 million subscribers, but I could see that he would be creating big ripples on YouTube. So I messaged him back and said I'd love to connect. ...