MrBeast is now the most followed on YouTube. What’s the secret to his success?

Who is MrBeast?

Jimmy Donaldson, 24, is an American personality who runs five YouTube channels — MrBeast (his main channel), Beast Philanthropy, MrBeast 2, MrBeast Gaming and Beast Reacts.

Donaldson was born on May 7, 1998 in eastern North Carolina in the city of Greenville, United States. He is a graduate of Greenville Christian Academy, a private school in the area. He went on to attend East Carolina University, but only for a brief period of time as he dropped out after his mother made him leave home, according to a tweet he posted in 2019.

3 years ago I dropped out of college and my mom made me move out (because she loves me and just wanted me to be successful) and people thought I was crazy ??

— MrBeast (@MrBeast) November 2, 2019

MrBeast’s early days on YouTube

Donaldson began his YouTube journey at the age of 13, in 2012. Under the username ‘MrBeast6000’ at the time, his videos remained confined to walkthroughs and comedic tutorials of online games, specifically, Minecraft and Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.

He went on to try his hand at what he thought would bring him clicks and up-his-game on the video platform. For instance, he estimated the net worth of YouTube personalities, offered tips on promotion of YouTube content, and commented on other events on the platform from time-to-time. However, his initial posts brought him only a few thousand views.

It was only in mid-2016 when MrBeast started to share reaction videos that helped him gain around 30,000 followers.

The same year, Donaldson began to produce videos which featured funny compilations of YouTube introductions, which gained him immense popularity. Through the ‘Worst Intros on YouTube Series’, he criticised the introductions of other YouTube stars. These videos are now private and unavailable for the public to view.

MrBeast then resorted to something the YouTube world had never seen before. In January 2017, Donaldson posted a video of himself counting from one to 100,000. He shared the video with the caption, “I can’t believe I did this …”

He pinned his comment on the video, “PLEASE SUBSCRIBE, THIS VIDEO WAS VERY PAINFUL, AND IF YOU SUBSCRIBE I’LL BUY YOU A CAR!” This video, as of now, has received about 1.2 million ‘likes’, and above 26 million views.

What kind of videos did MrBeast produce?

Since 2017, MrBeast’s videos have been all about bizarre actions, expensive stunts, survival challenges, vlogs and luxurious getaways. He has posted videos of himself challenging others to “sit in a bathtub of snakes”, created real-life sets of Squid Game, and has gone around recording himself offering people $100,000 to quit their jobs.

One of his videos, “I Survived a Plane Crash”, shared two months ago, has over 65 million views.

And, along the lines of his risk-taking endeavour, he posted another video “I Spent 50 hours Buried Alive,” which has about 205 million views.

MrBeast, with his hilarity and exceptional risk-taking abilities, is an internet sensation. He was one of the most viewed creators on YouTube in 2019 with about 27 million subscribers. He earned a record $54 million in 2021 while garnering 10 billion views on his videos, according to a Forbes report.

His other initiatives

By 2018, MrBeast had contributed $1 million towards charitable causes, which earned him the title of YouTube’s biggest philanthropist.

Besides sharing unusual videos, he also holds giveaway contests, participates in charitable initiatives, and runs a virtual eatery, ‘MrBeast Burger’. The online application allows his fans to order MrBeast-themed meals from around 1,600 restaurants from across the country. He manages the marketing of the app and later splits the profit with the restaurant. As of January 2022, the app had sold around 5 million sandwiches.

He also runs a philanthropy channel, Beast Philanthropy, with the mission to end hunger and food insecurity by providing assistance to underserved communities in eastern North Carolina and other parts of the US. It is based on the model of a mobile food distribution network, which runs a food pantry, and transports food to people in need. So far, according to its official website, it has served more than 221,455 individuals in the region.

MrBeast launched a fundraising challenge named, #TeamTrees, along with former NASA engineer Mark Rober in October 2019. The aim of the project was to raise $20 million for Arbor day Foundation, an American nonprofit organisation dedicated to planting trees around the country. The campaign received $18 million from tech executives such as Elon Musk and Jack Dorsey, and other YouTube stars like PewDiePie.

What’s the secret to MrBeast’s success?

MrBeast has hired some of his childhood friends — Chris, Chandler, Garrett, and Jake — to work to promote his YouTube channel. His friends sometimes even feature in cameo roles in his videos. His team now consists of 30 people who work on multiple projects simultaneously for his channels.

Although some of his videos have drawn criticism, MrBeast has tried to stay away from critics, focusing on ideas that will help him gain further on the platform.

MrBeast has also built a name from his viral giveaway contests. In fact, throughout his YouTube career, MrBeast has given his followers, family and friends several luxurious vehicles and mansions, apart from money. The most charitable instance was when he donated $10,000 to a homeless man. A video of the act was recorded and shared on his YouTube platform, and went viral.

His net worth, according to the website Celebrity Net Worth, stands at $25 million. He reportedly makes $3 to $5 million per month.

MrBeast’s awards and accomplishments

MrBeast won the 9th Streamy Awards for Breakout Creator in the year 2019.

He was declared the “big winner” at the 10th annual Streamy Awards the following year for bagging awards as Creator of the Year, Social Good: Creator, Social Good: Nonprofit or NGO, and Live Special.

He received the Creator of the Year award in the 11th Streamy Awards as well.

He gained recognition as Favourite Male Creator at the 2022 Kids’ Choice Awards, besides being nominated under other categories at highly-recognised ceremonies since 2019.

He received all the Youtube Creator Awards – Silver, Gold, Diamond, and Red Diamond – in the years 2016, 2017, 2018, and 2021, respectively. Through these Creator Awards, those who surpass a given number of subscribers on their respective Youtube platforms are honoured.