PR expert weighs in on social media influencer career

Forbes has released its list of top creators – 50 internet personalities who have earned an estimated $700 million combined. Each year, Forbes releases lists of top earners in various industries. The top creator list, however, is not just based on money — followers, engagement and other entrepreneurial activities are also taken into account. 

Forbes has given each person on the list an "entrepreneurship score" from one to four based on how they earn their money – from traditional advertising to creating their own "companies, brands, and services," according to Forbes.

Here are the top 10 creators, according to Forbes.

10. Brent Rivera

Rivera has a presence on several social media platforms, with 96 million combined followers across his social pages, but his comedic TikTok is responsible for more than 50% of his total followers. Forbes says he makes money off of brand partnerships and his own company, Amp Studios. Rivera created the media company, which helps other creators develop content and a following, in 2017.

The creator, 25, has earned $17.5M, according to Forbes. He earned a three on Forbes' entrepreneurship score.

9. Matt Rife

With an estimated $25 million in earnings and 22 million combined followers, Rife earned a three on Forbes' entrepreneurship scale. The 28-year-old working comedian and actor found TikTok fame, which he used to branch out to live shows, selling 750,000 tickets to his international comedy tour and earning a Netflix special. 

8. Emma Chamberlain 

The 22-year-old is a popular YouTuber with 27.9 million followers. Her content focuses on fashion and lifestyle, with a side of humor. She has earned gigs as Vogue's Met Gala correspondent and a Louis Vuitton ambassador in 2021.

She received a four on the entrepreneurship scale and has earned $20 million, according to Forbes.

7. Elliot Tebele 

Tebele, 32, created the @F***Jerry meme account on Instagram, which has branched out to FJerryLLC, a media company that runs several different social media accounts, such as @DudeWithSign and @JerryNews, and developed the card game "What Do You Meme." 

He has earned $30 million and was given a four on the entrepreneurship scale, Forbes says.

6. Logan Paul

Paul, 28, has earned $21 million and has amassed 74 million followers across platforms. The controversial creator began on Vine with his brother, Jake, and moved to YouTube, then a podcast. He has also signed contracts with UFC and WWE. He earned a four on Forbes' entrepreneurship scale.

Paul earned the No. 9 spot on Forbes' list of top-paid YouTubers in 2022, a list he and his brother, Jake, often appear on. 

5. Charli D'Amelio

The breakout TikTok star first gained widespread attention for her dancing videos on the platform. She continues to be the top female creator on TikTok and has brand deals with companies like Prada, according to Forbes. She and her family are also shooting the third season of their Hulu reality show, which she stars on alongside her parents and TikToker sister, Dixie. 

At just 19 years old, D'Amelio has already earned $23 million and a four on Forbes' entrepreneurship scale. She is the only woman in the top 10 on Forbes' 2023 creator list. Her sister is No. 18 on the list this year. 

4. Rhett & Link

The comedic duo – Rhett James McLaughlin and Charles Lincoln "Link" Neal III – started posting comedy YouTube videos in 2006 and eventually developed a company, Mythical, which creates various YouTube series, podcasts and invests in other creators with their Creator Accelerator Fund.

They have made $35 million and earned a four on Forbes' entrepreneurship scale. The duo is also on Forbes' 2022 top-paid YouTuber list, the most recent. They are both 45.

3. Jake Paul

Like his older brother, the 26-year-old got his start on Vine and YouTube. He is now a boxer and was No. 46 on Forbes' list of highest-paid athletes in 2022. He has also faced controversy, including allegations of sexual harassment and allegedly failing to disclose a cryptocurrency sponsorship for which he was charged by the Securities and Exchange Commission, according to Forbes.

Last year, Paul launched a sports betting platform called Betr, which will focus on micro-betting as well as producing original sports content. He has earned $34 million, amassed 66 million followers and received a four on Forbes' entrepreneurship scale.

He is No. 2 on Forbes' most recent highest-paid YouTuber list. 

2. Olajide "KSI" Olatunji

In 2009, KSI started posting videos on YouTube commenting on FIFA video games and has since turned into an athlete himself, a boxer. Not only does he box – and has fought against Logan Paul – he also raps, releasing two singles this year.

He also has his own promotional company, Misfits Boxing, for which he has earned a distribution deal. And he's the face of popular sports drink Prime Hydration.

The 30-year-old has also come under fire for using racial and transphobic slurs and misogynistic content, according to Forbes.

He has earned $24 million and amassed a whopping 112 million followers across platforms. Forbes gave him a four on their entrepreneurship scale.

1. Jimmy "Mr. Beast" Donaldson

The creator is consistently on Forbes' top-paid YouTuber's list and took the No. 1 spot in 2022. He has earned $82 million through his YouTube channel and his own company, which sells snack bars, merch and other products. He also created MrBeast Burgers, a company that delivers burgers to several countries. 

When he opened a brick-and-mortar location at the American Dream mall in New Jersey last year, more than 10,000 people showed up along with Mr. Beast himself, according to CBS New York. 

He received a four on Forbes' entrepreneurship scale.

He has more than 312 million followers across platforms and on YouTube, where he has 186 million followers, he often pulls stunts like paying an "assassin" to try and murder him. While some of his videos have strangers trying outrageous tasks like walking across an alligator-infested lake for money, some focus on more wholesome topics – like helping deaf people hear for the first time.

Caitlin O'Kane

Caitlin O'Kane is a digital content producer covering trending stories for CBS News and its good news brand, The Uplift.