Allyiah Gainer is making a bag from YouTube alone.
From An HBCU Student To YouTuber
Gainer’s rise as a content creator and beauty guru dates back to 2015. She was briefly a student at Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, FL, and intended to pursue a career in pharmacy. Her motivation for attending school was driven by her father, and after they had a falling out she dropped out of school, as shared during the “Big Boss Energy” podcast with Kayla Burke. However, Gainer remained enrolled to make use of her dorm and meals, which had already been covered under her full-ride scholarship.
“I needed somewhere to live, right? I couldn’t just peace out,” Gainer explained on the podcast.
Her new plan was to fulfill her dreams of becoming a makeup artist, and she secured a part-time job at a MAC store located at a nearby local mall, which had been her highest-paying job at the time. ESSENCE reported she was also able to land her own clients who were her former classmates.
When she realized there was a need for her expertise, it led her to launch her own YouTube channel.
“It genuinely was just something to do because you like to do it, and I’ve really enjoyed it,” she said on the podcast. “We could talk for hours and hours and hours. So, it was a way for me to combine that plus makeup, and I loved makeup at the time, like that was just like my expression through anything.”
Consistency
Really enjoying her craft has paid off for Gainer who stepped into the game with leveled expectations. It was never a get-rich-quick scheme, and she has relied on consistency to grow her following over the years.
This translated into daily vlogs and 50-to-60-hour work weeks. Per ESSENCE, she used to post about two to three videos per week, and she still remains consistent til’ this day, now with 187 videos (at the time of this writing). Gainer later expanded her focus to include lifestyle topics, making her entry into the influencer world.
“I make it a point to post at least two videos weekly based on engagement numbers and my schedule,” Gainer told ESSENCE. “One vlog on Sunday and another dedicated video on Wednesday, like a ‘get ready with me’ or a fashion haul or something like that, because those garner really high views.”
She continued, “And that part right there is something I want to hone in on, paying attention to what your supporters like to see from you. I initially didn’t like to do vlogs, but I saw people really gravitated toward them, and it allowed me to feel closer to them, so I did them more often. Although this is fun work, it’s still work.”
Technology
Some of that work also came with some learning curves. Gainer shared on “Big Boss Energy” that she had to learn more about technology and the tools needed to create more engaging content. Gainer recalled searching for various tutorials to help her with editing.
“I had to learn how to edit,” she mentioned to Burke. “I had to learn tech stuff. I’m on YouTube googling tutorials like ‘How to chop, screw, flip, and reverse. So that craving for knowledge is also necessary in this field… We have so much access to information at our fingertips. So that was a big thing for me coming up, developing that skill.”
Following
All in all, her efforts in the social media space have been rewarded. Gainer now boasts a strong YouTube community with 848,000 subscribers, an Instagram following of 533,000, and 374,700 fans on TikTok.
@allyiahsface Have yall tried the new @Fenty Beauty SOFT** lit foundation?!👀 anywayssss heres my 2 cents that no one asked for. #foundationreview #fentysoftlitfoundation #fentyreview
Allyiah Gainer’s Brand Deals
Gainer has been able to leverage her presence in the digital space to land brand deals that include Neiman Marcus and Lancome. Per her Instagram, her paid partnerships include Marshalls, Belif, and Shea Moisture.
She also has worked more closely with YouTube and has secured speaking engagements.
How Much Is Allyiah Gainer Making?
But just how much is Gainer receiving? In her early days, she said she would charge brands $1,000 for every 1 million views. Her standards have risen since then, after hiring a manager to determine her rates and manage negotiations.
“Early on, I had a standard thing of charging brands $1,000 per 1,00,000 views which was so off, but being at the place that I was, $1,000 was lit, you know, I’m like, ‘Oh, yeah, I’ll do that,’” she said, according to ESSENCE. “But as I got older and more seasoned in the industry, I began to take a deeper look at what impact really means and how it should be monetized.”
Gainer would receive her first major payday from a one-year paid sponsorship with a hair company that compensated her between $70,000 and $80,000 yearly.”
It was secured money,” she recalled to “Big Boss Energy.” “I knew we’re on contract for a year. I know I’m getting this amount, plus this, plus all these other things that are happening right, but that was when I first started making probably over $12,000 a month consistently.”
What Allyiah Gainer Makes From YouTube
As for YouTube, creators are paid through Google’s AdSense to receive compensation. Therefore revenue per mille (RPM) is a key metric that translates to earnings for every 1,000 page views.
Last month alone, Gainer received 1.5 million views, according to a TikTok video posted by Purposed Brand Management. In that same video, hinting at Gainer’s revenue from YouTube, the full-time content creator and influencer commented that Gainer’s RPM likely exceeds $20.
“Oh this was cayute! but sister wait till you find out RPM isn’t capped at $20,” Gainer said via TikTok.
This places Gainer’s reported earnings at a minimum of $30,000 for August. Assuming she maintains this level of earnings, her annual revenue would be no less than approximately $360,000, according to Purpose Brand Management.
@purposedbrandmanagement #greenscreen lets calculate @Allyiah ‘s youtube ad sense earnings based on average RPM’s in the beauty space . I do want a disclaimer that Alliyah commented and I think shes over 20 RPM now👀. Prior to this video, i have only seen RPM’s over 30 in the finance, education, tech, and AI industries on YT…BUT her comment has shown us its possible in beauty too which should inspire you more to get on Youtube!!! #influencermarketing #influencermanager #branddeals #influencer
Managing Finances
What’s more, Gainer is managing her finances wisely. She hired an accountant and said she lives below her means.
“I got an accountant. Got somebody else to look over my money because if it was up to me baby we was gonna spend it,” she explained on the “Big Boss Energy.” podcast. “So I had to have them do that, but one thing about it is I never changed my lifestyle drastically believe it or not. I live very well below my means. The shopping and things like that of course would get cut out, God forbid anything happened, but as far as like bills, things that mattered, well well well below my means.”
She added, “Within this space your months don’t look the same every month, everything it fluctuates. You hope it keeps going up, but it might be a month way up here, and then you know this one came down here, so understanding that, and planning for that, and moving accordingly to that made everything smooth sailing.”
