Influencers are making big money on YouTube. How? Via so called ‘haul’ and ‘unboxing’ videos. By the end of 2018, each week over a thousand of these videos were produced and uploaded to YouTube. A haul video is where an influencer shows several products they have purchased. An unboxing video is where a person opens a package / box with a product / thing in it, then reviews or uses the product.
Quite a few influencers feature haul and unboxing videos on their channel. Some of these are specialist YouTube unboxing channels.
Haul videos
Most haul videos are about clothing (59 percent), general discount (11 percent) and beauty and make up (9 percent). The typical haul-er in the United States earns less than $6,000 per year.
Unboxing videos
Top unboxing videos are about: toys (29 percent), phones and accessories (16 percent), computers, tablets and accessories (10 percent), and 7 percent about gaming consoles and accessories. The average unbox-er earns no money. Unboxing videos aren’t necessarily about products; you can find thousands of videos unboxing turtles with millions of views. No joke!
If you’ve never seen an unboxing video on YouTube, then you’re one of the few. Welcome to the world of YouTube influencers in America, where people from all ages (from kids to elderly) make millions of dollars recording themselves whilst putting on make up, playing videogames, unboxing whatever’s inside. Possibly your product 😉
Opportunities for brands
A little bit more about these videos. A primary characteristic of these videos is that they seldom conclude with negative impressions of products or brands. The majority of the haul and unboxing videos default to interest and enthusiasm, or at worst, indifference.
For brands, this type of influencer marketing is exciting, especially when looking at the potential return for brands when working with micro influencers. Micro influencers are often perceived as more authentic and they don’t demand much money from your brand (if any).
Unsurprisingly, what makes a good unboxing YouTube video is the personality of the presenter. Even though some unboxing videos are informational, most YouTube influencers aim to make them entertaining. If you, as a brand, want to start with this type of influencer marketing, pay special attention to the influencer you collaborate with. No matter how popular an unboxing channel is, those looking for turtle unboxing videos are unlikely to be interested in a make up unboxing video.
