Brands need YouTube's gift and gadget gurus

With the festive season well and truly upon us, online creators are preparing their Christmas content. People look to these influencers for guidance on gift ideas, as they offer product reviews, ideas and recommendations. Tapping into this trusted community of opinion-formers is an invaluable resource for brands, as influencers’ seasonal content has great potential to help propel brands’ offerings in the Christmas run up.  

At Instrumental we track the fastest growing content creators. This month we honed in on those creators who have a track record of advising their audience on festive tips and gift ideas. We monitored UK based channels across a range of categories, all with under 300,000 subscribers, who’ve demonstrated high % subscriber growth. Influencers of this size generally have high audience engagement rates, leading to greater return on investment.

The Tech Chap
Tom, AKA 'The Tech Chap', reviews all things tech from computers and phones to voice assistance and fitness gadgets. In his recent video, ‘Top Tech Gifts for 2016’, Tom shows the latest in stocking filler gadgets. His honest reviews are gaining momentum on YouTube, with his subscribers growing by an impressive 13% over October.

YouTube username: zlXf-yUIaOpOjEjPrOO9TA
Subscribers: 50,615
YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/channel/UCzlXf-yUIaOpOjEjPrOO9TA

In The Kitchen With Kate
Kate's baking tutorials and recipes attract a global audience, generating an average of 175,000 views each month. Last year Kate's seasonal offering included a cornflake wreath and snowman bowl, so we wait with anticipation for her 2016 Christmas creations.

YouTube username: inthekitchenwithkate
Subscribers: 72,231
YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/channel/UC_b26zavaEoT1ZPkdeuHEQg

Floral Princess
Anastasia, AKA 'Floral Princess' has grown her subscribers by over 3% in the last month. With beauty and product reviews generating over 79,000 views per video each month, her Christmas recommendations are sure to cause to a stir.

YouTube username: wR-g7XxcLxjYVTS5qncFhg
Subscribers: 197,582
YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/channel/UCwR-g7XxcLxjYVTS5qncFhg

Just Jodes
From make-up tutorials to shopping hauls, Jodes is the ideal channel to recommend gifts to young beauty and lifestyle enthusiasts. Her festive content engages with a growing YouTube audience, 95% of which are female with 62% based in the UK.

YouTube username: justjodess
Subscribers: 133,247
YouTube channel: http://youtube.com/channel/UClOiIf3bfA-L6bx05k7rhlg

Joe Allam
Joe's channel features a range of travel vlogs as well as behind-the-scenes insights into capturing key shots. It is fast becoming the go-to channel for photography tips and equipment product reviews. Joe boasts rapid subscriber growth month-on-month, his followers growing by 12% in October alone.

Benjaminoftomes
Benjamin generates an average of 60,000 views per month on his channel, which is devoted to promoting great books. He has secured his place as a Christmas gift advisory with his recent 'Winter Wonderland' video, which features seasonal book recommendations.

Lydia Elise Millen
Fashion and lifestyle vlogger, Lydia, is currently embracing the winter period with festive outfits, winter coat recommendations and general beauty gift ideas. Her channel has enjoyed significant growth this month, with a 16% increase in subscribers, and views up by 17%.

Sophiedoesnails
Sophie's beauty and nail art generates increasing views month-on-month, 970,000 views in September rising to 1.4 million in October. Hers is one of the fastest growing channels, her subscribers increasing by 33% just last month.

The Happy Pear
Dave and Steve found their niche back in 2004 when they started The Happy Pear to promote healthy eating. Their recipes, which include a recent festive vegan pumpkin pie, are drawing an increasing following. Subscribers grew by 5.7% in October, with views increasing by 9.6%.

Sarah, AKA 'This Mama Life' has one of the fastest growing parenting and lifestyle channels, her subscribers more than doubling in October with a growth of 52%. Her toy reviews are likely to become even more popular in the run up to Christmas.