20 Top YouTube Influencers to Follow in 2026 (By Industry)

Most YouTube influencers’ lists are packed with gamers, travellers, and beauty experts. That’s useless if you’re building a business. YouTube has over 2.7 billion active users, but for WordPress developers, ecommerce owners, and entrepreneurs, only a handful list actually matter.

This guide cuts through the noise. We’ve curated 20 YouTube influencers across different industries like WordPress, ecommerce, small business, and web development.

Each creator on this list delivers real expertise, not fluff. They’ve built businesses, shipped products, and earned their audiences through years of consistent value.

Whether you’re a plugin developer looking for collaboration opportunities, a store owner hunting for growth tactics, or a freelancer wanting to stay sharp, this guide saves you hours of research or searching YouTube influencers.

You’ll walk away with channels worth subscribing to, actionable insights to grow your business, and a clear understanding of who’s worth your attention in each space.

What Makes a Great YouTube Influencer?

Not everyone with a million subscribers deserves your attention. Before diving into the list, let’s talk about how we picked these creators and why engagement matters more than raw subscriber counts.

Engagement rates vary wildly by industry. As the chart below shows, niche B2B categories like WordPress, web development, and small business education often see higher engagement than mainstream entertainment. Why? Because viewers actively searching for tutorials and business advice are more invested. They comment, share, and implement what they learn.

Here’s what separates genuinely valuable YouTube influencers list from the noise:

Consistency: Great creators show up regularly. They don’t disappear for months and then resurface with a random video. A predictable upload schedule means you can count on them for ongoing education.

Deep Expertise: Surface-level advice is everywhere. The influencers worth following have years of hands-on experience. They’ve built businesses, shipped products, and made the mistakes so you don’t have to.

Real Engagement: Check the comments. Do they respond? Is a community forming around their content? Engagement signals that people are implementing what they teach.

Production Quality: This doesn’t mean Hollywood-level cinematography. It means clear audio, good explanations, and respect for your time. No 20-minute videos that could’ve been 5.

Authenticity: You can spot a fake from a mile away. The best YouTube creators are honest about what works and what doesn’t. They share failures, not just wins.

Educational Focus: Entertainment is fine, but these influencers teach. You walk away from their videos knowing something you didn’t before.

With these criteria in mind, here are the 20 best YouTube influencers list across key business industries.

WordPress YouTube Influencers

WordPress powers 43% of the web. Whether you’re a developer, agency owner, or DIY site builder, these WordPress YouTube influencers deliver tutorials, reviews, and insights that will level up your knowledge and business game.

1. Ferdy Korpershoek

Channel: @FerdyKorpershoek

Subscribers: 1.34M+

Content Focus: In-depth WordPress tutorials, hosting, SEO optimization, and performance.

Why He Made the List: Ferdy’s videos are incredibly detailed. We’re talking 3-4 hour comprehensive tutorials that leave no stone unturned. If you want to master a WordPress skill, he’ll teach you every nuance. His Dutch accent is distinctive, and his teaching style is warm and encouraging.

Must-Watch Content: His mega-tutorials on WordPress, Hostinger, Elementor, SEO, and website speed optimization.

Best For: Intermediate users ready to go deeper, agency owners training their teams, and anyone who appreciates thorough documentation.

What Sets Him Apart: Nobody makes more comprehensive WordPress tutorials. When Ferdy covers a topic, he covers all of it.

2. Darrel Wilson

Channel: @DarrelWilson

Subscribers: 493K+

Content Focus: WordPress tutorials, theme/ page builder reviews, hosting, email marketing, and complete website builds for visual learners.

Why He Made the List: Darrel has a gift for making complex WordPress concepts feel approachable. His videos are thorough without being overwhelming.

He walks you through complete builds from start to finish, covering hosting setup, theme installation, customization, and everything in between. His teaching style is patient and methodical, perfect for anyone who learns by doing.

Must-Watch Content: His full website build tutorials using popular page builders like Elementor, Divi, and others.

Best For: WordPress beginners, small business owners building their first site, and visual learners who prefer step-by-step walkthroughs.

What Sets Him Apart: Darrel doesn’t rush. He understands that his audience might be seeing these concepts for the first time, and he paces his tutorials accordingly.

3. WPTuts (Paul Charlton)

Channel: @WPTuts

Subscribers: 183K+

Content Focus: Advanced Web design, WordPress development, Bricks Builder mastery, and freelance workflow optimization.

Why He Made the List: Paul takes WordPress beyond the basics. With over a decade of experience as both a web designer and IT educator, he specializes in teaching dynamic website development, custom post types, and advanced tools like Bricks Builder and Advanced Custom Fields. His tutorials help you build powerful, complex WordPress sites that go far beyond simple themes.

Must-Watch Content: His Bricks Builder tutorial series, dynamic website builds with ACF, and videos on streamlining freelance workflows with different tools.

Best For: Intermediate to advanced WordPress users, freelancers looking to speed up their workflow, developers wanting to master different Page Builders and dynamic content.

What Sets Him Apart: Paul focuses on efficiency and profitability. His tutorials show you how to build professional websites faster using advanced frameworks, wireframes, and reusable systems. He teaches you to work smarter, not harder.

4. Jamie WP (Jamie Marsland)

Channel: @Jamie WP

Subscribers: 211K+

Content Focus: WordPress, WordPress block editor, modern WordPress development, and site building without page builders.

Why He Made the List: While many WordPress creators focus on page builders, Jamie champions the native block editor. He shows what’s possible with core WordPress, helping you understand where the platform is heading. His enthusiasm for Gutenberg is infectious.

Must-Watch Content: His full site editing tutorials and block theme walkthroughs.

Best For: Developers staying current with WordPress direction, users wanting to skip page builder bloat, and anyone interested in native WordPress capabilities.

What Sets Him Apart: Jamie sees WordPress’s future clearly and teaches you to build for it today.

5. WP Eagle (Alex Cooper)

Channel: @WPEagle

Subscribers: 69.6K+

Content Focus: Technical WordPress, hosting reviews, SEO/Speed optimization, and honest plugin comparisons.

Why He Made the List: Alex doesn’t sugarcoat things. If a plugin is overhyped, he’ll tell you. If a hosting company has issues, you’ll hear about it. His reviews are genuinely independent, which is rare in the WordPress space where affiliate commissions often influence recommendations.

Must-Watch Content: His hosting comparison videos and honest plugin reviews.

Best For: WordPress professionals making technical decisions, developers evaluating tools, and anyone tired of biased reviews

What Sets Him Apart: Honesty, Alex’s willingness to criticize popular products makes his positive recommendations more trustworthy.

💡Key Lesson from WordPress YouTube Influencers: The best creators don’t just show you how. They explain why certain approaches work, giving you transferable knowledge for future projects. Watch these channels not just for tutorials, but for understanding how to think about WordPress.

E-commerce Top YouTube Influencers

The e-commerce landscape is more diverse than ever. Whether you’re selling through WooCommerce on WordPress, hosted platforms like Shopify and BigCommerce, website builders like Wix and Squarespace, or marketplaces like Amazon, Etsy, and Walmart, these YouTube influencers’ lists cover the full aspects.

They teach platform selection, store optimization, product research, and scaling strategies that work across the ecommerce gamification.

6. Travis Marziani (Effective Ecommerce)

Channel: @TravisMarziani

Subscribers: 467K+

Content Focus: E-commerce strategy across multiple platforms, realistic expectations, and sustainable online store development models.

Why He Made the List: Travis cuts through the hype. While many e-commerce and old YouTubers promise overnight riches, he shows the real work involved. He’s built and sold multiple ecommerce businesses across different platforms, giving him credibility that guru-types lack. His content helps you evaluate which platform works best for your situation, whether that’s WooCommerce, Shopify, BigCommerce, or marketplaces.

Must-Watch Content: His case studies of actual stores he’s built and his videos debunking ecommerce myths.

Best For: Beginners who want realistic ecommerce sales expectations, entrepreneurs evaluating different platforms, and anyone tired of the Lambo lifestyle hype.

What Sets Him Apart: Travis shows the unglamorous reality of e-commerce. You’ll learn what actually works, not what sounds good in ads.

7. Wholesale Ted (Sarah)

Channel: @WholesaleTed

Subscribers: 1.45M+

Content Focus: Print-on-demand, multi-platform selling, and beginner-friendly ecommerce business models.

Why She Made the List: Sarah makes e-commerce accessible across multiple platforms. Her print-on-demand tutorials have launched thousands of successful side businesses on Etsy, Amazon, and standalone stores. She’s particularly good at explaining which platforms and business models work for which situations, helping you pick the right path before you invest time and money.

Must-Watch Content: Her print-on-demand guides and videos comparing different ecommerce platforms and business models.

Best For: Complete beginners, side hustlers looking for low-risk entry, creative types who want to sell designs across multiple platforms.

What Sets Her Apart: Sarah’s teaching style is friendly and clear. She breaks down complex platform decisions into simple, actionable steps.

8. Austin Rabin

Channel: @AustinRabin

Subscribers: 200K+

Content Focus: Product research, DropShipping, Shopify case studies, Meta Ads, marketplace selling, and building physical product brands.

Why He Made the List: Austin documents his Meta ads and Shopify case study transparently, including the failures. He shares actual numbers and honest assessments of what’s working in the current marketplace landscape. His product research tutorials are particularly valuable for anyone selling on Amazon, Walmart Marketplace, or other major platforms.

Must-Watch Content: His product research walkthroughs and behind-the-scenes looks at his product launches.

Best For: Shopify beginners, marketplace sellers, anyone interested in private label products, and people who learn from seeing real case studies.

What Sets Him Apart: Austin shows his actual business, not theoretical examples. You see real products, real numbers, real challenges.

9. Jordan Welch

Channel: @jordanwelch

Subscribers: 1.98M+

Content Focus: E-commerce brand building, dropshipping to brand evolution, and scaling online businesses.

Why He Made the List: Jordan started dropshipping in 2017 and has since built and exited multiple companies, including an e-commerce SaaS and a direct-to-consumer brand. His content goes beyond basic tactics. He teaches how to evolve from simple dropshipping into building legitimate brands. His transparency about both successes and failures gives his advice real weight.

Must-Watch Content: His brand case studies, store breakdowns, and videos on transitioning from dropshipping to branded products.

Best For: E-commerce entrepreneurs ready to level up, dropshippers wanting to build real brands, and anyone interested in the business side of scaling online stores.

What Sets Him Apart: Jordan bridges the gap between starting out and building something substantial. He’s not just teaching beginners. He’s showing the path from side hustle to real business.

10. Gillian Perkins

Channel: @GillianPerkins

Subscribers: 730K+

Content Focus: Digital products, online courses, and building profitable online businesses.

Why She Made the List: Gillian has built a seven-figure business selling digital products and online courses, and she teaches others to do the same. Her content covers the entire digital product ecosystem: creating courses, building sales funnels, helping businesses grow on YouTube, and scaling without burning out. She’s refreshingly practical about what it takes to succeed with digital products.

Must-Watch Content: Her videos on creating and selling online courses, YouTube strategy for course creators, and building six-figure online businesses

Best For: Creators wanting to sell digital products, coaches and experts building course businesses, and interested in the digital product side of ecommerce.

What Sets Her Apart: Gillian focuses on sustainable business models. She teaches how to build systems that generate revenue without requiring constant hustle, making her advice particularly valuable for creators who want freedom, not just income.

💡Key Lesson from E-commerce Influencers: Success in e-commerce isn’t about finding a magic product or the perfect platform. It’s about understanding your market, choosing the right sales channels for your situation (whether that’s WooCommerce, Shopify, BigCommerce, Amazon, Etsy, or a combination), testing systematically, and optimizing relentlessly. These YouTube creators emphasize platform diversification and data-driven decisions over hype. Notice how they all stress patience and realistic expectations.

Small Business & Entrepreneurship Influencers

Running a small business means wearing multiple hats, such as marketer, accountant, and strategist. These YouTube influencers provide the business acumen, marketing strategies, and practical coaching that small business owners need to succeed.

11. Alex Hormozi

Channel: @AlexHormozi

Subscribers: 4M+

Content Focus: Business scaling, sales, offers, and no-nonsense entrepreneurship advice.

Why He Made the List: Alex built and sold multiple businesses, including Gym Launch, which he grew to a significant scale. His book $100M Offers changed how many entrepreneurs think about pricing and value. His YouTube content clarifies years of hard-won business wisdom into digestible videos. He’s harsh, sometimes uncomfortably so, but that’s what makes him effective.

Must-Watch Content: His videos on creating offers, pricing strategy, and scaling service businesses.

Best For: Service business owners, anyone who needs their pricing fixed, and entrepreneurs ready for direct, no-fluff advice.

What Sets Him Apart: Alex doesn’t humour. He tells you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. His frameworks are simple and immediately applicable.

12. Neil Patel

Channel: @NeilPatel

Subscribers: 1.55M+

Content Focus: Digital marketing, SEO, content strategy, and business growth.

Why He Made the List: Neil has built multiple successful companies and helped countless businesses grow their online presence. His content is consistently actionable. He doesn’t just explain concepts. He gives you step-by-step processes you can implement immediately. His SEO and content marketing advice is particularly strong.

Must-Watch Content: His SEO tutorials and videos on content marketing strategy.

Best For: Small business owners handling their own marketing, marketers wanting proven frameworks, and anyone serious about organic growth.

What Sets Him Apart: Neil’s experience running his own businesses means his advice is tested, not theoretical. He knows what actually moves the needle.

13. Vanessa Lau

Channel: @VanessaLau

Subscribers: 997K+

Content Focus: Personal branding, social media strategy, and building online businesses.

Why She Made the List: Vanessa turned her personal brand into a multi-million dollar business. She teaches what she practices, which is refreshingly rare. Her content on building authority, growing audiences, and monetizing expertise is practical and proven. She’s particularly helpful for coaches, consultants, and service providers.

Must-Watch Content: Her videos on content creation strategy and building a personal brand that generates clients.

Best For: Coaches and consultants, service providers wanting to build authority, and anyone improving their expertise.

What Sets Her Apart: Vanessa’s teaching style is warm but tactical. She balances inspiration with actionable steps, never leaving you motivated but confused.

14. GaryVee (Gary Vaynerchuk)

Channel: @garyvee

Subscribers: 4.77M+

Content Focus: Entrepreneurship, social media marketing, personal branding, and business motivation.

Why He Made the List: Gary is one of the most recognized voices in entrepreneurship. He built his family’s wine business from $3 million to $60 million using early internet marketing, then founded VaynerMedia into a multi-hundred-million-dollar agency.

His content is a mix of practical social media tactics and hard-hitting entrepreneurial motivation. He posts daily and covers everything from LinkedIn strategy to mindset shifts for business owners.

Must-Watch Content: His Daily Vee vlogs, social media marketing breakdowns, and Q&A sessions where he gives direct business advice

Best For: Entrepreneurs needing motivation AND tactics, small business owners figuring out social media, and those who want unfiltered business advice.

What Sets Him Apart: Gary’s energy is unmatched. He’s been consistently creating content for over 15 years, and his advice comes from actually building businesses, not just talking about them. He tells you the truth even when it’s uncomfortable.

15. Sunny Lenarduzzi

Channel: @SunnyLenarduzzi

Subscribers: 705K+

Content Focus: Online business, YouTube for entrepreneurs, and building authority-based businesses.

Why She Made the List: Sunny helps entrepreneurs build businesses around their expertise. Her YouTube strategies specifically target business outcomes, not vanity metrics. She understands that for most business owners, video is a tool for generating clients, not becoming a full-time YouTuber.

Must-Watch Content: Her Boss Brand videos and content on using YouTube for lead generation.

Best For: Entrepreneurs building personal brands, business owners wanting YouTube to generate leads, experts packaging their knowledge

What Sets Her Apart: Sunny focuses on YouTube as a business tool. Her advice is always connected to revenue, not just views.

💡Key Lesson from Business Influencers: The common thread among successful entrepreneurs is execution speed. These content creators emphasize taking imperfect action over waiting for perfect plans. Test, learn, and iterate quickly. Notice how none of them preach “get rich quick.” They all built their success through consistent effort over years.

Website Development & Coding Influencers

Whether you’re learning to code, staying current with new frameworks, or building complex web applications, these developer-focused YouTube influencers make technical concepts accessible. Their tutorials and project walkthroughs have launched countless development careers.

16. Traversy Media (Brad Traversy)

Channel: @TraversyMedia

Subscribers: 2.4M+

Content Focus: Full-stack web development, modern frameworks, and practical coding tutorials.

Why He Made the List: Brad is the gold standard for web development education on YouTube. His crash courses have introduced millions to new technologies. He explains complex concepts clearly without dumbing them down. His content stays current with modern development practices, making him essential viewing for any web developer.

Must-Watch Content: His framework crash courses and complete project tutorials.

Best For: Developers at all levels, anyone learning new technologies, and full-stack developers staying current.

What Sets Him Apart: Brad’s production quality and teaching clarity are unmatched. He can make any technology feel approachable.

17. Web Dev Simplified (Kyle Cook)

Channel: @WebDevSimplified

Subscribers: 1.76M+

Content Focus: JavaScript fundamentals, clean code practices, and web development best practices.

Why He Made the List: Kyle has a gift for taking confusing JavaScript concepts and making them click. His explanations are clear, his examples are practical, and he emphasizes understanding why, not just how. For anyone who wants to truly understand JavaScript rather than just copy-paste solutions, Kyle is essential.

Must-Watch Content: His JavaScript fundamentals series and videos explaining complex JS concepts, data handling, and AI-powered courses.

Best For: JavaScript developers wanting a deeper understanding, self-taught devs filling knowledge gaps, and confused by async/await, closures, or other tricky concepts.

What Sets Him Apart: Kyle doesn’t just show you code. He explains the underlying concepts so you can apply them in any situation.

18. Kevin Powell

Channel: @KevinPowell

Subscribers: 999K+

Content Focus: CSS mastery, responsive design, and frontend development.

Why He Made the List: Kevin is the CSS expert. While most developers treat CSS as a necessary evil, Kevin shows the true power and elegance of modern CSS. His tutorials on flexbox, grid, and responsive design have made countless developers more confident with styling. He proves that CSS can be logical and even enjoyable.

Must-Watch Content: His CSS tutorials on flexbox, grid, and responsive design principles

Best For: Developers who struggle with CSS, frontend devs wanting to level up, and anyone building responsive layouts

What Sets Him Apart: Kevin’s enthusiasm for CSS is contagious. He makes you actually want to learn more about styling.

19. Fireship (Jeff Delaney)

Channel: @Fireship

Subscribers: 4.1M+

Content Focus: Quick tech explanations, modern development/AI trends, and fast-paced programming content.

Why He Made the List: Jeff created a unique format: X in 100 seconds. His ability to explain complex technologies in bite-sized videos is unparalleled. Beyond quick explanations, his longer tutorials are equally excellent. He stays on the cutting edge of development trends, making Fireship essential for staying current.

Must-Watch Content: His 100 Seconds series and weekly news recaps.

Best For: Developers staying current with trends, anyone evaluating new technologies, busy devs who appreciate concise content

What Sets Him Apart: Nobody explains technologies faster or more entertainingly than Jeff. His videos respect your time.

20. The Net Ninja (Shaun Pelling)

Channel: @NetNinja

Subscribers: 1.83M+

Content Focus: Modern JavaScript frameworks, complete course-style tutorials, and web development fundamentals.

Why He Made the List: Shaun creates free tutorial series that rival paid courses. His React, Vue, and Node.js playlists have taught hundreds of thousands of developers. He releases complete, structured courses for free. His teaching style is calm, clear, and thorough.

Must-Watch Content: His complete tutorial series on React, Vue, or Node.js

Best For: Developers learning new frameworks, self-taught programmers building structured knowledge, and those who want course-quality content for free.

What Sets Him Apart: Shaun’s generosity in releasing complete courses for free, combined with his excellent teaching, makes The Net Ninja one of the most valuable development channels on YouTube.

💡Key Lesson from Developer Influencers: The best way to learn coding isn’t through passive watching. It’s through building real projects alongside these YouTube influencers list. They all emphasize hands-on practice and understanding fundamentals over memorizing syntax. Code along, don’t just watch.

Easy Way to Show a YouTube Feed on WordPress

You’ve discovered YouTube influencers. You want to share their content with your audience. You know video increases engagement. But here’s the problem.

Embedding YouTube content on your website is bulky.

Manually copying embed codes for every video? Tedious. Videos not matching your site design? Frustrating. Slow loading times? Hurts SEO. No automatic updates when new content drops? Constant maintenance.

And let’s not even talk about mobile responsiveness issues.

Why Website Integration Matters

For Business Owners & Marketers:

• Video content keeps visitors engaged 3x longer than text alone
• Associating your brand with industry leaders builds instant credibility
• Rich media signals quality to search engines
• Curating expert content serves your audience without creating everything yourself

For Content Creators & Educators:

• Build comprehensive resource hubs featuring top industry voices
• Supplement your written content with relevant expert videos
• Establish yourself as a connector in your space
• Improve Influencer credibility to build trust faster

Real-World Examples

Not sure how YouTube integration fits your business? These real-world scenarios show how different industries use curated video content to build credibility, increase time-on-site, and serve their audiences better:

WordPress Agency Resource Page: A WordPress YouTube influencers agency creates a Learning Resources section featuring tutorials from the WordPress YouTube influencers, male or female, in this list. This positions them as educators who invest in client success, increase organic traffic through content-rich pages, and keep visitors engaged longer.

E-commerce Education Hub: An e-commerce training site displays curated videos from top e-commerce creators, building a free learning hub that establishes authority before pitching paid courses.

Developer Portfolio: A freelance developer showcases their favourite Traversy Media and Web Dev Simplified tutorials, displaying commitment to continuous learning and positioning themselves as knowledgeable professionals.

Even small business owners, travellers, educational institutions, cinematographers, and e-commerce business owners can all show their YouTube videos on their business or personal websites.

Skip Manual Embeds & Automate YouTube Displays

If you want to do this, then it’s super easy with WP Social Ninja. It is a YouTube Feed plugin for WordPress websites that lets you create beautiful, customizable YouTube feeds in minutes. No coding required.

Whether you want to showcase your own channel, feature industry influencers like the ones in this article, or create curated video galleries, WP Social Ninja handles it.

What it does:

• Multiple YouTube Feeds: Display any YouTube channel name, playlist, or Live Stream. New videos appear automatically.
• Different templates and Layouts: Grid, list, carousel, or masonry. Pick templates and layouts what fits your design.
• Smart Filtering: Display specific videos with hashtags and keywords, exclude others, and create custom collections.
• Full Customization: Colors, spacing, hover effects, thumbnail sizes. Everything is adjustable without touching code.
• Fast Performance: Lazy loading and caching keep your site quick.
• Mobile Responsive: Looks great on every device.
• Flexible Display: Open videos in a lightbox (keeps users on your site) or link to YouTube.
• SEO-Friendly: Properly structured data helps video pages rank.
• Quick Embed: No coding is required, just copy the shortcode and embed it on your website.

If you’re building resource pages, curating content, or just want your own YouTube channel displayed professionally on your site, WP Social Ninja removes the friction.

Wrapping Up

The right YouTube influencers can accelerate your learning faster than courses, books, or trial and error. This list gives you a curated starting point across WordPress, ecommerce, small business, development, and marketing.

Your next steps:

• Find 5-10 YouTube influencers from this list that match your current focus
• Subscribe and actually watch their content regularly
• Implement what you learn (knowledge without action is useless)
• Consider how you might feature valuable video content on your own website to serve your audience

The YouTube influencers featured here have collectively helped millions of people build businesses, learn skills, and grow professionally. Now it’s your turn to learn from them.

FAQ: YouTube Influencers

What is a YouTube influencer?

A YouTube influencer is someone who makes videos that people love and trust. They build a big, loyal audience in their niche and can influence what viewers think or buy.

How do I become a YouTube influencer?

Pick a topic you’re passionate about → make good videos consistently → use catchy titles & thumbnails → talk to your viewers → share your videos everywhere → keep improving. It takes time and patience!

How do I find goodYouTube influencers?

Just search YouTube with words related to your topic, like Shopify tips 2026. Check who has good views, likes, comments, and an audience that matches yours. Look at similar channels too!

How do I start doing influencer marketing on YouTube?

Decide what you want more sales? more awareness? → find influencers whose fans are your customers → email them a friendly message → offer payment, free products, or commission → agree on what the video will say → track how it performs. Start small and test!