How does Valkyrae make money? Behind the fastest-growing streamer’s income

Rachel Hofstetter, best known online as Valkyrae, is widely regarded as the fastest-growing streamer on the market today, and with that comes plenty of opportunities to make money.

There are hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people trying to make it in the world of streaming, but nobody right now is growing an audience like Valkyrae. Easily attributed to the rise of Among Us, the content creator frequently plays with a top-tier selection of the biggest streamers in front of thousands.

She’s also part of 100 Thieves, a collective that has a significant presence across gaming, esports, online content, and hype-worthy merchandise — founded by none other than Matthew ‘Nadeshot’ Haag — alongside other major forces in online media.

Not one to be kept in a box, Valkyrae is now making moves to explore other aspects of her creativity and, in the process, is unlocking new revenue streams. As gaming and streaming become more widely accepted in the mainstream, doors open for the figureheads of the industry. So, how is she currently making her fortune?

What is Valkyrae’s net worth?

It’s hard to know Valkyrae’s approximate net worth, like with almost every other online creator, but it’s plain to see how she could be bringing in over a million dollars a year. With over $150,000 coming in monthly from her YouTube videos alone, there’s even a good chance of her eclipsing $2m annually when all of her income-generating activities are totalled.

How Valkyrae makes money

Content and 100 Thieves

The home of Valkyrae’s gaming content is YouTube, and that’s for good reason. In January 2020 it was announced that the Google-owned video and streaming platform had signed her to an exclusive deal that would see her work live solely on there for the foreseeable future. Esports insider and consultant Rod “Slasher” Breslau tweeted that she has signed a multi-year deal for less than $1m per year but the financial aspect was still “significant.”

• Read More: How does KSI make money?

By being on YouTube on an exclusive basis, her videos and live streams are all housed on her channel. Sitting at 3.21m channel subscribers at the time of writing, she often eclipses one million views for video and streams to thousands on a regular basis. YouTube videos are monetized through AdSense, serving ads to viewers throughout.

On the streaming front, Valkyrae has several avenues to generate income. YouTube allows for pre-roll, mid-roll, and display ads on streams, there’s a ‘Super Chat’ function that allows paying viewers to pin their comments, she charges £4.99 per month to become a member and receive exclusive perks, and she has a Streamlabs account that allows people to donate to her.

To give an indication as to how much she may expect to earn monthly from her YouTube account alone, we have a helpful insight via an accidental leak. At the end of 2020 the content creator inadvertently showed her creator dashboard while she was live, showing that she had made $172,908.21. Interestingly, that figure was down 6% from the previous 28 days.

Valkyrae is also well-known as being a member of 100 Thieves, having been signed as a content creator and streamer. In return for being paid a salary to represent the brand, she frequently appears in org-branded content and models their upcoming apparel drops. In April 2021, it was revealed that she had received equity in the org and became a co-owner.

Adverts and music

Along with a lot of other top creators, advertisers are dying to get in front of their audience. Streamers have a lot of authority over their followers, considering they typically spend dozens of hours a week broadcasting themselves.

• Read More: How does Addison Rae make money?

The likes of peripherals brand HyperX and gaming chair brand Mavix have signed with Valkyrae as advertising partners, advertising their products through her content and social media platforms. Financial details are hardly ever disclosed when it comes to such deals, but tapping into her relationship with her followers won’t come cheap.

While sold out at the time of writing, she also has a range of merchandise in collaboration with MetaThreads. Likely due a restock, or perhaps even a complete rebrand, her store used to offer hoodies, t-shirts, shorts, hats, and a mousepad. The current sold-out status indicates the popularity of the products.

Valkyrae embraced the world of music in a big way in March 2021 alone. She released a cover of a song alongside two of her friends, Natsumiii and Lilypichu, early in the month before appearing in a music video for rapper and singer Machine Gun Kelly.

Appearance fees and acting will undoubtedly bring in money for Rae, and she could unlock a brand new revenue stream should she eventually release music for streaming and sale on the likes of Apple Music and Spotify.