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VPNs were invented back in the nineties, but even by 2010, the topic of ‘VPNs’ wasn’t brought up in casual conversation. Pretty much, if you wanted to understand even the basics, you needed to tune into a tech podcast. But, today, ‘VPN’ is being thrown around regularly - possibly because of the huge surge in internet dependence and content consumption or simply because VPN providers have turned to influencers to help spread awareness and gain more customers.
For those that don’t know, VPN stands for ‘virtual private network’, which encrypts the connection between your device and the internet. That way, your browsing history, and location are kept secret, and you’re safe to use free wifi locations without fear that some mysterious user is watching your every move.
It’s pretty obvious why influencers turn to VPN services - they are constantly connected to the world wide web, would prefer to keep their location hidden, and obviously don’t want mysterious users lurking their online activity. And, this is ideal for VPN providers because if creators understand the significance of using this service, who better to spread the word?
It seems only fitting that VPN brands would begin partnering up with various content creators. Who better to explain the importance of cyber security, if not content creators? Here are just a few reasons why influencers and VPN brands are the perfect combination:
Interested in which VPN brands have already tapped into influencer marketing and partnered with content creators to reach new audiences?
NordVPN was the first cyber security product produced by Nord Security, a company known today as a world leader in cybersecurity tools for people and businesses. Since 2012, NordVPN has sponsored over 3,000 YouTubers!
NordVPN currently has partnerships with some of the biggest names on YouTube right now - PewDiePie and Mr. Beast’s gaming channel, MrBeast Gaming. PewDiePie has been sponsored by NordVPN over 300 times. PewDiePie has over 111 million subscribers, and regularly receives millions of views on each of his videos. Mr. Beast Gaming has been sponsored by NordVPN twice, with one of those videos garnering over 45 million views. In this particular video, Mr. Beast highlighted just how easy it is to connect to a server in the United Kingdom, or even Japan (if there’s a specific anime you like to watch that’s only available there), all from the comfort of your own home.
ExpressVPN was born in 2009 and is used by millions of people all around the world. ExpressVPN has found a lot of success when partnering up with YouTubers - they have sponsored over 1,500 YouTubers and have accumulated over 4 billion views.
ExpressVPN also collaborates with a variety of niches on YouTube, allowing them to reach a wider audience. For example, ExpressVPN has worked with The Food Ranger, a world traveler with a love for food and sharing that love with his viewers, as well as New Rockstars, a news source for the ‘die-hard fans’ of whatever happens to be the world’s latest obsession (Game of Throne, Marvel, Star Wars… you get the idea). ExpressVPN has sponsored The Food Ranger over 100 times, and one of their collaborations has even received over 32 million views!
Atlas VPN was founded in 2019 with the intention of making safe and open internet accessible for everyone. Atlas VPN’s biggest partnerships have been with Moore’s Law is Dead and Gamer Meld. Though the channels have a relatively smaller following (Moore’s Law is Dead comes in at 133k subscribers and Gamer Meld is currently at 283k subscribers), both channels are regularly receiving hundreds of thousands of views on each one of their videos, which translates to the potential for high engagement for a brand. AtlasVPN has sponsored Gamer Meld 12 times, and Moore’s Law is Dead 11 times.
Surfshark was launched in 2018 and dove head-first into influencer marketing. Surfshark has not only already sponsored over 2,300 YouTube videos, but the company has also succeeded in creating long-term partnerships with a handful of content creators on YouTube.
For example, Kara and Nate have worked with Surfshark VPN on a number of videos, and offer an 83% discount for their viewers with their promo code. As travel vloggers, Kara and Nate mention how important it is to keep their online information safe while they connect to different wifi spots that may not be the most secure. They also mention the importance of being able to stay up to date on their favorite TV shows that may not be available in the different countries they travel to, which we can all relate to. Also, Kara and Nate make sure to address different sets of painpoints (that Surfshark solves) in each video collaboration they have with the VPN provider. This helps ensure they hit all the possible benefits and reasons to use Surfshark.
PureVPN has existed in the VPN market for a while, coming on to the scene in 2007. Since then, the company has expanded to be used in over 78 countries all over the world. If you’re one of Digital Perspectives' 139k followers, you might have already heard of PureVPN, or even used his affiliate link! Digital Perspectives discusses topics like digital assets, NFTs and crypto (among other things), and has been sponsored by PureVPN a number of times. Other than Digital Perspectives, PureVPN has also sponsored 30 other YouTubers.
These 5 VPN brands are just a handful of the brands in the cyber security market that have decided to try out influencer marketing as a form of brand advertisement, and the numbers are evidence enough of the successes. Mark my words, as the global VPN market continues to grow, we’re going to be seeing more and more advertisements for these brands on our YouTube ‘For You’ page and collaborations with our favorite creators.
