Chef and content creator Nick DiGiovanni has built a massive following on YouTube with his high-energy cooking content, creative recipes, and Guinness World Record-breaking achievements. Now, he’s embarking on an ambitious challenge to become the most-subscribed food creator on the platform. With 23.5 million subscribers, he’s just 8 million away from surpassing ASMR food creator Zach Choi, and his latest strategy to get there is a first-of-its-kind subathon on YouTube Shorts.
Starting yesterday, DiGiovanni launched a seven-day subathon, where each day he will offer an exciting incentive or giveaway to encourage fans to subscribe. His first initiative sets the tone for the week: for every subscriber he gains on the first day, he will donate one meal to someone in need via the Farmlink Project. This innovative approach combines social impact with audience engagement, demonstrating his commitment to both growth and giving back.
Revolutionizing YouTube with a Shorts-Driven Subathon
Subathons have been a proven strategy for engagement and subscriber growth on platforms like Twitch, where creators such as Kai Cenat have set records with marathon live streams. Cenat’s recent 30-day Twitch subathon netted him over 700,000 subscribers and set a new platform milestone. However, DiGiovanni’s approach is distinctly different.
“As far as we know, this is the first subathon ever done on YouTube,” DiGiovanni told me. “The goal of this campaign is simply to engage our audience in a way that’s never been done before on the platform. That, and we’re always looking for ways to push the boundaries in food content in general.”
Rather than a traditional live-streamed subathon, DiGiovanni is leveraging YouTube Shorts, the platform’s fastest-growing content format. “The way I look at YouTube is simple: Shorts is best utilized to grow your audience, and long-form is best used to connect with them,” he says. “Given we’ve built our main audience on YouTube, it just made sense to leverage Shorts, the platform’s most powerful discovery tool. Rather than a traditional live subathon, daily Shorts allow us to reach a wider audience and keep the content high-energy and digestible.”
Breaking Records and Building Community
For DiGiovanni, this subathon isn’t just about reaching a subscriber milestone; it’s about making an impact and rewarding his fans.
“Breaking records of any kind is part of our team’s DNA — we’ve already set 11 Guinness World Records—and now we’re aiming for the biggest one yet: the official title of the world’s largest food channel,” he told me. “That said, this subathon is about much more than just subscriber growth; we want to celebrate our fans with seven of our biggest videos ever in seven days, all while offering them exciting prizes such as my silver-plated 10 million subscriber diamond play button.”
The giveaways and daily challenges are designed to make the campaign fun, interactive, and rewarding for fans. By combining high-stakes incentives with innovative content, DiGiovanni is creating a moment that extends beyond YouTube’s algorithm and builds a deeper connection with his audience.
The creator also offered me insights into the future of food content, suggesting a trend toward physical ventures. “I think more creators will think about creating their own brands, or get involved with bigger projects such as restaurants or national food chains,” he predicted, noting Netflix’s recent opening of a physical restaurant in Las Vegas as an example of the digital-physical convergence.
A Game-Changer for YouTube Creators
For DiGiovanni, who has consistently pushed the boundaries of food content creation, this latest venture is just another step in his broader mission to revolutionize the space. “I’ll continue to do everything in my power to keep pushing the boundaries of not just food content, but also YouTube content as a whole,” he affirmed.
The subathon’s success could reshape DiGiovanni’s channel and set new standards for how content creators approach subscriber growth and community engagement. As the week unfolds, all eyes will be on whether this innovative approach can help bridge the 8-million subscriber gap and crown him a new king of food content on YouTube.
