Whether you’re a seasoned creator or you’ve just set up your YouTube channel, sometimes you’ll find the well of YouTube video ideas simply runs dry.
There’s a knack to snatching solid video ideas from the ether, and it’s one to master – whether you’re hoping to capture an audience of your own or land paid content creation work from others. Here are some video ideas to tide you over and tips to stop you from coming up empty in the future.
1. Industry explainers
Some creators build their brand around inside info – as Jeenie.Weenie did in her cabin crew shorts – but you can also employ this tactic to drop occasional videos on hot-button issues within your industry. In 10/10 Game Reviews: The Truth, Alanah Pearce leveraged her gaming journalism background for an insider perspective on game review scores, taking advantage of a popular issue while demonstrating her credibility.
2. How-to guides
How-to videos position you as an expert and reach audiences who may not otherwise engage with your niche, making them great YouTube video ideas to get subscribers. They can also be regularly repeated. Binging With Babish has a whole bunch of Basics With Babish beginner guides on everything from steak to coffee.
3. Collaboration
In I Asked YouTubers How They Make Pizza At Home, chef and YouTuber Andy Cooks creates a fresh type of video while both giving and gaining exposure to other creator communities in his niche. Collabs can be equally fruitful without a niche connection, such as this one with Mrwhosetheboss and KSI.
4. Reaction
Speaking of KSI, here’s a 1.5-million-view video of him reacting to r/ksi Reddit posts. You may also react to niche-relevant:
- Current news, like Cleo Abram
- Common misconceptions, like LegalEagle
- Viral videos, like Sideserf Cake Studio
- Memes, like Doctor Mike
Reaction videos are a chance to show audiences the you behind your videos, and they’re typically enjoyed for their relatability.
5. Review
Posting regular reviews keeps folks coming back for highly anticipated releases. New products and services provide a near-endless supply of topical content, but you can also reflect on products that are already popular, as Marianna Moore does in Are These Popular BookTok Books Worth the Hype?.
6. Hacks
Hacks are like how-to videos, but they focus on small changes that can make life easier. Bonus points for packing a compellingly high number into one video and relating them to your niche, as chef and YouTuber Joshua Weissman does in 100 Food Hacks I Learned in Restaurants.
7. Comparison
You can pit two common options against each other, as Darwin Onthetrail did for Hammock vs. Tent: Why I Don’t Use a Hammock. Or you can:
- Compare specific products, as Backcountry Exposure does with two tents
- Compare prices, as Survival Know How does with budget and expensive hammocks
- Compare for specific needs, as Paul Messner does for three winter camping tents
8. Your journey
Videos like Rob the Maritimer’s How YouTube Changed My Life (in 4 months) | My Journey to Full-Time Creator allow you to get personal with viewers while offering valuable tips and tricks relevant to your niche.
9. Behind the scenes
Behind-the-scenes videos guide your subscribers through your creation process, as Animagraffs does in How I Recreated the Golden Gate Bridge. They’re especially popular with people already invested in your content who are keen for a peek behind the curtain. Alternatively, give a quick tour of your setup or edit together behind-the-scenes footage from larger shoots, like Whitney Avalon did for her Princess Rap Battles.
10. FAQs
FAQs are ideal for breaking down the fourth wall and fostering a sense of community. By requesting questions and showing you read comments, you’re engaging directly with your subscribers. Q&A With Brooklyn Duo | Answering Your Questions does exactly that. It’s a particularly useful way to forge personal connections with your viewers if you don’t usually talk during videos.
11. Tier rankings
Head to TierMaker and either use a popular category or create your own. Sticking to your niche can work, but you don’t have to. YouTuber Bugs created several food-based tier list animations after his Fast Food Tier List proved popular.
12. Top five or 10
A top five or top 10 collects several minor recommendations or reviews into a single united video, positioning you as a tastemaker. Photographer Matthew Ruderman’s 5 Camera Accessories That Are Actually Worth It is a good example. Alternatively, simply offer your own favourites from a certain category, like Prose & Petticoats does in My Top 10 Favourite Books.
Choose topics based on keywords
“You should be looking at keywords,” says YouTuber Jessica Stansberry. “That is the first thing that I do.”
Using a keyword research tool (Stansberry uses Similar Web), you can enter your niche as a keyword and find related keywords that are currently trending. Or you can just search that keyword in YouTube and see what comes up, but that’s less effective. Either way, it’s a great way to find niche-relevant topics for upcoming content.
Think in terms of series
If one of your videos goes viral on YouTube or simply proves popular with subscribers, why not produce more? For example, Mr Sunday Movies did a video guessing movies by terrible reviews, and then made another when “people demanded more and more.”
They’ve now done numerous videos with various twists, often based on popular releases, such as Guess the DC Movie by the Terrible Review and Guess Barbie or Oppenheimer by the Savage Review.
Check the competition
Clocking what other creators are producing doesn’t mean stealing their ideas. Instead, it’s using their recent popular posts as inspiration for your own content. Check out video topics from popular creators in your niche, and then put your own spin on them.
Ask the audience
Your own community is a content gold mine. Discover exactly what they’re after by:
- Reading and responding to comments
- Browsing message boards
- Using community posts to ask what people want to know about
- Interacting on social media
Binging With Babish manages a whole Reddit mega thread every month for video suggestions, and that bad review series from Mr Sunday Movies started when a fan mentioned the concept to them on X. Consider this amongst the best YouTube video ideas for beginners, since it’ll push you to network and interact with your audience – both of which are vital parts of becoming an influencer on YouTube.
Follow what’s hot
Posting about what’s currently popular either in or adjacent to your niche can capture audiences desperate to discover more, so be sure to:
- Follow the latest news
- Set up Google Alerts for relevant topics
- Regularly check into online communities
- Keep an eye on social media trends
- Regularly check trending videos
Don’t forget to plan ahead and think about what will soon be topical. Industry news can tell you when new products are dropping, while some video formats routinely become popular at certain times. Felicia from Beauty Within knows many watch her skin-care-of-the-year videos, so she ensured that her Best of Skincare 2025 video was ready to go on 20 December.