Proven YouTube Content Ideas in 2024

One factor affecting a YouTube channel's success (or lack thereof) is the type of content you create. Before creating videos, you must determine if there are enough content ideas for that niche. You also want to determine if the type of content is popular and resonates with your audience. The competition level in that niche is also a key consideration. You must ensure that the content you create videos on is timely, relevant, and engaging.

With the need to balance all these details, finding popular YouTube content ideas that haven't been fully exploited can be challenging. If you are trying to create YouTube video ideas without success, this article will help you overcome this challenge.

Where to Get YouTube Video Ideas

Before we share proven YouTube content ideas, let us look at some of the best sources of inspiration for YouTube videos. These are:

YouTube Search

The most successful type of content on YouTube is content that solves the user’s problems and pain points. Therefore, this is one of the most important things to remember when searching for a YouTube topic. Consider how your videos will help your audience handle challenges better.

So, how do you find the viewer’s pain points? The best place to do this is through the YouTube search bar. This could either be your videos or those of your competitors. You can also use the YouTube search to find the type of content people are searching for.

When you have a content idea, you can quickly search YouTube to see what content people are searching for. You also need to look at the search results to see if the idea is already saturated and whether creating your unique version is possible. You need to think of content that will ignite your creative juices and be inspiring and relevant to your audience.

Comment Section

Another excellent resource for your YouTube video is the comment section. Viewers will recommend some topics you should cover by reading the comments on your channel and that of the competitor. They can also ask questions regarding the area of interest they think you should explore further. You can even go ahead to check your competitor's analytics on YouTube and see the performance of their videos.

The comments section will also provide feedback on whether the content you offer your audience resonates with them. You can also look at the interest in your content by looking at the different YouTube watch-time metrics in the YouTube Creator Studio. You can watch your YouTube watch time report.

Groups and Communities

If you don't have time to engage with people in your niche, it can be hard to find content ideas. That's why networking with other creators for new ideas and topics is advisable. When you take part in different communities, you will increase your knowledge and interest. You will get inspired by a new video idea to share with your audience.

Facebook groups related to your niche can also be a great source of YouTube video ideas. You will realize that many influencers in your niche post questions to their communities seeking new audience ideas. You can get ideas from the answers to other questions.

Polls and Surveys

If you have a social media account, you can conduct a poll and study, asking your audience what content they prefer. For instance, if you are in a related Facebook group, you can ask your audience to leave a comment on the kind of content they would want to see in a YouTube video. 

Online Courses

If you intend to create how-to content, one great resource you can use is online courses. All you need to do is visit sites such as Udemy and Lynda and see the kind of content they are producing. You will likely see content from the top influencers in your niche that you can use for inspiration. You can also study the existing materials to determine the level of interest in the topic. However, when using this approach, you should use the course as a source of inspiration rather than a content source. 

Top Proven YouTube Content Ideas

Now that you understand how to generate content ideas, let us look at some content ideas guaranteed to provide you with many views and subscribers on YouTube. These are:

Challenge Videos

Recently, we have seen an explosion in the popularity of challenge videos where creators try all types of crazy stuff. This could either be done solo or a fun competition. One reason why they are popular with creators is they get one of the longest watch times and have average view duration because it is content that keeps viewers watching their screens.

The audience must continue watching the screen to know if the creator achieves their feat. The audience will want to see the winner if the video consists of several participants in a competition. Challenge videos with a higher view duration and watch time will likely be ranked higher by YouTube and pushed to new audiences. This will help you get new viewers and ultimately grow your YouTube channel.

FAQ Videos

When making FAQ videos, you take viewers' questions and respond to them in the videos. Also known as AMA videos, they are very popular on YouTube because they encourage the audience to engage with your videos. You can start by informing your viewers that you will respond to their questions in the next videos and, therefore, ask them to send their queries in your comments. 

The fact that you will feature viewers in the comments sections will encourage them to comment. Many comments will show YouTube that your videos have a high engagement, resulting in even better performance.

Reaction Videos

Another great YouTube content idea that has become very popular is reaction videos. These videos include people reacting to situations such as memes, music, or funny compilations. One of the benefits of this kind of content is that it is easier to make than original content. They also have a higher rate of views and engagements than other video formats. This is why they are perfect for YouTube videos. For instance, you can listen to different music videos and give your reactions to them. You can expect to have a high YouTube view retention on such videos.

Comments Reviews

Comments review works in the same way as FAQs. However, rather than answering the questions, you review the top comments. The comment section on YouTube can be weird and humorous, and you can get a lot of funny content by browsing what people say in each video and giving reactions. 

Just like the FAQ section, comment review also helps to drive engagement. Once your viewers understand that they have an opportunity for their comments to be featured in your reviews, they are motivated to drop comic comments. This will likely drive engagement further, resulting in a high YouTube ranking. Since you will not have comments in your videos when starting, you can begin by reviewing other people’s comments.

How-to-videos

One reason why people watch YouTube videos is to find solutions to their problems. There are also a lot of people out there searching for helpful content. That means how-to videos, tutorials, and walkthrough videos work well. These videos also have great ranking potential for people looking for how-to kind of content. On top of educational content, you can also create an online course to promote the video. This is one of the most powerful YouTube monetization strategies.

Behind the Scenes Video

These videos are particularly popular with product videos, as they allow the manufacturer to showcase what goes on behind the scenes when making the product. They can also work for many public figures, such as athletes, celebrities, musicians, and TV personalities, who display behind-the-scenes information with fans.

However, you can create these videos even if you aren't a brand or celebrity. For instance, if you have a channel (YouTube) that focuses on funny animated videos, you can spare one day of the week to showcase what happens when creating the videos.

A Day-in-my-life

These videos give viewers a glimpse of what a day in your life looks like. The videos are often with a vlog format. You begin by showcasing your mornings and documenting the day, from your meals and hobbies until you sleep. One of the reasons why these types of videos are very popular is because of their accessibility. You can create a video showcasing your life regardless of who or where you are. If your daily activity is interesting, the video will perform better. If you feel nothing is worth documenting, you can try documenting someone else.

Theory Videos

These are interesting videos in which you can share some interesting theories. It could be an interesting theory of a given topic, such as a conspiracy in a movie or a text of your favorite movie. These videos are pretty popular, and channels such as the Film Theorists and the Game Theorists have been featured on the YouTube trending tab. While you don't need to copy them, you have to decide the kind of video content you can create. If you don't want to be featured in the video, you can create theory videos in animated videos.

Silent Videos

Most of our ideas require you to appear in front of the camera. What if you are shy and have no confidence? You don't have to give up; you can create videos without showing your face. One such type of video is a silent video. 

A good example of such videos you can create is silent vlogs, where you only record footage accompanied by ambient sound. Since there is no dialogue, the videos can be super atmospheric. You can add captions to the videos to make them more engaging for the viewer. For instance, you can create a camping vlog where you sleep outside at a low temperature and in a DIY shelter. This can be a great watch.

Scambait Videos

With so many scams preying on people, this is one of the pain points you can leverage by creating what has come to be termed scam bait videos. These videos give viewers a cathartic release, giving the scammer a taste of their medicine. The YouTube creators call the scammers and expose them. At times, they even hack their systems to disrupt their operations.

Viewer’s Pick

Another great YouTube video trend is to make your viewers choose what they want you to do in their videos. For instance, a fashionista can require their followers to help them select what they can put on for the day. Similarly, if you have a channel (DIY), you can ask the viewers to select the color to paint your cabin. A creator with a channel (gaming) can ask their viewers to select the game they play. This is a great YouTube content idea, especially if you need live content. You will let viewers decide when the video is progressing. This is an effective content idea for live videos, especially because the gaming niche is well-paying on YouTube.

Final Thoughts

The first and most important step in creating a YouTube video is to choose a content idea that will resonate with your target audience. However, with the competition level on YouTube getting stiff, finding an original idea that isn't over-exploited and engages your audience can be hard. Fortunately, with one of the ideas above, you should be guaranteed great YouTube content ideas. You can read our guide on the difference between view rate and impression.