How to Generate YouTube Video Ideas

Waiting for inspiration to strike is only one way to generate YouTube video ideas. There are other creative ways to come up with topics for your YouTube channel that also rank high in search volumes. One way to generate YouTube ideas is by finding out what people are searching for. Start by typing in YouTube’s search bar and the autocomplete function will display top searched keywords you can use in your subject line.

You can also collect a list of ideas related to your content category, by looking at other channels. If you are running a vlog for example, look at similar channels and their most viewed content: you will come across hauls, “Come with me’” type videos, and Q&As. If your channel focuses more on a subject matter like health, fitness, or teaching a skill, you can plan your content in advance to cover topics in-depth. Again, you can observe how other channels streamline their content and how that may apply to you.

Despite having great ideas, you still need to rise above the noise of YouTube. An obvious way is to brand yourself. In this case, setting up a filming space, or a background you can use consistently throughout your videos is a must. Also, practice your delivery style, it will help viewers connect with you. Overall, no matter the ideas you pick, think of ways to present them that best represents you; and most of all, your talents, interests and personality.

You can't go wrong with these topics for beginners, especially if you are looking for easy and fun ideas for YouTube videos. Read on for a list of favorite categories.

Introduce yourself

As a first-time YouTuber, you can start a channel by introducing yourself. This video will help viewers decide instantly if they want to follow you. Just set the scene and draft a simple script if you are not too big on improvising. Despite the nerves, be yourself.

Reaction videos

You can react to another YouTuber's video or a new album release by your favorite artist. If you’re a gamer, or watch movies, you can react to a new trailer, or an upcoming game release.

Reviews

Online shoppers often turn to YouTube influencers for product reviews. If you like trying the latest gadgets, you will have many viewers who want to spend their cash wisely turn to your channel. One of the perks of owning a channel, is that marketers send you free stuff; this way you can review even more products as your channel grows.

Talk about your job

Maybe there’s an audience that wants to do what you do. If you are an expert in an area, or made a career transition, talk about your experience. Show viewers around your workspace, talk about the tools you use, and share industry insights.

Gaming

Gaming is one of the most popular categories on YouTube. Share footage of your gaming, do a speedrun, compare games, or film yourself playing with friends and other channels. You can even re-edit your gaming footage into a story.

Cooking

One of the easiest ways to execute a recipe is by watching a YouTube video. If you love cooking, you can share easy recipes or practical tips for those with a busy schedule.

Tutorials

If you are an expert in painting, photography, or you know a mobile app well, consider spreading the knowledge with a tutorial. You can create longer walk-through tutorials or shorter how-tos.

Beauty

YouTube’s beauty category is extremely popular and highly rewarding for beauty gurus who started out at the prime of YouTube. Fashion and lifestyle content are also related categories that often make up a beauty channel. Although YouTube is especially populated in this category, this shouldn’t stop you from creating your own channel.

Animal videos

People love watching funny animal videos on YouTube. This type of content can be simple to create and can go viral fast. Picture a cat and a mouse eating from the same bowl, well some people just happened to film it.

Skits

YouTube is flooded with parody videos. There are channels dedicated to making parodies of famous music videos, or any stereotype you can think of. To get a sense, check out Liza Koshy's channel.

Pranks

Pull a prank on someone you know and film it; or make a compilation of your favorite pranks. Kids’ pranks are especially popular on Jimmy Kimmel’s channel.

Top lists

You will most likely find any top list you can imagine on YouTube. Our search for “top” in YouTube's search bar returned “top 10 songs of the week” as the most popular suggestion; so if you are on the lookout for new musical acts, there’s an audience for that.

If you are still looking for things to make YouTube videos about, there are other hidden categories trending on the popular platform.

Worst reviewed

A highly entertaining trend, especially among beauty gurus and food lovers. Instead of visiting the best in town, they prefer to visit only the worst-reviewed places.

“With me”

According to Google Insights, these videos are grabbing a lot of attention. They are also great for one person running a channel. People love watching videos of "normal people, doing normal things" like cleaning, studying, and exercising. Everyday tasks don't have to be mundane, you can go about your day while motivating others.

Challenges

Challenges attract a lot of attention on YouTube. If this is something you want to be a part of, try “Not to laugh” or the "Whisper Challenge". Some challenges can be dangerous, so always take safety measures. You can even start your own challenge and see it go viral.

These tips will help you generate content ideas consistently.

To come up with new video ideas, go through some print media and observe the headlines. Pick up a cool magazine and scan through the titles. If you find some that are relevant to your content, you have an inventory of YouTube video ideas.

Another good way is to look at similar channels and see which of their videos have more views (i.e. more than what is considered average for that channel). That way you will know the most sought after topics in your category. Also, you can read relevant blogs and pinpoint if they lack video content you can create on your channel.

A browser generator for keywords like "Keywords Everywhere" or "Google AdWords Keyword Planner" are also good (paid) options for generating ideas, especially if you wish to market your videos further. "Answerthepublic.com" is another great place to visualize people’s searches around a topic and generate ideas; they also offer access to in-depth data on user queries.