16 Proven YouTube Video Ideas To Boost Your Channel

Need some inspiration for your YouTube channel? You’re in the right place.

In this post, I’m going to be sharing a huge list of great YouTube video ideas that are guaranteed to get engagement.

I analyzed the best-performing and trending videos on YouTube to see what kind of videos tend to get the most likes, comments, shares, and watch time.

Then, I used those insights to put together this list.

And to give some context to each video idea, I’ve also included real-life examples from popular YouTube channels in different niches.

1. Challenge videos

Challenge videos are all the rage on YouTube right now.

These types of videos feature creators attempting some sort of crazy solo feat or going head-to-head in a fun competitive challenge.

The reason they’re one of the most popular YouTube video ideas is that they tend to get more watch time and longer average view durations than other types of videos. And that’s because they have the perfect formula to keep the viewer glued to the screen.

Audiences have to stick around and keep watching to see if the YouTuber will succeed or fail. Or in the case of a competitive challenge, to see who wins.

Watch time and view duration are two metrics that heavily influence the YouTube algorithm. The more watch time you have, the more the algorithm will push your video to new viewers, which can help you to grow your channel faster.

Example

GeoWizard is an adventure/geography channel by Tom Davies. Tom’s ‘straight line mission’ series, in which he sets himself the near-impossible challenge of traveling across the country in a completely straight line, includes some of his most successful videos to date.

You can see why these challenge videos were such a success, but you don’t have to do anything quite as ambitious as GeoWizard to create your own. Just pick a challenge that makes sense in your niche and that you feel comfortable trying, and start there.

2. FAQ videos

FAQ videos are videos in which you take questions from viewers and answer them in your YouTube video. Some creators refer to them as AMA videos (short for Ask Me Anything).

The reason these kinds of videos are great is that they encourage audience engagement. You can let your viewers/subscribers know you’ll be answering their questions in your next video and invite them to leave their questions in the comments.

This gives viewers a huge incentive to leave a comment in order to be featured on your channel. And the more comments you get, the better your video will perform.

That’s because comments are another signal the YouTube algorithm looks at in order to determine how aggressively to suggest your video to new audiences.

If you get a lot of comments, your video will be featured more heavily in the suggestion box and on the YouTube homepage, and you’ll reach more potential viewers.

Example

Here’s a great example of an FAQ video from metal guitarist Ola Englund:

In the video, he answers a bunch of interesting questions from his viewers about topics like guitar-related gear, songwriting, and his studio setup.

His charismatic personality comes through and makes what might have otherwise been a monotonous video super engaging.

At the end of the video, he also invites users to support him by visiting his online shop and buying merch.

This is a great way to monetize your YouTube audience. If you want to create your own merch shop, you can use a print on demand site. We’d recommend Sellfy if you don’t have a store already, and Gelato if you have an existing store.

3. Comment reviews

Comment reviews are a lot like FAQ videos. But instead of answering question comments, you’ll just be reacting to or ‘reviewing’ your favorite comments.

Everyone knows that the YouTube comment section is a weird and wonderful place. So you can get plenty of hilarious content just from browsing what viewers are saying in your videos and reacting to it.

And as with FAQ videos, the advantage of comment reviews is that they encourage more engagement.

If your viewers know you feature comments in your videos, it gives them the incentive to leave funny or interesting comments on future videos. And statistics show that more comments correlate with higher YouTube ranking positions.

Obviously, you’ll need to actually have comments to begin with in order to create this type of video. So this might not be one of the best beginner youtube video ideas for brand-new channels with only a handful of subscribers.

Example

This hilarious video from YouTuber Abroad in Japan is one of the best comment reviews we’ve seen:

In the video, creator Chris Broad reads out, dissects, and reacts to some of the most toxic, hate-filled comments on his channel.

Not only does this make for fantastic entertainment, but it also gives Chris a chance to take negativity and turn it into something positive. Ironically, his biggest haters have provided him with some of his best-performing content.

4. Reaction videos

Reaction videos are another huge trend right now. Not just on YouTube, but also on TikTok and other video-sharing apps.

They’re exactly what you’d expect: videos in which you react to something. That might be funny compilations, memes, music… anything goes.

The great thing about reaction videos is that they’re easy to make compared to completely original content. And they also tend to get more views and engagements than other video formats. This makes them a good choice for your first youtube video.

Example

YouTuber LayedBakDFR is known for his music reaction videos, in which he listens to popular new tracks or music videos and gives his take on it:

His channel has been a roaring success and racked up over 2.46 million subscribers to date.

LayedBakDFR has his own clearly defined niche, and that’s part of the reason his videos have been such a hit. But your niche doesn’t have to be music

If you’re not a big music fan, you could react to games, movies, drama, celebrity news, or anything else you can think of instead.

5. Behind-the-scenes videos

Behind-the-scenes videos let audiences behind the curtain and give them a glimpse of what you do outside of the public view.

This one makes the most sense in the context of public figures. For example, there are tons of celebrities, athletes, TV personalities, and musicians out there that have their own YouTube channels where they regularly share behind the scenes videos with their fans.

But even if you’re not a public figure with an existing fan base, behind-the-scenes videos could make sense in certain situations.

For example, if you run a YouTube channel where you post animated cartoons, you could have a weekly segment where you share a behind-the-scenes video that showcases your animation process.

Example

Paddy “The Baddy” Pimblett is a UFC superstar and mixed martial artist known for his charismatic personality (and iconic mop-top trim).

But outside of his professional career as a fighter, he also has a burgeoning YouTube career:

In this video, he shares a behind-the-scenes look at what happened during UFC Fight Week and the run-up to his much-hyped fight against Jordan Leavitt.

It’s videos like these that have helped Paddy to rapidly grow to over 770k subscribers and become one of the UFCs best ticket sellers.

6. Day in my life videos

‘Day in my life’ videos are videos in which you let viewers experience what your average day is like.

They typically take the form of a vlog that starts first thing in the morning. You’ll start by vlogging your morning routine, then document your working day, what you eat, what you do for fun, etc. All the way through until you go to sleep.

What makes this a great video idea is how broadly accessible it is. Pretty much anyone can make a video showing their daily life. And the more interesting your life is, the better it’ll probably perform.

And if you don’t think your personal life is interesting or entertaining enough to vlog, you can shadow somebody else instead.

Example

Paolo fromTOKYO’s channel illustrates just how effective the ‘day in my life’ video format can be.

Paolo started out by creating travel vlogs and video guides to Tokyo. But when he started publishing his ‘day in the life of’ video series, his channel really took off.

Here’s an example of one of his most successful videos to date.

In this video, he shadows a Japanese manga creator as he goes about his day. Paolo’s largely western viewer base seemed to enjoy getting a glimpse into such a different way of life. And as a result, it was a huge success, racking up over 11 million views.

But he didn’t stop there. He also published dozens of other videos showing the daily life of other interesting people in Japan. And of the 10 most popular videos on his channel, 9 of them are from this series.

7. Product reviews

Product review videos are another great YouTube video idea, for more reasons than one.

First off, they’re broadly applicable to pretty much every niche. No matter what type of channel you have, you should be able to find products your viewers would be interested in.

For example, if you’re a musician, you could review speakers, microphones, guitar pedals, etc. If you have a YouTube gaming channel, you could review new games, consoles, or PC peripherals like gaming mice.

Secondly, they’re great for reaching new viewers through organic SEO. Lots of people search Google and YouTube for product reviews before they buy, so if you can get your video to rank for your target keyword, it can drive a lot of traffic to your channel.

And lastly, they’re easy to monetize. You can sign up for affiliate programs and share your affiliate links for the products you review in your video description. That way, you’ll earn a cut of the profit whenever one of your viewers buys a product you recommend via your link

To learn more about this monetization method, check out our guide to affiliate marketing.

Example

Safiya Nygaard is a popular fashion, beauty, and makeup YouTuber. One of her most popular videos to date is this review of $1 makeup from Wish, which has over 23 million views.

You can see why this one performed so well—it has tons of click appeal. $1 makeup seems too good to be true, so naturally, millions of viewers watched the video to find out whether or not it’s as bad as you’d expect.

8. “Viewers pick” videos

This is a super creative YouTube video idea that a lot of creators have had huge success with.

The idea is to let your viewers control or pick what you do in the video. For example, if you have a fashion channel, you could let your viewers decide what you’re going to wear for the day. Or if you have a DIY channel, let viewers pick what colors you paint your home in. Or if you have a gaming channel, let viewers decide what you’re going to play.

You get the idea. The format works especially well for livestream videos as you can run live polls and let viewers decide in real time as the video progresses. Lots of the most successful live-streaming channels have used this exact format

Example

This video from YouTuber Daniel Howell is a great example. It performed so well, it was featured on the YouTube Trending tab.

In this video, Dan’s viewers pick his outfits, and the results are super entertaining.

9. Theory videos

Theory videos are YouTube videos in which you share your interesting theories on a given topic.

For example, you might have a fan theory about a conspiracy hidden in a movie, or about the sub-text of your favorite book.

Again, these are a pretty hot video format right now. At the time of writing, two theory videos are featured in the YouTube trending tab: one from The Film Theorists and one from The Game Theorists.

It’s up to you how you format your theory video. If you want, you could just sit in front of a camera and discuss your theory. Or if you’d rather not feature in the video yourself, you could do an animated video instead.

Example

This is the video from The Film Theorists that reached YouTube Trending this week. It outlines the creator’s compelling fan theory about the surrealist TV show Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared.

Just two days after being published, it’s already reached over 1.8 million views.

10. Silent videos

Some YouTubers just don’t feel comfortable talking on camera. And that’s ok. Because there are plenty of types of videos you can create without having to talk.

Silent vlogs are a great example. In these videos, you record footage like usual alongside ambient sound, but there’s no dialogue, which makes them super atmospheric.

If you want, you can also add captions to provide extra information for the viewers.

Example

Kusk Bushcraft is an outdoor adventure YouTuber known for his super atmospheric camping vlogs. In this silent YouTube video, he sleeps outside in -15 degrees in a DIY shelter, and it’s a great watch.

Captions are used to ‘talk’ to the viewers, but there’s no actual dialogue so you can get really immersed in the sounds of rugged nature.

11. Life hacks

Life hacks are videos in which you share quick tips and tricks that can help people to save time and improve their day-to-day life.

They work better in short-form video formats, which makes them a great video idea for YouTube Shorts.

Example

Here’s an example of a YouTube Shorts life hack video from creator TQT Hacks.

It’s had over 5.9 million views so far and counting.

12. DIY guides

If you’re talented at DIY, you could make YouTube videos that showcase your projects. Viewers love DIY videos—they’re informative and entertaining.

The more interesting the project, the more views and engagements you can expect to get. So try to do something new and think outside the box.

Example

Here’s a really cool DIY video by creator Half-Asleep Chris:

In this video, Chris builds a LEGO train around his ceiling. It proved to be a hit with viewers and made its way to the YouTube Trending tab.

13. Scambait videos

There are a lot of scams out there—and many people feel helpless to combat them. This has given rise to a whole new genre of YouTube prank videos called ‘scambait’ videos, which offer viewers the cathartic release of seeing scammers get a taste of their own medicine.

In these videos, the creator ‘baits’ scammers by taking their phone calls and wasting their time, pranking them, exposing them, or in some cases, even hacking into their systems to disrupt their operations.

Example

Kitboga is one of the most popular YouTubers in this niche. Here’s one of his recent scambait videos:

Kitboga’s particular brand of scambait involves using a voice modulator to act as different hilarious characters to waste the scammer’s time. And it’s super entertaining.

14. Tutorial / how-to videos

Viewers don’t just tune in to YouTube videos for entertainment. Many people also look to YouTube for educational content. And that’s why tutorial, how-to, and walkthrough video content can work really well.

These types of videos also have more ranking potential. It’s not uncommon for YouTube tutorials to rank on page one of Google for searches for ‘how to’ keywords, which can help to drive organic search traffic to your videos and grow your audience.

Alongside your educational YouTube videos, you could create a paid online course with more detailed tutorials and promote it in your videos. This is a powerful YouTube monetization strategy.

Example

Eystreem is a popular Minecraft YouTuber. In this educational video, he shows viewers how to build an elevator in the game:

It ranks for a bunch of keywords and has racked up over 820k views to date.

15. Collaboration videos

A great way to grow on YouTube is to partner with other creators in your niche for collabs.

Collaboration videos tend to perform really well because you tap into your partner’s audience too, which means more likes, views, shares, and comments.

You could also cut down these videos into smaller snippets for other platforms where social media videos perform well. Instagram and TikTok, for example.

Example

In this video from YouTuber Billy Perry, Billy collaborates with talented BMX athlete Broc Raiford for a street BMX game of BIKE.

Both Billy and Broc got something worthwhile out of the video. For Billy, he got to feature a renowned athlete in the BMX space in his video, which was a hit with his audience. And Broc benefited from the exposure to Billy’s huge YouTube audience. It’s a win-win.

16. News-based videos

Did you know that 27% of YouTube viewers go to YouTube to consume news content?

It’s true. And that’s why news-based videos tend to get so many views.

It’s also easy content for you as a creator. All you have to do is talk about and give your take on the latest news in your niche.

Example

Mogul Mail is a channel by YouTuber and live streamer Ludwig, in which he shares news-based videos about the latest drama in the world of online streaming and gaming.

This update on recent developments in the Smash (a hit video game) world has reached almost 900k views so far.

Final thoughts

That concludes our list of amazing YouTube video ideas.

Hopefully, these ideas have given you some food for thought.

Remember that there’s no magic bullet when it comes to YouTube content. You’ll probably try a bunch of video ideas when you first get started before you hit on something that resonates with your target audience.

The golden rule is that if you find something that works, stick to it. You can look over your analytics and see what type of videos have gained the most traction, then prioritize that type of content in your strategy going forward.

But don’t forget. You can also use your analytics to find the best days & times to publish your videos as well. There are a lot of insights you can uncover from your analytics.

While you’re here, you might want to check out these related posts:

Good luck!

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