Starting a YouTube channel is a lot of work. In addition to spending time writing, producing, and editing videos, you need to find a topic that you are passionate about and make sure it resonates with people.
To inspire you, we’ve found nine popular YouTube categories that you can use to start a channel. Read on to find out why viewers love watching YouTube videos like this and start brainstorming your YouTube channel today.
YouTube channel ideas
- Comedy sketches
- Web series
- music
- Tutorials
- Self-help
- Cook
- Workout and fitness
- style
- travel
1. Comedy sketches
If you’re in the middle of a two-hour YouTube binge fest, you can probably blame the endless amount of funny videos that are flooding the platform. Some of the most successful YouTubers create comedy sketches, like Jenna Marbles, a blogger who became a YouTube sensation and has over 19 million subscribers, and Jimmy Tatro, a college kid who made funny videos for fun but turned them into a career has made over 3 million subscribers to date.
Jenna and Jimmy both built their YouTube followers with low-production videos, but they also implemented the humor and storytelling perfectly in most of their videos. With that in mind, it is definitely possible to build a successful comedy channel on a budget if you can write a fun script.
2. Web series
The human brain is wired to respond to well-crafted narratives. Neuroscience proves that storytelling is the best way to grab people’s attention, bake information into their memories, and forge close, personal bonds. We’re programmed to crave great stories – that will never change.
If you can structure your YouTube channel like a television season and put your videos together into a narrative series, then you can get the audience excited about your content – just like your favorite Netflix show.
3. Music
Cover photos are some of the most entertaining videos on YouTube. People love to listen to the personal twists and turns of aspiring artists on their favorite songs. So, if you can sing or play instruments, then you should cover your favorite, trending or hit songs and upload them to YouTube. Who knows, maybe you could even be discovered and become the next Justin Bieber or Tori Kelly.
4. Tutorials
Whether it’s guitar lessons, beauty lessons, or videos showing how to make popsicles for your hamster, people love learning how to make their lives better. If you can cover topics that people are passionate about and teach them how to get better at those things, they can lead better lives. This will increase your channel’s brand loyalty and sentiment, keep your viewers ‘attention, and get their friends’ attention through word of mouth.
5. Self help
Another way to increase your channel brand loyalty and sentiment is to help people solve their personal problems. Whether it is your career or your personal life, you can give people advice on common problems you’ve experienced or asked about. However, make sure you have extensive knowledge, training or personal experience related to these topics. Otherwise, people will think you are a quack and will lose confidence in you.
6. Cooking
People’s love for cooking is original. I mean, we need food to survive. So it makes perfect sense that people always try to master certain dishes and get to know new ones. To help them do this, guide them through your recipes, delve into the techniques you have used, and show them what their food should be like at each stage of your recipe. This will help them prepare the best dish possible.
7. Training & Fitness
Personal trainers are expensive. Fortunately, you don’t need one to stay in shape. People use free personal trainers or yoga teachers on YouTube to keep them active. So, if you have a lot of experience with weightlifting, yoga, or other fitness methods, you should create exercise videos for specific goals like losing weight, building muscle, or improving cardiovascular health.
8. style
Everyone wants to look good. By rating new clothes, keeping people updated on new trends and styles, and teaching them how to always look their best, you can create your own YouTube fan base. If your YouTube channel is popular, you can also get sponsors who will pay you to review their clothes and make offers to your audience.
9. Travel
Man is biologically motivated to examine the world instead of reacting to it. This is why people love to explore so much. But before spending thousands of dollars traveling to a place they saw on Instagram, people want to do a little research first. So if you have the money to travel, record your adventures in cityscapes or countryside. Your viewers can get a glimpse of the place and choose a vacation they’ll never forget or save money on a trip they’d regret.