50+ YouTube video ideas to try out in 2023

1. Vlog

Vlogs (video blogs) are the cornerstone of YouTube, and for good reason. You can vlog on just about anything and everything. Took a recent trip? Vlog. Found a study routine that worked for you? Vlog. You can even do it from your iPhone.

2. DIY

Another popular type of video, DIYs typically cover home-based projects and crafts. But DIYs can also include digital projects like Notion templates or GoodNotes setups.

3. Reaction videos

All the rage over the past couple of years, reaction videos are about as adaptable as vlogs, though the most popular type of reaction videos are music related.

4. Behind the scenes

Got an ecommerce store or another type of side-hustle? Do a behind-the-scenes video of your business. Or, to be meta, do a BTS video about building your YouTube channel.

5. Challenge videos

Challenge-based videos can be a ticket to virality for lots of people, but remember to be safe and not promote life-threatening challenges. Typical challenges would be budget cooking or “cold showers for 30 days”-type videos. (Matt D’Avella does lots of these.)

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6. Livestreams

Livestreams have the adaptability of vlogs with the added pressure (and authenticity) of public performance. You can also livestream about pretty much anything, but popular streams include gaming, study with me, and watch along. 

7. Unboxing videos 

Another massive area of content on YouTube, product unboxings are a great idea if your niche uses physical products. For example, tech products, gaming products, makeup products, and even mystery boxes.

8. Parody videos

Parody videos might not suit every channel, but if you can pull them off, it can be awesome. Most parody videos on YouTube are music videos (Bart Baker and Wassabi are popular channels), but you can also do parody comedy sketches.

9. Prank videos 

Similar to parody videos, prank videos won’t suit every channel. However, pranks help to inject a little humor if you can get away with it (but remember to be safe; and please be sure they’re actually funny).

10. Product reviews

When you Google a product you’re thinking about buying, chances are a YouTube product review video comes up in the results. If your niche has the demand, like in tech and gadgets, product reviews can be a great source of traffic to your channel.

11. Skits

Like parody videos, comedy skits are a great way to highlight your humor. They can be pretty much any length, too (remember five-second Vine videos?). SNL is a great channel to model comedy skits from.

12. Game walkthroughs

At one point, a video game walkthrough YouTuber was the most subscribed channel on YouTube (PewDiePie, who’s currently sitting at 111 million subs at the time of writing). 

Game walkthroughs are still a great content type to produce, thanks to new games coming out all the time (and gamers love that stuff).

13. Tutorials

If you have a skill or unique process for something, you can try teaching it to other people. Tutorial videos are also a super-adaptable content type. Think makeup, soccer skills, software instructions, etc. If it’s learnable, chances are there’s a beginner’s how-to video on YouTube.

14. Magic tricks

This one is pretty niche, but if you have a secret passion for magic tricks, show them off in YouTube videos.

15. Bloopers

This type of content is particularly great because a) you won’t need to film new content for it, you just use stuff you’ve edited out of previous videos, and b) it helps make you more relatable.

16. Explainer videos

Similar to tutorials, explainer videos work particularly well for product and service businesses. But you can use the explainer video style to cover educational topics too.

17. Music videos

There are a ton of different types of music videos on YouTube. Of course, there are music videos for artists’ songs. But there’re also some for education, social commentary, and even language learning (the Japanese alphabet song by Heiakim, for example).

18. Animated videos

You can also cover a huge spectrum of topics using animated videos as the medium. From kids’ show animations and short films to incredible timelapses of the future.

19. Daily routines 

While vlogs can be about anything, daily routines are a sub-type of vlog that covers, you guessed it, daily routines. Lots of different types create daily routine videos (students, professionals, stay-at-home parents, etc.). Plus, tons of people are interested in seeing how others organize their days.

20. Movie reviews

Seen a movie you liked (or hated) recently? Put up a video with your opinions on it. Human nature is such that we like to agree or disagree with other people’s opinions (good or bad), and movie reviews are a great avenue to do so.

21. List videos

When you review lots of products or content, an easy way to build more content around them is to do a listicle round-up. Top 10 lists are incredibly popular on YouTube.

22. Webinar

Webinars can sometimes be pretty specialized, but publishing webinars on YouTube for the public is a great way to build authority in your niche (for example, Clearscope publishes lots of SEO-related webinars for free).

23. Book reviews

Books lend themselves well to reviews — readers are always looking for recommendations, and books aren’t cheap. Other social media apps like TikTok and Goodreads show just how popular they are, and YouTube is no different here.

24. Timelapses

Although you can use timelapses within other kinds of video content, they’re also great on their own. Lots of channels post timelapse-only videos, including fitness (weight loss/muscle gain) and even beard growth.

25. Interviews

If you’re in a professional niche, interviews make for great content ideas. You can interview other professionals and leaders in your industry. But interviews also work for other forums like TV shows and industry news.

26. Tours

Plenty of channels have a target audience that loves tour videos, whether that’s a home décor tour, a music studio tour, or a gaming setup tour. Wherever you live and work can become a tour video, like Seoul Walker regularly posts on YouTube.

27. Q&A

These are like interviews, except you can do them by yourself, with the questions coming from your viewers in the comments section. Paired with livestreaming, they can make for powerful, interactive, informative, or entertaining content.

28. Animal videos

Some of the oldest YouTube videos are animal-related. If you’ve got a cute pet, consider making a video about them. Or get a cute pet. Borrow one if you have to, just take care that it doesn’t eat your face off while you’re sleeping. 

29. Compilations

Some of the most popular YouTube videos are actually compilations of other videos that share a theme. If you can edit your YouTube videos well, this is a great option. But be careful not to violate any copyright rules.

30. Home hacks

A content idea similar to DIY videos, home hacks are a type of video that make viewers say, “I was today years old when I found this out.” A good example of this are cleaning hacks like those on Clean My Space. 

31. Comparisons

Comparison-based videos — think Reese's Pieces vs. peanut-butter M&Ms — are great ideas for beginners: You don’t need a huge setup, and you can get by with just a little video editing. Comparison videos also pair well with product reviews.

32. Cross-channel collabs

If you’re in a fairly broad niche, like fitness, for example, you can collaborate with other content creators in that space. You don’t even have to be geographically close, since remote recording is a thing.

33. GRWM (Get Ready With Me)

GRWM videos are popular on most video-based platforms and pair really well with daily routines or day-in-the-life videos/vlogs. While they’re generally more popular with female audiences (makeup and skin care GRMW), guys get good traffic from these too.

34. Productivity hacks

Another offshoot of hack videos, productivity hacks are a pretty large category and can quickly fill up someone’s algorithm. Some channels are full of productivity hacks, like Montelle Bee.

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35. Industry news/updates

There’s always something new going on in the world. And if you’re in a fast-moving industry like technology, with new product releases, you can cover these updates in YouTube videos.

36. Gaming setup videos

Although gaming setup videos got a mention in the tour videos, this particular type of content usually involves a step-by-step approach to how someone set up their gaming space.

37. Music playlists (no face videos)

If you’re a little camera shy, you can always create videos without your face in them. Music playlists are one of the best approaches to no-face-no-voice videos. But again, be sure not to violate copyright. Bonus points if you make your own music.

38. Shopping haul 

While you probably don’t want to do lots of shopping haul videos (your bank account will suffer), it can be a fun way to document your recent splurge.

39. Social experiments

Not too different from prank videos; social experiments are also a popular type of video. However, these usually deal with topics of a more serious nature. TreeMan is a channel dedicated to social experiment content, and it has over three million subs.

40. Social commentary

If you’re the type of person that has a lot of opinions or are well-informed on a social issue, making a commentary video is an awesome way to make your voice heard.

41. EDC (everyday carry)

Sort of like a GRWM video, except EDC videos usually only cover what you take with you on your trips outside the house. There are a lot of people who spin these with a unique flavor — EDC tech, EDC travel essentials, minimalist EDC, etc.

42. Making money online

If you make a decent income from online sources, like an ecommerce store, freelancing, or YouTube, make a video about it. If you don’t want to go too in-depth, it’s also a topic that works well in the YouTube Shorts format.

43. Workouts

Lots of people who are into fitness like seeing how other people work out. They can also serve as inspiration or education to those who are new to fitness. 

44. Day of eating

Similar to workout videos, “full day of eating” videos are popular for helping others get an idea of what other healthy people are eating to achieve their fitness goals. Channels like Aseel Soueid do this well.

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45. TV episode analysis

TV episode analysis videos are incredibly popular when hit shows like Succession are airing. But that doesn’t mean you can’t do analyses of your favorite show.

46. TV season recaps

Same as above, except you can round up everything you covered in your TV analysis videos to summarize a full TV season.

47. Home tech overviews

There’s a whole genre of lifestyle videos that only cover home technology: smart light bulbs and switches, tech panels, home security, and more. If you’ve got a smart home, or just a ton of gadgets, try this one out.

48. Financial advice/experience

Fair warning, if you make videos about finance, be sure to add a disclaimer saying it’s not financial advice. Even if you are a qualified financial adviser, everyone’s financial life is different, and what works for some won’t work for others.

49. Music analysis

When your favorite band or artist releases a new track or album, an analysis video of the music can make for educational and entertaining content. Again, be careful of copyright.

50. Trick shots/skills

Trick shot videos are super entertaining for the right crowd, and there are tons of YouTube videos on them. Soccer skills were perhaps the original, but now there are snooker/pool trick shots, basketball, table tennis, and more.

51. Motivational

This one is pretty broad, but motivational videos can get millions of views with good editing skills. You can produce a motivational video on lots of topics, like health and fitness, life/career management, finances, and sports — anything linked to achievement.

52. Podcast

Podcasts aren’t always an audio-only format. Tons of people enjoy watching podcasts too, and you can optimize your podcast for YouTube to get the best of both worlds.

53. Before and after
Before and after videos are an excellent way to show any kind of transformation and are usually super satisfying to watch. Two channels that focus on before and after content are Top Notch Lawn Care and Aurikatariina. 

There are endless opportunities for YouTube content

No matter what your niche is, there are a ton of ways you can build a library of amazing content on YouTube. Use this list to inspire your next videos and go from there. You might even find when you’ve made one video, another idea comes to you based on what you’ve just created.

If you need more resources to help you on your journey, check out these posts:

• How to make a YouTube banner that attracts an audience, with examples‍
• How to build an optimal YouTube studio setup‍
• The ultimate guide to YouTube video sizes‍
• Understanding YouTube analytics to level up your channel

And if you’re looking for an app to help you edit videos and manage your YouTube production workflow, get started on Descript for free today.