YouTube Video Content Ideas

Sep 17

Have you seen the very first video uploaded to YouTube back in 2005?

When Me At The Zoo was uploaded, nobody would have imagined just how big YouTube was going to be and that this first video would eventually get well over 100 million views.

Google clearly saw the potential of YouTube, and only 18 months after YouTube’s co-founder shared his zoo visit with the world, Google announced it was paying $1.65 billion for the service. Since then the power and influence of YouTube have grown at incredible speed and volume. With so much time spent watching YouTube, on a wide variety of devices, what types of content are people watching?

It turns out that people watch lots of different types of video content, which is probably reflective of the fact that YouTube viewers span the whole spectrum of ages, languages and countries. To many people, YouTube has one purpose only, to watch music videos. And music videos can’t be ignored - there are so many of them!

On August 21, 2020, BTS 'Dynamite' broke the YouTube record for most-viewed video in the first 24 hours, with 101 million views. And less than a month later the video was nearing 400 million total views

And according to the Wikipedia List of Most Viewed YouTube Videos, "See You Again” by Wiz Khalifa featuring Charlie Puth has had over 4 billion views, and has recently overtaken the long-time King of YouTube, "Gangnam Style" to be the leader. In fact, music videos take up 77 out of the 80 videos in this top list. But there is much more to YouTube than simply music videos. And our goal here is to take a look at some of the more popular styles.

Case Study Videos

Case study videos reach people when they’re at that sweet spot in the buyer’s journey, when they know their options and are trying to figure out which one best applies to their situation.

Video case studies engage people better and faster than traditional media, and especially busy people.

Case Study Videos tell a story about a particular product or service in use by an actual customer that the viewer can relate to.

Most people don't want to work too hard to make a purchasing decision. In most cases, they’d much rather watch a video that tells them what they need to know quickly and informatively.

Customer Testimonials

Basically customer testimonials are short-form interviews featuring happy customers and help build company, brand and product credibility.

Customer testimonial videos show your client talking about your brand and your product, and the experience of working with your company.
Customer testimonial videos help to build brand trust, and inform your target audience of how great your product is.
Customer testimonial videos work best in the final stage of the buyer’s journey: the decision stage, because they are meant to close deals.
Businesses use customer testimonial videos to build trust, and so they should be included in every video marketing strategy.

Video produced for Monrovia by VideoFresh™

Product Demonstration Videos

A product demonstration video not only explains what your product or service does, but also points out how it can solve the customer’s pain point and why it is the best solution.
Product demonstration videos increase conversions statistics show that 81% of video viewers have bought a product after seeing a video about it.
Product demonstration videos get your message across in just a matter of minutes, lowering the chances of people clicking away from your content.
A product demonstration video ensures that your audience fully understands your product or service, resulting in more qualified leads.

Video produced for Vanity Planet by VideoFresh™

Explainer & Tutorial Videos

Explainer videos are detailed videos that explain how to use a product or service.
In addition to teaching viewers how to use your product or service, tutorials can be used to answer customer support questions or explain a new product feature.
Explainer videos are bite-sized bits of video content, often around one to two minutes in length.

Explainer videos are produced in a variety of formats depending on budget and overall desired effect,, from traditional animation, to 3D, to live-action and more.
Explainer videos come in all genres, utilizing comedy or drama depending on the theme.
Explainer videos offer a wide variety of design options and emotional tactics to communicate your brand's message.

Thought Leader Interview

Your target customers – the ones making the buying decisions – are looking for companies and leadership who see the big picture, and can help drive their business forward.
The thought leader interview provides viewers with interesting perspectives on ideas, clearly and succinctly, that they can’t find anywhere else.
When it comes branding, awareness, and driving targeted traffic back to your website, few video formats beat the thought leader interview format.
It typically features a single subject matter expert sharing his or her perspective on an issue of interest to the target audience.

Educational Videos

Learning is more than a trend on YouTube. It’s a trait.
YouTube viewers want value from the videos they watch — so it is no surprise that educational videos are a popular video format.
A revolution has been quietly taking place in the education industry. There is a growing trend to graduate from traditional textbooks and adopt a holistic video approach.
When producing educational videos for YouTube, lead with entertainment, or "edutainment". Mix the nutritious with the delicious.
Find your format: teach-along, learn-along, animation, and more
Get specific with skill-building content. YouTube is great for perfecting your Minecraft, and It's great for perfecting your professional craft.

Vocational learners flock to YouTube to improve their skills. Several of the fastest-rising content categories on YouTube are related to skill-building, entrepreneurship, and small business.

Shopping Spree / Haul Videos

Shopping Spree & Haul videos were made famous by beauty influencers on YouTube and remain one of the most popular video formats to this day.
Shopping Spree & Haul videos are also incredibly popular among brands who rely on them to organically showcase their newest products.
Many people and women, in particular, enjoy watching people going on shopping sprees for things they can only imagine themselves buying.
You may not be able to go on a high-end shoe shopping yourself and buy a dozen pair of brand-name shoes, but you may enjoy watching somebody else do it.
Shopping Spree & Haul videos focus on people shopping for specific products. The most common of these types of videos tend to be in the beauty, fashion and lifestyle channels.
These videos provide an excellent opportunity for brands wanting to engage in influencer marketing who match up to their products

Comedy / Skit Videos

People love to laugh!
According to research, comedy videos are the most probable video format to attain ‘viral’ status.
Many Youtube influencers have successfully incorporated the comedy / skit formula in their videos
Comedy videos are among the most shared videos, often finding their way onto Facebook and other social media.
Some YouTube comedy channels generate audiences greater than many network comedy television shows, including: nigahiga & College Humor.

Gaming Videos / Video Game Walkthroughs

Gaming is one of the most popular video formats on YouTube.
PewDiePie is one of the most popular influencers in this category
Young males were the first type of people to embrace YouTube, and a primary reason was the proliferation of gaming channels
Minecraft alone has over 1,000 YouTube channels devoted to it.
A common type of gaming video is a walkthrough, where somebody plays a game, commentating as they progress through the game.
There can be huge engagement between gaming video makers and their supporters and which often includes live play sessions.

Celebrity Gossip Videos

People love celebrity gossip too!
Newspaper tabloids have thrived on this for years, and popular cable television networks have been built around it..
And so YouTube is no exception, with many channels available for users to keep up-to-date with their favorite celebrities.

One of the most popular celebrity gossip YouTube channels is an offshoot of the TMZ celebrity news website.

How-To Videos

How-to videos are one of the most popular types of videos on YouTube.

They are particularly popular for tech and beauty, but the category possibilities are actually endless.
From how to play your favorite song on a guitar to how to apply make-up, if you can teach it, there’s probably someone looking for a video to help them learn it.
How-to videos are particularly popular with beauty influencers and so there are many channels devoted solely to them
How-to videos are the perfect combination of education and utility and viewers can’t just can’t seem to get enough of them!

Video produced for Roosterfin, Inc by VideoFresh™

Product Review Videos

Trusted reviews are paramount to consumers making a purchase and are growing in popularity .
Most people wouldn’t think of making a purchase unless they first watched at least one online review..
Product reviews take online reviews a step further by allowing the viewer to actually see how a product performs while hearing feedback on the product..
Product review videos are now one of the most popular video types on YouTube.
Product review videos should be kept short and to the point.
If you find that you’re running over three minutes it’s time to do some serious editing.
The opinions expressed in product review videos should be as balanced and honest as possible.

Good product review videos should NOT include infatuation and fawning, but they also should not be a bash and trash session.
Features which make the product unique or provide some level of distinctiveness over the competition, should be highlighted.
Good product review videos should shift the focus away from a dry recitation of facts and figures and onto what those features do to make the user’s tasks easier or more fun.

Vlogs

A blog, is actually short for “weblog”
Weblogs started initially as a web-based log of what a person did each day - sort of a Internet-based diary.
Over time blogs have diversified, but it is still not uncommon to see bloggers writing about their daily breakfast and what they managed to achieve the day before.
Vlogs are video blogs, and the idea is, to some extent, the same as what the original blog was. They are effectively a video equivalent of a diary.
Being on YouTube Vlogs they are much more public than a personal diary, and so the content is usually more engaging.
Like a diary, vlogs use unscripted dialog and generally come across as an authentic look into the creators mind.
Vlogs often focus on a specific topic.
Vlogs are referred to by some as the YouTube equivalent of reality television.
You get the opportunity to see into the life of the vlogger.
Just as reality television can generate some pretty high viewing statistics, quite a few vlogs channels also have a considerable number of followers.