Content is king, but video content is definitely part of the royal family. YouTube offers many benefits for brands. With 2.6 billion users from all over the world, it’s undoubtedly one of the best platforms for content creators and countless types of businesses. It's also the second-biggest search engine after Google (and owned by Google), with 85 local versions in 76 languages. Brands can share engaging YouTube videos to get more traffic and reach bigger audiences. But the question is… how do you start coming up with relevant YouTube topic ideas? 

What Makes a Good YouTube Video?

A good YouTube video is focused not on views and profit but on quality and relatable storytelling. It should immediately grab your viewers’ attention and offer some kind of value to your audience. Besides having clear audio and a good lighting setup, a video should inspire, educate, and lead audiences to the desired action.

Maintaining a YouTube channel is not as easy as it looks! Business owners and content creators understandably struggle with consistently uploading and implementing an exceptional YouTube marketing strategy. Take it one step at a time. Start by listing possible YouTube topics and see how you can make each video entertaining. 

How to Come Up With YouTube Topics

First things first. A solid YouTube strategy that delivers starts with coming up with the right topics. But how? Keep scrolling for some ideas!

1. Ask Your Audience Directly

You’d be surprised what kind of information you can gather if you just ask for it. The most straightforward way to find out what your audience needs from you? Ask them! You may be brainstorming for YouTube, but you can always use different platforms to understand what your audience is interested in. For example, ask them questions directly through Facebook or Instagram polls. Send an email blast out to your list. Go live on one of the platforms and talk about your goals for your channel, asking people to comment with their suggestions.

Simple questions can lead to golden ideas that help generate suitable YouTube topic ideas.

2. Start with a Keyword

The YouTube search bar alone can help you look for brilliant video ideas but only if you know how to use it. First, think about a fairly broad keyword that accurately describes your video. Then, type it in the search bar and see what autocompletes. This isn’t a coincidence. YouTube is showing you common searches related to yours.

Then, search the full term and hit enter. The YouTube results and suggestions that populate will help you narrow down broad topics into different sub-topics. For instance, “homemade pet food” can be broken down into several subtopics like the ingredients needed, vet-approved recipes, DIY dog treats, and what toxic ingredients to avoid.

This approach also makes it easy to research your competitors and see what kind of videos they produce — and what they’re missing.

3. Repurpose Content from Other Channels

Sometimes, your next brilliant YouTube topic idea is hiding in another place. Create a new YouTube video by breathing new life into old content from your other social media channels. Is there an Instagram reel or TikTok post that did exceptionally well? Expand on it and turn it into a video. A blog article from way back can be repurposed into a new, engaging YouTube video.

You can also turn your business website’s FAQ section into multiple YouTube videos. Use the top questions to make quick explainer videos about your products or services. Get more questions from emails and the comments sections of other videos. Quora is another amazing source. Look at what posts are getting the most activity. This tells you that people care about this topic.

4. Look at Trending Topics

Create videos around the most talked about topics in the digital world, essentially riding their coattails. You can gain a lot of exposure and more substantial brand recognition by capitalizing on trends. Making a video about a trending topic means incorporating your own thoughts and ideas into an already existing conversation that people care about. 

Don’t regurgitate what’s trending. Aim to cover it from a different angle. Just make sure that the topic is relevant to your niche. Viral/trending traffic won’t last forever, yet riding the wave once in a while can help you get seen and heard.

You can find trending/viral topics using tools like Google Trends and Buzzsumo. Buzzfeed is another great source.

5. Share a Personal Experience

YouTube videos don’t have to be long and complex. Sometimes, making videos can be as simple as sharing some of your interests and personal experiences. Authenticity is the key to captivating a vast audience, and by imparting stories you know by heart, you can instantly offer something other content creators cannot.

The thing is, whatever you choose to share must be relevant to your channel. For example, if you just started a fitness clothing line, you can talk about your fitness journey and the struggles you experienced on your path toward getting healthy. What are your fitness goals? How do you motivate yourself when you don’t feel like moving? Give your viewers fitness tips they’ll wish they knew sooner.

Sometimes, the YouTube topic ideas that gain the most traction are the ones that are most relatable.

Start Your YouTube Channel Today

Endless YouTube topic ideas are hiding right in plain sight. Keep a running list that you can always pull from. Mind your YouTube SEO. Write relevant and engaging descriptions. Promote, promote, promote! And, importantly, be consistent. Over the weeks and months, your YouTube channel will take your brand to the next level.