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How to Find Easy Video Ideas for Your New YouTube Channel
Starting a new YouTube channel is exciting, but quickly runs into a common hurdle: constantly needing fresh video ideas. If you're feeling stuck, staring at a blank script page, you're not alone. Many new creators struggle to consistently generate engaging video ideas, especially when they're just starting out with limited resources and experience.
The good news? You don't need to invent the next viral sensation from scratch for your first videos. The most effective strategy for beginners is often to focus on creating simple, accessible content that directly helps people solve a problem or learn something new. These types of videos are highly discoverable through YouTube search and can help you build your initial audience.
This article will walk you through simple, beginner-friendly methods for finding easy video ideas that are perfect for a new channel and designed to attract viewers.
Why Simple, Specific Ideas Work Best for Beginners
When you're starting out, your focus should be on providing value to a specific group of people. Don't worry about complex production or trying to appeal to everyone. Instead, think about answering what are sometimes called "Simple Specific Stupid Questions" (SSSQ).
These are the basic questions that people new to a topic are asking. While they might seem obvious to you if you have some expertise, they are genuine pain points for beginners searching for help on YouTube. Videos that answer these questions clearly and simply have a high chance of being found via search.
Remember, content value matters more than production value when you're building momentum. You can start with basic equipment – even just a smartphone. The key is that your video provides genuinely helpful information or solves a real problem for the viewer. Getting views on these initial, helpful videos introduces new people to your channel, who can then subscribe and discover more of your content as you grow.
Method 1: Become a Niche Detective (Analyze Successful Channels)
One of the smartest ways to find video ideas is to see what's already working for other channels in your niche. This isn't about copying; it's about understanding what topics and formats resonate with the audience you want to reach.
Here's how to do it:
- Identify Channels in Your Niche: Find several successful channels that cover topics similar to what you plan to create. Look for channels that are a bit further along than you, but not necessarily mega-channels with millions of subscribers. Channels with subscriber counts between a few thousand and a few hundred thousand are often great examples to study, as they've likely gone through the beginner phase you're in.
- For example, channels like @technoobietutorials (2.8k subscribers) or @Photoshop-Basics (6.5k subscribers) focus on specific tutorial content and have built an audience by helping beginners. @June_art77 (21.6k subscribers) focuses on art tutorials and gets a high number of views per video relative to its subscriber count (VS ratio of 4.96), indicating strong audience interest in its specific, beginner-friendly art lessons.
- Sort by "Most Popular": On each channel's video page, sort their videos by "Most popular." This immediately shows you which topics and video formats have attracted the most views for that channel over time.
- Analyze Proven Topics: The most popular videos highlight topics that have already proven to resonate with the audience in that niche. Write down the topics of these high-performing videos. These are excellent candidates for your own content ideas.
By analyzing what's working for others, you're leveraging existing data on audience interest. Subscribr's Channel Intelligence system can help you analyze what's working in your niche, giving you insights into successful content patterns and formats.
Method 2: Listen to Your Audience (Even Before You Have One)
You don't need thousands of subscribers to understand what your potential audience wants. You can tap into existing conversations happening online.
- Use YouTube Search Autocomplete: Go to the YouTube search bar and start typing keywords related to your niche or a potential topic. Pay close attention to the autocomplete suggestions that appear. These suggestions are based on actual searches people are making on YouTube.
- If you type "simple cooking recipe for beginners," you'll see suggestions like "simple chicken biryani for beginners" or "simple chocolate cake recipe for beginners." These are specific needs people are searching for help with.
- Read Comments on Popular Videos: Look at the comments section of popular videos in your niche (the ones you found in Method 1). What questions are people asking? What problems are they mentioning? Comments are a goldmine of direct audience pain points and content ideas.
- Explore Niche Communities: Visit online forums, Reddit communities, or Facebook groups related to your niche. What are the frequently asked questions? What do beginners struggle with the most?
This approach helps you find video topics with low competition in the sense that while there might be videos on the topic, you can create content that specifically addresses the questions and pain points you found, offering a fresh, beginner-focused perspective. Subscribr's Research Assistant can help you gather high-quality research by analyzing web pages and YouTube transcripts, giving you deeper insights into what people are discussing in your niche.
Method 3: Look at What's Already Working (Analyze Popular Videos)
Beyond looking at specific channels, you can search for videos on topics related to your niche and see which ones have gained significant traction.
- Search for Niche Topics: Use the YouTube search bar to look for broad topics within your niche (e.g., "cooking tutorials," "fitness routines," "photography basics").
- Filter by View Count (Mentally): While YouTube's interface doesn't let you filter by minimum views directly, you can quickly scan the results and identify videos with high view counts (hundreds of thousands or millions).
- Analyze Successful Video Topics: Look at the titles and thumbnails of these high-view-count videos. What specific problems do they promise to solve? What is the format?
- Searching for "simple cooking recipe for beginners" yields videos like "SIMPLE CHICKEN BIRYANI FOR BEGINNERS" with over 37 million views and "Simple Moist Chocolate Cake Recipe" with over 8.5 million views.
- Searching for "beginner fitness routine at home" shows videos like "How to Start Calisthenics at Home For Beginners (No Equipment)" with over 4.5 million views and "20 Min Full Body Workout Routine for Beginners (Follow Along)" with over 19 million views.
- Adapt the Idea, Don't Copy: These examples demonstrate that simple, beginner-focused topics addressing specific needs (like learning a basic recipe or starting an at-home workout) can attract massive audiences. Take the core idea behind these successful videos and create your own unique version based on your perspective and simple production style. Subscribr's Video Breakdown tool can help you analyze successful video structures and identify patterns you can adapt.
What Kind of Videos Are Easy to Make for YouTube?
Focusing on simple formats when you're starting out reduces the technical hurdles and lets you concentrate on providing value. Here are some video types that are generally easy for beginners to create:
- Simple Tutorials/How-Tos: Show viewers step-by-step how to do something specific. This could be a screen recording (how to use a simple software feature), a talking head with simple demonstrations (how to tie a knot), or a cooking demonstration where the camera is focused on your hands.
- Product Reviews/Showcases: Share your experience with a product you use. You just need the product, a camera to film it, and your honest opinion.
- Q&A Videos: Gather questions from comments, social media, or friends/family related to your niche and answer them directly to the camera.
- Sharing Your Journey/Progress: Document your learning process or progress in your niche. This could be simple vlog-style updates or before-and-after comparisons.
- Listicle Videos: Create a numbered list of tips, tools, or resources related to your topic (e.g., "5 Essential Tools for Beginner Gardeners"). You can present this as a talking head or with simple text overlays.
- Simple Challenge Videos: Undertake a personal challenge related to your niche and document the process (e.g., "Trying a New Recipe Every Day for a Week").
These formats prioritize clear communication and helpful information over complex editing or fancy camera work.
Testing and Refining Your Initial Ideas
Once you have a list of potential easy video ideas, the best way to know what works for your channel and your audience is to start creating! Don't overthink your first few videos. A good strategy is to create 3-4 videos covering slightly different topics or using different simple formats based on your research.
Evaluate these initial videos not just by immediate view counts (as videos can take time to gain traction), but qualitatively. Does the topic fit your niche? Was the video feasible to create with your current resources? Was it engaging and helpful?
Over time, use YouTube Analytics (and Subscribr's Intel feature) to see which types of videos are performing best – which ones are getting discovered, keeping viewers watching, and attracting subscribers. This data will guide your future content strategy.
Monetization & Growth
Successfully finding and creating easy video ideas helps new creators overcome initial content hurdles, fostering channel growth. As you consistently publish helpful content that resonates with viewers, you'll start building an audience. This lays the foundation for future monetization opportunities, whether through YouTube AdSense, affiliate marketing, sponsorships, or selling your own products or services. The key is providing consistent value that keeps viewers coming back.
Tools & Resources
Finding, planning, and creating video ideas gets easier with the right tools. Beyond YouTube Studio and YouTube Analytics, platforms like Subscribr offer specialized features designed for YouTube creators. Subscribr's Channel and Video Intel features can help you analyze what's working in your niche, while the Research Assistant can streamline your idea research. When you're ready to write, Subscribr's AI Script Writer can help you go from an idea to a structured script quickly.
Start Creating!
Finding easy video ideas for your new YouTube channel doesn't have to be overwhelming. By focusing on simple, specific topics that help beginners, analyzing what's already working in your niche, and using tools to guide your research, you can generate a steady stream of content that attracts viewers and helps you grow. Don't wait for perfect ideas or perfect equipment – the most important step is to start creating and learning along the way.
