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Stuck for YouTube Ideas? A Simple System to Find Video Topics
Feeling stuck staring at a blank screen, wondering what video to make next? You’re not alone. One of the biggest challenges for new and aspiring YouTube creators is consistently coming up with fresh, engaging video ideas that their audience actually wants to watch. This creative block can feel frustrating and make building momentum on your channel seem impossible.
But what if there was a simple, repeatable system you could use to generate a steady stream of video topics? What if you could stop guessing and start creating content you know has potential?
Finding great video ideas isn't about waiting for inspiration to strike; it's a skill you can develop. Successful YouTubers treat their channels like an "ideas business," dedicating regular time and effort to researching and developing new concepts. In this guide, we’ll walk you through a practical system to consistently find video ideas, tailored specifically for creators starting out in 2025.
Why Finding Ideas is Your Most Important Job
Think about it: no matter how good your editing, camera quality, or personality, a video with a weak idea won't connect with viewers. Conversely, a compelling idea can sometimes succeed even with less-than-perfect execution. Your video idea is the foundation – the package that convinces someone to click "play" in the first place.
Dedicate specific time each week, even just an hour or two, solely to brainstorming and researching video concepts. This focused effort is crucial for long-term growth.
Method 1: Mining YouTube Itself
The best place to find ideas for YouTube is often… YouTube! The platform provides several built-in ways to understand what viewers are searching for and what content is already performing well.
Use YouTube Search Suggestions
Start by typing broad topics related to your niche into the YouTube search bar. As you type, YouTube’s autocomplete feature will suggest popular long-tail keywords and phrases. These suggestions are based on actual user searches and represent topics with existing demand.
For example, if you have a fitness channel, typing "beginner workout" might suggest "beginner workout at home no equipment," "beginner workout plan," or "beginner workout routine for weight loss." Each of these is a potential video idea directly pulled from what people are searching for.
Analyze What's Popular in Your Niche
Look up successful channels in your niche. Don't just watch their latest videos; go to their "Videos" tab and sort by "Most popular." This shows you the specific topics and formats that have resonated most with their audience over time. These are proven ideas.
While you shouldn't copy directly, analyze why those videos are popular. What problem do they solve? What emotion do they tap into? Can you create a video on a similar topic, but with your unique perspective, updated information, or a different angle?
For instance, searching for drawing tutorials with over 100,000 views reveals videos like "Drawing faces tutorial" by @HamRib Art with over 3.2 million views, or "How to Draw and Easy Painting" by @Hello Mila with hundreds of thousands of views. This tells you that tutorials focused on specific subjects (faces, animals, characters) and those emphasizing ease ("easy painting") are popular within the art niche. Channels like @Sanju Arts also see significant views (e.g., 464K views on a Ganesha drawing tutorial) by focusing on specific, searchable subjects.
Even in broader niches like gaming, channels in the 50K-500K subscriber range like @whatafail (249K subscribers) and @Top Gaming Plays (177K subscribers) have videos that gain significant traction (like @Top Gaming Plays' 347K views in 30 days). Analyzing their most popular or recently successful videos can reveal trending game topics, formats (compilations, highlights), or challenges that resonate with the gaming audience.
Browse Suggested Videos
Log in to the YouTube account you use for your channel and simply browse the homepage. YouTube's algorithm tailors suggestions based on your viewing habits (which should ideally align with your niche research). Pay attention to videos in your niche or related areas that appear frequently or have unusually high view counts relative to the channel's subscriber count. These can indicate trending topics or formats.
Method 2: Listening to Your Audience
Your most valuable source of ideas might be the people you're already trying to reach: your viewers.
Mine Your Comments Section
Read every comment on your videos. Viewers often ask questions, suggest topics they'd like you to cover, or share problems they're facing. These direct requests are golden opportunities. A single question in a comment could be the perfect idea for your next video. Look for recurring questions – if one person is asking, many others likely have the same question.
Pay Attention to Social Media and DMs
If you're active on other social media platforms, monitor conversations related to your niche. What are people talking about? What are they struggling with? What content are they sharing? Similarly, direct messages from your audience can highlight specific needs or interests. This is real-time feedback on what topics are relevant right now.
Method 3: Analyzing What Works (Outliers & Idea Transfer)
Beyond just looking at popular videos, get strategic. Identify "outliers" – videos that performed significantly better than a channel's typical content. An outlier score, often used in YouTube analytics, measures this performance relative to the channel's average. A high outlier score suggests the idea or packaging of that video strongly resonated.
You can find outliers not just in your direct niche, but in other niches too. Look for successful video formats, hooks, or topic angles in unrelated content and think about how you could adapt that core concept to your niche. This is called Idea Transfer. For example, if a "day in the life" vlog format is popular in the productivity niche, could you adapt it for a gaming channel ("A Day in the Life of a Pro Gamer") or a cooking channel ("A Day in the Life of a Pastry Chef")?
Tools like Subscribr can significantly streamline this process. Subscribr's Intel features allow you to analyze channels and identify outlier videos based on their performance metrics, helping you quickly pinpoint which ideas and packaging styles are resonating most strongly with audiences, even outside your direct competitive set. You can then use Subscribr's Research Assistant to dig deeper into these successful examples.
Method 4: Leveraging Existing Resources
You might already have a treasure trove of video ideas waiting to be repurposed.
Turn Existing Content into Videos
Do you have a blog? Have you written long, detailed social media posts? Do you have notes from a course or project? These pieces of content can be excellent starting points for videos. You've already done the research and structuring; now, you can bring that information to life in a more engaging, visual format for YouTube.
Stay Aware of Trends and Headlines
Keep an eye on current events and trending topics, both generally and specifically within your niche. Google Trends, news headlines, and trending sections on social media platforms can alert you to timely topics. Creating content around a trending subject can give your video a visibility boost, but ensure the topic is genuinely relevant to your channel and audience. (Remember, we're in 2025 – keep your trend analysis current!).
Putting It All Together: Your Repeatable Ideation System
Finding ideas shouldn't be a chaotic, last-minute scramble. Build a repeatable system into your content creation workflow:
- Schedule Dedicated Ideation Time: Block out time in your calendar each week specifically for finding ideas. Treat it like an important meeting.
- Use a Central Hub: Keep all your potential ideas in one place – a document, a spreadsheet, or a dedicated tool like Subscribr. When inspiration strikes or you find a promising topic, add it immediately.
- Implement the Methods Systematically:
- Spend time browsing YouTube search suggestions and analyzing popular videos in your niche.
- Regularly review your comments and social media for audience questions.
- Actively look for outliers and potential idea transfers in other niches.
- Review your existing content for repurposing opportunities.
- Scan headlines and trends relevant to your audience.
- Brainstorm and Expand: Don't just list titles. For each promising idea, jot down a few bullet points about the potential content, the target audience, and the core message.
- Validate Your Top Ideas: Before investing hours into creating a video, do a quick validation check. Use YouTube search again – are people looking for this topic? Are there successful videos on this topic already (indicating demand), but is there still room for your unique take? You can use Subscribr's Niche & Video Ideation features to analyze the competitive landscape and validate demand for specific topics.
Answering Your Questions
Based on these methods, let's address some common questions:
How do YouTubers come up with ideas? Successful YouTubers use a combination of analyzing audience demand (through search, comments, and social media), studying successful content (especially outliers), leveraging their own expertise and existing content, and staying aware of relevant trends. It's a proactive, ongoing process, not a one-time event.
What video topics get the most views on YouTube? The topics with the "most views" are highly dependent on the niche and current trends. However, generally, videos that perform well tend to:
- Solve a specific problem or answer a common question (tutorials, how-tos).
- Provide entertainment (comedy, vlogs, gaming).
- Cover trending or timely subjects.
- Tap into strong emotions or curiosity.
- Offer unique insights or perspectives.
Looking at successful drawing tutorials with millions of views, the topics are often specific and actionable – "How to draw X," "Drawing Y step-by-step." In gaming, popular topics often revolve around specific games, challenges, or funny moments. The key is finding what's popular within your specific niche and for your specific audience.
How do I find trending video ideas? Finding trending ideas involves monitoring platforms beyond just YouTube. Look at Google Trends, Twitter trending topics, TikTok popular sounds/hashtags, and relevant news sources. Within YouTube, pay attention to the "Explore" tab (though be aware this is broad) and what successful channels in your niche are posting right now. However, be cautious with trends – jump on them quickly if they fit your channel, but also build a library of evergreen content that will attract views over time.
Tools & Resources
While the core ideation methods are free and accessible to anyone, leveraging powerful tools can significantly enhance your process. Subscribr is designed specifically for YouTube creators and offers features that directly support finding and validating video ideas:
- Research Assistant: Import content from the web or YouTube transcripts to gather information and inspiration.
- Intel Features: Analyze your own channel and competitors to identify high-performing videos and understand audience preferences.
- Niche & Video Ideation: Get help exploring potential topics and validating their potential based on real YouTube data.
- AI Chat: Brainstorm ideas conversationally with an AI that understands your channel's context.
Using a platform like Subscribr can help you move from scattered brainstorming to a structured, data-informed ideation process.
Conclusion
Running out of YouTube video ideas is a common hurdle, but it doesn't have to stop your growth. By implementing a simple, repeatable system that combines analyzing YouTube data, listening to your audience, studying successful content, and leveraging available resources (including powerful tools like Subscribr), you can ensure a consistent flow of engaging, high-potential video topics.
Mastering content ideation solves a critical pain point for creators and is a fundamental skill for building a successful channel. This process can even serve as the basis for valuable lead magnets, like an "Idea Generation Worksheet," or be integrated into introductory modules of a YouTube growth course, providing tangible value to other aspiring creators.
Stop dreading the blank screen and start implementing your new ideation system today. Your next viral idea is out there waiting for you to discover it!
