Looking for a place to discover new knowledge, enjoy some entertainment, and access infinite lo-fi music streams? YouTube is the answer.
If you haven’t given much consideration to your YouTube marketing approach, this is your cue to begin. According to The 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report, over three-quarters (78%) of all social media users have a profile on YouTube. YouTube remains the premier platform for long-form video content (and has held this title since its inception in 2005).
So, what were the popular topics on YouTube in 2024? And how might the platform change in 2025? In this article, we’ll explore 13 existing and emerging YouTube trends that are essential for energizing your video strategy.
Existing and Emerging YouTube Trends
YouTube is a treasure for any digital marketer. However, like any platform, social media trends on YouTube are ever-changing.
The challenge is keeping up with the YouTube content that is gaining traction, what’s currently popular, and which trends are fading away.
Use this compilation of 13 relevant YouTube trends to spark inspiration for your content.
Short-form Video
The prevalence of vertical short-form video content on social media shows no signs of diminishing. According to The 2024 Content Benchmarks Report, 81% of consumers express a desire to see more short-form brand videos.
If you don’t spend hours watching TikTok or Instagram Reels, you probably know someone who does. YouTube’s version of the format, YouTube Shorts, is gaining popularity by the day. The platform now sees an average of 70 billion views daily (an increase from 30 million in 2021).
This mobile-first feature enables brands to connect with new audiences, try out various content styles, and grow their following. YouTube continuously rolls out new tools and features. A notable example is the extension of the duration limit for Shorts from 60 seconds to three minutes, offering marketers greater creative flexibility.
Pro Tip: Adapt your TikTok or Instagram Reel content for YouTube Shorts. This is particularly beneficial if aiming to reach a global audience—40% of YouTube Shorts users are not on TikTok or Reels. Just be sure to remove any platform logos first.
We admire how the beverage company Liquid Death utilizes YouTube Shorts to produce high-energy, entertaining content that aligns with their edgy brand. They employ a captivating visual hook, rapid edits, and a unique subject to maintain viewer interest. In the video, YouTuber and vlogger Airrack pilots Liquid Death’s fighter jet while engaging in a game of “Try not to blackout.” The remainder of the video shows Airrack and friends attempting to endure the G-force, resulting in comedic moments.
Live Videos
Live video is not a new concept, but it also hasn’t lost its relevance. A Statista survey discovered that 25% of U.S. adults watch live streaming video multiple times per day. That’s a substantial opportunity to leave an impact.
YouTube is testing some intriguing new livestream tools. Watch With is a new feature allowing creators to offer live commentary, analysis, and instantaneous reactions to games and events.
The Multiview utility enables viewers to watch up to four live shows concurrently without switching channels. The Coachella Music Festival utilized this feature to deliver a “first of its kind” viewing experience. Attendees could view performances from four of Coachella’s six stages simultaneously while selecting audio from one stage at a time.
Social Commerce
Social commerce capabilities have been a priority for many leading platforms recently. Experts anticipate that by year’s end, there will be 110.4 million social media shoppers in the U.S., nearly half of all social media users.
YouTube is no exception, offering a comprehensive range of shopping features, such as tagging and showcasing products in videos and live streams. New features include Shopping Collections, enabling creators to gather products based on themes or topics. The Affiliate Hub is another feature that connects creators with brands for affiliate marketing opportunities.
Activewear brand Popflex’s YouTube Shorts exemplify social commerce. In this video, founder Cassie Ho humorously and informatively shares the behind-the-scenes journey of developing a new product—a pair of low-rise running shorts. She showcases the design process, highlights key benefits and features, and gives a styling tip. Although the product is tagged in the video, it doesn’t come off as overly promotional, thanks to the value Cassie provides.
Creator-led Content
The creator economy is more than just a buzzword. Consumers regard creator-led content as more trustworthy than brand-created content. Creators personify brands and deliver an authentic voice.
Effective creators understand and bond with their audiences, which in turn fosters viewer trust. According to The 2024 Influencer Marketing Report, nearly half (49%) of consumers make purchases on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis influenced by influencer posts.
Fashion brand REVOLVE paired popular influencers Vinnie Hacker and stylist Jason Bolden for a video in which Jason shares fashion tips with Vinnie. The clothing is seamlessly integrated into their personalities during the conversation.
Brand Storytelling
People are drawn to stories. Brands that excel in storytelling forge connections with their audiences based on shared values and experiences, while also conveying authenticity.
A powerful approach to ensure your brand storytelling resonates is to leverage voice-of-customer insights. Utilize social listening tools to monitor swiftly changing consumer expectations and preferences, enabling your brand to distinguish itself in its market.
The outdoor apparel brand The North Face elevates brand storytelling by sharing short documentaries featuring athletes engaged in snowboarding, climbing, and various outdoor activities. YouTube’s long-form horizontal video format is ideal for showcasing the cinematic quality of these narratives.
Gaming and Community Content
Live streaming video games serves as an interactive and enjoyable way to establish community and loyalty while promoting your brand and products subtly.
Even if your brand isn’t directly related to gaming, there are valuable lessons to be learned from this popular content type. For inspiration, look to creators like Kelsey Impicciche, who has nurtured a community of nearly a million YouTube subscribers who watch her play The Sims 4 and other games.
She captivates her viewers with unique challenges and series, such as her “100 Baby Challenge.” Kelsey also operates a secondary channel for unedited live streams, offering an excellent way to repurpose content with minimal effort. Additionally, she uses Shorts to present bite-sized content, including clips from her gaming videos or amusing life updates, and Posts for important announcements like merchandise launches or changes to her upload schedule.
Relaxing or Comforting Content
Many individuals are turning to comfort content in order to unwind and distract themselves.
This trend also applies to YouTube. Users flock to the platform for videos that promote relaxation or a sense of comfort. A 2024 survey revealed that 39% of Gen Z participants find YouTube to be more relaxing than traditional television, streaming services, or films.
Whether it’s a day-in-the-life vlog while making breakfast or having an ambient Lofi Girl video playing in the background during work-from-home sessions, this popular YouTube content aids in easing daily stress.
Some YouTube creators specialize in this content style. Kennedy (aka Cozy K) embraces the title of comfort creator, frequently sharing vlogs or body-doubling videos of her reading or tidying up.
YouTube for Television
Differentiating itself from YouTube TV, the subscription-based service that provides live TV viewing across 85 channels on desktops, mobile devices, and smart TVs, the YouTube TV app allows users to enjoy YouTube content on their TVs.
Viewers watch approximately a billion hours of YouTube content daily on television. Furthermore, the watch time for sports content on TV has increased by over 30% year-on-year, making YouTube a comprehensive source for clips, highlights, and post-game discussions.
To optimize this viewing format, take time to understand your TV audience. Analyze how your content performs by reviewing metrics like TV watch time, views, average watch duration, and new subscribers originating from TV.
Additionally, enhance the “TV-like” aspect of your content by increasing production quality and focusing on episodic storytelling. For instance, furniture retailer Wayfair developed “Iconic Objects”, a series examining the fascinating histories behind popular home design items.
In the episode below, host Becky Lynn, a YouTuber and interior designer, delves into the story of the Crock Pot and how the series “This Is Us” nearly tarnished its image.
Cross-platform Storytelling and Multiformat Content
The content you develop for longer horizontal and shorter vertical YouTube videos doesn’t need to be mutually exclusive. Short-form, vertical video is currently trending, but that doesn’t indicate that horizontal video is obsolete. A remarkable 96% of U.S. Gen Z respondents assert they watch both short-form and long-form videos on YouTube.
Moreover, short-form video isn’t just for mobile viewers anymore. Last year, the views of YouTube Shorts on connected televisions in the U.S. increased by over 75%.
Simply put, to maximize your audience, you should narrate stories across various formats. If you have a longer YouTube video you wish to promote, create distinct, bite-sized YouTube Shorts to drive traffic to it.
Emphasize the specific attributes of each content style. Use Shorts to take advantage of viral trends or share quick tips. Produce longer videos for topics that require more in-depth exploration.
Fitness creator Taliyah Joelle exemplifies this multi-format style. Her longer videos generally focus on vlogs or educational guides, while her Shorts offer brief, digestible #GRWMs (Get Ready With Me) and workout snippets. She converts clips from her longer videos into Shorts to enhance her long-form content.
The Latest Meme Content
Trending sounds and videos from short-form video platforms have birthed a novel style of meme creation.
As these platforms have matured, so has their meme content. While lip-syncing to popular sounds remains common, the most popular trends of 2024 leaned towards more conceptual ideas.
For instance, the “suspect running challenge” and the “we listen, and we don’t judge” trend provided users with a humorous framework for roasting a loved one or delivering harmless confessions.
However, the “Gen Z marketing script” trend was engaging and straightforward enough for unexpected brands to engage with it. For example, the National Oceanography Centre cleverly participated in this trend to humorously showcase the centre’s key features.
Pro Tip: While some YouTube trends are timeless, others are fleeting. In addition to engaging with trending memes and audio, keep an eye on YouTube’s trending content and consider adapting those themes into narratives that align with your brand.
Explaination and Video Essays
Even in a social media landscape where short, digestible content is king, many viewers turn to YouTube for entertaining and informative insights. The 2024 Social Media Content Strategy Report indicates that 66% of social users find edutainment to be the most engaging brand content, surpassing skits, memes, or episodic formats.
Notably, younger viewers enjoy deep-dive videos that provide detailed insights or comprehensive explanations about specific topics. According to Google research, nearly three-quarters (74%) of Gen Z respondents stated that they often watch content that elaborates on a subject more than they watch the original material (for example, a movie trailer or a significant cultural event).
GRMNT, a company offering custom clothing and fashion design courses, leverages YouTube to share masterclass videos and explainers that investigate the rise (and sometimes fall) of prominent fashion houses such as Burberry or Yeezy.
Reaction and Commentary Videos
Reaction and commentary videos have blossomed into a distinct content genre, encompassing various subcategories ranging from reality TV recaps to initial album listens.
Their popularity is evident. A Google survey revealed that 64% of viewers believe that watching events such as the Oscars or the Grammys feels incomplete without accompanying reactions, commentary, and associated content. Additionally, 60% stated they prefer watching creators analyze a major event rather than the event itself.
Netflix has produced a reaction series featuring drag queens Trixie and Katya titled “I Like to Watch.” In this series, they provide their unfiltered takes on popular Netflix films and shows. The series is successful because Netflix grants Trixie and Katya the freedom to be authentic. They share genuine opinions—even when those opinions are critical.
This authenticity helps Netflix build strong rapport with its audience, establishing the brand as fun and self-aware, without taking itself too seriously.
Video Podcasts
Once an audio-only medium, podcasts are increasingly being watched and listened to on YouTube. In 2024, users watched over 400 million hours of podcasts monthly—just on televisions. YouTube serves as a platform for discovery. According to a Cumulus Report, 84% of Gen Z podcast listeners in the U.S. have discovered a podcast on YouTube.
When users create a podcast on YouTube, they gain access to numerous features for promoting their show, such as inclusion in the YouTube Music app and eligibility for featuring on YouTube’s dedicated podcast page.
Google’s data analysis has shown that podcasts with video—especially those showcasing hosts—tend to perform better than those with just static visuals. Short clips from the podcast can also be repurposed as YouTube Shorts to expand reach.
“Why Won’t You Date Me” is a long-standing podcast hosted by comedian Nicole Byer. Uploading video episodes to YouTube adds a fresh dimension to the show’s storytelling and humor.
In the episode below, the set features Sonic the Hedgehog memorabilia to honor the guest, actor Ben Schwartz, who voices Sonic in the films. Nicole even dresses in a Sonic costume, making the visual experience equally entertaining as the conversation.
Enhancing Your Content Through YouTube Search Trends
Feeling like creating impactful YouTube content is a guessing game? It doesn’t have to be. YouTube search trends reveal what viewers are actively interested in. Brands and marketers can utilize this data to create videos that their audience will appreciate, even before they express this desire.
For instance, if you’re a social marketer for a food brand and notice “meal prep ideas” are trending, you could share a meal prep recipe video showcasing your product.
YouTube also stands as the world’s second-largest search engine, powered by Google. Optimizing your content for YouTube search increases its discoverability on the platform and beyond, enhancing your reach and refining content planning.
Here are some effective ways to harness YouTube search trends.
Sprout’s YouTube Listening
With Sprout’s YouTube Listening tool, brands can pinpoint exactly what their audience cares about most. Use it to uncover trending topics and hashtags, gain insights into audience demographics and preferences, and identify pertinent thought leaders and influencers.
YouTube’s Trending Page
YouTube’s Trending page showcases what’s capturing attention at the moment—ranging from viral moments to blockbuster movie trailers. Updated every 15 minutes, this page provides a real-time glimpse into what’s popular among users in your area. While the trends may not directly correlate with your audience, this page serves as an excellent source of inspiration and a method to stay current with internet culture. Utilize it to pinpoint the latest viral challenges or breaking news for reaction content.
Google Trends
Google Trends provides real-time insights into what people are searching for. Use it to quickly identify popular terms, measure interest in specific topics, narrow down searches by region or city, and explore trends across Google platforms such as YouTube Search. It also allows users to create alerts to receive automated email updates on trending topics in their locality.
Optimizing Your Channel
After gathering the necessary search data from the tools mentioned, here are some straightforward methods to improve your content’s discoverability. Start by including keywords in your video titles, descriptions, and tags. In your descriptions, add timestamps and links to related videos or channels for quick navigation. Lastly, organizing your videos into playlists or seasons enhances binge-worthiness and aids the YouTube algorithm in understanding your channel’s content, boosting reach to the right audience.
Responding to (and Anticipating) YouTube Trending Content
If you’re committed to making YouTube a vital component of your brand’s social media strategy, you must remain informed about trending YouTube formats and content. You’ll want to ensure that your strategy refreshes based on current YouTube trends rather than outdated references.
Nevertheless, certain YouTube trending content can be timeless and seamlessly integrate into your strategy. This list serves as an excellent starting point.
Utilize these trends to enhance your approach. When you’re ready to elevate your content on the platform, check out these YouTube marketing tools for streamlining scheduling, measurement, and management of your YouTube content and community.
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