How to find YouTube video ideas that get views
Three reliable sources for ideas, and a simple test to check an idea before you spend hours producing it.
- Steal formats, not videos: outliers show you what an audience wants right now.
- Turn search questions into titles.
- Test every idea: would you click it, and can you explain the payoff in one sentence?
Source 1: Outliers in your niche
Look for videos that did far better than the channel's average, especially on small channels. Ask: what is the promise of the title, what emotion does the thumbnail trigger, and who is it for? Then make your own version with a new angle: a different audience, a different example, a deeper answer. Never re-upload or copy someone else's video.
Source 2: What people search
Type your topic into YouTube search and note the suggestions. Read the comments under popular videos: questions that come up again and again are video ideas that viewers are literally asking for.
Source 3: Your own data
Once you have 10+ videos, your analytics tell you which topics and title styles work for your audience. Double down on the top 20%.
The 3-question idea test
- Would I click this title if I saw it on my home page?
- Can I say the payoff in one sentence? (what the viewer knows or feels after watching)
- Is there proof the audience wants it? (outliers, search suggestions, comments)
Three yes answers: produce it. Two: rework the angle. One or none: drop it.
Checklist
- Collect 20 outlier videos in your niche
- Write down promise, emotion and audience for each
- Turn 10 of them into your own titles with a new angle
- Run every title through the 3-question test
Want help applying this to your channel?
Fake Club members get unlimited AI images and voiceovers, the Niche Finder, channel reviews and private 1-on-1 calls.
Join Fake Club