There was a time when short videos were the norm on YouTube. Unless you were prowling around the platform back in the 2000s, you might not know that YouTube videos were once limited to 10 minutes. That’s because back then, most videos people would share on the internet were typically short, from “Double Rainbow” at three and a half minutes, to “Numa Numa” at just over a minute and a half.
Today, YouTube is a very different platform. But while hour-long video essays and multiple-hour live streams are common, YouTube Shorts have dominated the platform.
Shorts are YouTube’s answer to TikTok videos and Instagram Reels. They’re short-form videos, 60 seconds or less, and you can add music, write captions, and make other edits right from the YouTube app. These vertical videos are usually consumed on mobile devices, they have their own feed, rake in 50 billion daily views, and can make the rest of your channel grow massively.
So let’s dive into a few ideas you can use to do that.
30 YouTube Shorts ideas to help you go viral
No matter your content niche, you can create YouTube Shorts to reach a wide audience.
Some of the ideas you’ll find below are better suited to some niches than others, while others are more universal. And if you’re selling digital products — or offering some kind of service — you’ll find ways to use Shorts to promote them, too.
Grab clips from longer content for bite-sized Shorts. |
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Turn the best moments of your livestreams into Shorts and link back to your channel. |
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If you’re selling exclusive videos, Shorts can make great teasers. |
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Give your audience a peek at how you do things. |
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Whatever your niche is, grab the latest big product and unbox it all! |
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If you sell products, show your viewers what they can expect. |
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Sort of like a “get ready with me” for business owners. |
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Go from drab to fab in a flash and wow your audience! |
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Share your expertise step by step in 60 seconds or less. |
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Make bank by creating short organic content for brands. |
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Whether it’s a team of creators or a business, Shorts are great for bite-sized introductions. |
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Answer your audience’s burning questions a minute at a time. |
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Make a quick Short to potentially get in on a viral craze. |
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Tying multiple Shorts together is a great way to keep people scrolling through your feed. |
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Improve and amaze your audience with a quick hack that’ll change their life. |
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Share a quick snapshot of what you’re up to. |
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Even if comedy isn’t usually your strong suit, a quick skit can get your channel some serious attention. |
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You don’t need a lot of time to motivate somebody to hit their goals. |
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What’s your channel about? Why did you become a creator? How do you answer these questions in 60 seconds or less? |
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Share the destination, your frustrations with a flight delay, or any other piece of your adventures. |
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What are some common misconceptions about your niche you could debunk? |
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Quick facts and figures can have a lasting impact on your audience. |
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If you sell anything, getting testimonials is a great way to get more buyers. |
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Share what goes into a day as a creator. |
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Make your audience envious with your cozy spot or killer lighting setup. |
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Whether you’re making a new product available or updating your existing roster, Shorts are great for these updates. |
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Right around the holidays, there’ll be tons of folks wondering what to get someone who’s really into your niche. |
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Take whatever you’re an expert in and turn it into micro lessons. |
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You’ve got opinions? Share them with the world! |
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Take that killer idea for a long video and test it out with a Short first. |
1. Reuse existing content
If you’ve had a YouTube channel for a while, you’ve likely got a decent backlog of content, some of which probably doesn’t perform too well. The good news? You can always give that content another shot by repurposing it into Shorts.
Pick a video and watch it a few times to get the essential points, then edit it into a YouTube Short. You can then add a link back to the original video for viewers who want to see the full video.
2. Share clips from your livestreams
This is a popular YouTube Shorts idea across all niches. If you do live streams, you’ve got plenty of content to create Shorts from.
For example, many podcast creators would share interview clips with high-profile guests. Meanwhile, gaming streamers tend to share their live stream highlights via Shorts.
3. Create previews for gated, members-only videos
If you’re offering exclusive content through YouTube channel memberships — or on Patreon — then Shorts are a great way to promote it.
Film a short teaser that will tell your audience what your exclusive content is about, what they’ll get out of it, and how they can get access to it. Make it engaging, and it has a good chance of going viral!
4. Share behind-the-scenes clips
Whatever niche you’re in, you can give your audience — and people who are just scrolling through their Shorts feed — a behind-the-scenes look at your life as a creator.
Give them a peek at your content creation setup, a glimpse at your editing work, or any other part of your creative process you think will interest them.
5. Create unboxing videos
Unboxing videos are some of the most popular content on YouTube, and they’re perfectly suited to Shorts.
Start with a quick shot of the product you’ll be unboxing, then dive right in! With snappy editing, you can easily unbox any product in a minute or less.
6. Show off your products
Do you sell merch? Or maybe you have an online storefront full of digital products? You can create a quick promotional video for your store with YouTube Shorts, walking the audience through your best offerings and what makes them different from the competition.
One caveat: Make sure not to make your channel only full of this sort of promotional content. You need to engage people with content that’ll interest them, not just content that pitches to them.
7. Show yourself packing orders
Here’s another idea for creators who sell their own products: If you’re selling something physical, whether it’s merch, books, or makeup products, why not film yourself packing orders?
This idea works double-duty: you can show off your products all while assuring your audience that they’ll be shipped safely. Combine this with another idea on this list — like a Q&A or a before-and-after video — to make the content all the more engaging.
8. Show a before and after
This idea is applicable to just about any niche. All you need is a strong contrast between your before and after shots — whatever they are — and some snappy editing.
For instance, show a before and after of your latest makeup tutorial, your upgraded gaming setup, a home renovation, or whatever fits your channel.
9. Share a how-to video
If you’re a creator educator, then how-to videos are a natural fit for you. Brainstorm a few things you can teach your audience in about a minute, and you’ll have a batch of ideas for Shorts. Break things down into a few easy steps, record yourself going through them, and you’ll have a great Short in no time.
10. Create UGC (user-generated content)
Today, many brands pay UGC creators to create organic-looking content that promotes their products or services. UGC is different from pure sponsored posts, in that it’s not really supposed to come across as ads. If you run a business and you’re looking to reach a wide audience, getting some UGC created for your YouTube Shorts could be a great way to do so.
11. Introduce your team
Whether it’s your editor, your PR team, or your first and best supporter (hi mom!), introducing your team to your audience can be the basis of a fun, dynamic Short. Ask them a few questions about themselves — maybe even submitted by your audience — and make them the star of the show even if it’s just for a minute.
12. Hold micro Q&As
If you already have a decent-sized audience, you’re likely getting questions from your followers often. While you’ll probably only get to one or a few questions in each Short, some especially spicy questions have the potential of going viral all on their own!
13. Participate in a trend
While you’ll want to ensure most of your content appeals to your core audience, there’s nothing wrong with going after a trend every once in a while. YouTube Shorts can be made faster than long-form content, so you won’t lose much even if you don’t go viral, and you can always try again on the next one.
14. Try creating a multi-part series
Short-form specialists often upload YouTube Shorts in a series. That way, you can cover more complex topics in Shorts, even if you go over the one-minute limit. You also have a better chance of turning a casual viewer into a subscriber if you pull them in through multiple pieces of content.
15. Show off your best life hack
From how to get the last bit of ketchup out of the bottle to getting Sharpie off of your kitchen counter, TikTok is filled with life hack videos. So why not bring them to YouTube Shorts?
If you can find life hacks that fit squarely within your niche, you could potentially hit the viral payload when people start sharing them.
16. Share mini vlogs
While YouTubers tend to think of vlogs as hours-long odysseys, other creators have mastered the art of compressing a day in their life into quick snippets perfect for YouTube Shorts. So try it out yourself! Film a day in your life. Use some clever editing to carve out the most interesting bits, and stitch them together into a Short.
17. Show your humorous side
Ever wanted to try your hand at comedy? Funny videos are some of the most popular Shorts, so you could absolutely go viral with the right punchline.
Try keeping your skit close to your niche, otherwise you might create such a disconnect for new viewers that they won’t subscribe to your channel.
18. Motivate your audience
Motivational videos are huge on YouTube, and you can easily get a motivational message across in 60 seconds or less. For this to work, try and pull your inspiration from a true story. If you stick to the same kind of message everyone else is already saying, your Short probably won’t get much traction.
19. Capture your story in 60 seconds or less
Does your content or business have an interesting story? Filming a quick Short that introduces new subscribers to your channel is a great entry point for the rest of your content. And if the story is particularly inspiring, it could go viral, too!
20. Share clips of your travels (or your time off)
Unless you want to deal with creator burnout, you’d better be taking time off! While you shouldn’t be thinking about content while you’re traveling, you can capture a few snapshots or clips of the highlights and quickly upload them as Shorts to stay in the back of your audience’s mind.
21. Debunk common misconceptions
In some niches like science and law, many myths and misconceptions make you want to pull your hair out. You can turn this into an opportunity by creating a content series that addresses these myths — confirming or busting them — and publishing them through Shorts.
22. Share facts and trends about your niche
One step removed from debunking myths is proactively sharing facts about your niche. One of the most valuable kinds of content on YouTube comes from experts explaining essential parts of their field to the layman. If you’re an expert in something, this is a great approach for going viral with Shorts.
23. Share customer reviews and testimonials
If you sell a product or service, reviews and testimonials are essential for creating new business and keeping the customers you already have. Capture these in a shareable way — like reading written reviews or sharing clips directly from customers — and upload them as Shorts.
24. Record a day in your life
Vlogs are one thing, but a-day-in-the-life videos are a genre of their own. Instead of vlogging around a specific theme or a special day, take your audience through a regular day in your life. It makes for great short-form content.
25. Give a tour of your office or creator setup
Depending on the kind of content you make, this could be as simple as getting a few shots of your desk and describing the equipment there, or as complex as going through a custom workshop or studio. You don’t have to go into the specs of everything you’re showing off, but mentioning the makers and models will be appreciated by your audience.
26. Share product and sales updates
If you’ve got a business that’s operating smoothly, your audience will probably benefit from regular updates about your new products and sales. Even if they might not be the most likely Shorts to go viral, updates about popular products can still find an audience and gain traction organically.
27. Share gift ideas
This one makes more sense around gift-giving seasons like the holidays, but you’re likely to attract viewers looking for birthday gifts too. Let’s say you are a beauty creator, you can be your community’s go-to resource for makeup and skincare gift ideas by sharing them via Shorts.
28. Teach bite-sized lessons
If you’re a creator educator, you’ve likely got a channel full of guides, walkthroughs, and that sort of thing. But what’s an example of something super valuable you could teach your audience in 60 seconds or less? Stack enough of these micro lessons and you can reach just about any audience.
29. Comment on someone’s content
There is so much content already flying around out there, and you’re sure to have something to say about some of it. A Short lets you fire off a quick thought or response, or even just film a quick reaction video. And if it performs well, you can always make a longer video out of it.
30. Test more creative ideas
There are only so many hours in a day. If you turned every idea you had into a longer YouTube video, you wouldn’t have time for much else. With a Short, you can test the waters before committing to longer videos.
Think you have the best YouTube Shorts ideas for going viral?
YouTube Shorts are shaping up to be one of the best vehicles for channel growth, and the content you post to that feed has a great chance of getting you a ton of views. Remember to create content that properly bridges the gap between your core target audience and potential new subscribers, continually experiment with new ideas, and repeat any experiments that work. Create consistently, and before long, you’ll rack up those views — and maybe even go viral!
Ready to earn big with YouTube? Check out The Leap’s free YouTube Shorts Monetization Guide and start raking it in.
FAQ
What are the best YouTube Shorts ideas?
That all depends on your niche, the size of your channel, and the kind of audience you’re creating for. There’s no secret hack to creating YouTube Shorts, though there are a few things any creator can try.
Here are some best practices to guide you:
- Post content that can appeal to both your existing audience and new viewers. If you want to go viral, you need to target users who are endlessly scrolling through their Shorts feed, and capture their attention immediately. But you don’t want to fill up your audience’s feed with irrelevant content, either.
- Post content related to your niche. Even if it’s tempting to jump on every trend you can, you’re not going to build a steady following if your Shorts are completely unrelated to what you’re spending most of your time posting on your channel.
- Check the competition, but don’t copy them. Watch YouTube Shorts from creators in your niche, find out what works, and think about how you can put your own spin on it. For example, tech YouTubers do a lot of unboxings, fashion creators share try-on hauls, and fitness influencers share bite-sized workouts.
Why make YouTube Shorts?
There are a few reasons why YouTubers might want to create YouTube Shorts:
- They’re less work: While crafting the right Short can still take serious time and effort, making a Short is a lot faster than a longer video. That makes them great for experimenting with new styles and trying to reach a new audience.
- They’re more discoverable: The Shorts feed has the same sort of endless scroll as TikTok, meaning an average viewer can see a ton of them in a single session. The YouTube algorithm tends to show Shorts to non-subscribers more often than full-length videos, so you have a better chance of reaching them.
- They can promote other content: Since you can link to other videos with a Short, sharing clips of long-form videos t as a Short is a great way to promote the rest of your channel.
How can I make my YouTube Shorts popular?
While there’s not a lot of data from YouTube about what makes Shorts popular, others like YouTube growth expert Paddy Galloway have shared their own. Based on what we know, here are a few things to keep in mind:
- Posting Shorts when your audience is more likely to be on YouTube will give them the best chance to perform well.
- YouTube Shorts between 50-60 seconds seem to get the most views.
- The first few seconds of your Shorts need to hook the viewer for the Short to perform well.
- Shorts that loop perfectly increase your overall watch time.
The best way to make your YouTube Shorts popular is to get really good at making them. That’s something that’ll come from creating them consistently.
Can you monetize YouTube Shorts?
Absolutely! While you can’t really slip in a mid-video ad like you would with long-form YouTube videos, all the views you bring in through Shorts will help you qualify for the YouTube Partner Program. As long as you’re part of the YPP, you’ll get a share of the ad revenue your Shorts generate. That’s really the only way you can directly monetize Shorts.
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Further reading
- How To Make YouTube Shorts (+19 Tips To Go Viral)
- What Is the Best Time to Post on YouTube Shorts?
- YouTube Shorts SEO: 6 Effective Ways To Boost Your Reach
- How Does the YouTube Shorts Algorithm Work?
- YouTube Shorts Monetization: How Does Revenue Sharing Work?
- 9 Tips for Getting Your First 1,000 YouTube Subscribers
- How To Create a YouTube Content Calendar (+ Free Template)
