29 YouTube video ideas to spark inspiration for your channel

YouTube isn’t just a video platform; it’s an engine for building your brand, connecting with your community and boosting your bottom line. But for a lot of creators and marketers, the biggest challenge of YouTube marketing isn’t creating the content. It’s deciding what to make in the first place.

If you’re looking for a jolt of inspiration, you’re in the right place. We’ve curated a list of 29 YouTube video ideas designed to help you create a steady stream of content that your audience will love.

How to come up with good YouTube video ideas

Did you know that good YouTube ideas aren’t random at all? The best ideas sit where these three things overlap:

• What your audience already watches
• What the YouTube algorithm pushes
• What your brand can say better than anyone else

That sounds complex. But all you need to do is get organized and look in the right places to come up with dozens of video ideas relevant for your brand.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Dig into your YouTube analytics: Look at watch time, retention and click-through rates to see what’s actually holding attention. Notice the patterns (e.g. hooks, topics or formats) that consistently work, then keep building on them.
• Bring in customer intel: Your audience is already telling you what they want, even if not directly. Check support tickets, sales call notes and social comments. Turn questions into tutorials, objections into comparisons and success stories into case studies.
• Analyze the competition: Pick a few competitor channels and study what’s working for them (and find gaps). If a video gets more views than average, it’s a sign the topic has legs. You can bring your own perspective and examples to make it even stronger.
• Understand YouTube’s content formats: Shorts are great for quick discovery, long-form videos for depth and Lives for interaction. Use each format intentionally and create paths that guide viewers from a quick watch into your deeper content.
• Build an idea matrix: Think of it as your content generator. Combine a format (demo, tutorial, reaction) with a buyer stage (awareness, consideration, decision) and a key topic in your niche. You’ll have a list of ideas that are relevant and on-brand.

What about non-brands? For creators, the play is the same with faster loops. Use weekly polls, ship quick tests and let comments guide your next upload.

29 YouTube video ideas for brands

Fresh content is the fuel that keeps a channel growing. The more you stay on-brand while still providing variety, the easier it is to hold attention and stand out.

This lineup mixes proven formats with creative angles so you’re never stuck staring at a blank content calendar again.

20 good YouTube video ideas for brands

1. Go behind the scenes

Behind-the-scenes (BTS) content is a cornerstone of an authenticity-first strategy.

It gives your audience an exclusive look at the work that goes into your brand, which helps build trust, intrigue and a deeper connection.

This approach isn’t just for showing the production of an ad; it can follow a product from its initial design sketch to final shipment. Or for a software company, it could feature a team brainstorming a new feature.

Lay’s went even further by making a BTS video about the production of its recent Lay’s Unlimited Choices commercial with comedian Keegan-Michael Key:

This video style doesn’t just show the product—it showcases the passion and effort behind it, which is an impactful way to engage your audience and build brand loyalty.

2. Show your product in action

Instead of just telling people what your product does, show them. Walk viewers through key features, demonstrate benefits and give real-world use cases.

This approach is particularly effective for B2C brands with tangible products. Instead of a standard product shot, a video that shows your product being used by a real person in a relatable setting makes the benefits tangible.

Here’s Crayola nailing it with their Outdoor Super Chalk video:

The more visual and hands-on you can be, the better. Demos are especially striking for complex products because they break down barriers to purchase.

3. Create a tutorial or “how to” video

Tutorials are a staple for a reason: they provide immediate value. These videos are an excellent way to not only drive views but also establish your brand as a trusted resource.

Educational videos do position your brand as the expert. But they don’t have to be dry either. Make them engaging with storytelling, examples and visuals.

If you’re a home improvement store, teach how to install a light fixture. If you’re a SaaS brand, walk through a workflow your software makes easier.

Dyson creates short, cinematic tutorials for some of its hair styling products, like the Superonic r™:

4. Share customer stories

These videos are essentially video testimonials on steroids.

They’re not just a quick quote; they’re a full-fledged narrative that builds empathy. A great customer story will focus on the customer’s journey, from the pain point they were experiencing before your product to the positive outcome they achieved after.

Check out this customer story video from Salesforce:

This human-centered approach makes your brand more relatable and proves that your product isn’t just a tool—it’s a solution that has a real impact on people’s lives or businesses.

5. Talk about industry trends

For social media marketers, being on top of social trends is essential. Creating content around this can position your brand as a thought leader and a valuable resource.

Don’t just report on the trend; add your unique perspective. For instance, a social media management platform could analyze the latest TikTok algorithm change and offer strategic advice on how marketers can adapt their content for success.

This kind of video content shows you’re not just selling a product, you’re invested in your audience’s success.

6. Recap your events

Event recaps are great for extending the life of your marketing efforts and reaching a wider audience than those who attended. They serve as impactful social proof of your brand’s relevance and influence.

By highlighting key speakers and takeaways, you’re not only showcasing the event but also providing snackable, educational content that can be shared across multiple platforms.

Consider also capturing soundbites from attendees about what they learned, as this adds an extra layer of authenticity and social proof.

Here’s one from Cisco’s Amsterdam event:

Event recap videos can also double as promotional material for your next event. Keep the pace snappy so viewers don’t zone out or feel left out.

7. Spotlight your team

In an increasingly digital world, humanizing your brand is more important than ever. Social media marketers know the power of brand authenticity.

Team spotlights are a fantastic way to show the people behind the products and campaigns. You can interview team members about their role, their day-to-day or even their favorite customer story.

We love this “Meet the Team” video from On:

This builds trust and rapport with your audience and can also be a valuable tool for recruiting top talent.

8. Tell your brand story

Think of your brand story as an emotional connection, not just a historical timeline.

A video is a crucial way to share this identity content and explain your brand’s “why.” When you frame your story with a hero’s journey—detailing the challenges and triumphs that led to your brand’s inception—you build more than just an audience.

You create brand loyalty and give people a reason to care about your mission beyond what you sell.

9. Answer FAQs on camera

Answering common questions in a video format is a highly strategic content play.

This approach helps your customers while also optimizing for search.

Because people often type questions directly into YouTube, a clear and concise video answer can be a good source of organic traffic. This also creates a versatile bank of content that’s perfect for sharing on social channels or linking in email campaigns and help center articles.

Here’s a nicely done FAQ video from Nothing:

10. Make product comparison videos

Product comparison videos is a high-value content strategy for your marketing funnel.

It directly addresses a key barrier to purchase: customer research. By creating an honest comparison video, you’re acting as a trusted consultant, not a pushy salesperson.

Highlight how your product solves a specific problem better than the competition, using clear, quantifiable examples. The key is to focus on your product’s strengths rather than a competitor’s weaknesses. This builds credibility and trust with your audience.

If you pick the right products and know your target audience inside out, you can make extremely convincing videos without overtly bashing the competition.

11. Film a “Day in the Life”

Day-in-the-life videos are an effective way to bring your brand to life.

This format is perfect for showcasing your company culture and offering a candid glimpse into your operations. It can also serve as a great tool for employer branding and recruitment.

When it features a customer, it acts as a very authentic form of social proof, showing your product seamlessly integrated into their daily routine.

As an example, here’s a day in the life video from NEXT.

12. Feature your customers’ content

User-generated content (UGC) is the ultimate form of social proof. Featuring it on your YouTube channel is a strategic way to build community and show genuine appreciation for your customers.

This has the potential to be a content goldmine.

You can create a “best of the month” series or a themed UGC compilation video. It not only provides authentic, low-cost content but also motivates your audience to create more content for you, which is a win-win.

Encourage more submissions by creating a hashtag and mentioning contributors in your video description.

13. Create seasonal content

Seasonal content provides a natural opportunity to leverage cultural moments and popular search trends.

This is a great way to plan your content calendar in advance.

Beyond just holidays, think about events like the Super Bowl, back-to-school season or even a changing of the seasons. A brand could create a “summer essentials” video or a “cozy fall reads” list. It’s about making your brand relevant and timely in your audience’s lives.

For example, Target partnered up with Kim Bui for this back-to-school video:

Seasonal videos feel timely and give you creative angles throughout the year, which makes them a great recurring content bucket.

14. Collaborate with others

Collaborations are a cornerstone of modern social media strategy.

If you haven’t done them yet, collaborations can introduce you to entirely new audiences and add fresh perspectives to your YouTube content strategy.

By partnering with a relevant influencer, you’re gaining access to an established and trusting audience. It’s crucial to find a partner whose audience aligns with your brand values and target demographic.

The best collaborations feel less like an ad and more like a natural conversation between two trusted voices.

15. Make satisfying timelapses

Timelapses are perfect for short-form content on platforms like Reels or TikTok, but they also work beautifully on YouTube.

They can be used to showcase a complex process, like the creation of a product or a fun transformation, like an office redecoration.

Here’s a cinematic timelapse construction video of Rayner’s global HQ.

The satisfying, quick-paced nature of these videos makes them highly shareable and effective at grabbing attention.

16. Share your CSR initiatives

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a key brand differentiator.

This type of content is crucial for showing your brand’s values in action, which is something that modern consumers increasingly care about.

A video about a CSR initiative should focus on the impact, not the promotion. For example, instead of just showing the volunteer day, show how your brand’s donation helped a specific community or how a sustainability project is helping the environment. This builds brand reputation and loyalty.

Here’s a heartwarming video from Hyundai Canada about their Hope on Wheels initiative:

17. Show your office or store makeover

This is a fun way to use video to tell a compelling story.

Marketers know that people love transformation content. By documenting the process, you create a sense of anticipation that encourages viewers to subscribe and follow the journey.

This is a great opportunity for behind-the-scenes footage and can also be used to showcase the brand’s culture and personality. The “wow” reveal at the end is a an energetic moment that can generate lots of engagement.

18. Host live Q&As or polls

YouTube Live streams are a direct line to your audience, providing real-time engagement and feedback.

Use these to conduct live market research, get direct feedback on new product ideas and build a stronger, more personal connection with your community. The interactive nature of live videos makes your audience feel heard and valued, which is a strong driver of brand loyalty.

19. Try a challenge or experiment

Challenges and experiments are a great way to get creative and show a more playful side of your brand.

This content can be a powerful way to go viral and reach a new audience. It’s about being authentic and showing that your brand is willing to take risks and have fun.

Canva shows how even SaaS brands can do this well:

The best part is, even if the experiment “fails,” the video in most cases can still be a huge success because of the entertainment value and the authenticity it shows.

20. Bust common myths

Myth-busting videos are an excellent way to position your brand as a trusted authority. By providing clear, factual information, you’re you’re building credibility.

This is particularly effective for B2B brands and those in complex industries. It allows you to educate your audience, correct misinformation and showcase your expertise in a way that is both engaging and valuable.

3 trending YouTube video ideas

1. Make reaction videos

Reaction videos are a fantastic way to leverage trending topics and cultural moments without creating a brand new concept from scratch.

This is a low-effort, high-reward strategy. It allows you to tap into existing hype and show your brand’s personality and sense of humor. When a brand’s reaction video feels genuine and authentic, it can drive huge engagement and reach.

Netflix, for example, shares reaction videos on its Still Watching Netflix channel. It keeps fans engaged between seasons while giving them bonus content they can’t find anywhere else.

Here’s the Squid Game cast reacting to a particularly intense scene.

2. Sponsor try-on hauls

Hauls have been around for a while, but the trend is still going strong. Put your products in a creator’s hands and let them talk like they would to a friend.

Hauls are a form of influencer marketing that builds on the power of peer recommendations.

Sponsoring a try-on haul is a direct path to a highly engaged audience.

Viewers get inspo they trust and your brand rides a format people already love to watch. Here’s fashion influencer Alex Collins trying on H&M’s fall pieces on a candid shopping trip.

The key is to give the creator creative freedom so the content feels genuine and not like a scripted ad. This builds a sense of trust and authenticity that can lead to strong sales and brand awareness.

3. Tap into ASMR content

ASMR is a sensory marketing technique that creates a unique and memorable brand experience.

This is a creative way to showcase your product in a new light. It can be used to highlight the quality or unique features of a product, from the satisfying sound of a keyboard to the gentle pour of coffee.

Gio San Pedro does this with finesse.

This type of content is often highly shareable because of its calming and addictive nature. It also works for both short form and long form content.

3 YouTube video ideas to get subscribers

1. Create a mini series or playlist

Building a loyal, returning audience is a major benefit of creating a video series.

By developing a narrative arc across multiple videos, you give viewers a compelling reason to subscribe so they don’t miss the next part.

This strategy is perfect for deepening your content, whether you’re creating a multi-part tutorial or an in-depth exploration of an industry trend.

Christian Dior shared a six-episode playlist, Stories of a Miss, documenting the story behind their Miss Dior fragrance.

It’s an influential way to foster a sense of community and anticipation that drives long-term engagement.

2. Run a giveaway

Boost your subscription numbers and generate buzz quickly and effectively with a giveaway.

They’re a tried-and-true method that continues to work well for social media marketing.

The most important elements are to make the rules simple and the prize desirable. When you require a subscription and a comment, you’re also boosting video engagement, which can improve your brand’s YouTube channel performance in the algorithm.

3. Co-create with your subscribers

Building a strong, engaged community starts with involving your audience in the creative process. Instead of simply making content for them, you’re creating it with them, which fosters a sense of ownership and loyalty.

This is a rare and effective content play because it shows your brand genuinely values its community’s input, helping you build a passionate fan base.

3 YouTube video ideas for beginners

1. Introduce your brand and products

Think of this video as a digital handshake.

For brands launching a new channel, it’s a foundational piece of content that clarifies your brand’s purpose and value proposition.

It should answer the core question: “Why should someone subscribe to this channel?” A great introduction goes beyond what you sell, focusing instead on what problems you solve and what unique perspective you bring to the industry.

2. Repurpose content from other channels

Content repurposing is an impactful way for brands to be more efficient with their time and resources.

It’s all about taking one piece of content and transforming it to fit different platforms. Imagine turning a single blog post into a series of videos, breaking a long webinar into short clips or animating a static infographic.

Visme regularly repurposes their blog posts into educational YouTube videos.

This not only maximizes your content creation efforts but also helps you reach new audiences with minimal extra effort.

3. Share customer testimonials

Testimonials are a great starting point for building social proof.

For a beginner, they’re a compelling and low-cost way to make a great first impression. The magic of these videos lies in their credibility and relatability.

It’s not about what you say about your brand; it’s about what your customers say and that authentic endorsement is truly invaluable.

The casual, unscripted nature of these videos makes them more believable than traditional ads and gives potential customers a reason to trust your brand. If you can’t find any testimonials organically, don’t hesitate to ask for reviews.

How to use Sprout Social for successful YouTube content

You can brainstorm an exhaustive list of YouTube video content ideas, but without a clear content scheduling plan, it’s easy to post inconsistently or miss opportunities to connect with your audience.

That’s why the YouTube scheduling and management tool you use matters. Sprout Social helps you stay organized, streamline workflows and always stay on top of your brand’s YouTube performance.

Here’s how Sprout helps you get on track to plan and implement a winning YouTube content strategy.

Schedule and publish videos in one place

With Sprout Social, you get to say goodbye to juggling multiple platforms. In Sprout’s interface, you can schedule and publish your YouTube videos (and, yes, Shorts also) directly from your unified content calendar.

You can see your YouTube content alongside your other social posts, making it easy to spot gaps, plan ahead and keep everything on a consistent cadence.

Did we mention that getting your videos discovered is paramount? Sprout provides the tools to optimize your YouTube content for search and discoverability.

When composing your video posts, you can easily add compelling titles, detailed descriptions, and relevant tags to boost your video’s visibility. This helps your content rank higher and reach new audiences.

Not to mention, if you’re confused about the best times to post your YouTube videos, Sprout’s ViralPost® technology gives you the option to automatically publish your videos at the time your audience is most likely to watch and engage.

This saves time and ensures your videos go live at optimal times for maximum audience reach.

Track performance with detailed analytics

Sprout’s YouTube analytics puts all your key metrics, like views, watch time and engagement, in one clean, filterable space.

Using the YouTube Videos Report, you can dig into how a single video performed or compare several side by side. Want to see how YouTube stacks up against your Instagram or TikTok? You can do that too.

Having everything in one place means you’re not hopping between tabs or screenshots. You just see what’s working, spot the patterns and know exactly where to focus next.

Streamline your engagement

Building a thriving YouTube community means actively engaging with your viewers.

Sprout Social’s Smart Inbox unifies all your YouTube comments and messages with interactions from your other social channels into one centralized feed. This ensures you never miss a comment, allowing for prompt and consistent responses that foster loyalty and build strong relationships with your audience.

Start a free Sprout Social trial

Turn ideas into action with Sprout Social

Great video ideas are only the start. You need the right tools to bring them to life.

With Sprout Social, you can plan, publish, track and engage all in one place. Try it free for 30 days and see how much easier YouTube marketing can be.