In addition to being an avid movie and gaming enthusiast, Uttaran Samaddar is an experienced writer who has lent his creativity and unique perspective to various publications. He loves hearing and telling stories.
The Future of Video Creation: 9 YouTube Trends to Watch in 2025
With just a few weeks left in the year, we’re looking at 2024 with a sense of wonder and wide-eyed excitement. We’re wondering which YouTube trends will shape the heart of content creation. We’re excited for creators to develop new passions. And most of all, we’re eager to break down every YouTube trend so you can grow your channels in 2025!
Before the end of the year, our team of creators sat down together to discuss the emerging trends set to redefine the platform. According to them, the future of YouTube in 2025 holds immense potential for creators willing to adapt. Watch the video above to know how!
So, are you ready to explore the future of YouTube? Pay attention to these nine trends, as they might affect your views, watch time, subscribers, and revenue.
1. Deeper Impact of AI
Artificial intelligence had a breakout year and is still going strong. Tools like ChatGPT, DALL-E, Midjourney, and vidIQ's own suite of AI tools help creatives make content faster. Because of that, we’re seeing the rise of automated YouTube channels. Creators are outsourcing their content creation using AI software (or hired humans) to design thumbnails, script videos, edit footage, and create voiceovers quickly. Some creators make a lot of money doing this — six figures, even.
Unfortunately, many people use AI in damaging ways, like impersonating celebrities and spreading misinformation. YouTube's AI content policy to protect creators against these possible woes by:
- Requiring creators to say when they’ve used AI in their content.
- Penalizing non-disclosure by potentially removing content.
- Allowing creators to request the removal of AI-generated content that impersonates them or infringes on their privacy.
However, YouTube is enthusiastic about the inclusion of AI in video content. With the new auto-dubbing feature, creators can reach a much larger global audience by translating their videos seamlessly into other languages with a single click! AI-assisted editing reduces production time, while advanced analytics guide content optimization.
2. The Rise of Authenticity
More and more, creators are ditching highly-produced videos in favor of authentic, unfiltered content. Take a look around YouTube: The thumbnails are getting simpler, and fancy edits are quietly disappearing. Even the storylines themselves have a relaxed, meandering pace, because now, it’s about creating intimacy with viewers.
Bodybuilder Sam Sulek is at the forefront of this trend, but he's not alone. Dry Creek Wrangler School, originally a horse channel, has pivoted to posting uncut videos that share life lessons. Creators are shifting toward sincere videos, and that's bound continue in 2024.
3. More Thumbnail Competition
While some creators have simplified their thumbnails to appear more genuine, that doesn’t mean the YouTube click wars are over. In fact, they’re just beginning.
In 2024, YouTube rolled out a thumbnail testing tool that’s designed to help you get more watch time. Creators can upload multiple versions of a thumbnail, let YouTube show them to different viewers, and analyze the results of the experiment. Whichever thumbnail receives the highest share of watch time is the one to use going forward.
This empowers every creator, big and small, to present their best thumbnails. It doesn't matter if creators opt for a simple design; thumbnail testing, by definition, makes YouTube more competitive.
If you are facing trouble in making different thumbnails for your videos to compare in the testing tool, check out the vidIQ thumbnail tool now!
4. Resurgence of Lengthy Videos
An average user on YouTube spends about 40 minutes in a single browsing session, a number that is significantly higher compared to other social media platforms. Earlier, we talked about authenticity, but another important trend that we've noticed this year is a clear preference for long-form videos.
Creators are increasingly focusing on "evergreen content"—videos that remain relevant and attract consistent views over time. With an ever-expanding YouTube audience, content niches like tutorials, educational videos, and documentary-style storytelling are poised for significant growth. And most of these requirements are best addressed through long-form content, so expect to see more!
With the rise of more and more viewers who watch YouTube on TV, episodic documentary-style content might also be a lucrative trend to watch out for. These formats appeal to viewers seeking high-production value or immersive storytelling experiences.
5. Stronger Emphasis on Community
Earlier this year, YouTube announced that creators could monetize their channels with just 500 subscribers and 3,000 hours of watch time. That’s a sharp decrease from the 1,000-sub, 4,000-hour requirement we’ve seen in the past.
Notably, you can’t monetize content through video ads if you only have with 500 subscribers. YouTube is restricting these creators to fan-funding revenue only, such as Super Chats and Stickers, Super Thanks, and Channel Memberships.
Meanwhile, super fans are the ones who donate money, not casual YouTube viewers. That will push creators to build communities if they want to make real money through fan funding.
It seems like YouTube wants small creators to have loyal fans before they become big creators. That raises the quality of videos and viewers (i.e., watch time) on YouTube.
6. High Earning Potential from YouTube Livestreaming
Creators are making gobs of money by simply going live, so the power of hosting YouTube livestreams is trending in the right direction.
Here’s a small taste of what you can earn:
- The vidIQ channel earned $10,806.72 from 1 million streams this year.
- The video streaming market was valued at $95.88 billion in 2023.
Even outside of YouTube, music artists like Tee Grizzley pull in $200,000 per month streaming on Twitch and then posting the completed streams on YouTube. As revenue grows, we expect this trend to continue in 2024.
7. Ad Blockers Derailing Views, Monetization
Can ad blockers tank your YouTube views and watch time? Even worse, will they jeopardize your dream of getting monetized?
A year ago, these questions would seem silly. But now that YouTube is blocking video playback for viewers who use ad blockers, the consequences are getting real. And we understand why: The global adblocking rate was 35.7% in 2022, with China, Indonesia, and Vietnam leading the charge. Think about it from YouTube's perspective: That's a lot of lost revenue, especially if those behaviors are prevalent on video-sharing sites.
No one knows how this will affect YouTube monetization. After all, YouTube has to allow playback on your videos before you can rack up views, watch time, and money. However, common sense tells us that some creators will unknowingly suffer, especially if their audience wants ad-free viewing.
8. Using YouTube Shorts to Blow Up
Did you know that most creators using vidIQ gained 100,000 subscribers by posting short, vertical videos? If you want proof, check our most recent list of YouTube channels that hit 100,000 subscribers in 30 days. For most channels, their standout video wasn't lengthy or horizontal; it was a YouTube Short.
This isn’t surprising to most creators, but we’re adding it to the list because Shorts continue to grow small channels. If you aren’t a short-form creator (yet), consider experimenting in 2024.
9. The Rise of VR Gaming (Virtual Reality)
Statista estimates that the global VR market will be more than $22 billion by 2025. So, it makes sense that this style of entertainment is flooding YouTube, especially in the gaming space.
For example, check out the screenshot below. According to vidIQ’s keyword explorer, viewers want to see VR content from games like Synapse and Hellsweeper. They’re also searching for VR gamers and commentators (Polish Paul) as well as VR technology (Soundcore VR P10 earbuds).
All of these keywords have high searches on YouTube and low competition from other creators. That means the VR space is relatively fresh and ready to be tamed by some lucky creators.