JUMP TO SECTION:
Running out of video ideas is a typical yet frustrating thing for YouTube creators.
You want to stay consistent on YouTube, publishing at least once a week or even multiple times each week. But everyone hits a creative wall sometimes. And it's hard to refocus when the brain takes a sudden, unannounced vacation.
Read More: Daily Ideas from vidIQ - More Video Ideas to Spark Your YouTube Success
In this episode of TubeTalk, we chat with YouTube educator Nate Black of Channel Makers about why good ideas are hard to find. You might remember Nate from a previous episode, in which he debunked common YouTube myths. Now he’s back with even more realness about what’s stifling your creativity. Hint: It has a lot to do with burnout.
According to Nate, creators run out of video ideas for four reasons. Keep reading to discover what they are, plus tips to circumvent such roadblocks.
We usually tell creators to have a very specific niche on YouTube. That’s because a channel with random videos – hiking, sports, and movie reviews at the same time, for example – is too broad to capture an engaged audience. Viewers don’t want a hodgepodge of content; they want to see the topics they enjoy.
Read More: How to Choose the Best Niche for Your YouTube Channel
Don’t get us wrong; niching down is excellent advice for aspiring creators. But in some cases, it’s possible to have a niche that’s too narrow. The boundaries are so tight that it's hard to think of good video ideas routinely.
Nate says you can solve this problem by zooming out and thinking bigger. If you review water bottles, for example, think of ideas that overlap with that niche. You could review hydration packs, mugs, or water barrels for long-term storage. In this case, anything that holds water is within your niche and could be a great idea for your channel.
The secret to brainstorming ideas isn’t a secret at all. It’s actually a personality trait most creators have. Unfortunately, that hidden superpower is easy to miss when you’re churning out content.
So here it is: The more passionate you are, the easier it is to discover YouTube ideas.
And by passion, we don’t mean feeling excited to record videos.
Nate says it’s about being curious. It’s the feeling of being obsessed with a topic and wanting to know everything about it.
“What are different aspects of this niche?” Nate asks. “What are the different angles I could make this gaming video? What’s something I’ve never seen on YouTube? Let me just try it.”
Read More: Starting a YouTube Career - 7 Steps to Monetize Your Passion
Think of it this way: The more questions you have about a topic, the more videos you can make by attempting to answer those questions.
Imagine that each question equals one video idea. You would need 15 powerful questions to make 15 YouTube videos. You can achieve that volume every month by being curious and exploring your niche to no end.
After grinding for months to make click-worthy videos, even the most creative mind gets fatigued. When that happens, it’s not easy to think of YouTube ideas. You’re tired, burnt out, and in desperate need of rest.
That’s the side of video making some people don’t see. Growing a YouTube channel is fun, but it challenges creators at all experience levels.
“YouTube is work,” Nate says. “It can often take a toll mentally.”
You don’t have to stay in a rut, though. There are steps you can take to identify what’s causing your burnout and come up with solutions.
Here’s what Nate suggests:
Once you’ve unburdened yourself, you’ll have the energy to find new ideas for your YouTube channel.
Let’s face it. As a creator, you have one brain that’s responsible for all your YouTube tasks. Sometimes it’s in the zone, and sometimes it’s not. That's normal and 100% expected.
But when you can’t think of any video ideas, it’s time to seek help and restore your creativity.
And you’re in luck: We just launched Daily Ideas, an idea generator to save you time and energy on YouTube. The cool thing is that it shares personalized video suggestions based on your channel.
So whether you make videos about gardening or exotic supercars, Daily Ideas will suggest the right content for your audience. Plus, each idea is ranked by view potential: very high, high, medium, or low.
Read More: Daily Ideas from vidIQ - More Video Ideas to Spark Your YouTube Success
Nate created a video using Daily Ideas, and for a while, he said it ranked number one in his YouTube niche. That video is called “Things Every Small YouTuber Does.” It has the exact title suggested by Daily Ideas, and as I write this, the video has 67,000 views.
Watch Nate explain those incredible results and how he used Daily Ideas to rank higher on YouTube:
As you can see, getting video ideas from an Al tool is super helpful. It's one of the first steps to never running out of YouTube ideas.
“I’ve gone through the Daily Ideas process and thought, ‘Oh my goodness. That’s actually a cool approach. That’s a new angle. That’s [an idea] I wouldn’t have thought of on my own,’” Nate says.
Ready to get free Daily Ideas? Simply download vidIQ and let the YouTube suggestions roll in.
Lydia Sweatt is a writer who loves balancing her article/blog time indoors with a healthy dose of nature. She bikes, hikes, and identifies edible plants along the way.
Mar 14, 2022
5 min read
Feb 8, 2022
5 min read
Oct 4, 2021
5 min read
