32 YouTube Video Ideas To Inspire Your Branded Content

As a marketer and social media manager, YouTube video content is a powerful advertising and marketing tool. However, finding success with your video content — and finding good ideas for a YouTube video — can be challenging. 

Discovering ways to keep your audience engaged with your video content hinges on creativity, authenticity, and a keen understanding of your target audience. With that, here are 32 video ideas for YouTube to help you brainstorm and inspire your branded content.

When It’s Time To Introduce a New YouTube Video

Adding a new type of video to your brand’s YouTube content mix can be a strategic decision for several factors like new campaigns, performance changes in social analytics, competitive analysis results and social media audit results.  

What better way to introduce a new type of YouTube video than for a new marketing campaign? Presenting a fresh video style can align your brand’s marketing or advertising campaign and convey your brand identity, theme or message.

Beyond just launching new campaigns, introducing a new YouTube video might also be a strategic move in response to shifts indicated by your social analytics tools. Adapting to changes in key performance indicators and audience preferences is crucial. Significant shifts in performance metrics might point to content adjustments like introducing a new type of video. Plus, exploring new types of content can help re-engage your audience. 

Performing a competitor analysis allows you to assess your competitors' strategies. If your competitors are gaining traction with a particular type of video, it can be worth exploring similar content for your brand to capture your audience’s attention further.

A final factor to consider when determining if it’s time to introduce a new YouTube video is conducting a social media audit. A social media audit reveals how users perceive your brand across various social platforms and what types of content resonate with them. An audit also allows you to identify patterns in audience engagement and preferences to see if there is a demand for specific content or to introduce a new type of video.

Why YouTube Videos Matter

YouTube is the ‘original’ social media channel for videos, evolving online video sharing and revolutionizing how digital content is consumed. With over 2 billion monthly users, it remains a dominant force in the video-centric industry, offering brands an extensive and varied audience for meaningful engagement. Its emphasis on video content resonates with the trend of video marketing, making it an invaluable asset for brands looking to make a mark in this dynamic space.

YouTube is a subsidiary of Google, which allows its videos to often surface in Google’s search results, amplifying a brand’s visibility across both platforms. Therefore, compelling YouTube content establishes a brand’s presence on a large social media platform and can enhance its visibility in Google’s search results. Incorporating effective YouTube SEO practices like using trending, relevant keywords, adding 3-5 hashtags and adding title and end cards (among other steps) when making YouTube videos is integral to showing up on Google and YouTube recommending your videos to others.   

Best Video Ideas for YouTube

Let's dive into 32 innovative YouTube ideas designed to enrich your brand's narrative, enhance audience engagement, and amplify your channel's growth. These ideas are tailored to inspire your team and guide collaborations with creator partners on branded content, paving the way for a more impactful and influential content marketing strategy.

1. Behind-the-Scenes Footage 

Take your audience on a journey behind the scenes of your creative process, projects or daily operations. Behind-the-scenes footage is a great way to capture your audience’s attention, as viewers love to get a peek behind the curtain at what’s typically not shown. This can also help your brand feel more authentic and speak to your brand identity.

2. Employee Spotlight or Q&A

Introducing your company’s team members and answering viewers' questions are great ways for your audience to learn more about your brand and feel heard. This humanizes your brand, helps build a stronger community and allows your audience to connect with the people behind the scenes.

3. Tutorials and How-To’s

Consumers love to see how your products work. Tutorials are a great way to showcase your product and how to use it. Showing step-by-step how to use it can make it easier, inspiring and valuable for the customer. Charlotte Tilbury does a great job at it in this example.

4. AMA Content

AMA stands for “Ask Me Anything”. This type of content is where an individual — often an expert or person of interest — invites an audience to ask them questions that can be more outside of the person’s comfort zone. AMA’s are a fun way to spice up your typical Q&A to earn even more engagement from viewers.

5. Challenge Content

Viewers love to see challenge content where individuals or groups take on specific tasks or activities. ‘Challenge’ content has become a popular format on various social media platforms and is entertaining for viewers. Encourage your viewers to participate and share their own experiences, creating a sense of community and interaction.

6. Company Interview 

Interview-style videos are educational and entertaining. Conduct interviews with the founders of your company, influential figures in your industry or even brand ambassadors. These interviews can provide insights into your brand's vision, values and story, establishing a deeper connection with your audience.

7. Product Comparison

Product comparison videos, where two or more products are directly compared, allow consumers to build transparency and trust with the brand. Help your audience make informed decisions by creating product comparison videos. Highlight the differences and benefits of various products within your niche, guiding your audience towards the best choices.

8. Highlight Company Culture

By showcasing your company culture through videos, you can showcase how your brand differentiates itself from its competitors. These videos can feature your team, workplace, and company events. Showcasing your company culture gives viewers a glimpse into your organization's values and ethos.

9. Event Coverage

Cover industry events, product launches or your own company events. Brands can share highlights, interviews, and behind-the-scenes moments or even level up event coverage and provide a virtual experience for those who couldn't attend.

10. Explainer Videos 

Want to explain a complex topic quickly and effectively? Explainer videos are great to break down a topic in a simple, yet understandable and engaging way with viewers.

11. Webinar 

Host webinars on relevant topics within your industry. Webinars let you share knowledge, engage with your audience in real time and position your brand as an authority.

12. Creator Collaboration 

The creator economy is booming — collaborating with other creators or influencers in your industry can put your brand in front of new audiences. Collaborations expand your reach to new audiences and provide diverse perspectives, making your content more engaging. Make sure to collaborate with creators who align with your brand values and share a target demographic.

13. Livestreams 

YouTube’s live streaming feature allows you to interact with your audience in real time via chat and video. Livestreams are a great way to stay in touch with your audience and foster a sense of immediacy and connection.

14. Testimonials 

Share success stories and testimonials from satisfied customers or clients. Testimonials build trust and credibility for your brand, showing real people who have benefited from your products or services.

15. Unboxings

Create excitement around new products by filming unboxing videos. Show the packaging of the product itself, and share your initial impressions. This video format is popular for its genuine and spontaneous feel. Alternatively, sending PR to influencers can produce entertaining content from UGC creators unboxing products from your brand. 

16. Reviews 

Offer in-depth reviews of products or services relevant to your audience. Share your honest opinions, highlight the pros and cons, and provide valuable insights to help your viewers make informed decisions. Reviews let viewers know what people truly think about a product.

17. Reaction Videos 

Reaction videos are straightforward — they’re filmed reactions to some type of content. Record how you react to a situation, like a video, message, or even your old content. When editing your video, it’s best to add the content you’re reacting to in the video so your viewers can follow along. 

18. Organization History 

Brand history videos are visual narratives that tell the story of a brand’s journey from the start to the present day. Here, you can highlight key milestones, achievements and challenges over time.

19. Vlogs 

Vlogs are a fun way to give your audience a glimpse into the daily lives of your team or creators you work with. Vlogs are one of YouTube’s most popular video styles, with stars like Emma Chamberlain and Casey Neistat starting their career with vlog content. 

20. Day in the Life 

Offer a glimpse into a typical day in your life or the life of your team members. Taking viewers along with you provides a relatable and human perspective and reinforces the personal connection between you and your audience.

‍21. Recipes 

Recipe videos are a great way to show off what you can do with your food and beverage product — brands that sell cookware can even share their favorite recipes that viewers can make with their product. 

22. Newsworthy Content 

Explore trending news topics or events relevant to your niche or industry. Offer insightful commentary and analysis or even interview experts to give your audience a unique perspective on current affairs.

23. Whiteboard Video

Create informative whiteboard animations to explain complex concepts, tutorials or educational content. The visual appeal of whiteboard videos can make it easier for viewers to grasp your information. 

24. YouTube Trends or Memes 

Stay updated on the latest YouTube trends or memes and create content around them. Incorporating YouTube trends, like unboxings or on-the-spot interviews are also incredibly impactful for YouTube Shorts. 

25. Walkthrough’s 

For brands selling software or technology, providing detailed walkthroughs of their products can be an excellent idea for YouTube videos. Demonstrate key features, tips, and best practices to help users make the most of the technology they've invested in.

26. Timelapse

Creating timelapsed videos is an excellent way to visually document and highlight diverse subjects, from natural landscapes to creative projects and product development processes.

27. What’s in My Bag?

Take inspiration from influencers like Stella McCartney and share what's in your bag. This could include personal items, gadgets or tools you find essential for your daily life or work.

28. Hacks

Share useful hacks related to your niche. For example, if you're in the beauty industry, create content like Makeup By Mario, which offers makeup tips, tricks, and hacks to simplify routines or achieve specific looks with their products.

29. Virtual Tours 

Provide virtual tours of interesting places, whether a city, a historical site or your office. Use high-quality footage and narration to transport your audience to different places without leaving the comfort of their homes.

30. Case Study and Reports

Case studies and reports can make compelling ideas for a YouTube video. Analyze trends, share statistics and offer valuable insights through case study reports. This type of content establishes your expertise and provides value to viewers interested in the data behind your field.

31. Get Ready With Me 

As you prepare for a typical day or special event, take your audience through your routine. Share beauty tips and fashion choices, or discuss your mindset and preparation rituals. Get ready with me (or GWRM) content can even be filmed by a creator you partner with or want to spotlight — think Olivia Rodrigo for Glossier or Vogue’s ‘Beauty Secrets’ series. This personal touch can create a stronger connection with your audience.

32. Hauls

Film and share your recent purchases. Haul content can be related to fashion, technology or any other niche. Discuss your thoughts on each item and provide recommendations, turning a simple haul into a helpful and entertaining video.

Enhancing Your Brands’ YouTube Strategy With Dash Hudson

Use Dash Hudson to plan and schedule your visual content across all your social media channels, ensuring a cohesive strategy that compliments and synchronizes with your YouTube video releases.

Dash Hudson allows you to quickly analyze your YouTube video and channel’s performance with YouTube Insights that are easy and simple to understand. With these insights and metrics, you can customize your dashboards and drag and drop your most important ones.

Break down your content into segments based on the topic, campaign or shorts with Dash Hudson’s Content Segmentation so you can organize and track campaign-specific content. 

FAQs

What are good video ideas for YouTube?

Good ideas for YouTube videos should center on key areas of your strategy or goals. For example, suppose your goal is to reach a new demographic. In that case, you might want to create ‘Get Ready With Me’ content with a creator who embodies or resonates with this demographic, or if your goal is to drive conversions, you might want to focus on product comparison and unboxing content via UGC. 

How to come up with content ideas for YouTube?

Social teams can develop content ideas through social media, identifying trends and watching other creators' content. This blog also provides 32 video content ideas — at least one should suit your brand’s social media strategy. 

Which topics are popular on YouTube? 

The top five most popular topics on YouTube are:

1.  Gaming.
2. Tutorials/how-to’s.
3. Vlogs.
4. Product reviews and unboxings.
5. Recipes.