8 Types of YouTube Channels That Gain Popularity Quickly

If getting paid on YouTube is your goal, it’s important to produce the type of content that is popular. You’ll obviously need subscribers and a large audience to make money on YouTube. In other words, you want your YouTube channel to be popular. Luckily, we’re able to decipher which types of YouTube channels tend to gain popularity quickly, thus taking some of the guesswork out of your YouTube journey.

YouTube has drastically changed since its inception in 2005. It started with a grainy 18-second video of co-founder Jared Kawim at the zoo, and has now become a phenomenal global platform for high-quality videos. Today, YouTube Press shares that they have over 2 billion active users each month and over 2 billion hours of videos watched daily. Those astronomical figures prove that this platform is a gold mine of opportunities. 

YouTube is also now known as the 2nd largest search engine next to Google, and happens to be owned by Google, so having a popular YouTube channel could be a real money-maker for you.

YouTube is growing each day, with more and more new users starting YouTube channels each day. So the big question is, how can you stand out and become popular on YouTube? Is it too late to start a YouTube Channel now and become successful, or is the market too oversaturated?

The answer is that opportunities are still endless with this growing platform. Certain types of YouTube content such as true crime, for example, are in demand. If you choose the right niche, your channel could skyrocket. 

Don’t let any self-limiting beliefs hold you back, because you could start a YouTube channel today and become popular faster than you think.

Though some classic YouTube channels are still going strong, there’s certainly room for new channels. It’s never too late to join the party. Who knows, you may end up being a complete game-changer, but you won’t know unless you try. Nothing should be stopping you, since sign-up and uploads to the platform are free. Now that you know it’s not only doable but worth doing, you may be thinking of getting started. All you have to do is choose a popular niche, especially if it’s one that’s in demand. Below are 8 types of YouTube channels that gain popularity quickly.

1. True Crime

Since time immemorial, people have been hooked on mysterious stories and unsolved crimes. For this reason, even print media back in the day had large headlines about true crime to grab attention. People are naturally curious about crime (especially unsolved crime) and also want to be privy to what’s going on around them. 

Many successful true crime YouTubers such as Kendall Rae (with 3 million subscribers) or Solve Crimes with Rick and Gavin (who have just started) are amassing a strong following by discussing popular True Crime stories that happened in the past. Many of these true crime videos are about unsolved murders or disappearances, that have garnered so much media attention that true crime fanatics are binge-watching YouTube content about the mystery in question. 

Viewers have often already watched episodes of Dateline and many news stories about the unsolved case, and still being curious, they turn to YouTube for more perspectives and theories about the case.

Even with zero true crime experience, it’s easy for new video creators to discuss a true crime story the way Kendall Rae does. Just do your research and read stories from newspaper archives. From there, you can simply talk about what happened in the camera, and when you edit your video, add in some print clips or actual footage about the case. You can even speculate and provide your own opinion based on the events that transpired. Human beings have this strong desire to know what and why something happened, making these stories a big hit. Once Kendall Rae gained more confidence through the popularity of her true crime channel, she started doing extra research for her videos. She got exclusive interviews from people related to the unsolved case, and added those interviews to her channel. Her channel, however, was already popular even when she was simply discussing the cases in her videos quite simply.

True Crime stories allow the viewers of your YouTube channel to satisfy their curiosity. They can get the full picture of the event and empathize with the victims without experiencing the trauma. For example, the 2018 Watts Family murders in Colorado were featured by many YouTube vloggers. Later on, this story was made into a Netflix documentary entitled, The American Murder: The Family Next Door. This proves that your YouTube channel can gain popularity quickly if you choose the right stories and give them an interesting spin with a unique perspective. 

2. Makeup Tutorials

The popularity of beauty mavens on YouTube is unparalleled. These beauty gurus are often seen as trendsetters, with the makeup products they feature gaining tons of popularity. For example, Zoella has 10.9 million subscribers turning her passion for makeup into a successful career. Apart from featuring makeup tutorials, she showcases beauty trends like new products, seasonal colors, promotions, gift with purchases, and the like.

Many YouTube viewers watch makeup tutorials because it’s very common for people to be unsure about how to do their makeup.

If you intend to establish a new YouTube channel, doing makeup tutorials will help you carve a path to becoming an influencer. But instead of showing old-school classics like the smokey eye or natural makeup, you need to think outside the box to grab your fan base. With so many new makeup products released every season, there’s a lot of fresh ideas you can play around with.

Interesting Resource: 60 Trending Youtube Video Ideas for Fashion and Beauty

Notably, the success of your channel will provide you with opportunities to collaborate with people in similar industries. For example, you can team up with a popular hairstylist or skincare brand. The right strategy will increase your audience base and exposure.

3. Cooking Channels

Needless to say, millions of people love watching cooking classes on YouTube. If you want to make waves on the YouTube platform, take your viewers on a mouth-watering adventure. You don’t have to be a Master Chef finalist like Marion Grasby to create your fanbase. To illustrate, vlogger Big Chef Cooking started his channel in June 2021, and he has since garnered 230K subscribers. Think about how fast this person gained popularity, in less than one year.

Cooking videos are simple enough to do if you have a passion for creating wonderful dishes that warm the stomach and soul. As most chefs would say, the best ingredient is love, because food made with love and care always tastes delicious. Set up your camera in your kitchen, and share your family’s secret recipes. People are always looking for new recipes to infuse something new into their weekly repertoire.

Who knows, you may eventually end up like YouTuber Binging with Babish with almost 10 million followers. He started his humble channel by re-creating and sharing weekly recipes you may have seen in the movies or TV shows. 

4. Dating Advice

Today, dating is no longer limited to tips in magazine articles, dear Abby advice columns, or self-help books. Instead, vloggers have taken the world by storm by sharing useful relationship advice on YouTube. Take your cues from the likes of Jenna Marbles, an outspoken and energetic hottie who tells it like it is. To date, she has an astounding 20M subscribers.

If you think you’ve got charisma, charm, and a natural insight into modern dating, you can set up this type of dating advice YouTube channel. Research each dating-related topic of discussion first, so your information is grounded on research studies, psychology, and current dating trends. From there, correlate your findings with your personal experiences on dating, relationships, love, and companionship. Rehearse what you want to say about the topic, then film your video. 

People around the globe look for tips on how to make their relationships work and last, as well as how to navigate the freakshow of modern dating. Without guidance, any union that had potential can turn easily into a disaster. Capitalize on those undeniable facts to start your own dating advice channel.

5. Personal Finance

In the good old days, people left their money in the hands of financial advisors or brokers who managed their investment portfolios. Since the advent of the digital revolution, this habit has changed. Although these financial advisor professionals are still in business, the average Joe has become more daring in taking financial matters into their own hands. People now don’t want to pay retainers or a percentage cut from their profits for handling fees. 

Instead, people are wanting to be self-taught when it comes to managing their finances, and are now actively doing research themselves.People are turning to YouTube for financial advice, and then directly using investment platforms such as GoTrade, Ameritrade, and Etoro.

For this reason, topics on personal finance have ballooned over the past few years. People are eagerly searching for content that provides them with information on how to take charge of their finances and achieve financial freedom. For example, Ryan Scribner started only a few years ago, and he has since grown his subscriber count to almost 750K.

Some people are naturally fantastic at budgeting, managing their finances, and setting themselves up for the future. Are you one of these naturally solvent people? If you feel passionate about financial literacy and have a wealth of knowledge to share, you can set up your very own personal finance channel on YouTube.

 

You can discuss various topics from trading, tips for side hustles, investing in crypto, and different strategies for creating passive income. On your channel, you can also provide advice about how to budget, proper bookkeeping, and the easy ways to save money. People are hungry for information to find the right opportunities to invest and grow their hard-earned money. Do your research and create high-quality content to broaden your audience base.

6. Fitness Guides

People are constantly scouring YouTube for home workout videos, and a YouTube channel in this fitness realm could gain popularity very quickly. 

These days, everyone is focused on health and wellness, so channels that demonstrate exercise routines are a big hit. People are on the lookout for diverse workouts so their home routine will not get boring. Some upload short clips about correct form, while others feature full-length workout videos for their viewers to follow, lasting from 30 minutes to one hour.

For example, Vivian Yuan started her YouTube channel amid the isolations due to covid-19 in April 2020. And with barely more than a year, she already has 102K subscribers. She is not a professional fitness instructor, but she has found her niche by sharing K-Pop-inspired dance workouts. And clearly, Vivian’s channel has room to grow because Chloe Thing, who started sharing bodyweight circuits in 2011, now has 22.4M subscribers.

If you find happiness in workouts and you’re into fitness, get yourself on camera to showcase your workout routine. Shoot in a good location with minimal background noise and good lighting. You can use free editing software for post-production, so you can add text instructions to guide your viewers, so they can readily follow while at home. 

Related: 20 Famous Youtubers With Most Subscribers

Fitness YouTubers stand out by adding cool features to their home workout guides, such as a running timer or clock that lets viewers know how much longer they need to hold the plank position for, for example.

7. Covers of Popular Songs 

Music is a universal language that brings people from different countries together. If you’ve got a good singing voice, you’re in a band, or you play an instrument very well, you can do music covers of trending songs. These covers can be either instrumental or with singing.

Andie Case, for example, is an extraordinarily talented singer who sings covers of popular songs with her band. Some of her covers have gone mega-viral. It only took Andie Case 3 years to get to 1 million YouTube subscribers, and some of her YouTube videos have over 35 million views. Andie Case’s YouTube channel is still growing, with 1.4 million subscribers right now.

You can also seek inspiration from Malinda Kathleen Reese, who became popular for using Google Translate to distort the lyrics of famous songs all over the world. As a result, she captured the hearts of many people and has 1.23M subscribers.

Useful Resource: How to become a YouTube Celebrity

Singing is not the only option, as you can also share your compositions or even play covers of popular songs using musical instruments. Many people enjoy listening to instrumental covers of popular songs as background noise for their home office. For example, Lindsey Stirling is a violinist with 13.1M subscribers. You can follow her lead and play around with different concepts, like collaborating with dancers to create routines for the songs she plays, and she does many covers of highly searched songs.

8. Green Thumb Content

Finally, the forced lockdowns forced people to spend more time at home. Gardening has become more popular thanks to idle hands needing a new project during lockdowns. With this new lifestyle, people have come to appreciate the beauty of planting gardens, whether indoor or outdoor. Growing plants is very therapeutic as it allows people to relieve stress by communing with nature and earthing. Some people even use their crops like basil, rosemary, or tomatoes to cook healthy dishes at home.

This is exactly what the YouTube channel Urban Gardening promotes, which is why the channel now has almost 1.4M followers. So if you have a green thumb, now is the time to start sharing your planting adventures on YouTube. There are many topics to cover, from planting essentials, tips for growing herbs, container planting, and so much more. Aspiring gardeners love seeing these types of content, so this niche is growing at a fast pace.

Perhaps one of these popular niches falls into a category you’re already familiar with. If not, try your hand at something like discussing true crime, since you don’t need experience to do this, and it can be really fun. When it comes to starting a YouTube channel, the most important step is to start one. Select one of these 8 types of popular content, and get started.