20 Videos Every YouTuber Should Make!

0:00Number one, answer a specific question. This is actually one of the first videos we recommend people make when they are starting a YouTube channel. You don't need a huge audience and you don't need some crazy original idea. All you have to do is find a question people are already asking for and make a video that gives them a clear answer. Here at Think Media we have a video titled how to turn on comments on YouTube. An extremely simple question, but that video has millions of views because people were actively looking for that answer. And this works for any niche. How do I change a tire? How do I add captions in

0:34CapCut? All you have to do is find a question people are already asking, answer it clearly, and that is your first video. Number two, make a simple tutorial. Ask yourself, what do I already know how to do without Googling it? Maybe you know how to change guitar strings, make cold brew, export out a video in DaVinci Resolve, whatever. All you have to do is walk somebody through it step by step. And you don't have to be the greatest expert either. There's probably someone who's watching who is one or two steps behind you and they just need somebody to show them how to do it right. A great example of this is

1:06a guy literally showing you how to tie a tie and that video has over a hundred million views. I think we can often overlook these simple ideas as being too easy, but there are so many people who need help in different areas and we might have expertise in one area that someone doesn't have. So, making a

1:22simple tutorial is a great option. [music] Number three, make a video specifically for beginners. When you are searching for YouTube videos, you might find a tutorial that's great, but it's just too complex and can be very overwhelming for someone who's completely new. I actually ran into this issue when I was searching up tutorials for color grading in DaVinci Resolve. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of tutorials on how to color grade in DaVinci Resolve, but they were all very complex. So, instead I decided to make a tutorial specifically for beginners, someone who has no knowledge on color grading, never opened DaVinci Resolve. I made it specifically

1:59for them, and that video did really well and continues to help a lot of new people. I like to remind myself to not assume that everyone knows everything. I think we often feel like, "Oh, this stuff is second nature." But, for someone who's starting out, they don't know any of it. So, making a video specifically for that beginner in mind will make them feel seen, and they'll actually like and watch the video. Think back when you were first learning the

2:21topic you are now knowledgeable in. Whatever that was, what were some some videos you wish you had that would explain it. That's the video you should make. Number four, tips and tricks. This might be one of the easiest videos to make on this entire list. Write down a few things that you routinely do that somebody newer may not know. It doesn't have to be groundbreaking. It could be a few things that you just learned over the years. If you've been doing photography, there's probably some things that you learned about cameras

2:45that a beginner just doesn't know about. And sharing a tip or trick can be very natural. You don't have to go too deep. You can just share a brief tip, maybe combine a few together, and that will help out a lot of people. Number five, help people find the best options. There are so many choices when it comes to finding the right camera, lenses, coffee

3:03makers, running shoes, really anything. I remember when I was shopping for a TV several years ago, I just wanted to know, "What is the best option?" I didn't necessarily want to dive into every forum, read all the spec sheets. I just wanted a good TV. So, naturally, I just typed into YouTube, "What are the best TVs?" And ultimately, I settled on

3:22this LG OLED TV, which is just so nice. And it is working great today. Now, these best videos are kind of like our bread and butter here at Think Media. Every year, we'll make a best camera for YouTube, and we'll go through, scour all the cameras, find the best options, and put it together in a video. And the more specific you can be with your video, best cameras, I could have just ended it there, but we decided to go best cameras for YouTube, which is what we're known for. Number six is kind of the same

3:47idea, but it's just adding a budget. Best camera is incredibly broad, but best cameras under 500 is a much clearer decision. And it's going to reach specifically those who are budget conscious. So, you could do a video like best kitchen gadgets under 25, best guitar under 300, best YouTube lighting under $100. This budget gives the video a built-in constraint. So, if someone has $500 to spend, they probably don't care about the best $4,000 option. They want the best thing that they can actually afford. Now, if you're watching all of these and thinking "Okay, but how do I actually know which idea I should make for my channel?" And this is where

4:25today's sponsor VidIQ can help. I use VidIQ all the time when I am looking for video ideas because I can quickly see which videos are outliers either on my own channel or other channels in my niche. So, if I find a video that's getting way more views than everything else around it, this could be a really good signal that that idea is worth paying attention to. VidIQ can also help you come up with daily video ideas, score your titles, help you fill out

4:50things like your description and tags. It basically gives you a bunch of tools to help optimize your video for YouTube. From coming up with the idea all the way through to actually publishing your video. And if you want to check out VidIQ, you can actually get their max plan for just $1 by clicking the link in the description down below. All right, number seven, review a product. This is another video where the viewer already has a reason to care about your video because they may be thinking about spending money, and they want to know if this product is good for them. This is something we do all the time at Think

5:20Media. So, a few tips for you if you are doing a product review is first off, a good review doesn't necessarily mean repeating everything, every spec sheet on the box. Tell me what's actually like to use. What do you like? What annoys you? Who should buy it? Who probably shouldn't? Is this something you would actually spend your own money on? And if you are just starting out your channel, you don't need brands sending you free stuff. Just review something you already own. And if you review enough products, naturally brands will want to send you some stuff to review. Number eight, cover what's new in your niche. A

5:51channel I really like for this is CVP. Every month their quick kit series rounds up the biggest news in filmmaking, cameras, tech, all into one video. So, instead of me trying to keep up with every single announcement throughout the month, I can just watch that one video and catch up on anything that I missed. And I'm actually thinking about doing a series like this here on Think Media. Let me know in the comments if you'd be down for that. So, think about how you can do news and updates in your own niche. Maybe it is a new software update, a new feature, or industry change. We do the same when it

6:22comes to YouTube news. Sean recently did a video where YouTube actually changed the requirements when it comes to monetization and actually did a full video explaining that in detail. I highly recommend checking out that video if you haven't already. There'll be a link in the description if you want to watch it. Number nine, versus. This is a format we use all the time here at Think Media as well because people are constantly trying to decide between two different products. For example, I did a video comparing the DJI Pocket 4P versus the Insta360 Luna Ultra. Because I own both, I can put them side by side and

6:55share the differences, helping the viewer figure out which one makes sense for them. And this can work really well even on a brand new channel because it has a built-in authority. If your friend has two products of things you're interested naturally you would want their opinion. A friend of mine started a YouTube channel not too long ago and made a video comparing the Oura Ring versus the Ring Con. And that video quickly became her most popular video on her channel. I also like how it brings in two different kinds of viewers. Maybe you someone's just looking at the Oura Ring and the other people are looking at

7:26the Ring Con, but then comparing them, you kind of serve both audiences. Number 10, make a list. This is one of the simplest formats on YouTube because people immediately understand what they're getting into. This could be a top five, top 10, best to worst, most useful, most underrated, whatever it is, if you rank the list, there is a reason to keep watching because people want to see what ends up at number one. I feel like WatchMojo is probably one of the biggest examples of this listicle style of format. Their top 10 hilarious movie

7:55deaths has nearly 40 million views. Whatever your niche is, make a useful list, give people your opinion, and if it makes sense, rank it. 11, show people what you actually use. People are naturally curious about how people do things. Whether that's your desk setup, your home gym, what's in your camera bag. Your setup doesn't need to be some

8:15crazy, elaborate, $100,000 dream studio. Videos like that are cool, but they're not really relatable to most viewers. And I actually think limitation actually makes the video even more interesting. A couple years back, I did a video on my entire YouTube studio on one single desk. I spent months trying to figure out the best setup for my needs. I remember how frustrating it was, so I decided just to share what I learned and show the complete setup. It turns out a lot of people liked that video and wanted to make their own. Number 12, react to something. I feel like a few years back, reaction videos were the

8:47craze, but they have significantly died off and are just not as interesting. But, I do think there is an important distinction of what reactions are actually get seen and are valuable. I would definitely avoid just sitting there and just going, "Wow, that's crazy." Like, what is some way you could actually provide value to your reaction? Maybe it's in a skill or niche you're in. What is some perspective you can share that adds value to the viewer. I think the best example of this react format is what Corridor Crew has done with their VFX Artist React. Not only is it very fun and entertaining to watch, but they bring on guests that actually

9:21worked on those projects and actually get insider knowledge of how they actually did it, which is super cool and educational. So, you have both entertainment and education coming together, which is a perfect blend. Number 13 is a best advice compilation. We made a video called 15 minutes of genius YouTube advice. We basically took the best creator advice that we found and compiled it into one video. That video did extremely well, so I thought, "Hmm, maybe I could do this in my own niche." On my personal channel, I made a video called filmmaking advice for 30 minutes straight. I looked for the best filmmaking advice from directors,

9:58actors, put it all together, and that video went on to do a hundreds of thousands of views even on a small channel. And I see this format having a lot of potential in the podcast space. If you've done the hard work of bringing on hundreds of different guests, getting their perspective, asking for their advice, you can take some of the best advice, compile together, and you could even go back in and share your thoughts on the different advice as well. 14, what I'd do if I started today. This works well when you have experience in your field and you can basically give someone who's starting from zero a head

10:30start. We've made several videos like this here at Think Media. Recently, Craig made a video called If I started YouTube from scratch in 2026, I'd do this. And that video now has over half a million views within 8 months. I think what makes this video so valuable is beginners can literally learn from your mistakes and skip some of the things that you wasted time on and focus on the things that actually works. And the great thing about this format is you can update it for every single year. And as time goes on, things change and your advice probably changes, too. Which leads us perfectly into 15, talk about

11:03the things that you regret. I really like this because a negative recommendation can be sometimes more useful than another list of things people should be buying. In this video, five beginner woodworking tools I regret buying is such a time saver and save so much frustration by telling them what you learned the hard way. And that can

11:21build a lot of trust with your viewer. 16, make a complete guide. This is basically the opposite of our first idea. Instead of answering one tiny question, take someone throughout the entire process. That could be how to make sourdough start to finish, how to photograph a wedding from start to finish. Now, these obviously take more work, but they can really become a useful pillar of content for your channel. I did a video on how to edit a video in DaVinci Resolve from start to finish and this is a great example of someone who hasn't touched the program before, they can literally jump in and get the full process in one single

11:57video. 17, explain something people find confusing. If there is a term or idea in your niche that new people constantly misunderstand, that's probably a great video you should make. I think your goal is just to make this video really simple and easy to understand. That way anyone can grasp this concept. Number 18, compare something cheap to something expensive. This is another thing I love to do because we are naturally curious if a cheap thing is just as good as the expensive thing or why should you pay more for the expensive option? For example, I compared Canon's cheapest mirrorless camera which is around $600

12:32to one of their more expensive cameras. And people are really curious to see whether spending more money actually makes a difference and where it doesn't. This also applies to the entertainment niche. You have videos like Mr. Beast's $1 versus $1 million whatever he's comparing it to. It's just a really fun way to see the differences. Number 19 is a blind test. I do this all the time

12:53when I'm doing comparisons with cameras. I'll take two cameras, put them side by side, and I will intentionally not reveal which camera is which. I'll let the viewers decide which one they find to be better. You could do this with cheap versus expensive microphone, name brand food versus generic, visual effects artist versus AI artist. And I feel like this video is much more engaging because people are actively watching the video and thinking for themselves. They're not just watching you give an opinion. Your viewers have an opinion, too, and they'll stick around to find out if they were actually right. And number 20, a challenge or transformation. Document yourself going

13:27through a challenge over a period of time. This is really popular with fitness and weight loss channels. A great example is this video, I'm overweight so I walked 10,000 steps a day, which now has over 2 million views. And the viewer gets to see for themselves what's happened over those 30 days, what was difficult, what changed, what the final result looked like, all condensed into one video. And that's what makes these so satisfying. It also provides your video with great story telling. You have a clear starting point, there's a process, and there's an outcome in the end. These videos do take

14:00a lot of time, but it's highly worth it. It gives your video a lot of authority, even if you are brand new to YouTube. Let me know in the comments which of these videos you're going to make next. Once you have your idea, the next step is to turn it into a video. So you definitely want to check out this video where we show you how to write a YouTube

14:17script that gets views.