From Zero to Hero: The Ultimate Checklist for YouTube Niche Success

Over all the years we've worked on the platform, we've realized that you can become a popular blogger with virtually any channel topic and content format.

Has anyone ever thought that science and technology could be interesting to millions of people?

At first glance, who would care about boring videos explaining how cars work? And yet, it turns out—people care, and a lot.

The success of all these creators—and ours, too—depends not just on the topic or format you choose, but on how you work with them and how you present them through the lens of your own uniqueness.

Here are the criteria (not that hard to follow, by the way) that will help you stay in the spotlight. That is, of course, if you regularly check whether any of the points below have started to slip:

✔ Your knowledge or experience in the topic is above average

Being a top-level expert in your chosen topic isn’t strictly necessary. You can talk about basic things that interest a wide audience in an engaging format and still become popular.

Even if we didn’t dive into endless data analysis and simply said that all types and formats of content are currently in demand, it would still be true—and it would help a huge number of creators feel more confident about what they’re doing on the platform.

But that doesn’t mean you should stop at having an average understanding of your topic. Your success will be directly proportional to how much you grow within your niche and subject.

✔ Your capabilities are above average

Sometimes, unique circumstances you already have can make your content instantly more engaging for viewers—regardless of the topic or format.

This could be anything from a rare profession to an unusual geographic location—factors that automatically set you apart on YouTube.

For example, the topic of rural life is so popular because most viewers have no idea what it’s actually like.

✔ Your topic has potential

Yes, as we mentioned earlier, absolutely any topic can become popular on YouTube if you wrap it in a great format and infuse it with your unique perspective.

But it's important to understand that some highly niche topics can become dead ends for growth—or slow it down significantly.

Of course, if you come up with an amazing show centered around lawn mowers, even such a narrow topic could become popular and rack up millions of views—but that’s thanks to a strong format, not because the topic itself is in high demand.

If you simply create a channel with lawn mower reviews, you’ll likely run into problems scaling it.

If you want to grow faster, choose topics that are already popular and have a large existing audience.

✔ Your channel is not just about its topic

You and another creator might be running a channel on the exact same topic—say, hitchhiking travel—but your popularity could be very different, even if it feels like you’re doing more or less the same things.

The key lies in the mix of formats you choose to present your content and how successfully you pair them with your channel’s theme.

YouTube has several content formats that have proven to be in high demand among viewers—for example, the “talking head” video style.

Take note that this format is used across a wide range of channel types: educational content, vlogs, DIY, hobbies, and many more.

Recently, the reaction format has been taking over YouTube. Here, the focus is less on the topic and more on the creator’s charisma and delivery.

If you also happen to be an expert in something and people trust your opinion, reaction videos can take your channel to a whole new level. But keep in mind: reactions are more about emotions than utility.

If you want to take a more professional angle with reactions, try making commentary-style videos. This shifts the focus from pure entertainment to a more educational tone.

Commentary doesn't have to be on someone’s video, movie, or song—it can be about an event, phenomenon, or object. You don’t have to review an expensive new camera; instead, you can share an expert opinion based on your own photography or videography experience.

Commentary videos still retain the entertaining aspect of reactions but also add value by offering an expert perspective. Think of it like: “What if a physicist commented on everything that happens in the Fast & Furious movies?” You get the idea.

Another popular format is testing and reviews.

This could be testing makeup, gadgets, or even life hacks. Again, the topics vary, but the format remains the same—and it can still make you popular.

The most timeless and universally appealing format for almost any YouTube topic is storytelling.

A quick disclaimer: storytelling isn’t the easiest video format. It requires a solid grasp of narrative structure, psychology, and scriptwriting.

What’s interesting is that storytelling can be embedded in other formats—like talking head videos or reviews—but that’s more of a “10-star difficulty level” task.

You can turn your educational channel into a storytelling one, but you’ll need to accept that the amount of raw educational content will go down, while the focus shifts toward entertainment.

If you’re able to create an engaging character, a logical narrative, climaxes, and plot twists—success will find you. Storytelling is what helps viewers stay engaged and makes watching feel effortless.

We can’t skip the ASMR format either—whether you like it or not, it’s incredibly popular and pulls in astronomical view counts.

Just like other formats, ASMR can include a wide range of topics: cooking, construction, healthcare, beauty, vlogs, and even long-haul trucking.

Creators in this niche aren’t afraid to blend formats and themes, constantly experimenting and surprising viewers with explosive new combinations.

The downside of ASMR is that, honestly, it’s not ideal for beginners—it requires high-quality audio and video gear, as well as solid post-production skills. But a well-produced ASMR video is almost guaranteed to be a hit.

Let’s also talk about something that might seem outdated at first glance: challenges.

If you set aside the silly stuff some creators do in this format, you’ll see that challenges are actually a universal type of video that can work for almost any channel.

Some challenge themselves to exercise every day, others quit bad habits—it’s all a matter of imagination and willpower. At the end of the day, a challenge is a challenge.

And we’ll wrap up this lineup of evergreen formats with news.

This is perhaps the most versatile format out there—it fits seamlessly into virtually any channel theme: gaming, vlogs, beauty, sports, health, music, movies—you name it.

✔ You are not a prisoner of a single content format

Mixing multiple topics on one channel is dangerous because it makes them difficult to promote on YouTube—this has been a well-known fact for a long time. But the format of your video is not connected to optimization or promotion on the platform.

If you're creating, for example, educational content in a talking head format, try to diversify your standard useful videos with other formats—perhaps lighter comedic episodes, or if the topic allows, set yourself challenges.

You can be a really cool expert in your field, but even professionals sometimes need to test their skills. This can also give birth to something unique and refreshing for your regular viewers.

This is how diversity is born on a channel, which gives the audience an incentive to return to you again and again.

✔ Entertaining content is still the most popular format

Here, creative freedom is perhaps the most tangible, since entertainment can be compilations of funny videos, amusing facts from forums, travel, games, interviews, or even entire shows.

YouTube gives us complete freedom in creating entertainment content, except for videos that violate rules and legislation. And no matter how broad the creative possibilities are here, to create something worthwhile, you don't need to balance on a knife's edge, but make genuinely interesting content.

The problem with entertainment format is that it's entirely dependent on viewers' emotions, and to learn how to work with them, you'll need to become well-versed in topics like psychology and dramaturgy.

Look at the already overexposed Mr. Beast: his videos aren't something complex and multi-layered, all topics are simple and understandable. Everything required for his content to be in demand is understanding viewer interests, their psychology, and quality comprehensive work on each video.

As always in the YouTube universe, whatever path we take and whatever topic we cover—everything ultimately leads us to the audience and their interests. That's exactly why we advise you to definitely do on the platform what you personally enjoy. But do it in a way that addresses the pain points of people who watch you and brings them emotions.

Regardless of the chosen topic and format, it's in your hands to create something unique and possibly popularize something new on YouTube. The main thing is—believe in yourself, don't stay without support, and keep trying.