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There are so many Youtube channel ideas you can choose from when you are starting a Youtube channel, but how do you choose the right one? Succeeding on Youtube takes more than just picking up your phone and shooting a video that you then upload onto the internet. If you want to start and grow a brand new Youtube channel in 2018, it’s going to take some strategy. We grew our Youtube channel to 20,000 subs in its first year so we understand the struggles of a newbie Youtuber.

The first step is finding the perfect Youtube channel idea. This is also known as finding your niche. Defining what you want your channel to be about will give your channel focus from the very start, which can help you find your target audience a lot faster. Read on for my tips on how to figure out what kind of channel you should make and grab your free list of 155 YouTube channel ideas at the bottom to help you get brainstorming.

Tip #1 – Choose a topic that you enjoy.

You are going to be spending a lot of time with this topic. It should be something that you are really passionate about because you will be spending a lot of your time thinking about it, making videos about it, and talking to your community about it. Remember people subscribe to your channel because they are interested in that thing. It will be really hard to grow your channel if you are talking about hair one week and car repair the next week.

That doesn’t mean that you have to super niche down and start a 1956 Mustang restoration Youtube channel. Your topic could be broad enough to include a lot of subtopics. For example, our channel, One Big Happy Life, covers personal finance, parenting, home decor, and general lifestyle tips for families. One of the best ways to figure out if multiple topics mesh well is to find a magazine that covers your topic and see what kinds of articles they write about.

Tip #2 – Choose a Youtube channel idea that you are good at or want to become good at.

You don’t have to be an expert in a topic to talk about it. In fact, lots of people will love following along with you as you go from novice to expert in your topic. The best part about taking the journeyer approach to your topic is that you will know exactly what your target audience wants because you are a beginner just like they are. You can speak to their needs and frustrations first hand. That helps your audience relate to and like you even more!

The only downside to this type of channel is that you will have to spend a lot more time on your content because you will have to do even more research into the topic before you make each video. I say “even more” because everyone looking to start a new Youtube channel in 2018 needs to be doing research before jumping in to make a video. That’s one of the keys to setting yourself apart from the crowd as more and more creators join the platform.

Tip #3 – Choose a topic that other people are doing and do it better.

There are pros and cons to this approach to choosing a Youtube channel idea. The pro is that you know that there is demand for that topic because there are people have built successful channels on the topic. The con is that there is more competition.

People usually don’t just consume one source of the thing that they are interested in. For example, I love vampire shows so I watch Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Being Human, The Originals, and The Vampire Diaries. And if there were more vampire televisions shows, I’d watch those too because I LOVE them. Similarly, I love home decor so I read HGTV Magazine, Better Homes and Gardens, and the Family Handyman. This is also why you shouldn’t be afraid to collaborate with people in your niche. It’s not a competition. A rising tide lifts all boats.

Don’t be afraid to enter into a crowded niche IF you can do it differently or better than what is out there. One Big Happy Life has a lot of personal finance content. Joseph and I love talking about ways to make and save money. But the personal finance niche is incredibly saturated. Still, we’ve managed to carve out a nice spot for ourselves and are continuing to grow pretty quickly in part because we do what we call hardcore finance (meaning very complex financial analysis) but make it easy for non-finance people to understand.

Tip #4 – Choose a Youtube channel idea that no one is doing.

This one can be a little iffy. It might be that no one is doing videos on a particular topic because the audience for that topic is way too small or isn’t on Youtube. For example, a channel teaching Amish people how to be more Amish probably won’t do well. On the other hand, if there is no competition because no one thought to tackle that topic on Youtube, then you have struck gold!

Now this doesn’t mean that you have to come up with a brand new topic. It could just be a unique twist on a popular topic. For example, when it comes to personal finance you have your Dave Ramsey channels, your uber frugal channels (which tend to also be Dave Ramsey channels), and there are make money fast channels. As far as I know, there are no other family finance channels that focus on helping people balance enjoying life now with saving for the future. And fewer still do complex financial calculations and analysis.

The key is to find a gap in coverage that your message fits in so that you can carve out a unique spot for your channel.

Tip #5 Choose a channel topic that solves a problem.

This last tip may be the most important tip of all. If you want to build an audience then you have to serve your audience. Help your audience out by giving them what they need and you will build a loyal following over time.

Believe it or not, every popular Youtube video can be traced back to a need. For cat videos, it’s a need for cute or a need to laugh. For family vlogs it could be a need to feel what it is like to be a part of a loving family who has fun doing things together. And of course there are channels that teach actual skills like how to woodwork or how to garden.

Always remember that at the end of the day, your Youtube channel is actually not about you. It’s really about whether you can provide people with the thing that they need, whatever that thing may be. If you keep sight of that as you are deciding on your perfect channel idea, then your Youtube channel will be off to a great start.