Futureproof Your Channel: Essential Predictions for YouTube in 2024

Are you starting a YouTube channel or wondering what to include in your videos in 2024? We look at some of the trends and predictions for the year ahead so you can discover new possibilities for your channel.          
 

The good news is that there are a lot of opportunities out there, and  YouTube continues to grow . So whether you’re new to the platform or trying to get more established, here’s what to keep in mind. 

YouTube Trends in 2024

What’s clear is that demand for video is higher than ever. Recent statistics show that YouTube reached 2.5 billion monthly active users in October 2023. Data also shows that YouTube is the second biggest search engine in the world.           
 

YouTube is now recommending smaller channels more than ever. There’s been a rise in new creators and channels being discovered through YouTube’s recommendations.          

 

           
However, you’re not going to grab attention unless you’re focusing on three key areas:          
 

Thumbnails

• Thumbnails represent your content and grab a viewer’s attention. They can be the difference between someone clicking on your video or not.
• Use relevant images, clear fonts and colours to stand out.
• Be consistent. Use the same style for all thumbnails so your audience can identify you.

Topics

• Topics aka the content you’re putting out on YouTube represents what your channel is about. It’s how people will come to find out about your channel.
• Consider focusing on a niche - especially if you’re passionate about it.
• Consider trending topics and how you can incorporate them into your content. 

Titles

• Titles are arguably one of the most important aspects of any video. Combined with your thumbnail, the title will help people understand if they want to watch the video or not.
• Make sure you include relevant keywords that people will be searching for.
• Create titles that will ignite interest and curiosity (but make sure it’s still relevant).           
   

That’s the great thing about TubeSpanner, we have all the content creation tools readily available to help you with all of the above.           
 

                                   Try the Ultimate All-in-One Toolkit for YouTube Creators          
 

Most popular types of YouTube Content          
 

• Educational content
• Entertaining content
• Reaction/Commentary
• Comedy
• Gaming
• Vlogs          
   

YouTube Opportunities for 2024          
 

Focusing on Content that Educates          
 

One key reason people use YouTube is to learn something new. YouTube is used as a tool to gather information and knowledge. Content on how to do something, or ‘how-to’ videos are among the most popular on the platform.          
 

Even if you don’t know something, there’s an opportunity to take people along on the journey of learning something yourself. There’s a reason things like van and home renovation videos do so well. If you’re not able to teach something, then learn and break down how you did it to teach other people.           
 

Live the experience and then teach. 

Live Streams          
 

There are multiple reasons why Live Streaming presents opportunities for YouTubers, especially if you’re a gamer. In 2023, it was reported that ‘YouTube Gaming grew by 13%, with gaming streams now accounting for 17% of the total Hours Watched on YouTube Live.’           
 

However, it’s not just gamers that benefit from live streaming. There are many opportunities for other niches and topics to shine in this area.          
 

Our advice? Go in with a plan. Section your live stream with what you want to cover, and test out segments to find out what works for you and your audience. Most importantly, create a script (at least for your intro) so that when people watch it later they’ll know exactly what they’re watching.          
 

If you’re not sure where to go with your channel, how about creating a show? Live streaming gives you an avenue to do so.           
 

                                             Tips to Become a Successful YouTuber          
 

YouTube Shorts          
 

Short-form content is more important than ever. According to Statista, YouTube shorts users grew from 1.5 billion in 2022 to 2 billion in 2023. In February 2023, Google announced that shorts reached 50 billion daily views.          
 

The great thing about shorts is it gives you the ability to find new subscribers, repurpose your existing content and reach new people. Whilst there’s not a lot of money to be made from YouTube Shorts (at least not yet) it’s still a great option for growth.          
 

It also doesn't look like YouTube has any current plans to allow users to go over 60 second videos, but this may change.

YouTube Podcasts          
 

YouTube is already huge in the podcasting space, but the prediction is this will continue to grow in 2024.           
 

Watch your favourite video podcasts, make a note of what you like and dislike. See how people are reacting. Do your research. You’ll be surprised how much your outlook on content changes when you consume different types. Don’t be afraid to go outside of your niche and content you like too, you’ll learn new things that you can use for your own content. 

Reaction/Commentary Videos          
 

Have you ever watched the highlights of an event or your favourite YouTuber talking about something that happened, without even watching the event itself? You’re not alone. The Ipsos YouTube Trends Survey showed that many people would rather watch reactions or breakdowns than an actual event.          
 

People enjoy listening to others observations, opinions and breakdowns of events. What we’re trying to say is, you can make content about content. Make content about your interests, events etc and react to it. Give highlights, summaries etc and think about how you can make it different to what’s already out there.

YouTube Shopping          
 

If you’re like most people, chances are you’ll search Google and YouTube to find out more about a product before making a purchase - and you’re not alone. In 2020, a Google survey revealed that 70% of people said they bought a brand as a result of seeing it on YouTube.          
 

YouTube Shopping was first seen in 2018, but the brand expanded it in 2023 bringing in new features that allow creators to have:          
 

• Your channel’s own store
• Products from a connected store are shown in the description and product shelf 
• Tagged products in your videos, Shorts, and live streams          
   

There is a lot of potential with YouTube shopping but it also presents challenges so you will have to decide whether it makes sense for you. 

In terms of trends for the year ahead, here are a few predictions:          
 

• YouTube will continue to grow and ‘replace’ traditional television. 
• Creators will integrate more interactive elements such as polls into their content.
• AI content creation will grow and push the boundaries of what’s possible.
• Live video will grow and we’ll see more connection with brands and creators using it for different purposes.
• Micro-influencers will gain more traction on the platform as users crave more authentic content.          
   

                                 How To Make Your Youtube Videos More Appealing          
 

Whilst content creation and YouTube growth comes with its fair share of challenges and the platform can feel overly saturated, there is no better time to start than now.           
 

Whether you’re starting from scratch or diving back in, YouTube is set to continue to grow. In fact, it’s estimated that YouTube will grow to almost 3 billion global users by 2025.           
 

Looking for more help to grow on YouTube? Check out our blog for more and discover how TubeSpanner can help you.