YouTube Categories that Are Popular

Who could deny that YouTube is one of the shining stars of the 21st century? All the more when knowing that it’s the second most used platform on the blue planet. For many people, watching a video has become a mundane day-to-day activity, just like toothbrushing. Nearly 5 billion videos are watched around the world every day. How about that? And where does such a tremendous success come from? It’s probably safe to say that the diversity offered by the YouTube categories is one of the key factors. There are video types for literally every single taste. 

Before we start, we would like to clear up any possible confusion. Whenever we mention YouTube categories throughout our article, we won’t be referring to the classification made by the platform itself. That feature is indeed a little shaky and currently available to only those who upload videos. So, no, we would rather take into account categorization as it is in the eyes of the public. A public whose preferences largely determine what YouTube channels decide to deliver. So first, we should see in what sense it matters to connect with audiences through different types of videos. Then, we will have a look at the most popular video categories of 2024. Keep scrolling to join our video sonic journey.

Why Do YouTube Categories Matter?

Since then, many neuroscientists and psychologists have emphasized the importance of categorization for the human brain. That’s just how our minds work. We feel the need to sort out, differentiate, and group together. This basic fact applies to the context of YouTube categories as well. Needless to say, there are also other parameters at play. No doubt that one of the purposes of YouTube is to provide fun and entertainment. On the other hand, it has also managed to become a business medium for many users around the world. Sure, it may not be the most effective way to start with your professional projects. But if you already have prospects and a certain audience, YouTube is a safe bet for nurturing and expanding these relationships. 

So, anyone willing to create a channel ought to know the ‘winning’ tendencies on the platform. That’s the only way to create video content types that work. With everything said, do you really need to be pragmatic and orthodox in order to be successful? Not at all. Proof? The most popular video on YouTube in 2021 was ‘I Spent 50 Hours Buried Alive’. It was reporting the unusual adventures of a YouTuber nicknamed MrBeast in a … coffin. Result? It already has more than 160 million views. 

What about you? Which category do you think you can shake up someday? Let’s discover the Top 13 right below. 

Popular Youtube Categories list;

• Commentary Videos
• Music Videos
• Reviews
• Tutorials and Educational Videos
• Interviews
• Questions and Answers (Q & A)
• Best Ofs from all YouTube Categories
• Documentaries and Docuseries
• Gaming Videos
• Storytelling and Narratives
• Challenges
• Sports from YouTube Categories
• ASMR and Other Energetically Programmed Videos 
• Fitness Channels
• Unboxing
• Product Demo Videos
• Beauty
• Entertainment

Commentary Videos

Comment-based material is among the top YouTube videos. The advent of the internet has motivated more and more people to express their opinions from the comfort of their behind-the-screens. A primordial need to be seen and heard while also sharing arguments. Commentary videos can be about anything. They may be here to show support to the anti-wax movement. Or maybe to protest against the absence of a CD drive on most of the newer laptops. You name it. Reaction videos also fall under this category. 

Music Videos

Here’s one of the oldest YouTube categories. Even though many music streaming services and apps have flourished lately, nothing seems to replace YT clips. These are not limited to the creations directly promoted by the artists themselves. There’s also a huge amount of user-generated and amateur content, cover performances, lyrics, karaoke material, etc. Plus, the platform gives the opportunity to organize multiple videos within personalized playlists. A great feature for listening to your favorite music all day long without needing to switch from one environment to another. 

Reviews

Reviews belong to the most beloved YouTube video categories. If you wonder why we are using the plural form, it’s because we can label several kinds of videos as reviews. Typically, the creator of the video evaluates a certain product, service, or even a company. Influencers are among the best-known examples (think about all the popular beauty product videos). They share their thoughts, in a way, by turning YouTube into a vlog. Indeed, many channels are exclusively dedicated to reviewing. So, they keep posting on a regular basis. Most of the time, they are sponsored by particular brands that carry out their marketing strategy via the platform. Unboxing videos are also considered reviews because they show the subjective approach of the product buyer/user. 

Review videos don’t have to be necessarily very professional-looking. In the eyes of economists and marketers, what matters the most is their advertising value. Speaking of it, the number and nature of the reactions given to a video (likes, subscriptions, comments) also act as a market thermometer. 

Tutorials and Educational Videos

How to assemble a Valhalla chair from Ikea? How to cook the best rice pudding? You got it. One can find any tutorial on YouTube. Many respondents opt for those informational videos when we ask, ‘What type of videos do you prefer?’. Informational in the sense that they teach what to do and how to fix anything. They don’t only replace traditional user manuals or recipe books. They also provide mini-trainings in various fields, from sign language to kung fu.

Considering how most people retain visual and mobile information more easily, tutorial videos seem to be a very sound methodology. So much so that some of them are elaborated enough to be labeled as educational videos. Can one really study through YouTube? The answer is still open to debate. However, online learning keeps growing in importance (especially since the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020). That’s why many institutions don’t shy away from delivering full-fledged training programs via YouTube. 

Interviews

Interviewing is a communication technique that never gets old. So, quite naturally, the most popular YouTube videos also comprise interviews. Celebrities, politicians, businessmen, scientists, magazine editors. One can hand the microphone to literally anyone on any theme. Some videos also show random people interviewed in the street, usually about hot topics. This allows them to voice their opinions to the masses without having to face the restrictions imposed by television channels. Furthermore, YouTube interviews sometimes provide data to be used for research purposes. 

Questions and Answers (Q & A)

Q & A sessions can be part of interviews or conducted on their own. We may also label them as online FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions). The principle is quite simple. Most of the time, there’s an interviewer asking questions and an interviewee responding. These sessions can also be carried out as live events with the contribution of the public. People can ask their questions in real time through the chat section or by connecting with the interviewer. Here again, the ‘guests’ on these videos can be from various horizons. The topics may include politics, technology, fashion, movies, socioeconomic issues, education, and much more.   

Best Ofs from all YouTube Categories

Also known as Top Lists, these are among the most searched on YouTube. By whom? Primarily by those who are always looking for the best options before making any decision. It’s a category thriving on comparisons, pros and cons, and purchase suggestions. Think about videos such as ‘The Best Top-of-the-line Smartphones of 2024’. We also often notice these podium-like videos in the case of series, the movie industry, or music. They go by the names of ‘Top 5 Rom-Coms of the 90s’ or ‘The 10 Funniest Scenes in Dexter’. Remember, one of the main purposes of YouTube is entertainment. 

Documentaries and Docuseries

The subtitle is quite self-explanatory. In this category, we have the good old documentaries that many people prefer watching on YouTube rather than television. Some are channel-exclusive, meaning that they can’t be found anywhere else. Some channels also propose docuseries. These are just like documentaries but are filmed in several episodes (hence the suffix series). They typically follow an individual, a group of people, or a certain situation over a certain period of time. YouTube documentaries may have various objectives, from common knowledge to marketing (say, companies that film their day-to-day functioning). 

Gaming Videos

Here’s another of the most coveted YouTube categories, especially by youngsters. The video game industry keeps rolling with inexorable progress, coming in more and more shapes and sizes. What we usually see in those YouTube videos is one or several gamers playing a game and commenting on it. They offer a real-time experience to the spectators, almost like a social event where some friends gather together. Some of the channels are exclusively dedicated to one particular game or brand. Some others act like phenomenon-boosters, turning their owner into celebrities. As of January 2024, Salvadorian gaming YouTuber Fernanfloo was acclaimed with a channel uniting 45,5 million subscribers. 

Storytelling and Narratives

Many of the most popular types of YouTube videos are based on ‘stories.’ Sure thing, there are very classical forms immediately coming to mind, like stories for children. But not only that. For example, there are video creators who read books and newspapers to audiences diagnosed with visual impairments. More generally speaking, some YouTube channels serve as audiobook libraries for various groups of individuals. Their videos often include infographics and animations. The topics can be extremely varied. Within this same category, we also have success stories. These usually follow the journey of entrepreneurs or any other people who have accomplished certain goals.  

Challenges

The challenge format has become extremely popular on many social media platforms lately. Funny or embarrassing, it doesn’t seem to matter, judging from the number of people who love these videos. Simply put, challenges are a sort of game in which the participants are invited to do out-of-the-ordinary activities. One of the big winners of last year was ‘Eat It or Wear It’. The challengers had to either eat some not-always-tasty food or wear it as clothes or accessories. Some skincare brands also seem to be keen on this category. Clients and testers expose themselves wearing messy facemasks and other products, competing for a given prize. The goal may be, for example, to use the same products for 20 consecutive days. In short, this is one of the anti-stress YouTube categories, but it may also become a promotional strategy. 

Sports from YouTube Categories

One can find all kinds of videos under this category. Advertising about the latest sports equipment, local/national/international tournaments, expert discussions, live events, workout and lifestyle tips. We have a sector that will probably never say its last word, considering the number of people who care about it. Not only do they like watching it, but they also practice it in the name of adopting healthier daily habits. Not to mention the live streamings and replays of big-time events like the Olympic Games. So if by any chance you happen to be in a sportive ‘business,’ you can rejoice. You’ve got a good ally in YouTube. 

ASMR and Other Energetically Programmed Videos 

New Age is everywhere, including YouTube. For the last decade, the number of modern-day ‘healers’ offering their services through the screen has increased remarkably. See the most recent example of ASMR (Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response). This practice can cause paresthesia or relaxing tingling sensations on the skin. It’s mainly used to combat stress and anxiety. And this ‘well-being therapy’ is now available on YouTube. There are a plethora of comparable initiatives on the platform, from multipurpose solfeggio frequencies to remote reiki. Some channels adopt a more ‘medical’ stance, like, for example, Sapien Medicine. This 11-year-old channel, supported by 235.000 subscribers, proposes some Enhanced Cholesterol Reduction, Kidney Regeneration, and even Facelift. It says to use morphic fields to achieve the desired results. Will those somewhat eccentric types of YouTube videos become the treatments of the future? Only time can tell.   

Fitness Channels 

We need to make sports, which is indispensable for a healthy life, a routine. Even though we sometimes maintain this routine, sports can sometimes be disrupted due to the hustle and bustle of daily life. For those who do not have time to go to the gym, it is now easier and more attractive to follow and work with fitness channels on YouTube. As such, opening a fitness channel in the YouTube category and becoming popular is not difficult. Grow your YouTube channel!

Unboxing 

Unboxing videos are among the most watched videos on YouTube and one of the most interactive video types. You can turn to these videos to promote your products, reach new audiences, and create a demand for your products by interacting with social networks. Although unboxing videos are usually made by accounts independent of brands, you can also prepare your videos and keep your YouTube account active. Unboxing videos that increase interaction rates do not only bring interaction to your company. Along with interaction, it also allows you to increase the trust of customers and thus makes it easier to gain loyal customers. Unboxing videos, which are one of the important video types in e-commerce, provide many advantages to e-commerce companies, and you can increase the number of followers and views individually in YouTube categories. 

Product Demo Videos 

Product demo videos are short videos to showcase a product’s features, functionality, and benefits. These videos aim to provide potential customers or users with a visual and practical understanding of the product’s work and what it can offer. Considering that people love watching product videos to learn about products, demo videos are another type of YouTube video you need to create. For demo videos to impress viewers and win them over with a solid first impression, it’s crucial that you add character to your videos. Product demo videos are effective because they provide a visual representation of the product, making it easier for potential customers to understand its value and functionality, as well as a good way to get to the top of YouTube categories. Also, learn more about YouTube hacks and tricks.

Beauty 

Whereas in the past, trends in the beauty industry were spread through traditional print publications and word of mouth, today, they are presented and discovered with a few gestures on the keyboard. Platforms like YouTube are full of inspiring content from industry players – designers, makeup artists, brands, and publishers – as well as a new generation of beauty influencers. Remember that Beauty and makeup videos are at the forefront of the YouTube category. One of the really interesting survey results for marketers is that US consumers interested in beauty products not only watch videos produced by brands and publishers but are almost equally interested in product review videos from other users. Consumers watching makeup/beauty videos on YouTube were surveyed online. The relationships in the model were examined using a structural equation modeling approach with 8,685 valid questionnaires.

RECENT POSTS

8 Alternatives to Linkedin in 2024

If you are a business in the business world or an expert who wants to create your personal brand in the digital environment, some social media applica...

How To See Who Blocked Me On Facebook?

Facebook is the number one social media platform to interact with other people. Thanks to its advanced services, we can share photos, videos or text, ...

The study’s findings showed that product-related YouTube videos are important in influencing consumers’ purchase intentions.  

Entertainment  

YouTube is a great place where people make videos to entertain others. Another channel idea is to start a channel that entertains people you think might be entertained. One popular thing is funny animal videos. Cute animals doing special things make people happy and take a break from everyday life. This year, it’s not just cats sleeping; it’s animals showing their talents! People have always liked celebrity gossip, and now YouTube is the place to get the latest news about famous people. Vlogs, which are video blogs, are also popular on YouTube category lists. They’re like personal diaries, where creators share unscripted and real parts of their lives. This helps viewers feel a connection with the person making the videos. Everyone loves comedy, and YouTube has many funny videos.

In the big world of online content, funny animals, celebrity gossip, vlogs, and comedy videos are some of the favorites. Each click on these videos takes viewers on a journey of laughter, curiosity, and connection, creating a happy online community. 

Final Zoom on YouTube Categories

YouTube categories are getting more and more diversified over time. Thus, they are certainly not limited to the ones listed in this article. What’s important here is to note down the kind of content and topics most people want to see on the platform. Additionally, we know that preferences vary from one audience to the other. As a current or future channel owner, these are the elements that you should take into account before setting up your project.