Starting a YouTube channel as a hobby can be simple. You just create an account, upload a video, and leave it there for viewers with similar interests to watch it. But if you want to make money from YouTube, you’ll need to pick the right niche to get more views and advertisers.

Not all niches are profitable. There are many which will make very little money, no matter how many views you get. So, how can you choose the best YouTube niche for your channel?

This guide will tell you more about what YouTube niches get the most views, which ones aren’t profitable, how to pick the right niche, and more. You’ll be ready to pick the perfect niche for you and get creating after just a short read.

How To Pick The Right YouTube Niche

There are three factors to keep in mind when picking a niche for your YouTube channel. They are:

• Passion and knowledge

• Demand

• Competition

Passion And Knowledge

Are you passionate about the niche? And are you knowledgeable? Passion is more important because you’re going to need to create content about the niche everyday for years to make great profits. You’ll give up after a short time if you become bored of the topic. You definitely won’t make any money that way.

Knowledge isn’t as important as passion. You can always gather more knowledge along the way. And it will be easier the more passionate you are.

But you still need to have enough knowledge to get started. No one will want to subscribe to your channel if you don’t know what you’re talking about.

Demand

You can be as passionate and as knowledgeable about a topic as anyone else in the world. But your channel won’t be successful if there’s no demand. Just because you enjoy the topic doesn’t mean that YouTube viewers will spontaneously start caring about it.

See which of your passions is most in demand by YouTube users. You can check Google Trends and the channels with the most views and subscribers on YouTube. And you can check out the list of the best niches in this guide.

Let’s say you are passionate about both technology and river fishing. Which do you think will be more in demand?

The list of the best niches on YouTube is coming up. Here’s a spoiler: fishing in rivers isn’t one of them.

Competition

Some niches that are in demand have a lot of competition. But some don’t. The more competition there is, the more difficult it can be to make a mark in the niche.

However, just because there are lots of competitors doesn’t mean that you should avoid the niche. You just need to figure out how you can be better than them. How does your channel improve on what they’re already saying?

Niches that are in demand but don’t have many channels supplying them can be tough to find but worth the investment. Look into markets that aren’t so obvious. Try other locations or get more specific within the topic.

Channels that give you financial tips if you live in the US are countless. Finance tips for Brazilian immigrants to the US are harder to come by. But that doesn’t mean they’re not important.

Quick Tips For Picking a Niche

You might already have some ideas of niches that you’re passionate and knowledgeable about, that are in demand, and that you have studied the competition. Here are a few quick tips to find the best one for you that can be successful:

• Get specific: choose a sub-niche.

• Think of the profits: find a niche that can get you a lot of views but, more importantly, is profitable.

• Be keen about the work: being passionate isn’t enough. You need to find a niche that will give you a lot of work so you have plenty to post about.

YouTube Niches That Aren’t Too Profitable

You’ve already seen that you need to pick a niche that is in demand. But sometimes high demand doesn’t mean high revenue. You can make money on your channel from ads. And to get approved for ads, you need to be in the YouTube Partner Program (YPP).

And even if you’re in the YPP, not all advertisers will want to promote through your videos. This is because they want to avoid being associated with channels that post content that isn’t suitable for many people.

Here is a list of content that will make advertisers avoid your channel:

• Inappropriate language

• Violence

• Adult content

• Shocking content

• Harmful or dangerous acts

• Hateful and derogatory content

• Recreational drugs and drug-related content

• Firearms-related content

• Controversial issues

• Sensitive events

• Enabling dishonest behavior

• Inappropriate content for kids and families

• Incendiary and demeaning content

• Tobacco-related content
  
  

All of these topics are quite self-explanatory. But there is a niche that is very successful but not as profitable as you might think: children’s content.

Children’s Content

Creating content for children can gather huge amounts of views, likes, subscribers, and everything else. But ads directed at children are a lot more limited than ads directed at adults.

YouTube ran into trouble in 2019 for collecting data on children’s viewing habits without consent from parents. This data helped the platform to create targeted ads for children and the company was fined $170 million because of it.

Made for Children videos are limited in terms of ads, so advertisers don’t invest as much as with other forms of content.

This doesn’t mean that you can’t make a lot of money from children’s content. You can make a huge profit if you do it just right. But being able to have targeted ads on your channel can greatly increase your CPM.

What Is CPM?

CPM stands for cost per mille. This is the value that YouTube gives to each video it places advertisements on per 1,000 views. Some niches have CPM values of over $20, while others are less than $2.

For example, a video with a CPM of 10 means that it will generate $10 per 1,000 views. 10,000 views will generate $100, and a million views means $10,000.

This doesn’t actually mean that you’ll earn $10,000 for a million views. YouTube takes a cut and there are a few other deductions. But that’s another story.

What you need to focus on is finding a niche with a high CPM. These values can change over time because of supply (videos from competitors) and demand, location, viewer age groups, seasons, and the type of ads. But with the right niche, you can have a higher chance of getting a great CPM.

The Best YouTube Niches For Getting The Most Views

Now that you know more about CPM and how to choose your niche, here are the best YouTube niches for getting the most views and making money:

• Make Money Online

• Finance and Investments

• Technology

• Health and Fitness

• Digital Marketing

• Beauty

• Gaming

• Travel

• Made for Kids

Make Money Online

Everyone wants to have some extra cash at the end of the month with little effort. A great way to do it is online and that’s why channels that show you how to do it are so popular. And there are so many sub-niches to choose from. You can talk about side hustles or online careers, passive income, specialize in affiliate marketing, and so much more.

Viewers will see you know what you’re talking about if you can monetize your own YouTube channel.

Finance And Investments

When you’ve made some money, online or not, you’ll need to know how to carefully save and invest it. So many YouTube users are looking for simple pieces of advice to balance their finances. You can share all your tips and tricks on savings accounts, stock market vocabulary, crypto, and more to help your audience.

Technology

Technology channels are growing like tech companies - quickly and with huge profits. It’s a topic that many people find fascinating and you can tap into that curiosity. And what makes it so profitable is that Apple is the largest advertiser on YouTube. They (and many other tech brands) want to target their ads to as many people as possible, and tech fans are obviously high on the list.

You can make content on broader tech terms or get specific on smartphones, earphones, laptops, AI, and so much more. And you can be sure that there will always be information for more videos as more products and innovations are released.

Health And Fitness

Many people have realized how important it is to take care of their bodies and minds, especially when so much time can be spent sitting down working. You can share your tips for staying healthy with huge amounts of people across the world with a health and fitness channel. You can focus on bodybuilding, yoga, home workouts, etc. And you can have your own sub-niche by including topics like tech that helps you reach your goals.

Digital Marketing

Marketing tips are highly welcome on YouTube, and focusing on digital marketing is a great idea. Everyone with social media like Instagram and TikTok would like to know how they can transform their online presence into money, and companies that didn’t use social media before want to know how to boost their business. Sharing your digital marketing skills can help viewers achieve their dreams. They might even mention your channel as they become more popular.

Beauty

You can gather a huge following by sharing beauty tips on YouTube. You can start a vlog or make how-tos on applying makeup or coloring your hair. The more subscribers you get, the better your chances of getting targeted ads for beauty products and finding sponsors who will give you cosmetics to review… for a fee.

Gaming

The gaming world is hard to break into because there’s so much competition. But the demand is also extremely high. You would really need to find a great sub-niche to benefit from gaming videos. Fortnite and Minecraft have their stars. What game could be the next big phenomenon? You could reap the benefits if you figure it out.

Travel

Expedia is another of the biggest advertisers on YouTube. You can direct their cash your way if you build up a great channel that shows off your love of traveling. Travel vlogs can also lead to sponsors from companies like GoPro and Intrepid Travel.

Traveling channels are common though, so you need to figure out your sub-niche. Budget-traveling, hiking trips, eco-friendly journeys? No matter what it is, bring your camera and show the world how to do it.

Made For Kids

You saw before that content for children can be tough to make money from because the ads are limited. However, it’s such a huge market that you can turn a profit if you do it right.

Don’t forget that you don’t need to focus on ads from YouTube’s Partner Program.

You can get sponsors, sign up for an affiliate program, and sell merch. Or you might get lucky with a viral lullaby. You win either way.

How To Know If You’ve Picked The Right Niche

It’s unlikely that your videos will gain a lot of attention right away. You need to keep sharing great content and wait for the views to add up. But you should also keep an eye on what videos are doing best.

For example, if you’ve chosen technology as your niche, and your videos on laptops get less than 100 views but your content about headphones gets over 900 views, then you can start developing your sub-niche. If your viewers want more info on headphones, then give it to them. 

Bottom Line

Picking a niche can lead you to success or failure.

Your channel can get lost in an ocean of content if you choose one that has low demand or large amounts of competition.

And if you’re not passionate about what you’re talking about, why should anyone else be?

So, make sure you find a way to share content no one has seen before or that improves on what other creators are already doing.

And don’t forget about high CPM values.

The best niches for attracting subscribers, advertisers, and sponsors are making money online, finance and investments, tech, health and fitness, digital marketing, beauty, gaming, travel, and content for children (if done right).

So, if you are passionate about any of these niches and know how to improve on what’s already out there, go for it.

You’ll increase your chances of becoming a successful YouTuber.

Which of these niches would you enjoy the most? Let your fellow readers know in the comments.