Good YouTube video ideas

So you’ve set up your business YouTube channel and now you’re stuck for content ideas?

It feels like there’s so much pressure to be creating and sharing valuable content all the time and you get to the point where you feel like your ideas have all been squeezed out of you. I get it. In fact not only do I get it I feel it myself sometimes too.

Coming up with fresh ideas for your YouTube channel is no easy job, and sometimes we can get so lost in creating that we stop addressing the most important part of the whole picture. Why? Why are you creating? Why are you going to all of this effort? What is it that you are trying to bring to the world and what effect do you want it to have on your audiences?

Now don’t get me wrong, the answers to these questions can and will change over time, which is why it’s so important to keep re-visiting them regularly so that you can remind yourself of where you are heading and how you are planning to get there.

One way to help inform the answers to these questions is to go back and look into the data you can - and should - be gathering from your existing content. Keep an eye on how your audience are responding to the various videos you are sharing. And if you aren’t yet sharing any content yourself? Well in that case it’s time to research your competitors, see how audiences are consuming their content and use that as a good measure of what is currently working and what is not.

In fact, browsing existing work on Vimeo or Youtube is always a great way to start to get your creative juices flowing - particularly when you’re struggling for ideas - and it’s something that I always tend to do at the start of every new video concept or client brief. Videos from the same kinds of businesses, videos from the same genre and I always check in on new videos from some of my favourite businesses and brands as well. I find lifting my head up out of my own work and looking around at what others are creating really helps to ignite new ideas for me.

Keep note books everywhere - on your desk, in the kitchen, by your bed - and whenever a thought pops into your head scribble it down before you forget.

Keep a log of all those little incidental things that pop into your head because I guarantee, they’ll come in handy when you’re struggling with a creative block. And don’t worry if you think they seem ridiculous, because there’s a good chance that some of those crazy ideas will evolve into something amazing.

And remember, video is an art not a formula. Yes there are good practises but there are times when I’ve seen those good practises broken - to good effect. Which is why it's so hard to nail it every time. Don’t pressure yourself into thinking you have to do that, instead take a trial and error approach. Make a lot of videos and learn something from each and every one you create. 

If you’d like to get more support with this, or with any other aspect of corporate video production, then head on over to our free supportive WhatsApp group. It’s a safe space to ask questions and share advice between small business and third sectors employees who’re looking for support in creating great video content. You’re welcome to come and join in the conversation anytime.