13 YouTube Trends in 2023 | Statistics | Content Growth Ideas

YouTube is growing, and 2023 will be no different. We have prepared 13 YouTube trends that you can jump on in 2023. These ideas can help you start a new YouTube channel, refresh your content, or change your YouTube strategy.

General Trends:

The first part of this blog post offers an overview of general YouTube changes and trending ideas.

1. Short Format Videos

It’s no secret that YouTube is trying to beat TikTok and Instagram Reels with YouTube Shorts. Videos up to 1 minute long in a vertical format are becoming very popular.  The YouTube Shorts feature is used by 1.5 billion users each month. Also, don’t forget that these short-format videos are a perfect fit for mobile devices.

Users can find relevant content through shorts faster, and content creators who use the power of short videos have experienced rapid growth in subscribers.

Short videos are here to stay in 2023, and if you plan to start a YouTube channel, you can have a specialized Shorts channel. The average user attention span is just 8 seconds, so there is no doubt that shorter videos will be even more popular.

2. YouTube Handles. Pick your Username

@youtubehandles or @thenameofyourchannel – If you were wondering what YouTube handles are, continue reading. YouTube introduced handles in October of 2022, a new way for people to find and engage with creators on YouTube.

It’s all about the community now. With a unique identifier (aka handle), you can find your favorite creator or YouTube channel, tag them in the comments section, and discover new channels. The Channel name and YouTube handle can be the same, or they can be different. But handles now appear in the YouTube channel URL (ex: youtube.com/@handle) and under the channel name. It’s a new username for your channel.

YouTube simplified tagging, just like Instagram does. And with handles, YouTube wants you to stay on YouTube as long as possible; by watching videos, commenting, being active in a discussion, etc.; if you haven’t reserved your unique handle yet, you can read YouTube handles overview.

3. YouTube Live Videos

Live videos tend to keep viewers engaged because these videos are relatable. No filters, no editing, no repetition. All live! Even though live videos are not a new feature, they are gaining popularity. The interesting fact is that viewers tend to spend 8x longer watching live YouTube videos than regular videos.  Thus, live videos are a great opportunity to offer products and services and/or give discounts. Viewers are more likely to act on these offers. If you have never created live videos for your channel, 2023 might be your year.

4. Better (Personalized) Shopping Journey

Like many viewers on YouTube, you have probably had the same shopping experience: you started with a ‘how to’ search query and ended up watching a completely different video and channel that inspired you to purchase something. You are not alone! Because 75% of people believe that YouTube enhanced their shopping experience. YouTube has reduced noise and only offers relevant content to the search. Perfect matchmaking of viewers, creators, and brands.

Shoppers trust YouTube creators who provide quality information. 89% of viewers think that YouTube creators provide a trustworthy recommendations (Think with Google).

And the most important is that 87% of shoppers reported they make shopping decisions faster after watching YouTube videos.  

The opportunity for 2023 is to partner with YouTube creators who can present products and services correctly. Connect YouTube with E-commerce trends in 2023, such as sustainability, RE-commerce, and subscription commerce, and you have a winning YouTube channel.

5. Sports

The way we watch sports has changed in recent years. Smart TVs have become our life, and the beauty of it is that you can hit rewind anytime you want. And YouTube has been populating that area as well. The upcoming trend is behind-the-scenes footage of the big game, interviews, and athletes becoming creators. Rob Gronkowski quickly grew his channel to over 8 million views. Sports fans have a significant interest, and there is still room to grow. The expected number of digital viewers of live sports will exceed 90 million by 2025.

Sports-related content is still here, and it’s an opportunity for you to invent some exciting content that connects fans to their favorite sports team or player.

6. Hybrid Creators

The word hybrid is probably most attached to hybrid cars or hybrid workplaces. But the new expression is hybrid creators. And that’s from the recent YouTube Culture & Trends Report 2022.

Creators who use different mediums, tools, and formats are gaining a wider audience and, thus, popularity. And this trend will continue in 2023. Those who adapt quickly and can combine multiple mediums and digital formats at the same time will succeed. Think about gaming and production, metaverse, live streaming, and more.

7. Memes

The only saying goes: a picture is worth more than a thousand words. And this is true when it comes to memes. Sometimes is so much easier to express how we feel about something with a simple meme. And that is what most Gen Z want to see more of. Memes have become our new normal, and brands can jump on this bandwagon and participate in memes’ creativity.   

YouTube Trends Content Ideas:

Let’s look at trending topics and content ideas that will be popular in 2023. Gen Z is the leading focus group and can even decide what good and bad content is.

8. Future is Electric

The electric vehicle (EV) market is evolving quickly and thus offering opportunities for big companies and content creators to make content around that. Searches for electric cars have grown significantly in the past year. And what is interesting is that 80% of new car shoppers took action after watching a video.

Videos have a big impact on people’s decisions to buy electric vehicles. For content creators, this means focusing on creating interesting, helpful videos for electric car drivers or creating in-depth electric car review videos. Topics range from how to save battery and drive efficiently to where to find charging stations.

9. Frugal Life

2023 is predicted to be a tough year. The recession is knocking on a door; inflation is at its peak, and home prices are skyrocketing. Due to that, many people are looking for tips to save money and live a more straightforward, frugal life. These videos were popular a few years back, but the topic is trending again. How to get rid of credit card debt, what to buy at stores, how to get the best discounts – these YouTube trends can be popular in 2023.

10. Work from Home Ideas

Working from home is not a hush-hush topic but a new normal. A new term is quiet quitting. More and more people are working from home, and this trend will continue in 2023. What is relevant is that working from home has both good and bad sides.

Freelancers around the world need help in almost everything: how to set up a home office, how to schedule their day, burnout, and so much more. Relatable videos that trigger pain points and solve the problem can quickly gain subscribers and views.  

11. Gaming

Yes, no matter which year it is, gaming is always popular. With new games being released each year, new content keeps growing. Fortnite, PUBG, Minecraft, and GTA V are still leading game titles in live-streaming. This has become the norm in the gaming and esports industry. Creating YouTube content around games is a great way to promote new game titles, explore new features, and promote game updates.

Having a gaming channel takes much work: you must play the game first, record videos, edit videos, and eventually differentiate yourself from other gaming channels. Creating content around those popular games can be your starting point. Or you can find an entirely new game and create content around that.

Don’t forget that GTA 6 might be released next year, and that game is always popular. But we still need to wait for an official release from Rockstar Games. Until then, you can start creating a strategy around your new YouTube Gaming Channel.

12. Soothing Content

The past two years have been stressful for everyone. And each generation has a different coping mechanism. Gen Z has turned to YouTube videos to help them relax. The newest Google report says that 83% of Gen Z has used YouTube to find content that helps them relax.

Gen Z is shaping the future, and it’s time to adapt to their needs and interests. This generation prefers calm, hours-long videos, nature live streams, and ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response). Some of these videos were popular at the start of the 2010s’, and now they are trending again. Entering 2023, which might bring recessions and more stress, I believe we will all need something to help us relax. YouTube might be an excellent place to start.

13. Content that Serves the Users

YouTube has become a place where people seek comfort. 78% of people reported that YouTube provides content that is personally relevant to them, which means that content creators have recognized that personalization is much more important than gaining viewership and subscribers with generic topics. This will continue in the years ahead. There is a way to form a meaningful relationship with the viewers and serve them with content that solves their problems and fits their needs.