10 Best Trending YouTube Shorts Niches: A Complete Guide (With Earnings Potential)

Trending YouTube Shorts Niches

YouTube Shorts have become a go-to platform for creators looking to produce bite-sized, engaging content. With a growing audience and YouTube pushing Shorts to compete with TikTok, it’s the perfect time to jump on the trend. To stand out, you need to choose the right niche that’s trending and has the potential to attract views. Here’s a complete guide to the trending YouTube Shorts niches booming in 2024.

1. Entertainment and Comedy

Shorts are all about quickly grabbing attention; entertainment-based content does this best. Comedy sketches, funny moments, and pranks have mass appeal and tend to go viral quickly. Creators focusing on short, witty, or hilarious content can amass millions of views in a short time.

To succeed in this niche, timing and relevance are key. Jumping on trending memes, creating funny character impersonations, or uploading humorous takes on everyday situations are great strategies. Keep the content relatable, light-hearted, and fast-paced.

Earnings Potential: CPMs (Cost Per Mille, or cost per 1,000 views) in this niche range from $1 to $3. While ads can generate some income, sponsorships and brand deals offer bigger opportunities, especially for viral creators. Once you build an audience, merchandising or creating exclusive content can also bring in revenue.

2. DIY and Life Hacks

DIY (Do-It-Yourself) videos have always performed well on YouTube, and in the Shorts format, they’re just as effective. People love quick, to-the-point tips on how to make something at home, fix problems, or use objects in innovative ways. The key to succeeding in this niche is making your tutorials quick but effective, breaking down tasks into easy-to-follow steps.

Popular topics in DIY Shorts include:

• Home organization tips
• Quick cooking hacks
• Creative crafts and recycling
• Fashion and beauty hacks

Life hacks, like everyday tips to make life easier, are also a huge hit. Whether it’s organizing your workspace or cleaning stubborn stains, short, practical hacks get a lot of engagement.

Earnings Potential: CPMs in this niche tend to range between $2 to $5. In addition to ad revenue, DIY content can also generate income through affiliate marketing (eg, linking to tools or materials used in the videos) and brand partnerships, especially if you feature products from specific companies.

3. Tech Reviews and Unboxings

Tech content thrives on YouTube, and the same goes for Shorts. Unboxing videos, first impressions of new gadgets, and quick reviews are highly popular. With just a minute or less, viewers get a sneak peek into the latest tech products without committing to a long video.

The unboxing niche includes:

• Smartphones
• Gaming consoles
• Smart home devices
• Laptops and PCs

For tech reviews, ensure your content is concise and covers the most important aspects. A brief highlight of features or comparisons between competing products can make for engaging Shorts.

Earnings Potential: CPMs for tech content can be as high as $4 to $7, depending on the product and audience demographics. Sponsored deals with tech companies are a common revenue stream, and affiliate marketing links to products you review (eg, through Amazon or other retailers) can further boost your earnings.

4. Fitness and Health

People love consuming fitness and health content in small doses. Quick workout routines, healthy snack ideas, or even motivational fitness clips are perfect for YouTube Shorts. These videos not only inspire viewers but are also easy to follow and replicate.

To engage audiences in the fitness niche, consider:

• 30-second workout challenges
• Quick stretches or yoga poses
• Meal-prep tips for healthy eating
• Before-and-after fitness transformation snippets

This niche has the potential to bring in a dedicated audience, especially if your content is visually appealing and practical. Show results, inspire action, and keep it fresh.

Earnings Potential: Fitness and health content often earns between $3 to $6 CPM. You can also make money by promoting fitness products, workout gear, supplements, or coaching services. Partnering with health brands or launching your own fitness programs can lead to additional income streams.

5. Fashion and Beauty

Fashion and beauty Shorts are another trending niche. Quick makeup tutorials, hairstyle tips, or outfit inspiration videos can grab attention instantly. With many viewers looking for simple, fast-paced content, short videos focusing on style transformations or beauty hacks are a surefire hit.

Popular topics include:

• 60-second makeup transformations
• Styling tips for different occasions
• Haircare and skincare routines
• Affordable fashion hauls

This niche does well with captivating visuals and well-lit videos that clearly show the transformations or results. Collaborations with beauty brands can also enhance reach and monetization opportunities.

Earnings Potential: CPMs in fashion and beauty typically range from $3 to $8. You can generate income through ads, affiliate marketing (promoting makeup or clothing brands), and brand sponsorships. If your channel grows, paid collaborations with major beauty or fashion companies could bring in significant revenue.

6. Food and Recipe Shorts

Food content is evergreen on YouTube, and Shorts provides an opportunity to share bite-sized cooking tips and recipes. Quick recipes that viewers can replicate at home in under a minute are extremely popular. Whether it’s comfort food, gourmet dishes, or easy desserts, food shorts get high engagement.

Content ideas include:

• 1-minute snack recipes
• Cooking tips and tricks
• Street food reviews
• Ingredient hacks

Make sure to capture the process clearly with close-up shots of ingredients and final dishes. The shorter the video, the easier it is for users to digest the information, making them more likely to watch it again or share it.

Earnings Potential: Food channels usually earn around $2 to $5 CPM, but the potential for affiliate marketing (linking to kitchen tools, ingredients, or cookbooks) is high. Sponsorships from food brands or even launching your own line of recipes or cookbooks can further increase earnings.

7. Travel and Adventure

Travel enthusiasts often love watching quick, visually stunning videos showcasing exotic locations, famous landmarks, or unique experiences. YouTube Shorts in the travel niche focuses on brief destination guides, travel tips, or even bucket-list adventures.

Engaging travel content can include:

• Aerial drone shots of famous locations
• Tips for budget travel or solo travel
• 30-second cultural or food experiences
• Quick must-see places

Viewers are often drawn to vibrant, well-shot visuals, so quality video production is crucial in this niche. Even for creators with smaller budgets, interesting locations, and unique angles can make for engaging content.

Earnings Potential: Travel content often generates $2 to $4 CPM. Sponsored travel partnerships, affiliate links for booking sites, or travel gear endorsements are excellent revenue sources in this niche.

8. Educational and Facts

Educational content that is brief but informative performs surprisingly well in the Shorts format. People enjoy learning new things without committing to a long video. This niche can cover anything from historical facts, and science experiments, to quick tutorials.

Trending educational Shorts topics:

• Fun trivia and facts
• Quick “how-to” tutorials (eg, solving a math problem, learning a new word)
• Science experiments
• History or cultural lessons

If you can distill complex information into short, engaging pieces, educational Shorts will attract a curious audience that loves to share interesting knowledge.

Earnings Potential: The CPM for educational content usually ranges from $2 to $5. Revenue can also come from promoting educational products or courses, as well as brand sponsorships with educational platforms or materials.

9. Motivational and Inspirational Quotes

Motivational and inspirational content has always been popular on social media, and YouTube Shorts are no exception. Short bursts of positivity, whether through famous quotes, personal stories, or simple affirmations, resonate well with audiences looking for a quick pick-me-up.

This niche thrives on:

• Daily motivational quotes
• Short inspirational stories
• Personal success anecdotes
• Positive affirmations

Pairing impactful quotes with relevant imagery or video clips can make these Shorts even more engaging. The goal is to leave viewers feeling uplifted and motivated in under a minute.

Earnings Potential: CPMs for motivational content can be around $1 to $3, but revenue from collaborations with wellness brands or selling digital products like motivational ebooks, courses, or merchandise can significantly increase your earnings.

10. Gaming Clips

Gaming content is huge on YouTube, and Shorts give gamers a new way to share highlights, achievements, and funny moments. Short gaming clips that showcase epic moments, funny glitches, or cool gameplay stunts are highly popular.

Ideas for gaming Shorts include:

• Game highlights and trick shots
• Funny or embarrassing in-game moments
• Speedrun clips
• New game feature showcases

To grow in the gaming niche, it’s important to stay up-to-date with new releases and trends in the gaming community. Gaming Shorts also benefit from sharp editing and clear, high-quality visuals.

Earnings Potential: Gaming content typically earns between $2 and $4 CPM. However, gaming creators can also monetize through affiliate marketing (promoting games or gear), sponsored gaming deals, and partnerships with gaming companies.

Conclusion

Trending YouTube Shorts niches are diverse, with opportunities to cater to different audiences. Whether it’s entertainment, technology, fitness, or food, there’s plenty of room to succeed by keeping content short, engaging, and relevant.

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