Top 10 YouTube Trends (Updated)

YouTube, like most social media platforms, changes in content on a regular basis. It is YouTubers’ jobs to both set and keep up with the trends to keep their subscribers invested in their content. Although YouTube trends come and go, here are the top 10 trends on YouTube that are used by your favorite influencers today:

1. Day in my Life

Day in My Life vlogs are basically the bread and butter of every lifestyle YouTuber. This popular YouTube trend is as easy as it sounds, just pick up a camera and take subscribers throughout your day. The simplicity with this trend is that most subscribers turn to lifestyle YouTubers for insight on their life and ideas on how to apply things to their own. Because it is such a personal video, this trend unveils some of the mystery of a YouTubers life. However, this trend isn’t only for the influencers. Kylie Jenner released a 20 minute day in my life video that almost broke the internet in June of 2019. Her video reached almost 40 million views and showed her fans what really goes on in her day from taking care of (daughter) Stormi to running a billion-dollar makeup company.

Kylie Jenner’s Lifestyle Content:

1. Day In My Life
2. Cooking
3. Q & A
4. Skincare Routine
5. Get Ready With Me
6. Office Tour
7. Makeup Tutorials
8. Vlogs

2. Drive-Thru Taste Test

The drive-thru taste test is very common among YouTube trends because there are so many approaches that give vloggers creative freedom. A common take is “Letting Starbucks Barista Pick Our Drink.” In this video, the YouTuber is usually with a friend or is collaborating with another YouTuber and they tell the barista at the Starbucks drive-thru to make whatever they want. This trend is so popular because it has the surprise element that they (and the viewer) have no idea what to expect. Other approaches are going to different drive-thrus and getting similar menu items at each restaurant and having either a mukbang or a blindfolded taste test. Popular takes on this are the french fry test where content creators get an order of fries from different fast-food chains and try to guess where the fries are from. These don’t really have a surprise factor but they are often comedic and entertaining. 

3. Beauty Tutorials

Beauty tutorials are a go-to of YouTube trends, and not just for the beauty community. Although beauty YouTubers have more advanced tutorials, many lifestyle vloggers do simple day-to-day hair, makeup, and skincare looks that anyone can follow along to. Beauty tutorials have evolved into a more inclusive trend because now anyone can do them without the added pressure of a hard to follow look. Most often they are done in the context of a “get ready with me” vlog where the viewer can follow along by literally getting ready with their favorite YouTuber.

4. Clothing Haul

Clothing hauls are a popular trend for almost any vlogger. Whether you are lifestyle, fitness, travel, etc., everyone wears clothes. Clothes are also a great representation of a persons’ personality and style so through a clothing haul you can express yourself to your viewers. Some hauls are just to show off styles and some are brand partnerships with clothing companies. However, clothing hauls are so trendy because they give subscribers inspiration on what to buy and what stores to buy it from. These videos give viewers a personalized lookbook while saving them time spending hours shopping and not knowing what to buy.

Popular Brand Partnerships in Clothing Hauls:

• Princess Polly
• Windsor
• Boohoo
• Gymshark

5. Reactions

Reaction videos will likely always be trending on YouTube because they can be related to anything in pop culture. Reaction videos vary because someone can react to anything and make it into entertaining content. Videos can be more personal, such as when Emma Chamberlain made a reaction video to her old videos. But they can also be about trending topics such as reacting to music videos, album releases, and red carpet looks. Recently, James Charles made a video reacting to TikToks about him, incorporating both the personal aspect and pop culture trend.

Popular Types of Reaction Videos:

6. Collaborations

Collaboration videos are very popular trends for YouTubers who are trying to gain views and subscribers from a new audience. Whether you are a smaller channel or have millions of subscribers, it is important to work with other creators to reach their audiences. For example, the Dolan Twins collaboration with Jeffree Star allowed for content and exposure on both channels while creating unique videos that are fun for their subscribers. Subscribers enjoy seeing their favorite YouTubers collaborate because it shows that they are friends both on and off the platform.

7. What I Eat in a Day

What I eat in a day videos are great trends for most lifestyle and fitness YouTubers. Fitness YouTubers especially incorporate eating videos into their routine content because they are promoting healthy choices that go along with their workouts and lifestyles. What I eat in a day videos are great for subscribers to get ideas on what healthy options they can include in their day-to-day life. Like clothing hauls, they can also be made in partnership with food brands, such as Blue Apron. These videos are also so popular because they make healthy eating look so appealing and easy to viewers.

8. Moving (in our out)

Moving (in or out) videos are popular YouTube trends because they provide inspiration both for home decor ideas and for lifestyle changes. Someone aspiring to move to New York might look at a move-in video/tour to see if the move is something they want to pursue and to get an idea of what life there could potentially look like. Most moving videos are targeted toward major cities such as New York and Los Angeles, but there are also popular moving videos for college students such as dorm and study abroad move-ins.

9. Recreating Celebrity Photos

Recreating celebrity photos (and influencer photos) is on of the great YouTube trends for creators trying to appeal to pop culture. Most subscribers are also following major celebrities on other platforms such as Instagram. When celebrities such as Kendall Jenner post their high fashion photoshoots, these pictures are cool content for fans. So why not try to recreate it for entertainment purposes and a cute Instagram post? Creators have recreated pictures by Kendall Jenner, Travis Scott, Zendaya and major influencers such as David Dobrik and Emma Chamberlain.

10. Surprises

Surprise videos are not as common because they require a larger budget, but they are a very successful trend for bigger influencers such as David Dobrik, The Ace Family, and Adeline Morin. David Dobrik, in particular, has a strong history with this content and most of these videos are sponsored by Seat Geek. While some YouTubers might pocket money from sponsorships, David Dobrik uses the funds and puts them into giving back to his friends, family, and community. He has given away cars to friends, family, and even random strangers. His success with this content in partnership with Seat Geek has become so part of his brand that he even gave away a Tesla with them via Instagram. 

Other things David Dobrik has surprised people with:

• Cars
• Laptops
• Tuition
• Money
• iPads
• Chipotle 
• Event Tickets

Other Notable YouTube Trends:

For more social media trends, check out our blogs on the Social Media Trends in 2020 and Influencer Marketing Trends: Merch.