Top 10 YouTube Trends to Watch in 2021 - Envato

From co-watching events to voice search, explore the top trends and new features set to take over Youtube this year. Plus, discover how to ... DesignWebDesignVideo&AudioMarketingInsideEnvatoCommunityStoriesOurProductsEnvatoistheleadingmarketplaceforcreativeassetsandcreativepeopleAboutEnvatoSubscribeforunlimiteddigitalassetsBuyandselldigitalassetsCreateyourownmockupsandassetsHiredesignersanddevelopersUpskillwithtutorialsandcoursesBrowsefreestockvideoandartMakeafreeInstawebsiteBrowsereal-worldstockphotosHomepage/Marketing/10HottestYouTubeTrendstoWatchin2021Marketing,Video&Audio10HottestYouTubeTrendstoWatchin2021Fromco-watchingeventstovoicesearch,explorethetoptrendsandnewfeaturessettotakeoverYoutubethisyear.ByKelsieRimmerPosted16Mar20212020wasaheckofayearforYouTube.Throughouttheglobalpandemic,theworldturnedtovideotoreplacein-personeventsandactivities–andasaresult,theplatform’spopularityhasabsolutelyskyrocketed.Inthisfeature,we’llexplorethehottestYouTubetrendsemergingonlinein2021. With300hoursofvideonowbeinguploadedtoYouTubeeveryminuteandmorethan2billionmonthlyusers,YouTubetrendsareconstantlyevolving–andwithSOmuchvideocontentbeingproducedandpromotedbycreatorsacrosstheplatform,it’smoreimportantthanevertostayaheadofthelatestYouTubecrazestoensurethatyourcontentstandsout. Luckily,everythingyouneedtostreamlinethecreationofyournextYouTubemasterpieceisrightatyourfingertips!EnvatoElementshasthedigitalassetsyouneedtocreateengagingYouTubevideosforyourchannel,YouTubemerch,andmuchmore. Fromlowerthirdtemplatestoendscreensandchannelartdesign,ElementsofferstheultimateYouTubetoolkit,includingstockfootageandmotiongraphicstoenhanceyourvideoprojects.Readytogo?HerearethetopvideotrendsandmarketingtacticstakingoverYouTubein2021… Co-WatchingEvents On-The-GoVideo YouTubeChallenges HighlyBrandedChannels HighContrastThumbnails VoiceSearchandHashtags GamingLivestreams TheDemocratisationofYouTube V-Tubers Docuseries 1.Co-WatchingEvents Withmanyeventsgoingvirtualoverthelastyear,co-watchingeventshavereallytakenoff.Peoplearesharingtheirviewingexperiencestocreateafeelingoftogethernessinthemidstofsocialdistancing.Andwithmanystreamingservicesnowofferingfeaturessuchas‘viewingparties’,weexpecttoseethistrendcontinuewellinto2021andbeyond.  Takingthistrendonestepfurther,viewersarenoweventuningintowatchtheirfavoritepersonalitieswatchsportingevents,concertsandotherliveeventsonYouTube–asseeninthisArsenalvsNewcastle|WatchAlongLivebyAFTV.MorethanaquarterofamillionfootballfansswitchedontowatchagroupofexpertsviewtheactionastheArsenalandNewcastleplayersbattleditout,evenaddingtheirsportinganalysistothelivechat. “Sometimeswhat’sgoingonaroundaneventisjustasimportantaswhat’stakingcenterstage,’explainsEnvato’svideoproducerEduardoFlores.“Whetherit’shavingalaughatacomedyshow,singingyourfavoritesongataconcertorcelebratingalast-minutegoalwithstrangersatafootballstadium,withco-watchingevents,yougettointeractwithotherviewersthroughlivechatandwatchyourfavoriteYouTubersprovidecommentaryinreal-time–makingthewatchpartyacommunalexperiencethatcreatesasenseofcommunityandbelonging.”  IfyouwanttorampuptheexcitementforyourYouTubeviewers,makeyoursportsvideosstandouton-screenwiththiseasy-to-customiseSportNightOpenerby333pix.Whetheryourchannelrevolvesaroundhomerunsorslamdunks,aprofessionalintrotoeachandeverymatchwillhaveyoupumpingupthosechannelnumbersinnotime.  Orformoresportsaction,checkoutourroundupoftheTop10SportsVideoTemplates! 2.VideoOn-The-Go Short,snackablevideocontenthasbecomealltherageonsocialplatformslikeInstagramandTikTok,soitwasonlyamatteroftimebeforeYouTubefollowedsuit.Andinresponsetomobilevideoconsumptiongoingupby100%everyyear,YouTubehaslaunchedarangeoffeaturesmakingiteveneasiertoconsumevideosonthego. Recentlyrolledoutonmobileanddesktop,theChaptersfeatureenablesviewerstoskiptokeysectionsofavideo,forefficientviewing.Similarly,YouTubeShortsare60-secondverticalvideosidealforcreatorswhowanttoshootshort,catchyvideosoptimizedforamobile-viewingexperience.Longstoryshort–snappy,on-the-govideoisquicklybecomingoneofYouTube’shottesttrends  “Withmobiledevicesdominatingtheonlinelandscape,it’schangedthewaythecontenthostedonYouTubeisconsumed–andthevideohostinggianthasrealisedthat!”saysEnvato’sVideoMarketingSpecialistJenMcKinnon.“Peoplearewatchingon-the-goandYouTubeisnowbendingtothatuserpreferencebyintroducingfeaturesthatoptimisetheexperiencefortheirbusyusers. Yes,fromauserperspectiveYouTube’spriorityistodelivercontentthatisvaluabletotheconsumerbuttherealmotivationbehindtheiralgorithmistogetuserstostayontheplatformforlonger.Themorefeaturesandformatsavailabletotheeverydayuser,themorechanceYouTubehasofgettingthemtostickaround,whichiswhyweseefeaturereleaseslikeYouTubeShorts,whichisYouTube’sanswertoInstagramorFacebookStories.” Ifyouwanttogiveon-the-govideoago,averticalvideoopenerlikeUpbeatInstagramOpenerbybubbledanceisagreatplacetostart.Thisedgyandinstantlyengagingtemplateenablesyoutocuttogetheranimatedtextandvideoclipstosetthetoneforyourvideoorchannel.  Don’twanttofilmashortvideoyourself?CheckoutMixkit’scollectionofFreeVerticalVideostostartcreatingvideosonthego! 3.YouTubeChallenges Haveyougotacompetitiveside?Thenthistrendisforyou!Fromchillieatingcontests,tomakeupchallenges,toviraldanceroutines,videocreatorsarechallengingthemselves–andeachother–moreandmoreinabidtoentertainaudiences.Typically,thesechallengevideosfeaturetwopeoplegoinghead-to-headusingasplitscreenformat.  ThetrendiswelldemonstratedinthisEditRaceSeriesbyBennyProductions–inwhichdigitalartistsarechallengedtooutwitandout-editchannelowner,BennyVanValen.Taskedwithmanipulatingthesamesetofphotosintoanewimage,thecontestants’Photoshopscreensarepositionedside-by-sidetoallowviewerstowatcheverystageoftheprocess.Beforetheireyes,audienceswatchasanordinaryphotoistransformedintoanentirelydifferentcomposition.  TotryoutthechallengetrendinyournextYouTubevideo,checkoutthiseasy-to-useMultiScreenFramesPackbyMedia_Stock.Youcanuseittofeaturemultiplepeople,oroptforastraightforwardsplitscreen. Anddon’tforgettocheckoutEpisode1ofTurboTipsfeaturingBennyProductionstolearnhowtocreateacompositeinPhotoshop. 4.HighlyBrandedChannels WhileYouTubewasonceablackholeofcats,failvideosandamateurmakeupgurus,highlybrandedchannelshavetotallytakenovertheplatformoverthelastfewyears.  “YouTubeisnolongerjusthometocatvideosandyourcousinJessica’sweddingvideo,”explainsJen.“Peoplearemakingbigmoneyontheplatformand,asaresult,nomatterwhetheryou’reabigbrandoranindividual,inordertostandoutthecontentfromyourchannelneedstobeinstantlyrecognizable.” HighlybrandedfoodiechannelGoodMythicalMorninghasamassedawhopping16.9millionsubscribers,andfromtheirchannelbannerandlogotothebrandedcoffeemugsonthehosts’desk,theynevermissanopportunitytoremindviewersofwhotheyare.ThesamegoesforYouTubebeautyguruJamesCharles,whose25millionsubscriberscouldrecognizehischannelatthedropofamakeupbrush.Featuringabrandedprofilephotoandbanner,hischannelimmediatelyestablisheswhatit’sallabout. IfyouwanttotakeyourYouTubechanneltothenextlevel,it’simportanttofirstestablishastrongvisualidentity.CreatingaconsistentbrandforyourYouTubechannelandvideocontentwillhelpaudiencesrecognizeyourwork,leadingtomoreviewsandmoresubscribers.  CheckoutthesefullycustomisableFashionYoutubeBannersbyGioraphics,theseTop10YouTubeBannerTemplatesortheseMixKitendscreentemplatestoseeyoursubscriptionssoar!  5.High-ContrastThumbnails Wanttoreelinmoreviewsonyourvideos?It’sallinthethumbnail!Whilethumbnailsmaybesmall,theycanmakeorbreakavideo’sperformance.Themoreeye-catchingthethumbnail,themoreclicksandviewsyourvideowillget.Asaresult,we’reseeingvideocreatorsincreasethecontrastintheirthumbnailstomakethemreallystandout.  Forexample,videosuploadedbyTheFuturChannelareextremelyclick-worthyduetotheirblock-colorbackgrounds,high-contrastimagesandimpossible-to-ignoresansseriffonts. Meanwhile,BennyProductions’editracethumbnailsaremadetobuildanticipation.Thehigh-contrast,ultra-saturateddesignsfeaturethePhotoshoplogoandabeforeandafteroftheeditedimagessothatthecontentofeveryvideoisimmediatelyapparent. Customizingyourthumbnailisasurefirewayofattractingattentiontoyourvideos.Infact,accordingtoYouTube,90%oftop-performingvideosuseacustomthumbnail.GrabattentionwiththisGamingYoutubeThumbnailsPack07byOdin_Designfeaturingretrofonts,futuristicbackgroundsandreflectiveelements.OrlearnmoreaboutintegratinghighcontrastcolorintoyournextvideowithourBrightandBoldblog! 6.VoiceSearchandHashtags TogetviewsonyourYouTubevideos,they’vegottobeeasytofind!AsGoogleisconstantlystrivingtoenhanceuserexperience,it’snosurprisethatYouTubehasalsointroducedanumberoffeaturestomakesearchingforvideoseasier.OneofwhichisVoiceSearch. BysimplyclickingthemicrophoneiconnexttotheYouTubesearchbox,userscannowsearchforvideoswiththeirvoice.Thisfeaturehasseenariseinlong-tailkeywordsontheplatform.Unlikethestemkeywordswhicharetypedintothesearchbar,long-tailkeywordsusuallymakeafullsentenceorquestion.Asvoicesearchcontinuestorise,creatorsshouldpayattentiontotheselong-tailkeywordsastheyaremucheasiertorankfor. “AsmuchasYouTubemayappeartobeanentertainmentplatformorevenasocialnetwork,itisasearchenginefirstandforemost,”Jennotes.“And,justasGooglegrows,thesearchfunctionsonYouTubearealwaysdeveloping,too.ThisyearI’mpredictingwe’llseevoicesearchstartmakinganimpactonthefindabilityofvideocontent,withlong-tailkeywordsbeginningtoseemoresearchvolumeontheYouTubeplatform.” “WhileYouTubeisnotasocialplatform,itcertainlyborrowsheavilyfromFacebook,InstagramandTwitter,”Jencontinues.“Theplatformhas,forawhile,hadhashtagfunctionalitybut,withthelaunchofhashtaglandingpagesinearly2021,Ithinkthiswillbetheyearthatthefunctionalitywillreallytakeoff,withcreatorstryingtoranktheircontentnotonlyinthesearchresultspagesbutonhashtaglandingpagestoo.” Ifyou’reacontentcreator,itmaybeworthfamiliarizingyourselfwithGoogle’slatestrankingmatrix,CoreWebVitals–oneofourbigMarketingTrendspredictionspeggedfor2021. 7.GamingLivestreams YouTubehasbecomeamajordestinationforgamingandeSportstournaments.Justlastyear,YouTubeGaminggeneratedover100billionhoursofwatchtimeandover40millionactivegamingchannels,suggestingthatthegaminglivestreamtrendisfarfromreachinggame-over.  ShowcasinggameslikeMinecraft,FortniteandGarenaFreeFire,livestreamsallowgamerstobroadcastallaroundtheworld,earningpopularusershundredsandthousandsofsubscribers(anddollars)intheprocess.Forexample,SSundeeisfamousonYouTubeforsharingMinecrafttipsandFortniteBattleRoyalevideoswithhis16millionsubscribers.SSundee’suploadsarenowhighlyanticipatedbyhissubscribers,whotuneinagainandagaintopick-upwinningtactics. Tocreateyourowngamingchannelandbeatoutthecompetition,thisGamerchannelopenerbyVideostoneswillhelpyouampupanticipation.Or,tryoneofour10BestGamingMusicTrackstosetthemoodforyourlivestreams.  8.TheDemocratisationofYouTube ThankstoplatformslikeYouTube,it’snowsupereasyforanyonetofilmavideoandshareitwithanonlineaudience.Andasbeingacreatorbecomesincreasinglyaccessible,we’reseeingmoreandmoreunusualcreatorsgainnotoriety. GrandfatherTitoCharlybecameanovernightYouTubesensationwhenhestartedpostingvideosofhimselfpreparingMexicandishes.Now,hisweeklycookingsessions–filmedinTito’skitcheninMonterrey–haveattractedthousandsofviews.AlsoprovingthatageisnobarrierisGamerGrandmaHamakoMori,whorecentlyenteredtheGuinnessBookofRecordsastheworld’soldestYouTubevideogamer.Subscribersconstantlytuneintoseethe90-year-oldunboxnewconsolesandlivestreamgamessuchasGrandTheftAutoandSkyrim.  Thesuccessofbothofthesemould-breakingcreatorsshowsthatthedemocratizationofYouTubeisofficiallyhere,andit’satrendthat’snotgoinganywhereanytimesoon.  “Whenyouthinkaboutit,YouTubeisreallyjustamassivebroadcastingnetworkwheretheaudiencearetheexecutivescallingtheshots,”explainsJen.  “Withrecording,editingandpublishingvideobecomingsoaccessibletojustaboutanyone,itreallyopensthedoortonotorietyforpersonalitieswhoordinarilywouldn’tgetalook-inonyourtraditionalbroadcastchannelsduetotherisksassociated.WithYouTubethereisnorisk.Theaudienceisboundlessand,throughviews,watchtime,commentsandlikes,ademocracyisformed.” 9. V-Tubers WhileYouTubersandvloggerscomedimeadozen,theriseoftheV-Tuber–orVirtualYouTuber–ischangingourperceptionofcontentcreators.Thesecomputer-generated,anime-inspiredavatarsfirstrosetoprominenceinJapan,withTokyo-baseddigitalproductioncompanyActiv8bringingprominentV-TuberKizunaAitolife. OneofthefirsteverV-Tubers,Kizuna’sA.I.Channel–whereshesharesherlatestmusicsingles,dancemovesandthoughtsoneverythingfromfitnessanddatingtobubbletea–nowhasoverthreemillionsubscribers.SheeveninvitesotherVTuberstomakechallengevideosandhasherownlivestreamgamingchannel.  Meanwhile,thesecondmost-watchedvirtualYouTubestarinJapan–popstarKaguyaLunaOfficial–contrastsKizuna’sultra-feminineaestheticwithherhigh-energypunk-rockperformancesandwickedsenseofhumour.LookoutYouTubers–theV-Tubersarecomingforyou! 10.Docuseries Andfinally,fromMakingaMurderertoPlanetEarth,there’snodenyingthatweallloveagooddocumentaryseries.Asopposedtodocumentaryfilmsthatlastaround90minutes,adocuseriesallowsfilmmakerstodivedeepintotheirsubjectmatterandcreatehoursuponhoursworthofentertainment.Whetherthey’rereleasedtoaudiencesepisode-byepisodeordroppedallinonego,docuseriesareanincrediblycaptivatingformofcontent–andthey’restartingtotrendonYouTubebigtime.   Forexample,theBuildingaBrandSeriesbyTheFuturfollowstheHamiltonfamilyastheyembarkonamissiontorelaunchthebrandingfortheirbrewery.  WhileYouTube’srecentfour-partdocuseriesNikkieTutorials:LayersOfMe,liftstheveilonthestrugglesthatpopularYouTubebeautyguruNikkieDeJagerfacedthroughoutherrisetofame,andthechallengeshefacedcomingoutastransgendertohercommunity.Alreadyaphenomenalsuccess,eachtear-jerkingepisodehasgeneratednearlyfourmillionviewssinceitwaspublishedinJanuary2021.  “OnYoutube,I’vebeenseeingdocumentary-styleexplainervideosbeingreallysuccessfulrecently,”saysHakanfromVideoMark.net.‘Ahugeadvantageofusingstockfootageforthesevideosisthatyoudon’tevenhavetoshootthemyourself–youcanjustapplyanicevoice-overwithoutevenbeingoncamera(perfectforthosewithoutmuchon-cameraexperience).ThesevideosgatheralotofwatchtimeandgetsuggestedalotonYoutube.ChannelslikePolyMatterorAluxamassmillionsofsubscriberswiththisconcept,howevertopullitoffyou’llneedflawlessaudioquality,somakesuretodoyourhomeworkonthatend.” Adocuserieswouldn’tbecompletewithoutlowerthirdstointroducethepeoplewithinthereallifestory!TrythesecustomisableLowerThirdsby_markon_,whicharemadeupof20differentdesignstoaddacleanandmodernlooktoanydocuseries.  Andthatdoesitforour2021YouTubetrends!Formoresocialandmultimediainspiration,checkoutourVideoTrendsandSocialMediaTrendspredictedfortheyearahead. Exclusivetips,trends,updates&offers,directtoyourinbox.SignmeupTrendsVideoMarketingYouTubeDoyoufindthisarticleuseful?RelatedPosts