Edward Clayton 
The YouTube ecosystem is vast. With over 2.50 billion users, there is a sea of different types of video content available. What was once a small site dedicated to sharing videos uploaded by friends has evolved into the second-most-visited website on the internet. With that much reach, YouTube has become a key platform for independent creators and large companies alike.
Whether you’re working with a professional production company like Pretzel Logic Productions or you’re producing content on your own, there are plenty of formats for you to choose from.
Vlogs
Vlogs are a classic form of YouTube content. Originally, they were a place to talk about your day or to ramble on about something interesting. They were, by definition, unplanned and off the cuff. An unvarnished peek into someone else’s life.
While many vlogs uploaded today are a bit more structured and have much more of a professional polish to them, that authenticity remains at the format’s heart. Gaming creators might choose to talk about a new piece of hardware they just installed for their streaming setup. Creators who focus on investing might bring their followers along for their morning run while they talk loosely about their financial plans for the month. The human connection keeps viewers engaged.
Tutorials
In 2017, 70 percent of millennial YouTube users utilized the platform to learn how to do something new. With the explosion of video through the online space, video tutorials are helping more people than ever. They are often created by companies to help educate the community of their customers about their products, going over best practices and features they might not otherwise be aware of.
Video tutorials are also popular for helping people solve the mundane problems they run into in their daily lives. Helpful plumbers, car mechanics, and more have all built sizable communities by showing people how to tackle the problems around them.
Explainer Videos
Explainer videos share some DNA with tutorials, but they serve a different purpose. Whereas a tutorial aims to show the viewer how to do something specific, an explainer video instead aims to inform the viewer on the topic itself. It’s the difference between showing someone how to clean a specific mechanical keyboard versus educating them on the whole product line. They can be used to quickly and effectively educate the audience on a subject, breaking down complex ideas in ways that make them more digestible.
Product Overviews
YouTube has long provided a home for reviewers, both amateur and professional, to voice their opinions and help their community make an informed choice. While online reviews aren’t unique to YouTube, the video format allows a reviewer to engage with their audience on a much more personal level. When you can watch someone actively applying a new mascara or trying to record audio with a new budget USB mic, you’re likely to believe their thoughts. Some reviewers even have a fan base unto themselves, bringing in a consistent audience curious to know what they think about new products.
Interviews, AMAs, and Q&As
Interviews, AMAs (Ask Me Anything), and Q&As are all different types of video content, but we’re going to group them together here because they serve a unified purpose: giving an online community access to someone they care about.
They create the opportunity for an audience to learn more about famous actors, company CEOs, and other interesting public figures in a more casual setting. It takes advantage of the unique way the internet can bridge the gap between ordinary people and notable individuals.
Gaming Streams
Gaming streams are one of the newest kinds of videos you’ll find on YouTube, but they have some of the highest engagement on the platform. What sets a gaming stream apart from different types of video content is the live interaction between a streamer and their fans. When you watch a stream, you’re able to hang out in real time with the streamer as they play. It’s a blurring of the fourth wall, where creators can react and respond to their chat and participate in the conversation. Not only does this boost a streamer’s engagement, but it also lets them grow a large community around them.
YouTube Shorts
TikTok may have led the charge with short-form video content, but YouTube Shorts are still a major player in the space. There are over 70 billion views every day, and the audience is ever-growing. In fact, the vast majority of users who regularly post on other platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels also post their short-form content as Shorts.
YouTube allows creators to create a central hub for both their short-form and long-form content. An audience can find a creator’s responses and participation in popular short-form trends in the same place as their long-form streams or deep-dive videos. Creators can also use Shorts to guide their audiences to their long-form content, posting interesting moments and segments to generate interest in the full video.
Educational Videos
While similar to tutorials and explainers, educational videos deserve their own discussion. Instead of getting into the nitty-gritty of a specific product or organization, they aim to broadly educate the audience on a topic relevant to their interests.
Companies can use the format to provide some free value to their customers, but there are also plenty of independent creators on YouTube who are making educational videos for the sheer joy of entertaining and informing their audiences. There are also a number of larger academic institutions that post educational videos online as part of their mission. Educational videos can have a long lifespan, continuing to inform viewers years and years after their original upload date.
This is just a taste of the different types of video content on YouTube. Whatever your needs are, there’s a video style that can help you tell your story, inform your customers, entertain the masses, or just about anything. Decide what your goals are, pick a style of video, and start filming!
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