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Monetizing your YouTube content can feel overwhelming, especially with the platform hosting an endless variety of topics, ranging from finance and beauty hacks to travel vlogs and tech videos.
With over 2.5 billion monthly active users as of 2024, YouTube is the second-largest search engine in the world, offering creators an immense opportunity to reach new and diverse audiences. With so many possibilities, finding where your content fits best is crucial, not just for audience engagement but also for unlocking income potential.
Working on your YouTube’s monetization strategies can be the foundation for building a profitable channel. From ad revenue and brand partnerships to affiliate marketing and merch sales, there are multiple ways to turn your passion into profit.
This article will guide you through the concept of YouTube niches, explain why they matter, and help you discover the most lucrative options tailored to your unique content. Whether you're a beginner or looking to refine your strategy, this is your go-to resource for navigating YouTube's diverse and profitable space.
How you classify your content matters not only for discoverability but also for the platform to understand what your content is about and push it in the right direction.
These categories or genres of content have been evolving over youtube’s start back in 2005, and can be as broad or specific as a creator wants.
They can range from broad categories like gaming, which continues to dominate with billions of views annually, to highly specific ones like generative AI tutorials, which garnered more than 1.7 billion views in 2023 according to YouTube’s Culture & Trends Report.
By targeting a specific niche you can determine who your audience is, let them know what they can expect when subscribing, and work on your content strategies accordingly.
Ultimately, niches allow creators to carve out their unique space on the platform while building a loyal and engaged community.
Selecting the right niche is the foundation for a successful YouTube channel. A profitable niche provides:
Determining the most profitable niches isn’t straightforward, as earnings depend on various factors like your chosen niche, monetization strategies, audience engagement, content quality, video length, and even your geographical location.
Profitability in a YouTube niche depends on several interconnected factors, with CPM (Cost Per Mille) standing out as a key metric.
What is CPM?
CPM measures how much advertisers pay for 1,000 ad views through Google AdSense. It helps gauge the financial potential of a niche. Some examples are:
Beyond CPM: Audience Demand and Size
A niche’s profitability also depends on its audience. A large and engaged audience attracts more advertisers and provides creators with better monetization opportunities. For example:
Additionally, niches with strong sponsorship and affiliate marketing potential, like beauty or gaming, offer creators multiple income streams through brand deals and product promotions.
By focusing on these elements, you can target niches that maximize growth and profitability. Here are some of the most lucrative niches to explore:
1. How to Make Money Online
Creators in this niche share strategies for generating income through side hustles, freelancing, entrepreneurship, and passive income streams. Viewers are eager to learn how to improve their financial situation, making this one of the highest-earning niches.
CPM: Content focused on making money online commands one of the highest CPM rates on YouTube, averaging $13.52 per 1,000 views.
What Makes It Profitable:
Example: Ali Abdaal (@aliabdaal)
Ali is a former doctor turned productivity and passive income expert who shares content on making money online, building a personal brand, and leveraging digital tools. His engaging and informative style has amassed millions, making him the world’s most followed productivity expert.
2. Digital Marketing
This niche includes content about social media strategies, SEO, affiliate marketing, and content creation tips.
Advertisers pay a premium to reach professionals and entrepreneurs looking to grow their online presence.
CPM: Digital marketing content attracts a CPM of approximately $12.52, indicating the value advertisers place on reaching professionals and businesses interested in online marketing strategies.
What Makes It Profitable:
Example: Neil Patel (@neilpatel)
Neil is a renowned digital marketer who shares tutorials and strategies for SEO, website optimization, and growing businesses online with his 1.32 million followers. His practical advice is invaluable for marketers at all levels.
3. Personal Finance
This niche focuses on topics like investing, saving, debt management, and budgeting.
It attracts high-paying advertisers such as banks, credit card companies, and investment platforms.
CPM: Channels dedicated to finance and investing topics have an average CPM of $12.25, reflecting strong advertiser interest in reaching financially-minded audiences.
What Makes It Profitable:
Example: AskSebby (@AskSebby)
In his 1.3K videos, AskSebby provides insightful information on credit cards, travel rewards, and personal finance strategies. His detailed breakdowns and practical tips cater to viewers looking to optimize their finances.
4. Education
Education channels teach viewers new skills, from math and science to cooking and languages.
This niche is highly profitable due to partnerships with online course platforms and educational tools.
CPM: Educational videos command a CPM of approximately $9.89, reflecting the high value placed on informative content by advertisers.
What Makes It Profitable:
Example: Khan Academy (@khanacademy)
This nonprofit channel provides free, high-quality educational videos on subjects ranging from algebra to economics. Their focus on accessible learning has attracted over 8 million subscribers.
5. Technology
From unboxings to reviews and tutorials, tech is a lucrative niche that benefits from advertisers in electronics, software, and gaming.
CPM: Tech-related content, including reviews and tutorials, typically sees CPM rates around $4.73, driven by advertisers in the electronics and software industries.
What Makes It Profitable:
Example: Marques Brownlee (@mkbhd)
Marques produces high-quality reviews of gadgets and tech products, often focusing on the latest innovations in smartphones and laptops. His expertise has earned him a massive following, over 4,500 million views in total, and collaborations with tech giants.
6. Tutorials
Tutorials cover a broad range of topics, including DIY projects, software tutorials, and beauty routines.
This niche generates high engagement and attracts advertisers in various industries.
CPM: Tutorial channels, depending on the subject matter, can experience CPM rates ranging from $4 to $7, as advertisers target audiences seeking instructional content.
What Makes It Profitable:
Example: Programming with Mosh (@programmingwithmosh)
As an experienced software engineer, Mosh provides high-quality programming tutorials, covering topics like Python, JavaScript, and web development.
His clear, concise, step-by-step approach has earned him over 4 million subscribers eager to “become the best coders they can be” in Mosh’s words.
7. Entertainment
The entertainment niche includes vlogs, comedy skits, and reaction videos. While it has a lower CPM than some niches, its massive audience makes it highly lucrative.
CPM: Entertainment channels, including comedy and lifestyle content, typically have CPM rates around $3.47, attracting a broad range of advertisers.
What Makes It Profitable:
Example: Brittany Broski (@brittany_broski)
Brittany Broski rose to fame with her viral "Kombucha Girl" video and has since built a thriving YouTube presence.
She manages multiple channels, including her main channel for lifestyle content and commentary, her podcast channel The Broski Report, and The Royal Court, where she interviews celebrities and famous personalities in a fictional "royal setting."
This creative concept has earned her millions of views, showcasing her comedic versatility and ability to captivate a wide audience.
8. Travel
Travel content showcases destinations, travel hacks, and cultural experiences This niche is supported by advertisers like airlines, hotels, and travel gear brands.
CPM: Travel content has CPM rates ranging from $1 to $2 per 1,000 views, with advertisers like airlines and hotels targeting these audiences.
What Makes It Profitable:
Example: Kara and Nate (@karaandnate)
This adventurous couple shares their travels to unique destinations, inspiring viewers to explore the world.
Their high-quality vlogs and engaging personalities have made them one of YouTube's top travel channels, surpassing 4 million subscribers.
9. Gaming
Gaming is one of the largest YouTube niches, featuring playthroughs, tips, and reactions.
Advertisers in gaming accessories, software, and streaming services heavily invest here.
CPM: Gaming channels have CPM rates that can vary widely, with averages around $1.40, depending on the specific gaming content and audience engagement.
What Makes It Profitable:
Example: LaurenZside (@laurenzside)
LaurenZside is a popular gaming content creator known for her humorous playthroughs, quirky commentary, and engaging reactions. Her unique style and creative approach to gaming content have garnered a loyal fanbase.
10. Health and Fitness
Content about workouts, diets, mental health, and lifestyle improvement falls under this niche.
It attracts advertisers from the fitness, supplement, and wellness industries.
CPM: Health and fitness channels experience CPM rates averaging $1.60, with content ranging from workout routines to nutritional advice attracting advertisers in the wellness sector.
What Makes It Profitable:
Example: Anna (@growingannanas)
Anna, the creator behind Growingannanas, shares high-energy HIIT workouts, strength training routines, and motivational fitness content through her podcast episodes.
Check out How to become a YouTube influencer and start building a loyal and growing audience worldwide, just like Anna.
Choosing the right YouTube niche is a crucial step in building a successful YouTube channel and community.
Here are 5 key factors to consider when choosing a YouTube niche:
By creating content about topics you are passionate about, your enthusiasm for a subject will sustain your motivation and consistency, and by consequence, resonate with your audience even more than those topics you feel indifference about.
Considering areas where you have substantial knowledge or skills in adds value to the content you are creating. Talking about what you know often builds credibility and trust within your audience.
With tools like Google Trends or YouTube's search bar, you can identify topics gaining traction and combine them with your passion to create updated, interesting content, which increases potential for audience growth.
Some niches offer better monetization opportunities through higher CPM rates, sponsorships, or affiliate marketing. Research the earning potential within your chosen niche and evaluate its monetization potential.
By targeting a platform with such diverse global interests, try creating content in a few selected niches of your liking to test audience response and personal satisfaction. For this you can analyze performance metrics like impressions, audience retention, and engagement.
By carefully considering these factors, you can choose a niche that aligns with your passions, showcases your expertise, meets market demand, and provides opportunities for sustainable growth and monetization, all while helping YouTube identify the right audience for your content.
Many factors can impact earnings on YouTube depending on the niche. Here are a few key ones:
Advertisers pay different rates based on the geographic location of viewers. For example, as of 2024, the United States has a CPM of $12.45, which is significantly higher than the global average of $2.80, and finds itself in the top 3 highest YouTube cost per mille by country alongside the UK’ $6.43 and Australia’s $6.33.
Niches like finance, technology, and health command higher CPMs because advertisers in these areas invest heavily in targeted ads. Conversely, entertainment and vlogging niches generally see lower CPMs.
According to Tasty Edits, one great example of a high CPM YouTube niche is personal finance and investing with a $12 CPM right behind digital marketing’s $12.52 cost per mille.
Depending on niche, industry, and number of followers, a high engagement rate signals to YouTube’s algorithm that a video is valuable, increasing its reach and potential earnings.
Here is an easy formula to calculate a YouTube video’s engagement rate:
For most YouTube channels, an engagement rate that falls between 3% and 7% is considered strong, while anything above 7% is considered exceptional. (Sources: hypeauditor.com, insightiq.ai)
As a creator, you can leverage the rise of YouTube shorts to drive new subscribers into your channel and increase engagement, but keep in mind these are not YouTube’s strong points when focusing on revenue.
Long-form videos, at least longer than 8 minutes for YouTube, allow you to include mid-roll ads, which can significantly increase your revenue potential by providing more opportunities for ad placements. According to Tell Cast TV, this length is ideal for building an older viewership, whereas short-form reigns a much younger one, as seen on platforms like TikTok with Gen Z.
However, overloading a single video with ads can frustrate viewers and diminish the perceived value of your content, which may ultimately lead to lower ad revenue. Striking the right balance is key.
Fostering a sense of community by helping others can lead to significant growth in this niche, particularly in terms of engagement. After the pandemic, the talk about mental health, motivation, and positivity became priorities for creators worldwide. This aligns with YouTube's broader trends, where 19% of all video views are in the People & Blogs category, showcasing the platform’s emphasis on personal connection and storytelling, says blogging wizard.
This shift was driven by the ability to trigger emotional responses, which helped build communities of loyal followers who shared their stories and motivated each other to become the “best version of themselves” without falling into the toxic positivity rabbit hole.
The personal finance niche stands out due to its high demand and evergreen appeal. It offers an almost infinite pool of content creation opportunities, especially since managing finances is not the easiest topic to understand sometimes. This niche's potential is significant, considering that, according to Global Media Insight, advertisers like Apple Inc., spent over $200 million on YouTube in 2020, making it a valuable space for content creators to target engaged audiences.
With infinite specific topics surrounding niche, like credit cards, budgeting, or investing, you can continually find creative ways to engage with those seeking guidance on money matters and increase your following, making personal finance a highly engaging and valuable space for content creators.
Similar to personal development & self-help, gaming integrates a massive community of online players ready to dive into live-stream games, game reviews, walkthroughs, and even funny moments or commentaries other players might get on camera. According to Blogging Wizard, Gaming is one of the most frequently watched genres on YouTube, accounting for 7% of all video views, showcasing its vast appeal.
Accumulating over 7 million hours of content watched by just one channel in July 2024, the interactive nature of gaming fosters real-time conversations during live streams, creating a sense of community among viewers, encouraging challenges and collaborations driving further engagement and loyalty among audiences.
No one knows better than travel vloggers when it comes to creating high-quality, aesthetically pleasing content. This niche becomes incredibly engaging because people want to learn every detail of your adventures, from where you went, how you got there, how much it cost, to when the best time to visit is, what to pack, what local food to try, how to navigate the area.
Travel vlogs inspire curiosity and excitement, leading to frequent interaction in the form of comments, likes, and shares. With the Entertainment category capturing 25% of all video views on YouTube, says Blogging Wizard, travel vlogging benefits from being part of a broader content group that audiences naturally gravitate toward for relaxation and exploration.
Choosing the right YouTube niche can significantly impact your channel's growth and earning potential. From high-CPM niches like personal finance and digital marketing to ever-popular categories like gaming and travel, there are endless opportunities for creators to thrive. By understanding CPM rates, audience engagement, and monetization strategies, you can align your content with advertiser demand. Focus on your passions, stay consistent, and leverage analytics tools to refine your strategy. With persistence and creativity, your YouTube channel can become a lucrative income source.
Explore Creator Hero’s 10 ways to get brand deals on YouTube to expand your monetization opportunities and build a thriving channel today!
