Step-by-Step Process to Embrace CC Copyrights

How to Use Creative Commons Copyright Licenses [Complete Guide]

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

You might have noticed that, when you post a video, you get to choose how you want to copyright it: standard license, or creative commons. You’ve also probably noticed that when you looking for royalty-free music or stock footage a lot of it is licensed through creative commons.

So, what exactly are creative commons ?

To hold the copyright to a creative work means that you own it, and anybody who wants to use your work for anything (i.e. uses a song you composed in their YouTube video) has to do so on your terms. When you license your work through creative commons you do not give up your rights to your creative work (a common misconception).

When you use a creative commons license you are outlining the terms under which other creators are allowed to use your creations in their projects for free if they credit you for your work.

If you do not want anyone using your work for free in any context, you stick to traditional copyrighting.

But if you’ve created a piece of music, a photograph, or a clip that you wouldn’t mind other people using, potentially as a way to get your name out there, you might want to consider creative commons.

There are 6 different creative commons licenses. Which is right for you will depend on your answers to these two questions:

Are you okay with a creator making money off of something they create using your work?

Are you okay with a creator producing a derivative of your work?

To say ‘no derivatives’ is to say ‘I’m okay with people using it, so long as they don’t change it’. One example of a derivative is a techno remix of a song. If you are alright with other creators making derivatives of your work, you may also want to require them to ‘ShareAlike’. ShareAlike means that the creator of that techno remix of your song has to use the same creative commons license you used for your original to distribute the remix.

An example of a derivative someone might make of a YouTube video would be auto-tuning it to make a song or cutting up your video to make one that’s just ‘the funny parts’.

Here are the 6 creative commons licenses, and a chart you can use as a quick reference tool.

Attribution – CC BY

If you’re using music or other media with this license, all you need to do is credit the artist.

If you license your video this way, people can do whatever they like with any element of it (video or sound) so long as they credit you. I.e. if someone wanted to mute your clips and use you as stock footage in a bigger project, they could.

Attribution-ShareAlike – CC BY-SA

If you use music, photos, or any other media licensed this way, then you must both credit the artist and license your video this same way. Meaning, you can’t use YouTube’s standard license and must instead allow for others to use your work the way you are using the licensed media.

If you apply this license to your video, you’re saying you don’t mind people using all or portions of your video for their project so long as they allow others to use their work in the same way.

Attribution-NoDerivs – CC BY-ND

This one can get tricky.

Essentially, you can use media licensed this way so long as you don’t alter it or create a different version. For example, you can’t take a song licensed this way and use it in a mashup with another song. That part is clear. Where it gets tricky is when you want to use a song in your video.

Under normal copyright rules, using a royalty-free song in the background of your video would not count as creating a derivative. The definition of derivative according to creative commons is a bit broader and includes ‘syncing’. This means you can’t take an ‘Attribution-NoDerivs’ song and create any kind of music video for it.

For example, you can’t edit clips of yourself snowboarding so that they’re in sync with a song that has this license.

Whether or not you can play the song in the background of your vlog while you are speaking can be a bit of a grey area. In theory, it shouldn’t be a problem, but if you’re accessing the music through a social site like SoundCloud then it might be best to ask the artist first.

There’s no reason to license your YouTube videos this way. If people cannot alter your video, all that’s left is for them to repost it. Even though they’d also be crediting you, they’d still essentially be stealing views and ad revenue from your original video.

Attribution-NonCommercial – CC BY-NC

If you’re using stock footage, music, or stock photos licensed this way then you should still be able to monetize your video. YouTube monetization and commercial use are different things. However, there is a lot of confusion about this issue, and chances are the rights holder intends for this license to mean ‘no monetization’.

What you definitely could not do with a NonCommercial license is to use the song/other media in an actual commercial for a product, including product placement that a brand is paying you for.

If you license your video this way, people can use it in whatever way they like so long as they credit you and don’t try to make money off of it. Once again, that doesn’t mean they can’t use it in a YouTube video which they monetize because, technically, they’d be making money off of the ad that ran ahead of the video and not the video itself.

The thing to be careful of with this license is that it’s not ‘ShareAlike’. So, if you license your video this way somebody could use your clips as stock footage and then provide them - as part of their project – for free to a third person to use in a project they were making money off of.

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike – CC BY-NC-SA

Music and other media with an ‘Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike’ license can be used in and altered for your videos, so long as you aren’t making money off those videos. You must also use this same license for the video you create using elements licensed this way.

If you license your video this way, people can use it or a portion of it in their project if they credit you. They must also use this same license for their video if they do. This protects you from the situation where a third person who never licensed your original content is making money off of it.

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs – CC BY-NC-ND

There aren’t many situations where you would be using media licensed this way in your YouTube videos. You can’t alter it, sync videos to it, or make money from any video that uses it.

You also probably shouldn’t use this license for your videos. ‘NoDerivs’ means there are not many ways people could use your content, except to repost full videos and steal your views.

Edit Video with the Most Excellent Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

You might have noticed that, when you post a video, you get to choose how you want to copyright it: standard license, or creative commons. You’ve also probably noticed that when you looking for royalty-free music or stock footage a lot of it is licensed through creative commons.

So, what exactly are creative commons ?

To hold the copyright to a creative work means that you own it, and anybody who wants to use your work for anything (i.e. uses a song you composed in their YouTube video) has to do so on your terms. When you license your work through creative commons you do not give up your rights to your creative work (a common misconception).

When you use a creative commons license you are outlining the terms under which other creators are allowed to use your creations in their projects for free if they credit you for your work.

If you do not want anyone using your work for free in any context, you stick to traditional copyrighting.

But if you’ve created a piece of music, a photograph, or a clip that you wouldn’t mind other people using, potentially as a way to get your name out there, you might want to consider creative commons.

There are 6 different creative commons licenses. Which is right for you will depend on your answers to these two questions:

Are you okay with a creator making money off of something they create using your work?

Are you okay with a creator producing a derivative of your work?

To say ‘no derivatives’ is to say ‘I’m okay with people using it, so long as they don’t change it’. One example of a derivative is a techno remix of a song. If you are alright with other creators making derivatives of your work, you may also want to require them to ‘ShareAlike’. ShareAlike means that the creator of that techno remix of your song has to use the same creative commons license you used for your original to distribute the remix.

An example of a derivative someone might make of a YouTube video would be auto-tuning it to make a song or cutting up your video to make one that’s just ‘the funny parts’.

Here are the 6 creative commons licenses, and a chart you can use as a quick reference tool.

Attribution – CC BY

If you’re using music or other media with this license, all you need to do is credit the artist.

If you license your video this way, people can do whatever they like with any element of it (video or sound) so long as they credit you. I.e. if someone wanted to mute your clips and use you as stock footage in a bigger project, they could.

Attribution-ShareAlike – CC BY-SA

If you use music, photos, or any other media licensed this way, then you must both credit the artist and license your video this same way. Meaning, you can’t use YouTube’s standard license and must instead allow for others to use your work the way you are using the licensed media.

If you apply this license to your video, you’re saying you don’t mind people using all or portions of your video for their project so long as they allow others to use their work in the same way.

Attribution-NoDerivs – CC BY-ND

This one can get tricky.

Essentially, you can use media licensed this way so long as you don’t alter it or create a different version. For example, you can’t take a song licensed this way and use it in a mashup with another song. That part is clear. Where it gets tricky is when you want to use a song in your video.

Under normal copyright rules, using a royalty-free song in the background of your video would not count as creating a derivative. The definition of derivative according to creative commons is a bit broader and includes ‘syncing’. This means you can’t take an ‘Attribution-NoDerivs’ song and create any kind of music video for it.

For example, you can’t edit clips of yourself snowboarding so that they’re in sync with a song that has this license.

Whether or not you can play the song in the background of your vlog while you are speaking can be a bit of a grey area. In theory, it shouldn’t be a problem, but if you’re accessing the music through a social site like SoundCloud then it might be best to ask the artist first.

There’s no reason to license your YouTube videos this way. If people cannot alter your video, all that’s left is for them to repost it. Even though they’d also be crediting you, they’d still essentially be stealing views and ad revenue from your original video.

Attribution-NonCommercial – CC BY-NC

If you’re using stock footage, music, or stock photos licensed this way then you should still be able to monetize your video. YouTube monetization and commercial use are different things. However, there is a lot of confusion about this issue, and chances are the rights holder intends for this license to mean ‘no monetization’.

What you definitely could not do with a NonCommercial license is to use the song/other media in an actual commercial for a product, including product placement that a brand is paying you for.

If you license your video this way, people can use it in whatever way they like so long as they credit you and don’t try to make money off of it. Once again, that doesn’t mean they can’t use it in a YouTube video which they monetize because, technically, they’d be making money off of the ad that ran ahead of the video and not the video itself.

The thing to be careful of with this license is that it’s not ‘ShareAlike’. So, if you license your video this way somebody could use your clips as stock footage and then provide them - as part of their project – for free to a third person to use in a project they were making money off of.

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike – CC BY-NC-SA

Music and other media with an ‘Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike’ license can be used in and altered for your videos, so long as you aren’t making money off those videos. You must also use this same license for the video you create using elements licensed this way.

If you license your video this way, people can use it or a portion of it in their project if they credit you. They must also use this same license for their video if they do. This protects you from the situation where a third person who never licensed your original content is making money off of it.

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs – CC BY-NC-ND

There aren’t many situations where you would be using media licensed this way in your YouTube videos. You can’t alter it, sync videos to it, or make money from any video that uses it.

You also probably shouldn’t use this license for your videos. ‘NoDerivs’ means there are not many ways people could use your content, except to repost full videos and steal your views.

Edit Video with the Most Excellent Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

You might have noticed that, when you post a video, you get to choose how you want to copyright it: standard license, or creative commons. You’ve also probably noticed that when you looking for royalty-free music or stock footage a lot of it is licensed through creative commons.

So, what exactly are creative commons ?

To hold the copyright to a creative work means that you own it, and anybody who wants to use your work for anything (i.e. uses a song you composed in their YouTube video) has to do so on your terms. When you license your work through creative commons you do not give up your rights to your creative work (a common misconception).

When you use a creative commons license you are outlining the terms under which other creators are allowed to use your creations in their projects for free if they credit you for your work.

If you do not want anyone using your work for free in any context, you stick to traditional copyrighting.

But if you’ve created a piece of music, a photograph, or a clip that you wouldn’t mind other people using, potentially as a way to get your name out there, you might want to consider creative commons.

There are 6 different creative commons licenses. Which is right for you will depend on your answers to these two questions:

Are you okay with a creator making money off of something they create using your work?

Are you okay with a creator producing a derivative of your work?

To say ‘no derivatives’ is to say ‘I’m okay with people using it, so long as they don’t change it’. One example of a derivative is a techno remix of a song. If you are alright with other creators making derivatives of your work, you may also want to require them to ‘ShareAlike’. ShareAlike means that the creator of that techno remix of your song has to use the same creative commons license you used for your original to distribute the remix.

An example of a derivative someone might make of a YouTube video would be auto-tuning it to make a song or cutting up your video to make one that’s just ‘the funny parts’.

Here are the 6 creative commons licenses, and a chart you can use as a quick reference tool.

Attribution – CC BY

If you’re using music or other media with this license, all you need to do is credit the artist.

If you license your video this way, people can do whatever they like with any element of it (video or sound) so long as they credit you. I.e. if someone wanted to mute your clips and use you as stock footage in a bigger project, they could.

Attribution-ShareAlike – CC BY-SA

If you use music, photos, or any other media licensed this way, then you must both credit the artist and license your video this same way. Meaning, you can’t use YouTube’s standard license and must instead allow for others to use your work the way you are using the licensed media.

If you apply this license to your video, you’re saying you don’t mind people using all or portions of your video for their project so long as they allow others to use their work in the same way.

Attribution-NoDerivs – CC BY-ND

This one can get tricky.

Essentially, you can use media licensed this way so long as you don’t alter it or create a different version. For example, you can’t take a song licensed this way and use it in a mashup with another song. That part is clear. Where it gets tricky is when you want to use a song in your video.

Under normal copyright rules, using a royalty-free song in the background of your video would not count as creating a derivative. The definition of derivative according to creative commons is a bit broader and includes ‘syncing’. This means you can’t take an ‘Attribution-NoDerivs’ song and create any kind of music video for it.

For example, you can’t edit clips of yourself snowboarding so that they’re in sync with a song that has this license.

Whether or not you can play the song in the background of your vlog while you are speaking can be a bit of a grey area. In theory, it shouldn’t be a problem, but if you’re accessing the music through a social site like SoundCloud then it might be best to ask the artist first.

There’s no reason to license your YouTube videos this way. If people cannot alter your video, all that’s left is for them to repost it. Even though they’d also be crediting you, they’d still essentially be stealing views and ad revenue from your original video.

Attribution-NonCommercial – CC BY-NC

If you’re using stock footage, music, or stock photos licensed this way then you should still be able to monetize your video. YouTube monetization and commercial use are different things. However, there is a lot of confusion about this issue, and chances are the rights holder intends for this license to mean ‘no monetization’.

What you definitely could not do with a NonCommercial license is to use the song/other media in an actual commercial for a product, including product placement that a brand is paying you for.

If you license your video this way, people can use it in whatever way they like so long as they credit you and don’t try to make money off of it. Once again, that doesn’t mean they can’t use it in a YouTube video which they monetize because, technically, they’d be making money off of the ad that ran ahead of the video and not the video itself.

The thing to be careful of with this license is that it’s not ‘ShareAlike’. So, if you license your video this way somebody could use your clips as stock footage and then provide them - as part of their project – for free to a third person to use in a project they were making money off of.

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike – CC BY-NC-SA

Music and other media with an ‘Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike’ license can be used in and altered for your videos, so long as you aren’t making money off those videos. You must also use this same license for the video you create using elements licensed this way.

If you license your video this way, people can use it or a portion of it in their project if they credit you. They must also use this same license for their video if they do. This protects you from the situation where a third person who never licensed your original content is making money off of it.

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs – CC BY-NC-ND

There aren’t many situations where you would be using media licensed this way in your YouTube videos. You can’t alter it, sync videos to it, or make money from any video that uses it.

You also probably shouldn’t use this license for your videos. ‘NoDerivs’ means there are not many ways people could use your content, except to repost full videos and steal your views.

Edit Video with the Most Excellent Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

You might have noticed that, when you post a video, you get to choose how you want to copyright it: standard license, or creative commons. You’ve also probably noticed that when you looking for royalty-free music or stock footage a lot of it is licensed through creative commons.

So, what exactly are creative commons ?

To hold the copyright to a creative work means that you own it, and anybody who wants to use your work for anything (i.e. uses a song you composed in their YouTube video) has to do so on your terms. When you license your work through creative commons you do not give up your rights to your creative work (a common misconception).

When you use a creative commons license you are outlining the terms under which other creators are allowed to use your creations in their projects for free if they credit you for your work.

If you do not want anyone using your work for free in any context, you stick to traditional copyrighting.

But if you’ve created a piece of music, a photograph, or a clip that you wouldn’t mind other people using, potentially as a way to get your name out there, you might want to consider creative commons.

There are 6 different creative commons licenses. Which is right for you will depend on your answers to these two questions:

Are you okay with a creator making money off of something they create using your work?

Are you okay with a creator producing a derivative of your work?

To say ‘no derivatives’ is to say ‘I’m okay with people using it, so long as they don’t change it’. One example of a derivative is a techno remix of a song. If you are alright with other creators making derivatives of your work, you may also want to require them to ‘ShareAlike’. ShareAlike means that the creator of that techno remix of your song has to use the same creative commons license you used for your original to distribute the remix.

An example of a derivative someone might make of a YouTube video would be auto-tuning it to make a song or cutting up your video to make one that’s just ‘the funny parts’.

Here are the 6 creative commons licenses, and a chart you can use as a quick reference tool.

Attribution – CC BY

If you’re using music or other media with this license, all you need to do is credit the artist.

If you license your video this way, people can do whatever they like with any element of it (video or sound) so long as they credit you. I.e. if someone wanted to mute your clips and use you as stock footage in a bigger project, they could.

Attribution-ShareAlike – CC BY-SA

If you use music, photos, or any other media licensed this way, then you must both credit the artist and license your video this same way. Meaning, you can’t use YouTube’s standard license and must instead allow for others to use your work the way you are using the licensed media.

If you apply this license to your video, you’re saying you don’t mind people using all or portions of your video for their project so long as they allow others to use their work in the same way.

Attribution-NoDerivs – CC BY-ND

This one can get tricky.

Essentially, you can use media licensed this way so long as you don’t alter it or create a different version. For example, you can’t take a song licensed this way and use it in a mashup with another song. That part is clear. Where it gets tricky is when you want to use a song in your video.

Under normal copyright rules, using a royalty-free song in the background of your video would not count as creating a derivative. The definition of derivative according to creative commons is a bit broader and includes ‘syncing’. This means you can’t take an ‘Attribution-NoDerivs’ song and create any kind of music video for it.

For example, you can’t edit clips of yourself snowboarding so that they’re in sync with a song that has this license.

Whether or not you can play the song in the background of your vlog while you are speaking can be a bit of a grey area. In theory, it shouldn’t be a problem, but if you’re accessing the music through a social site like SoundCloud then it might be best to ask the artist first.

There’s no reason to license your YouTube videos this way. If people cannot alter your video, all that’s left is for them to repost it. Even though they’d also be crediting you, they’d still essentially be stealing views and ad revenue from your original video.

Attribution-NonCommercial – CC BY-NC

If you’re using stock footage, music, or stock photos licensed this way then you should still be able to monetize your video. YouTube monetization and commercial use are different things. However, there is a lot of confusion about this issue, and chances are the rights holder intends for this license to mean ‘no monetization’.

What you definitely could not do with a NonCommercial license is to use the song/other media in an actual commercial for a product, including product placement that a brand is paying you for.

If you license your video this way, people can use it in whatever way they like so long as they credit you and don’t try to make money off of it. Once again, that doesn’t mean they can’t use it in a YouTube video which they monetize because, technically, they’d be making money off of the ad that ran ahead of the video and not the video itself.

The thing to be careful of with this license is that it’s not ‘ShareAlike’. So, if you license your video this way somebody could use your clips as stock footage and then provide them - as part of their project – for free to a third person to use in a project they were making money off of.

Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike – CC BY-NC-SA

Music and other media with an ‘Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike’ license can be used in and altered for your videos, so long as you aren’t making money off those videos. You must also use this same license for the video you create using elements licensed this way.

If you license your video this way, people can use it or a portion of it in their project if they credit you. They must also use this same license for their video if they do. This protects you from the situation where a third person who never licensed your original content is making money off of it.

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs – CC BY-NC-ND

There aren’t many situations where you would be using media licensed this way in your YouTube videos. You can’t alter it, sync videos to it, or make money from any video that uses it.

You also probably shouldn’t use this license for your videos. ‘NoDerivs’ means there are not many ways people could use your content, except to repost full videos and steal your views.

Edit Video with the Most Excellent Video Editor

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Navigating the Chart-Toppers’ Playbook

How to Get a YouTube Video Trending

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Ever think about how to get a YouTube video trending? It can come down to picking a topic that’s trending.

A trending topic is a subject which a lot of people are currently interested in. If you learn how to tap into what’s popular and cover it in creative and innovative ways then that will help your channel grow more quickly. You’ll get more views, more subscribers, and higher search rankings by following these simple tips.

1. Think of ‘Trending’ as Relevant
2. Find Trending Topics Within Your Niche
3. Aim for Number 1
4. Success Doesn’t Mean Making a Viral Video
5. The Subscriber Snowball Effect

1. Think of ‘Trending’ as Relevant

Instead of thinking of a trending video as a video that everyone is doing, think of it as a subject that is relevant to a lot of people. You want to cover topics that a lot of people care about.

A lot of YouTubers see huge channels have a lot of success posting videos that are very focused on the personal life of the creator (i.e. ‘I had the WORST day’) or which have very vague or sensational titles (i.e. ‘The horse knows what it did’) and decide that those are the kinds of videos they want to do too. However, the only reason large channels are able to be successful with these kinds of videos and titles is that they are already big. These creators have already grown themselves huge audiences of people who know and are interested in them personally.

As a smaller creator, you will not be successful if you only aim to do videos that are focused on you and your life. For example, if you have 100 subscribers and make a vlog about how your day went, then you have 100 people who may potentially find that interesting. The content might be good, but it won’t help you grow.

2. Find Trending Topics Within Your Niche

Taking on trending topics shouldn’t mean taking on topics you aren’t actually interested in or don’t care about. Every genre on YouTube has its own trends, and you will often know about them just by virtue of watching other channels in your genre and talking to people who are interested in the same things as you. For example, if you’re a Gamer and your friends are also Gamers then you probably already know what Gamers are currently interested in.

If you do need help determining trends, here are 2 ways to do it:

1. Visit 3 of the most popular channels in your genre (i.e. gaming, beauty, or prank) and see if there’s any overlap in the themes of their most recent videos.
2. Go to Google Trends and look at the categories most relevant to your genre. To learn how to use Google Trends .

3. Aim for Number 1

Being trendy doesn’t mean you can’t be original. If you know what’s popular in your genre then that will enable you to ask yourself ‘what’s on-trend, but not being covered yet?’.

For example, if you know that relationship videos – topics like ‘how do you know a guy likes you?’ – are doing well then you can think about what other aspects of dating people might be interested in that don’t have many videos on them yet. If you’re one of the first to tackle something that’s on-trend you have a much better chance of getting that number 1 search engine ranking, and higher ranked videos always get more views.

4. Success Doesn’t Mean Making a Viral Video

There’s a common misconception that in order to grow your channel you need to make your videos go viral. The truth is that having one or two viral videos probably won’t help you much. People don’t subscribe to one video, they subscribe for consistently good content.

It’s much better to have 10 videos on a popular topic that are doing alright than it is to have that one big viral hit. Those 10 videos will consistently bring in new viewers to your channel who are more likely to subscribe because they can see you have other content they’re interested in.

5. The Subscriber Snowball Effect

When you make multiple videos around a trending topic, they’re more likely to come up as ‘related’ to each other than if you only cover the topic in one video. If someone enjoys one of your videos on that topic and can see there’s another right there in the related videos, there’s a good chance they’ll click on it.

This gets you more views on multiple videos, and more subscribers because it builds the expectation that you’re going to continue to keep covering relevant topics. Having viewers click from video to video on your channel also increases your watch time, which YouTube’s algorithm takes as a sign that they should rank your videos higher in search results (getting you even more views).

Do you have any of your own tips for how to get a YouTube video trending?

Finding the trend is integral for YouTube channel growth. A user-friendly video editing software will simplify the process of editing videos and saves your efforts. Get Wondershare Filmora by clicking the button below to make the coolest videos and see your viewers boom.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Ever think about how to get a YouTube video trending? It can come down to picking a topic that’s trending.

A trending topic is a subject which a lot of people are currently interested in. If you learn how to tap into what’s popular and cover it in creative and innovative ways then that will help your channel grow more quickly. You’ll get more views, more subscribers, and higher search rankings by following these simple tips.

1. Think of ‘Trending’ as Relevant
2. Find Trending Topics Within Your Niche
3. Aim for Number 1
4. Success Doesn’t Mean Making a Viral Video
5. The Subscriber Snowball Effect

1. Think of ‘Trending’ as Relevant

Instead of thinking of a trending video as a video that everyone is doing, think of it as a subject that is relevant to a lot of people. You want to cover topics that a lot of people care about.

A lot of YouTubers see huge channels have a lot of success posting videos that are very focused on the personal life of the creator (i.e. ‘I had the WORST day’) or which have very vague or sensational titles (i.e. ‘The horse knows what it did’) and decide that those are the kinds of videos they want to do too. However, the only reason large channels are able to be successful with these kinds of videos and titles is that they are already big. These creators have already grown themselves huge audiences of people who know and are interested in them personally.

As a smaller creator, you will not be successful if you only aim to do videos that are focused on you and your life. For example, if you have 100 subscribers and make a vlog about how your day went, then you have 100 people who may potentially find that interesting. The content might be good, but it won’t help you grow.

2. Find Trending Topics Within Your Niche

Taking on trending topics shouldn’t mean taking on topics you aren’t actually interested in or don’t care about. Every genre on YouTube has its own trends, and you will often know about them just by virtue of watching other channels in your genre and talking to people who are interested in the same things as you. For example, if you’re a Gamer and your friends are also Gamers then you probably already know what Gamers are currently interested in.

If you do need help determining trends, here are 2 ways to do it:

1. Visit 3 of the most popular channels in your genre (i.e. gaming, beauty, or prank) and see if there’s any overlap in the themes of their most recent videos.
2. Go to Google Trends and look at the categories most relevant to your genre. To learn how to use Google Trends .

3. Aim for Number 1

Being trendy doesn’t mean you can’t be original. If you know what’s popular in your genre then that will enable you to ask yourself ‘what’s on-trend, but not being covered yet?’.

For example, if you know that relationship videos – topics like ‘how do you know a guy likes you?’ – are doing well then you can think about what other aspects of dating people might be interested in that don’t have many videos on them yet. If you’re one of the first to tackle something that’s on-trend you have a much better chance of getting that number 1 search engine ranking, and higher ranked videos always get more views.

4. Success Doesn’t Mean Making a Viral Video

There’s a common misconception that in order to grow your channel you need to make your videos go viral. The truth is that having one or two viral videos probably won’t help you much. People don’t subscribe to one video, they subscribe for consistently good content.

It’s much better to have 10 videos on a popular topic that are doing alright than it is to have that one big viral hit. Those 10 videos will consistently bring in new viewers to your channel who are more likely to subscribe because they can see you have other content they’re interested in.

5. The Subscriber Snowball Effect

When you make multiple videos around a trending topic, they’re more likely to come up as ‘related’ to each other than if you only cover the topic in one video. If someone enjoys one of your videos on that topic and can see there’s another right there in the related videos, there’s a good chance they’ll click on it.

This gets you more views on multiple videos, and more subscribers because it builds the expectation that you’re going to continue to keep covering relevant topics. Having viewers click from video to video on your channel also increases your watch time, which YouTube’s algorithm takes as a sign that they should rank your videos higher in search results (getting you even more views).

Do you have any of your own tips for how to get a YouTube video trending?

Finding the trend is integral for YouTube channel growth. A user-friendly video editing software will simplify the process of editing videos and saves your efforts. Get Wondershare Filmora by clicking the button below to make the coolest videos and see your viewers boom.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Ever think about how to get a YouTube video trending? It can come down to picking a topic that’s trending.

A trending topic is a subject which a lot of people are currently interested in. If you learn how to tap into what’s popular and cover it in creative and innovative ways then that will help your channel grow more quickly. You’ll get more views, more subscribers, and higher search rankings by following these simple tips.

1. Think of ‘Trending’ as Relevant
2. Find Trending Topics Within Your Niche
3. Aim for Number 1
4. Success Doesn’t Mean Making a Viral Video
5. The Subscriber Snowball Effect

1. Think of ‘Trending’ as Relevant

Instead of thinking of a trending video as a video that everyone is doing, think of it as a subject that is relevant to a lot of people. You want to cover topics that a lot of people care about.

A lot of YouTubers see huge channels have a lot of success posting videos that are very focused on the personal life of the creator (i.e. ‘I had the WORST day’) or which have very vague or sensational titles (i.e. ‘The horse knows what it did’) and decide that those are the kinds of videos they want to do too. However, the only reason large channels are able to be successful with these kinds of videos and titles is that they are already big. These creators have already grown themselves huge audiences of people who know and are interested in them personally.

As a smaller creator, you will not be successful if you only aim to do videos that are focused on you and your life. For example, if you have 100 subscribers and make a vlog about how your day went, then you have 100 people who may potentially find that interesting. The content might be good, but it won’t help you grow.

2. Find Trending Topics Within Your Niche

Taking on trending topics shouldn’t mean taking on topics you aren’t actually interested in or don’t care about. Every genre on YouTube has its own trends, and you will often know about them just by virtue of watching other channels in your genre and talking to people who are interested in the same things as you. For example, if you’re a Gamer and your friends are also Gamers then you probably already know what Gamers are currently interested in.

If you do need help determining trends, here are 2 ways to do it:

1. Visit 3 of the most popular channels in your genre (i.e. gaming, beauty, or prank) and see if there’s any overlap in the themes of their most recent videos.
2. Go to Google Trends and look at the categories most relevant to your genre. To learn how to use Google Trends .

3. Aim for Number 1

Being trendy doesn’t mean you can’t be original. If you know what’s popular in your genre then that will enable you to ask yourself ‘what’s on-trend, but not being covered yet?’.

For example, if you know that relationship videos – topics like ‘how do you know a guy likes you?’ – are doing well then you can think about what other aspects of dating people might be interested in that don’t have many videos on them yet. If you’re one of the first to tackle something that’s on-trend you have a much better chance of getting that number 1 search engine ranking, and higher ranked videos always get more views.

4. Success Doesn’t Mean Making a Viral Video

There’s a common misconception that in order to grow your channel you need to make your videos go viral. The truth is that having one or two viral videos probably won’t help you much. People don’t subscribe to one video, they subscribe for consistently good content.

It’s much better to have 10 videos on a popular topic that are doing alright than it is to have that one big viral hit. Those 10 videos will consistently bring in new viewers to your channel who are more likely to subscribe because they can see you have other content they’re interested in.

5. The Subscriber Snowball Effect

When you make multiple videos around a trending topic, they’re more likely to come up as ‘related’ to each other than if you only cover the topic in one video. If someone enjoys one of your videos on that topic and can see there’s another right there in the related videos, there’s a good chance they’ll click on it.

This gets you more views on multiple videos, and more subscribers because it builds the expectation that you’re going to continue to keep covering relevant topics. Having viewers click from video to video on your channel also increases your watch time, which YouTube’s algorithm takes as a sign that they should rank your videos higher in search results (getting you even more views).

Do you have any of your own tips for how to get a YouTube video trending?

Finding the trend is integral for YouTube channel growth. A user-friendly video editing software will simplify the process of editing videos and saves your efforts. Get Wondershare Filmora by clicking the button below to make the coolest videos and see your viewers boom.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions

0

Ever think about how to get a YouTube video trending? It can come down to picking a topic that’s trending.

A trending topic is a subject which a lot of people are currently interested in. If you learn how to tap into what’s popular and cover it in creative and innovative ways then that will help your channel grow more quickly. You’ll get more views, more subscribers, and higher search rankings by following these simple tips.

1. Think of ‘Trending’ as Relevant
2. Find Trending Topics Within Your Niche
3. Aim for Number 1
4. Success Doesn’t Mean Making a Viral Video
5. The Subscriber Snowball Effect

1. Think of ‘Trending’ as Relevant

Instead of thinking of a trending video as a video that everyone is doing, think of it as a subject that is relevant to a lot of people. You want to cover topics that a lot of people care about.

A lot of YouTubers see huge channels have a lot of success posting videos that are very focused on the personal life of the creator (i.e. ‘I had the WORST day’) or which have very vague or sensational titles (i.e. ‘The horse knows what it did’) and decide that those are the kinds of videos they want to do too. However, the only reason large channels are able to be successful with these kinds of videos and titles is that they are already big. These creators have already grown themselves huge audiences of people who know and are interested in them personally.

As a smaller creator, you will not be successful if you only aim to do videos that are focused on you and your life. For example, if you have 100 subscribers and make a vlog about how your day went, then you have 100 people who may potentially find that interesting. The content might be good, but it won’t help you grow.

2. Find Trending Topics Within Your Niche

Taking on trending topics shouldn’t mean taking on topics you aren’t actually interested in or don’t care about. Every genre on YouTube has its own trends, and you will often know about them just by virtue of watching other channels in your genre and talking to people who are interested in the same things as you. For example, if you’re a Gamer and your friends are also Gamers then you probably already know what Gamers are currently interested in.

If you do need help determining trends, here are 2 ways to do it:

1. Visit 3 of the most popular channels in your genre (i.e. gaming, beauty, or prank) and see if there’s any overlap in the themes of their most recent videos.
2. Go to Google Trends and look at the categories most relevant to your genre. To learn how to use Google Trends .

3. Aim for Number 1

Being trendy doesn’t mean you can’t be original. If you know what’s popular in your genre then that will enable you to ask yourself ‘what’s on-trend, but not being covered yet?’.

For example, if you know that relationship videos – topics like ‘how do you know a guy likes you?’ – are doing well then you can think about what other aspects of dating people might be interested in that don’t have many videos on them yet. If you’re one of the first to tackle something that’s on-trend you have a much better chance of getting that number 1 search engine ranking, and higher ranked videos always get more views.

4. Success Doesn’t Mean Making a Viral Video

There’s a common misconception that in order to grow your channel you need to make your videos go viral. The truth is that having one or two viral videos probably won’t help you much. People don’t subscribe to one video, they subscribe for consistently good content.

It’s much better to have 10 videos on a popular topic that are doing alright than it is to have that one big viral hit. Those 10 videos will consistently bring in new viewers to your channel who are more likely to subscribe because they can see you have other content they’re interested in.

5. The Subscriber Snowball Effect

When you make multiple videos around a trending topic, they’re more likely to come up as ‘related’ to each other than if you only cover the topic in one video. If someone enjoys one of your videos on that topic and can see there’s another right there in the related videos, there’s a good chance they’ll click on it.

This gets you more views on multiple videos, and more subscribers because it builds the expectation that you’re going to continue to keep covering relevant topics. Having viewers click from video to video on your channel also increases your watch time, which YouTube’s algorithm takes as a sign that they should rank your videos higher in search results (getting you even more views).

Do you have any of your own tips for how to get a YouTube video trending?

Finding the trend is integral for YouTube channel growth. A user-friendly video editing software will simplify the process of editing videos and saves your efforts. Get Wondershare Filmora by clicking the button below to make the coolest videos and see your viewers boom.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

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