With 2024 approaching fast, YouTube is constantly growing. It is a golden opportunity to get your voice heard and make money.
Currently, it is the most preferred online video platform, with over 2.4 billion monthly active users, according to a report by Statista, highlighting YouTube’s position as one of the most universally used online video hosting platforms.
With the increasing number of people using the platform, the number of niches has also expanded. The best way to take advantage of this traffic is to actively upload lots of relevant videos to YouTube at least once every week.
Today, YouTube creates credibility and trust for viewers and allows creators to connect with audiences like never before. But the smartest creators are turning their audiences into business leads and earning millions.
However, for many new YouTubers, the biggest challenge is choosing a profitable YouTube niche with scope for growth & success. If you’re unsure how to get started when developing your particular niche and generating channel ideas, this article is for you.
In this blog, we’ll explore what YouTube niche is, what CPM & RPM are, what profitable YouTube niches make the most money, and what basic things you need to know. These profitable niches have consistently attracted viewers and content creators across YouTube.
What is a YouTube Niche?
A YouTube niche is a category of video content that a YouTube channel concentrates on. It’s a way for YouTube creators to demonstrate that they’re experts in a particular type of content.
YouTube niches can cover a wide range of topics and even be broken down into sub-niches, depending on who’s creating them.
A YouTube channel can build a dedicated audience (subscribers) by targeting a specific niche. Selecting a niche is important because it defines your audience, sets a consistent tone for your videos, and establishes your channel’s direction and focus. 
Whether gaming, beauty, fitness and fashion, cooking, travel, technology reviews, comedy, or educational content, selecting a niche allows you to position yourself as an expert or authority.
What is CPM on YouTube?
Using the Latin word for thousand (mille), Cost Per Mille or Cost Per Thousand, refers to the amount an advertiser pays YouTube for every 1,000 views. It’s an advertiser-focused metric.
YouTube distributes about 55% of that ad revenue to creators.
Video creators should watch CPM because it tells them which topics advertisers value the most and which topics they should create content about.
Before we go further, we need to know the difference between CPM & RPM:
As mentioned, CPM is a cost per mille. All that means is that’s how much advertisers pay YouTube for every 1,000 views. Now, RPM is revenue per mille. 💰That’s how much the YouTuber or Creator gets from 1,000 views.
How to calculate CPM of profitable YouTube niches?
It’s simple to calculate YouTube CPM. Here’s a formula:
(Total payment for the ad) / (Total number of views) x 1,000 = CPM
Here’s an example:
$100 / 50,000 views = 0.002 x 1,000 = $2 CPM
So, each ad pays $2 per 1,000 views.
If you’re curious about how much you might earn on YouTube, you can try various YouTube money calculators online to know better.
19 Most Profitable YouTube Niche Ideas You Can Explore
If you’re looking for the top YouTube niche ideas and new channels to reach YouTube audiences, then niching it down is a must. Here, we’ll look at the top YouTube niches and help you narrow your search to find the right catagory.
1— Lifestyle, Beauty & Fashion Niche
Lifestyle videos have been a part of YouTube’s landscape for years, and lifestyle is considered one of the top niches on YouTube due to the wide range of types of video content that can be created. You can explore the channels related to your lifestyle, beauty & fashion topics, as you can see in the below channel & take ideas to improve your YouTube views, watch time & revenue.
Some lifestyle content focuses on beauty, and others focus on fashion and show their YouTube journey as they grow their channel. You can choose topics related to anything, like:
- Budget fashion
- Luxury fashion
- Costume makeup
- Essential oils
- Natural beauty products
- Hairstyling
- Makeup
- Millennial fashion
- Moms’ fashion
- Bags to carry with outfit
- Nails Fashion
- Over 50 years fashion
- Petite fashion
- Plus size fashion
- Skincare
- Shoes & sandals to wear
- Sneakers
- Work outfits & more
2— Travel Niche
People love watching others travel and explore the world. And if you’re traveling anyway, you might as well document the experience and share it with the world. For travel YouTubers, this has meant more collaboration offers from brands and local tourism boards, and CPM rates are climbing back to over $2.
You can sponsor your adventures with your earnings. RPMs in the travel niche are often $9 – $20.
BUT…You’ll find that these RPM rates are for people traveling in the U.S. and Mexico. If your audience is in a part of the world with low ad costs, you may make $1–4 RPM.
Travel channels can lure in multiple sponsors, allow you to sell itineraries, team up with travel agencies, or even allow you to open a Patreon.
3— Food YouTube Channels
Food is one of the most popular topics on YouTube, and there are plenty of niche and business opportunities on YouTube.
For instance, if you have a restaurant & want to focus on restaurant marketing, you could create a channel dedicated to particular cuisines, cooking videos, cooking tips, restaurant reviews, or other food-related content.
Explore the channels related to your topic, as you can see in the below channel & take ideas to improve your YouTube views, watch time & revenue.
You choose from any of these mentioned popular topics below:
- Budget-friendly recipes
- Chinese food recipes
- Mexican recipes
- Dinner party ideas
- Family-friendly
- Keto diet recipes
- Instance food recipes
- Korean BBQ recipes
- All things chocolate
- Baby food recipes
- Baking recipes for kids
- Low carb foods
- Cookie & cake recipes
- Party food
- Restaurant recipes
- Diabetic recipes
- Vegetarian recipes
- Gluten-free recipes
- Holiday Appetizers
- Paleo recipes
- Simple baking recipes
- Slow cooker recipes
- Vegan recipes & countless others
4— Personal Finance and Investing
Personal finance is a growing niche that can become one of YouTube’s most profitable in the long run. Personal finance can include high-quality content on investing, stock trading, saving, budgeting, and other money-management topics. You can choose a topic related to anything, like:
- Career advice
- Couponing
- Debt reduction
- Credit Repair
- Cryptocurrency
- Early retirement
- Frugal living
- Investing
- Make money ideas
- Passive income
- Refinancing
- Saving Tips
- Side hustle
- Stock market
- Work from home
From debt reduction to crypto investing, this category runs the gamut. PPC advertisers are keen to throw money at an audience seeking this advice. Personal finance is a good niche, as there is comparatively low competition and ample opportunity to create unique video content. You can also focus on financial SEO to improve your reach.
5— Health & Fitness YouTube Channel
Fitness videos are one of the best YouTube niches and one of the most beneficial YouTube niches currently out there. Health and fitness is an industry with so much potential.
According to a recent UK study, YouTube influencers were ranked based on the number of views and subscriptions they received. It crowned German Pamela Reif as the year’s top influencer, with American Adriene Mishler (Yoga by Adriene) placing second.
You can publish videos that people worldwide watch, and you can create content on:
- Weight training, yoga, Pilates, running, cycling, etc.
- Weight loss, strength training, dieting
- Healthy ways of living
- Knee exercises, how to stop back pain, eye health
- Aromatherapy
- Crossfit workouts
- Gym workout plans
- Home gym ideas
- Meditation
- Natural remedies
- Workout plans for bodybuilders
- Workout plans for men
- Workout plans for women & countless others
You can also create follow-along fitness content such as HIIT and strength workouts or educational videos related to fitness and health.
6— Business YouTube Niche
Business gurus overlap somewhat with investing and finance advertisers, so it’s no surprise you’ll make great money in this niche. How much? An average RPM of $18, but all true entrepreneurs are putting their skills to work by using YouTube as a lead generator.
Wise business YouTubers are:
- Selling online courses
- Selling products
- Selling finance consulting
Even if you already have your business blogs, by focusing on a business YouTube channel, you can earn massive amounts of money if you have traffic and visibility.
7— Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response (ASMR) & anything similar
Another online business idea for YouTube is to create ASMR videos, as that is one of the highest-paying niches that attracts a lot of YouTube views.
ASMR videos are one of the best YouTube channel ideas for creating a faceless YouTube channel. You can see the top famous ASMR YouTube channels below.
However, the average CPM dropped from $10 to $3.50. But remember, many creators earn money outside of the YouTube affiliate program.
ASMR content can include different types of sounds and music as ambient or background noise (e.g., fire sounds, nail ticking sounds, beach sounds, etc.), or you can go down a sub-niche and create other types of sound content to get more audience towards your channel.
8— Makeup Tutorials
Makeup tutorials are one of the best niches for videos and have been another mainstay of YouTube for a long time. Many channels have gained millions of subscribers and more by showing people how to use makeup.
Beauty and fashion gurus can make a lot of money, but most will not.
Huda Beauty (American makeup artist and beauty blogger) & Jeffree Star (as shown below) make tens of millions of dollars. While YouTube may have led to fame, product sales earned millions of dollars.
You could focus on detailed looks or simple makeup tutorials that people can easily follow at home. This is a profitable niche and your channel can earn well if you optimize it and provide valuable content to attract audiences.
9— Digital Marketing
The YouTube niche for digital marketing continues to grow as long as businesses and marketers desire to gain insights into digital marketing strategies.
Concentrating on a specific topic area aligned with your interests and, preferably, your expertise is recommended, as the digital marketing world is so broad.
Here are several channel concepts fitting within this YouTube niche:
- Search Engine Optimization
- Facebook and Instagram marketing
- Social Media Optimization
- Email marketing
- TikTok marketing
Digital marketing secures the second-highest potential for income on YouTube. For instance, channels focused on social media marketing witness average CPM rates of $12.00.
Also Read: Reverse Video Search– 6 Different Methods To Find Relevant Video Information
10— Life Hacks Based Niches
Life hack content remains one of the most profitable YouTube niches, especially if you create productivity hack content.
Mostly, know about the 5-minute crafts YouTube channel as an example, or you can explore other channels related to the lifehack topic & take ideas to improve your video views, watch time, & revenue.
Life hacks can also be a great YouTube niche if you can create videos relating to home maintenance hacks or other video content that shows people an easy way to do something – whether at home, on the computer, or in other areas.
11— Make Money Online Niche
One of the hottest CPMs $13.52 is content about how to make money online. Making money video content is one of the top YouTube niches because it’s something that everyone wants to know about.
You can create content on making money via digital marketing, using YouTubeSEO and YouTube ads, and how to make money on various social media channels.
Also Read: 10 Ways Social Media Influencers Make Most Money
12— Funny Videos and Random Videos
Another popular niche is to entertain through your YouTube videos. Many YouTube influencers have built their channel by creating funny videos, including pranks, stand-up comedy, and random videos showcasing something funny.
13— Music YouTube Videos
Creating your own YouTube videos could be a great option if you are a musician or someone from the entertainment industry looking to connect with a large audience.
Check out the channels that focus on your music video themes (see below channel) & get inspiration on how they make their videos & increase your views on YouTube, watch time, and revenue.
You can reach your target music audience while creating amazing videos for your music, and you can share a wide range of music styles on your YouTube channel.
14— Gaming Niche
If you’re thinking about ways to start a YouTube channel, one of the most popular niches to consider is gaming. You would be surprised how well a gaming channel can do on YouTube.
Gaming channels can include gameplay walkthroughs, game reviews, strategy, and even hour-long streams of watching others play a game.
People want to know what their favorite creators think of the newest games. If you’re interested in gaming and want to earn money, being part of a gaming niche could be the right fit.
15— Real Estate YouTube Niches
Real estate investing is a top way to build wealth, and YouTube channels focused on this hot topic also build wealth.
Ad revenue for real estate channels is impressive. One of the top creators in this niche, Graham Stephan, has over 4.5 million subscribers.
He earns an estimated $6 million a year with his YouTube channel. This niche’s cost-per-click (CPC) ranges from $4-$84.
16— Software Reviews
With so many software products currently out there, another good YouTube niche to consider is doing software reviews. You can create a YouTube channel based on providing fair and comprehensive reviews about different types of software and sub-niches by focusing on software in specific areas (e.g., accounting, productivity, etc).
17— Technology & Gadgets YouTube Niches
One of the most profitable niches on YouTube is content revolving around technology and gadgets. Finishing the top third, many reviewers earn money by sharing links to products and discount codes.
The competition is fierce for this one, as many channels are talking about tech & gadgets, so it’s essential to distinguish yourself based on the content you create. You can search for top-tech YouTube channels that are earning great.
For example, you could focus on reviews, walkthroughs, or explanations of how different types of tech work. You could also look at other channels to identify missing gaps in content to make accessing YouTube audiences easier.
18— Cars YouTube Channel
If you’re a car enthusiast, your YouTube channel can focus on creating videos around cars, including the latest car news and reviews, and answering user questions about cars and car maintenance. Creators in car-related channels tend to settle at an average CPM of $4.00.
For instance, you could specialize in car reviews and guides. Additionally, you might create videos focusing on the latest automotive news and addressing viewer questions concerning car maintenance.
19— Educational YouTube Channel
Another profitable YouTube channel idea is to create educational content. With a $9.89 CPM, the education bucket includes many tutorials, courses, lectures, teaching inspo, and nursery rhymes.
But remember, if you’re creating content for kids, you must meet YouTube’s quality principles for kids and family content to monetize each video. Explore the channels related to your education category topic, as you can see in the below channel & take ideas to improve your YouTube views, watch time & revenue.
This is one of the more profitable niches, including content such as tutorials and teaching videos. If you have specialized knowledge, teaching others can be an excellent method for making money online while enabling you to create videos that help others learn.
What Factors Affect YouTube Channel Earnings?
Wondering how much money YouTube creators make? Ad revenue is generated based on ads through Google AdSense & YouTube CPM rates.
Marketers & advertisers place ads on YouTube videos via Google Adsense, and creators are paid a certain amount per thousand ad views, i.e., YouTube CPM rates).
Here are the factors affecting revenue:
— YouTube Niche
Your channel’s revenue will depend on the niche you choose, the size of your audience, and the competition you face.
— YouTube Video Topic
Once you’ve chosen your niche, everything from the number of views to the number of subscribers to the content you create contributes to your channel’s revenue.
— Video Topic Intent
How well does the topic match up with YouTube SEO? What are users searching for (i.e., their intent vs. your topic)?
— YouTube Video Length
The length and quality of the YouTube video are also significant, as longer videos are more valuable in ad revenue.
— Location of the Viewer
Viewers’ location will also make a difference, as YouTube pay for ad clicks is weighted against the viewer’s location.
Final Thoughts
YouTube monetization is a great way to earn money, but it’s not easy. You’ll need to produce high-quality content that resonates with many viewers and do it consistently. But the rewards can be very lucrative if you do all that. You can go through the above-mentioned YouTube category that makes the most money.
You not only have to focus on video content creativity but also need to focus on YouTube SEO to reach wider audiences & improve your RPM. It’s all interconnected: the more valuable, high-quality content you produce, the more you connect with your audience and the more money you make from your YouTube channel.
Happy Earning!
