5 YouTube Trends Influencers Need to Know About in 2022

Updated November 25, 2023
Alex Lefkowitz

YouTube offers huge potential for influencers.

It’s the second-largest search engine in the world, and one of the most popular social media platforms.

62% of Americans are on the platform visit every single day. In comparison, that number is 23% among Netflix users.

But YouTube trends are always changing. What has all the makings of a viral video one month could get hardly any attention the next.

Some trends on the platform, though, are long-term. To find success as a YouTuber, you’ve got to stay ahead of the curve by keeping an eye on these developments and integrating them into your content strategy.

To help you, here are five of the most important, niche-independent trends that define YouTube content in 2022.

YouTube Live and Premieres

To start with, live content is becoming hugely popular among audiences.

Live streams provide first-person interaction between YouTubers and their viewers. They tell a captivating story, unedited and authentic.

For influencers, live streams are a huge opportunity to engage and expand their audience. On average, people spend 8 times longer watching live videos than regular on-demand content.

In addition, there are several YouTube monetization features that are exclusive to live streams – such as Stickers and Super Chat.

As a half-way point between live streams and traditional YouTube videos, Premieres are also gaining in popularity.

You can use the same monetization features as for live streams and interact with your audience while watching one of your videos. If nothing else, Premieres are a great opportunity to answer viewer questions and get immediate feedback.

Hillywood announcing a livestream for Cyber Monday.

YouTube Shorts

Next, there’s the new kid on the block. YouTube Shorts, the platform’s answer to TikTok, is one of the major YouTube trends of 2022.

Shorts were rolled out globally in mid-2021, after testing in a few restricted geographical regions. This feature allows you to create 15-60 second clips directly in the mobile app, overlay them with music, text, and other effects, and publish them straight away.

Whether Shorts can take on TikTok isn’t clear yet. However, the numbers suggest that at least on YouTube, Shorts are already huge for creators. In September 2022, for instance, Shorts averaged 30 billion daily views.

Big creators, such as the current richest YouTuber, quickly jumped on the bandwagon.

In addition, there is YouTube’s Shorts Fund, valued at $100 million. Throughout the rest of 2021 and 2022, YouTube pays out bonuses to creators for particularly popular or high-quality Shorts. Definitely a shot worth taking!

For 2023, YouTube has announced a slew of new monetization features for Shorts, among them revenue sharing for ads.

A #Short by OnlyJayus – one of the major format trends on YouTube in 2022.

Follower-Decided Content

In terms of content, one of the hottest video types across niches is follower-decided content.

Here, you give your followers some level of control over what videos you’ll be making.

Through comments, live stream interactions, or polls, they’ll be giving you input on what they’d like to see you do – whether it’s reviewing a new line of makeup, or creating a yoga video for a particular muscle group.

For you, this type of content has two major benefits.

The first is that it takes some creative pressure off your shoulders. You have to spend less time coming up with content ideas if your viewers actively tell you what they want to see.

The second upside to follower-decided content is that it has some level of pre-programmed popularity. Over the last year alone, videos based on viewer input earned over 100 million views.

Follower-decided content can be great fun for both sides.

How-To Tutorials

Hold off on the “well obviously” for a moment there. Yes, how-tos and tutorials are not exactly a new genre, or a very obvious YouTube trend.

That does nothing to detract from the fact that they are one of the most popular video types on the platform, though – and will continue to stay so throughout 2022.

It’s fairly obvious why. When you Google any type of question – from how to sew a skirt to how to learn Python programming – you’ll end up with at least one how-to video result on YouTube. Remember sourdough starters?

In fact, according to Think with Google, 67% of Millennials believe that they can learn any skill they want with the help of how-to videos.

For creators, this means that planning a few tutorials into your content calendar for 2022 is a good idea.

You don’t have to worry about coming across as boring or unimaginative (as long as you do other things, too).

How-tos are a rock-solid content type that viewers love to see. You probably won’t see this trend end in this decade, so it pays to know how to create proper tutorials.

Lots of people spent the last few years learning new stuff online – and that self-taught trend isn’t going away soon.

Integrating Sustainability and Minimalism

A final trend that you need to be aware of, no matter which niche you’re in, is the rising importance of sustainability and minimalism.

Even if your channel does not document your life as an organic, off-the-grid farmer in the European countryside, demonstrating environmental awareness and responsibility earns you plus points with viewers.

Again, it’s fairly easy to guess why YouTube’s audience is taking an interest in sustainability. According to Statista, the majority of YouTube users in the US are 35 or younger.

And for this Millennial/Gen Z audience, environmental awareness and climate-friendly lifestyles are hugely important.

For creators, this is a great opportunity to explore new content ideas. How can you help the audience in your niche live a greener, simpler life? What sustainable products do you use? How do you integrate environmentally friendly habits into your own life?

Sustainable products are trending among younger audiences across pretty much all niches.

Conclusion

As a YouTuber, staying on top of trends and integrating them into your content strategy is a must.

While you don’t want to go hopping between the latest fads, being aware of long-term developments that will define YouTube content in the year ahead is invaluable.

By taking advantage of features like live streams, premieres, and Shorts, and regularly scheduling increasingly popular content like follower-decided videos, how-to tutorials, and videos focused on sustainability, you’ll be able to help your YouTube channel flourish throughout 2022.

Happy creating!