YouTube is still one of the leading platforms in the unpredictable world of online content creation. This is where creators have the opportunity to share their voices, stories, and talents with a global audience. With over two billion logged-in monthly users, YouTube has become a lucrative space for both creators and advertisers alike.
However, one of the critical decisions many YouTubers face is whether to produce trending or evergreen content. In this article, we’ll explore the differences between trending and evergreen content on YouTube. We will also analyze which approach tends to have a higher ROI in terms of views, engagement, and revenue.
The basics of trending content
Trending content on YouTube is characterized by its timeliness and relevance to current events, pop culture, or viral trends. Creators who focus on producing trending content often aim to capitalize on what’s currently hot and garner attention quickly. This type of content can take various forms, including reaction videos, challenge videos, and news updates.
Trending content ideas
Creating trending content on platforms like YouTube requires one to stay up-to-date with current events, pop culture, and viral trends. Here are some trending content ideas that can help you capture the attention of a wide audience:
Vlogs: Share your daily life or experiences, especially if you have unique or exciting activities to showcase. Personal vlogs can connect you with your audience on a more intimate level.
Celebrity or influencer interviews: Conduct interviews with relevant celebrities, influencers, or experts in your field. Discuss trending topics or explore their insights and experiences.
Product reviews: Review the latest and most popular products in your niche or industry. Highlight their features, benefits, and drawbacks to help viewers make informed purchasing decisions.
News and current events: Create news updates or analysis videos on hot topics, breaking news, or trending stories in your niche. Offer your unique perspective and analysis to engage viewers.
Challenges and trends: Participate in trending challenges or trends within your niche or the broader YouTube community. Whether it’s a dance challenge, food challenge, or a viral trend, putting your own unique spin on it can attract viewers.
Reaction videos: React to recent viral videos, movie trailers, or news stories. Share your thoughts, opinions, and reactions while providing insightful commentary or humor.
Pros of creating trending content
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Sponsorship opportunities
Brands often look for creators who can quickly adapt to trends and integrate their products or services into trending content. This can lead to lucrative sponsorship deals.
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Rapid growth
If you leverage the right trend at the right time, your channel can experience rapid growth, attracting a large and engaged audience.
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High visibility
Trending content has the potential to appear on YouTube’s trending page, which can expose your videos to millions of viewers. This visibility can lead to a surge in views, subscribers, and engagement.
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Personal branding
Consistently producing trending content can contribute to the development of a creator’s personal brand, making them known for their ability to stay ahead of the curve.
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Increased subscribers
Successful trending content can result in a significant increase in subscribers, providing a more substantial viewer base for future content.
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Improved analytics
Trending videos can provide valuable insights into viewer behavior, preferences, and demographics, helping creators refine their content strategy.
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Diversified content
Incorporating trending content into a channel’s content strategy allows creators to diversify their content and attract a broader audience with varied interests.
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Content inspiration
Trending topics can serve as a source of inspiration, helping creators come up with fresh and exciting ideas for their videos.
Cons of creating trending content
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Burnout
Constantly chasing trends can lead to creator burnout, as it requires keeping up with rapidly changing content demands.
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Competition
The competition for trending topics is fierce, as many creators aim to cover the same subjects. Standing out can be difficult, and success is not guaranteed.
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Short lifespan
Trending content can have a short shelf life, as trends come and go quickly. What’s popular today might be irrelevant tomorrow, making it challenging to build a long-term audience.
The appeal of evergreen content
Evergreen content, on the other hand, is designed to have a lasting impact and maintain its relevance over time. This type of content is not tied to current trends or events and can continue to attract views and engagement long after its initial publication. Examples of evergreen content include educational tutorials, product reviews, and historical documentaries.
Evergreen content ideas
Evergreen content is designed to remain relevant and valuable to your audience over time. These content ideas can help you create evergreen content that continues to attract viewers long after its initial publication:
FAQs and Q&A sessions: Address common questions or concerns within your niche. Collect viewer questions and host regular Q&A sessions to provide helpful answers.
Interviews with experts: Conduct interviews with industry experts, thought leaders, or influencers. These interviews can offer valuable insights and perspectives that remain relevant to your audience.
Educational videos: Produce educational content that explains complex concepts, theories, or historical events. Break down the subject matter into easy-to-understand segments, ensuring it remains relevant and valuable to learners.
Listicles: Create lists of valuable resources, tips, or recommendations. For example, “Top 10 Tools for Graphic Designers” or “5 Essential Tips for Home Gardeners.”
How-to guides: Create step-by-step tutorials on topics related to your niche. Whether it’s how to cook a particular dish, how to use a software program, or how to master a specific skill, comprehensive how-to guides are always in demand.
Product reviews: Review products or services within your niche. Share your honest opinions, highlight the pros and cons, and provide insights to help viewers make informed purchasing decisions.
Pros of creating evergreen content
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Audience growth
Building a library of evergreen content can help creators attract a loyal, long-term audience that values their expertise and trustworthiness.
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Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Evergreen content is often optimized for search engines, making it discoverable through organic search queries. This can lead to a steady flow of traffic over time.
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Longevity
Evergreen content can continue to generate views and revenue for years, providing a stable income stream for creators.
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Consistency
Creating evergreen content encourages creators to maintain a consistent content schedule, which is essential for building a reliable audience and improving a channel’s performance over time.
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Content repurposing
Evergreen content can serve as a foundation for repurposing into other formats, such as blog posts, podcasts, or social media content. This repurposing can help creators reach a broader audience.
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Educational value
Evergreen content often includes tutorials, how-to guides, and informative videos that provide educational value. Viewers appreciate content that helps them solve problems or learn new skills.
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Monetization opportunities
Evergreen content can generate consistent revenue through ads, affiliate marketing, and sponsorships. Creators can continue to monetize these videos long after their initial publication.
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Audience building
By producing valuable evergreen content, creators can attract and retain a loyal audience that values their expertise and trustworthiness. These viewers are more likely to become long-term subscribers and supporters.
Cons of creating evergreen content
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Creativity challenges
Creating evergreen content that remains relevant and engaging over time can be challenging, as it requires a deep understanding of your target audience’s needs and interests.
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Limited sponsorship opportunities
Brands may be less interested in evergreen content, as it doesn’t have the immediate reach and impact of trending videos.
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Slower growth
Unlike trending content, evergreen content may take longer to gain traction and build an audience, especially in competitive niches.
A balanced approach: the hybrid strategy
While trending and evergreen content have their respective advantages and drawbacks, many successful YouTube creators adopt a hybrid approach. This means incorporating both types of content into their channel strategy. By doing so, creators can harness the benefits of both while mitigating their disadvantages.
How the hybrid strategy works
Trending content for growth: Creators create trending content strategically to attract new viewers and subscribers. This can provide a boost to their channel’s visibility and help them reach a broader audience.
Evergreen content for stability: In between trending content, creators produce evergreen videos that offer long-term value to their audience. This content keeps viewers engaged and returning to the channel even when there are no trending topics to cover.
Leveraging trends for evergreen content: Savvy creators also know how to leverage trending topics to create evergreen content. For example, a tutorial on a popular software program can continue to attract viewers long after the initial trend has passed.
Measuring success: views, engagement, and revenue
To determine which type of content offers a better ROI on YouTube, it’s essential to consider three key metrics: views, engagement, and revenue.
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Revenue
YouTube revenue primarily comes from ads, sponsored content, merchandise sales, and fan support through platforms like Patreon. The earning potential of trending content often lies in the initial surge of views and potential sponsorship deals.
In contrast, evergreen content can generate consistent revenue over time through a combination of ad revenue and long-term sponsorships. Creators who balance both types of content can diversify their income streams and maintain financial stability.
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Engagement
Engagement metrics, such as likes, comments, and shares, are vital for building a loyal audience and improving a video’s visibility on YouTube. Trending content may receive a high volume of engagement during its peak, but this engagement can taper off quickly. Evergreen content, if optimized and promoted effectively, can continue to receive steady engagement, fostering a sense of community around the channel.
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Views
Trending content often generates a significant number of views in a short period, especially if it goes viral. These views can be impressive, but they may also be short-lived. In contrast, evergreen content may accumulate views more slowly but has the potential to maintain a steady flow of viewers over time.
Case studies: success stories
Let’s look at a couple of case studies to see how creators have leveraged trending and evergreen content to their advantage.
Case study 1: Linus Tech Tips
Linus Tech Tips, a channel dedicated to all things tech-related, is an excellent example of a creator who primarily focuses on evergreen content. Linus creates detailed product reviews, tutorials, and tech guides, which are designed to provide value to viewers over an extended period. While his videos may not achieve the explosive growth associated with trending content, they consistently attract viewers interested in tech-related topics.
Linus Tech Tips monetizes its content through various revenue streams, including ads, sponsorships, and merchandise sales. By producing evergreen content, Linus has built a dedicated audience that continues to engage with his channel and generates a stable income stream.
Case Study 2: MrBeast
MrBeast, one of the most well-known YouTubers, initially gained attention for his extravagant stunts and generous giveaways. This type of content falls into the trending category, as it captivates viewers with over-the-top challenges and philanthropic acts. MrBeast’s viral videos have garnered millions of views and subscribers in a short period.
However, MrBeast’s channel also includes evergreen content, such as videos on “How To Make Money On YouTube” and “How I Bought This $1,000,000 Island.” These videos provide valuable information and remain relevant to anyone interested in online entrepreneurship or MrBeast’s journey. This combination of trending and evergreen content has helped him maintain a massive and engaged audience while securing sponsorship deals and partnerships with major brands.
Final take
In the debate of trending vs. evergreen content on YouTube, there is no one-size-fits-all answer. The choice between the two depends on a creator’s goals, niche, and audience. Creators who can strike a balance between both types of content often enjoy the best of both worlds—rapid growth and long-term stability.
Ultimately, the success of a YouTube channel hinges on your ability to understand your audience and adapt to changing trends when appropriate. This is in addition to the ability to provide valuable, evergreen content that resonates with viewers over time.
By employing a thoughtful strategy that combines trending and evergreen content, you can maximize your earning potential. Meanwhile, you’ll be building a lasting presence on YouTube’s vibrant platform. Whether you aim to ride the waves of the latest trends or anchor yourself with evergreen content, success on YouTube is within reach for those who approach their content creation journey with creativity, dedication, and strategic thinking.
How Pressfarm can help you grow your YouTube channel
Do you want to create a buzz for your YouTube channel? PR agencies like Pressfarm help brands create newsworthy content to capture media attention and inspire target audiences. With a professional press release, some compelling guest posts, and a creative media kit from Pressfarm, you can make a memorable impression with your channel.
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As a client, you also get customized media lists built personally by an account executive to help you connect with the best journalists, bloggers, and influencers in your niche. Pressfarm’s understanding of digital PR and marketing has also equipped the team to help people like you gain media attention.
Pressfarm has what it takes to feature your YouTube channel in relevant search results on multiple search engines. With a package from Pressfarm, you could generate the publicity your channel deserves.