An analysis of 2022 YouTube content and creators by Think with Google identified three trends that marketers can use for inspiration as they work to bolster their content strategies. 

Leverage community power

Understanding what motivates your audience leads to successful marketing engagement. Understanding and embracing online communities can help to clarify your messages and make them stronger. Viewers often connect with online communities that they would not normally connect with through video content that resonates with them. According to Google, over half (55%) of Gen Z say they watch video content in which no one else they know personally has an interest.

Meet your audiences where they are

Data from 2022 shows that audiences have had varying interests in formats and content categories, and those interests often changed depending on their mindset and moment in time. This may sound daunting, like trying to pin a wave down on the sand, but if you can successfully engage your audience with one particular format, they will likely follow you from screen to screen. In 2022, the creators with the fastest growing audiences used multiple formats to tell their stories. Google found that almost 60% of Gen Z discover long-form videos through short-form video apps.

Use more creative Shorts

Short-form videos often go viral – the product of often random, spontaneous and/or accidental moments captured by almost anyone. Once viral, viewers tend to watch them repeatedly. But now, it’s more effective to take the time to craft a more planned, intentional form of short videos (Shorts). Some successful short videos of late have used sketches and parodies. Shorts need an immediate hook – the first 1-2 seconds are the most important. One creator says, “That hook better be visually, audibly, and intellectually irresistible.”

By keeping these three trends in mind, marketers can stay on top of how video audience expectations are evolving and create successful video content.