25 YouTube Shorts Ideas to Grow Your Followers & Brand Awareness

In this ultimate guide, we are sharing the top 25 YouTube Shorts video marketing ideas + best practices that small business owners can use to grow their followers, drive more brand awareness, and more.

YouTube Shorts is a fairly new feature that came out in early 2021. You can access this feature through your mobile devices. Your videos are allowed up to 60 seconds long, so be sure to get your creative juices flowing with these 25 fun ideas!

These ideas will increase your chances of getting into the YouTube Partner Program. This program gives you access to further resources and monetization features. It’s a great way to earn money!

25 YouTube Shorts Ideas For Small Businesses

1. Unboxing Video

Unbox your products to show your viewers exactly what they can expect upon receiving your product. Use creative video editing to make it as exciting and fun as possible so as to encourage purchases from viewers.

2. Before and After

Show the before and after of what your product or service achieves for your customer.

The YouTube algorithm will suit these types of videos to the right audience, increasing your engagement.
A before and after video shows your audience exactly how they can achieve their goal with your offer. 

3. How-To

Show your audience exactly how to use your product or service, step by step. This will erase any confusion your audience has and hopefully tackle some objections to purchase as well.

4. Industry Updates

Share any relevant industry updates your target audience might care about! Doing so via YouTube Shorts will keep the updates consumable in bite-sized videos of information.

5. Try-On

If you own a retail store, be it online or brick-and-mortar, try-on videos work well to show your audience how your clothes can be styled! 

This increases purchases and shows how your clothes fit in real life.

6. Testimonials

Sharing customer testimonials is great social proof for your business.

YouTube Shorts ideas like these allow your audience to see other people who are just like them be completely satisfied with your product or service.

7. Day in the Life

A day in the life YouTube Short is an effective way to break up your sales posts with a fun, authentic video. Start recording at the beginning of your work day until the end. 

Customers care about brand transparency and authenticity, so a day in the life will give them a desired peek into the reality of running your business.

8. Introduce Team Members

In the spirit of brand authenticity, introducing your team members helps make your audience feel like they “know” your brand.

An audience’s lack of familiarity with a brand is often one of the biggest reasons they don’t purchase from a small business.

Putting a face to your brand with a team introduction explainer video is a fantastic way to overcome that. 

9. Trending Challenges

Much like posting Instagram Reels as content, as well as TikToks, YouTube Shorts also experience waves of trends and challenges. 

Your brand can tap into these trends for extended reach and engagement. Just be sure to adapt the trend to be specific to your audience and business.

10. Micro Content from Long Form Content

If you’re a creator who already makes long-form YouTube videos, repurpose that original content to create YouTube Shorts! Many creators have found YouTube Shorts to be beneficial for their business. 

Pull out small nuggets of valuable information from your long-form content that can act as your micro-content. 

11. Highlight a Benefit to Your Product or Service

The ultimate factor that pushes a customer to buy is because they believe the product or service will help people achieve their goal they have or solve a problem they’re dealing with. 

Highlighting a benefit to your product or service in your YouTube Shorts will speak directly to the reason your customer should buy.

12. Highlight Your Office Pets

Pet videos always perform well, and they’re a great way to garner some extended video views, brand awareness, and engagement for your brand! 

If you don’t have an office pet, consider highlighting your team members’ pets in the same format you did your team introduction.

13. Give a Tour of Your Office

Touring your office in a YouTube Short is another way to put a face to your brand and show your followers that you’re a fun, functioning (legitimate) business. I’m sure there’re a lot of cool things you can show them!

Again, unfamiliarity or lack of trust is the biggest reason people don’t buy from new small businesses. An office tour helps bridge that gap and build trust in your brand.

14. Answer FAQs

Do you find that people tend to have the same questions over and over again when it comes to your brand or services? Answer your most commonly asked questions in a YouTube Short!

15. Tackle Myths and Common Misconceptions

Have you noticed any rumors or misconceptions floating around as it relates to your product, service, brand, or industry as a whole? 

Take this opportunity to dismantle those and set the record straight! Address any common misconceptions in your next YouTube Short!

Now if you need help with growing your YouTube channel, check out our reliable short video management services today! Or call us to get a custom proposal for your business.

16. Secret Hack

People love quick hacks because they think it will make their lives easier or more convenient. 

Share how your audience can utilize your product or service as a “secret hack” to achieve their goals or solve their pain points. 

17. Customer Reviews

Similar to testimonials, customer reviews show your target audience that others have used your product or service and loved it. 

If you don’t have a ton of customer reviews to pull from, this is your sign to start asking for positive reviews from every happy customer. Everyone wants a good review!

If you want to learn how to get reviews from your customers, then read this post next.

18. Sales Alert

Let your audience know if you’re running any sales! 

Short-form regular videos like YouTube Shorts are a great, organic way to get a lot of eyeballs on your content and make them aware of any sales you’re running.

19. Holiday Content

In addition to Q4 which is packed with holidays spanning from Halloween to Christmas and everything in between, there are national holidays that exist all throughout the year. 

These types of videos are fun! You can add festive captions, add music – holiday edition and add filters – holiday themed, grabbing the audiences attention. 

Make sure you’re paying attention to the calendar each month so you don’t miss any national or international holidays that are relevant to what you offer. Some great ideas include: holiday cooking videos, holiday music videos, a reaction video.

For more great holiday marketing ideas, check out this post next.

20. Motivational Videos

Depending on the nature of your business, it may be appropriate to post motivational content (motivational quotes, etc.) for your followers. This can look different from industry to industry. 

For instance, in the fitness industry, it may include encouragement to eat right and work out, whereas in our industry it may include entrepreneurial encouragement to keep going!

21. Fun Facts

Are there any fun facts surrounding your industry or business your audience would find interesting? 

As a small business owner, you’re often an expert in your field. But your followers aren’t! 

Don’t forget to educate them and fill them in on the small, amazing facts surrounding your product or service.

22. Different Ways to Use Products

If your products are multi-purpose, demonstrate that! Show all the different ways someone can use your products. 

This will show how much value your product holds and possibly justify the price point for your viewers.

23. Gift Ideas

Tell your customers who in their life would be a great recipient of your product or service. 

This helps your audience envision buying your product or service as a gift for specific people in their life. 

This is the best thing to do during the holiday season but can work year-round for other gift-giving holidays like Valentine’s Day, Easter, Father’s Day, Mother’s Day, etc.

24. Latest YouTube Video

If you post long-form YouTube videos on your YT channel, using Shorts is a great way to alert viewers that you have a new video out! 

Including a snippet of what they can expect to watch in your long-form video will help encourage viewers to click over and watch. 

25. Ask to Hear from Your Viewers 

Completely out of YouTube Shorts ideas? Ask your viewers what particular thing they want to see! Live streaming? Green screen videos?

Monitor your comments and make sure you practice social listening. Oftentimes your subscribers will tell you exactly what they want to see from you!

Take advantage of these quick tips today if you want your videos to go viral + an increased subscriber count!