September 9, 2025 | by David Summerall
What Are Formats? 🎥
A format is the structure of your content—the framework that holds your idea together.
Think of it like this:
“Day in My Life” = format
“Reacting to X” = format
“Rating Things 1–10” = format
Your idea fits into the format. The format is how the content plays out.
Having a toolbox of 5-10 formats you rotate through makes brainstorming easier and gives your audience something familiar but fresh every time you upload a video.
The Outlier Content Strategy 🚀
Here’s where most creators go wrong: they only look within their niche for ideas.
Smart Creators look everywhere.
The Process:
Find formats that already work in completely different niches.
Adapt them for your audience and niche.
Example:
A cooking channel uses a “Tier List” format (from gaming) to rank kitchen tools.
A finance creator uses “Day in My Life” to show their money habits.
Same format. Different niche. Fresh content.
The Format Finder Framework 🛠
Follow this simple 5-step system:
Open YouTube in incognito mode
Search: “viral [different niche]” (gaming, cooking, finance, etc.)
Sort by most viewed in the last 7-30 days
Write down the format, not the idea
Ask yourself: “How could this format work in my niche?”
Don’t overthink it. The goal isn’t perfection. It’s building your format library.
Ideas improve with execution and repetition, not just brainstorming.
Final Word - Why Ideas Matter More Than Tools or Tactics
Many creators believe content quality is all about production: expensive cameras, flashy editing, or professional set design.
But in truth, even basic production can succeed if the idea has clarity, relevance, and emotional resonance.
Your content needs to start with a winning idea that your audience cares about that is
tied to their needs, problems, or interests.