What Is an Outlier Video and How to Find It in Your Niche
An outlier video is a video that gets significantly more views than a channel typically receives. Finding one is straightforward: open a competitor's channel, sort videos by views, and compare the top performers to what the channel usually gets. Such a video reveals a topic that resonated with a broad audience, making it the best candidate for creating something similar on your own channel.
What is an outlier in simple terms
Every channel has its own baseline view count. If videos typically get 20,000 views and one suddenly reaches 200,000, that's an outlier—a tenfold spike. When creators say a video "took off," they mean exactly this: the video far exceeded the channel's normal numbers.
Importantly, an outlier is relative to the specific channel, not absolute view counts. A 50,000-view video on a small channel is a major hit, while the same 50,000 views on a million-subscriber channel is a flop.
Why outliers matter more than regular views
Growth on YouTube happens through recommendations. The algorithm promotes content that gets clicked and watched for longer—topics that appeal to a broad audience. When a video breaks through a channel's baseline, it signals that the topic has reached beyond regular subscribers and connected with a wider audience.
That's why a competitor's outlier is more valuable than just any video with high view counts. High views might simply reflect a channel's size. But an outlier shows a specific topic that performed better than everything else—and that's worth taking.
How to find an outlier from a competitor
It takes three steps.
- Open the channel and sort videos by popularity. The most-watched videos will appear at the top.
- Compare them to the channel's typical performance. Scroll through recent uploads and estimate the average view count. A video that exceeds the average by several times is an outlier.
- Check the date. An old video may have accumulated views over years, while a fresh outlier gained them quickly. Fresh outliers are more valuable: the topic is relevant right now.
What to do with an outlier you've found
Create your own version of the topic, but don't copy it. Take what made the video work—the topic and the hook—and present it from your angle: with a different example, a different perspective, or through your own experience. Since your competitor's content is similar to yours, a proven topic from them will likely work on your channel too.
Outliers from competitors are exactly what Ycreato tracks automatically: it monitors your competitors, finds videos that exceeded their channel's average views, and suggests topic ideas based on these hits for your own channel.
FAQ
How many times above average does a video need to be to count as an outlier?
There's no hard rule. Generally, people talk about a three-fold increase or more. The bigger the gap, the stronger the signal that the topic resonated with a broad audience.
Can you find an outlier on your own channel?
Yes, and it's useful. Your own breakout video shows a topic that already works with your audience—it's worth developing further in new videos.
Does an outlier guarantee the topic will work for me?
No guarantee, but the odds are good if your competitor is similar to you in content and audience. It's betting on something proven rather than guessing.
Do old outliers still work?
A topic might have become outdated. Fresh outliers are more reliable, so it's worth checking competitors regularly.
If you don't want to hunt for outliers manually, you can get topic ideas for your channel in Ycreato—it pulls them from what worked for competitors, with the first three free. ycreato.com