15 YouTube Shorts Niches That Are Trending in 2026

If you think making money on YouTube Shorts is complicated, think again. It's actually pretty simple and straightforward. And trust me, I'm not talking about the pennies that you're gonna make from ads with YouTube Shorts. That can be a profitable way of making money if you get enough views, but people call me Make Money Matt for a reason. I try to streamline making the most amount of money possible in the easiest and laziest way. And in part 2 of this limited time, completely free 4-part video series, you're gonna discover the unique method that I found after hundreds of hours of research and seeing successful methods amongst my students. In the first video, I explain how you can make insane amounts of money with YouTube Shorts, and make sure to watch that first so you can get a foundation on how to actually make money with YouTube Shorts, because soon this video series won't be available. But by the end of the second part, you're gonna have discovered the best niches for doing YouTube Shorts, and you will have a great niche to do. And you'll be able to see how you can use AI to generate content within these niches in seconds. And trust me, in the last few niches we're covering today, they're almost unfair how easy they are. And in this video, you're getting a list of niches for free that most people would have to pay $1,000 for a course to get. But you're getting it for free. The biggest mistake that most creators, most entrepreneurs make is choosing the wrong niche. One that's either too competitive, won't get enough views, or doesn't have enough earning potential. But with this method, that's not gonna happen to you. My students and I have bulk tested dozens of different niches to find the absolute best one for Shorts. These niches can get views fast, they're easy to create content for, and most importantly, they can make you money. Other niche lists that you see out there on YouTube are going to teach you niches that, sure, you can make a couple cents off of ads, but not this method. And as we go on with this video, I've structured it so the niches are going to get better and more valuable and profitable. So make sure you watch this full video so you don't handicap your earning potential. Let's start with some beginner-friendly options. These are easy to produce, fun to watch, and guaranteed to grab attention. Although the further ones down on this list are more profitable. The first two niches are funny stories and texting stories. And there's tons of channels on YouTube that do this and get millions of views every single month. Now you might be saying, Matt, wouldn't that be hard to generate these types of videos? Well, no, you can actually do it in seconds easily by using AI software like VidAI. Like, check out this texting story video that I recently made. With VidAI right here.

Guess what? I adopted a pet rock.

Is it a smooth talker?

Only when it's rolling downhill.

Sounds like a real boulder buddy.

I named it Rocky Balboa.

Wow, that's a heavyweight name.

It's a tough rock, never cracks.

And all I literally had to do was go into VidAI, fill out a couple prompts, and it made it for me instantly. And for a funny stories video like this channel right here that's got millions of views on their videos, I can generate content for that in a matter of seconds using VidAI. And check out this funny story video that I generated using it right here. Lisa confidently waved at a guy across the cafe who was smiling her way. As she walked over, practicing her best flirty face, she tripped over a chair and stumbled right into his table. And here's how you can make even more money doing this. Let's say, for example, that you had a long-form YouTube channel posting monetized Reddit stories. And since they're long-form videos, you'll make more money on average per 1,000 views. But it's harder to get views with long form compared to Shorts. But then let's say you upload Shorts to your channel as well that you generate in a matter of seconds to build your audience super fast. And all you have to do is get just a couple of these Shorts to pop off and you can generate so many of them super easily and quickly. However, that being said, it is really hard to link to high payout partner products with these types of story niches because unfortunately there's not really any product an audience would buy within this niche. But don't worry, I'm gonna show you some niches that you can potentially make a ton of money from high payout partner product sales, like we talked about in the first video in this series. Now, this also ties into the next two niches we're taking a look at, which are also very beginner friendly, which are facts and quiz/riddle shorts. Take a look at this fact video that I generated with VidAI in a matter of seconds.

Did you know Niagara Falls is one of the most powerful waterfalls in the world? It's actually made up of three waterfalls, Horseshoe, American, and Bridal Veil. The falls are approximately 12,000 years old.

Now these niches can still be profitable if you get millions of views like these channels right here. And like I said, it is easier to get millions of views with short-form content compared to long-form. But that being said, it is still relatively hard to link to a high-payout partner product from a niche like this. So they're not going to translate into potentially big money that you could make doing this. Now the Shorts that I showed you earlier, as well as the ones that I just showed you, were generated by the software that I created called vid.ai. And as a reminder for everybody watching this video series, we have a limited time discount for vid.ai that you can secure down at the link below. I wanna make sure that I get it into your hands for the least it will ever be. Plus you can get grandfathered into the best price before the price goes up and you can keep this discounted price forever. So if you wanna generate Shorts like that in seconds, make sure to claim your discount down at the link below. So now the niches are going to start getting a bit more profitable and I'm gonna show you some niches where you can potentially start making a bit more money. Because the audience is more profitable. And the next two niches we're taking a look at is celebrity drama and YouTube drama. Take a look at some of these Shorts right here that have gotten millions of views talking about both YouTube and celebrity drama. This is a topic that people are super interested in, and you could potentially monetize doing this by selling merch to affluent fans. And a lot of people do this, selling merch to other people's fans. But honestly, I don't think it's the best way of making money doing this especially since you can't leave a link in the description of YouTube Shorts. That being said, you can get a lot of views and you can monetize those views by getting monetized and making money from ad revenue. The next niche is scary stories. And scary stories are gonna make more money on average during the Halloween season because CPMs during that time are on average going to be a bit higher because people will be buying Halloween costumes and stuff related to that. And you could even be an affiliate for that as well, as long as you drive traffic to a long-form video that then sells the affiliate products. But it's difficult to find a product that will give you an insane commission. You'll likely only make a couple dollars, for instance, if you're promoting a Halloween costume. That being said, when you can generate amazing scary story videos in a matter of seconds with a pre-made prompt on VidAI by just going in there and selecting scary stories and clicking generate, then you can have a scary story video that looks just like this that you generated in seconds.

In the heart of the forest, a chilling tale unfolds. Hikers, unaware of the lurking danger, venture deeper into the woods. Suddenly, they notice a figure in a suit watching from the shadows. The man stands still, his presence sending shivers down their spines.

And now the next niche we're taking a look at is the history niche. Now the history niche is great because not only can you get a ton of views, but you could also implement the system I talked about in the last video in this series and promote something like a historical course or even sell specialized items as an affiliate to history enthusiasts. Channels like this one called the AI Historian post historical YouTube Shorts and they get hundreds of thousands of views doing it. And now let's get into the high potential untapped niches that I was talking about. These niches are like gold mines waiting to be discovered. And the first of these that we're going to talk about is the life hacks niche. Life hacks can work really well, especially if you add some satisfying visuals to them. And in Vid.ai, we actually have built in a stock library of satisfying footage that we literally paid people to create. So you can have the full rights to that footage and you can use that footage just by clicking it when you're generating a YouTube Short with Vid.ai. And your life hack Shorts can look something like this. Want to boost your productivity? Here are 5 life hacks to transform your daily routine. First, start your day with a morning routine. It sets the tone for success. Next, prioritize your tasks. Focus on what truly matters. And with the life hacks niche, you can then promote a long-form video that potentially sells cool gadgets and make a bunch of money from that. Like, for example, if you take a look at the channel called Quantum Tech HD, they have hundreds of thousands of views on them. And then on their long-form videos, they also get tons of views and they can sell the gadgets that they show as an affiliate from things like the Amazon Affiliate Program. Now the next niche we're talking about is perfect for AI because AI can generate incredible visuals for this. And that niche is architecture. You can show off cool designs of buildings, interior design, and you can make it really futuristic or any style that you want. Like take a look at this YouTube Short that it generated from VidAI about the best futuristic home designs. Welcome to the future of home design.

Imagine living in a space that adapts to your needs. Smart homes are revolutionizing our lives, making daily tasks easier and more efficient. Energy efficiency is key, with solar panels and green roofs becoming standard.

And then you could push people to software like VidAI, and you could be an affiliate for it, and tell them that they can make their own cool interior designs with AI if they'd like. And you could potentially make thousands of dollars per month by getting people on a recurring plan where you're making money every single month. The next niche is universal, and that niche is animals. People from any corner of the world can understand an animal video because animals are pure entertainment. Check out this channel, for instance, that uploads animal videos that gets millions of views, and all they do are videos about animals versus each other. And you can generate videos like this easily with vid.ai. Like, check out this video that I generated of a megalodon versus a giant squid.

Imagine a world where titans of the sea clash. Who would reign supreme, the megalodon or the giant squid? The megalodon, a colossal predator, ruled the oceans millions of years ago. But the giant squid is no ordinary foe. It's elusive and mysterious, lurking in the depths. Equipped with incredible speed and agility, the squid can strike with precision.

And the cool thing about the animal niche too is that if you focus on a particular animal like dogs, for instance, you could, for example, be an affiliate for something like this dog training course right here. And make a bunch of money from that by implementing the method we talked about in the last video. And finally, now we have the most premium and the best YouTube Shorts niches for making passive income if they're done correctly. And the first of these is the make money online niche. Now, the make money online niche is incredibly good, not only because CPMs in this niche, or how much you make per 1,000 views, is going to be higher than almost any niche on YouTube, but also because there's good digital products that you can be a partner for, like, for example, my YouTube course called Tube Mastery. And if you become a partner for that, you can get 50% of every sale. Some of the people who have promoted that program are making six figures with it, and we've paid out well over $1 million to affiliates. Now, the next niche is the psychology niche, and this is a great niche because you could go to long-form channels, even like Charisma on Command, for example, which is in the psychology niche. Which gets millions of views on their videos. Just copy the titles from that channel, paste it into vid.ai, and generate Shorts based on that in a matter of seconds. But it's also great because there's tons of different coaching programs, courses, and other digital products that you can promote in the psychology niche. There's even online therapy websites that pay out hundreds of dollars if you just refer people to them. Now the next niche is the travel niche. Now I recently met a student in this niche making an insane amount of money with it. So I personally know it's one of the best niches on YouTube, not only for long-form content, but also for Shorts. Like check out this travel channel right here, which gets millions of views. Just copy paste their titles into vid.ai and boom, you've got incredible Shorts for your channel. Plus you could even be a high payout partner for different travel websites or even have your very own travel course if you wanted to. And check out this travel Short that I generated in seconds with vid.ai.

Ready for an adventure? Let's explore 5 must-visit places in London. First up, the historic Tower of London, a fortress filled with tales of royalty. Next, stroll through the beautiful Kew Gardens, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Now, the next niche we're talking about is the health niche. Now, something you might have noticed with a bunch of the last niches we've been going over are these are niches that a lot of people tend to have problems in. And problems that they want to get solved and ones that they're potentially willing to pay to get solved. And so that's the reason a bunch of these past niches have higher than average CPMs because there's so many advertisers advertising products within these niches. Plus, what can't you sell within this niche? You could potentially be an affiliate for supplements, workout courses, wellness retreats. The list goes on and on. And now let me show you how you can actually generate a YouTube Short for one of these niches using VidAI. Within your projects page, you can click new project, select faceless shorts, but you can also do fake text like we talked about earlier. And then you can go ahead and select from a popular topic. Like for example, you could do animal facts right here, or you could even write your own prompt like, give me 5 facts about crazy animals. From there, then select the voice. We've got tons of different voices since we partnered up with ElevenLabs for this. Even my own voice is on there if you'd like to use it as well. You can select your style. You can even do gameplay videos, even put satisfying videos in the background if you wanted to. Then just click Generate Content. And then from here you can preview all the visuals along with the words that will go along with them. You can regenerate any of these if you need to. You can even upload your own images. And then if you click Next from here, then you can select your music if you'd like, captions. Click Generate, and I'll reveal this finished short in just a second. But first, I wanted to show you a list of the best high CPM niches on YouTube that can make a lot more money on average per 1,000 views. And here's that list right here. Feel free to refer back to this list at any time if you need to. And the amazing thing about this is that you could potentially start channels in tons of different niches. You could have 5 channels set up literally in the next day by using something like vid.ai. And now here's our finished video that we just generated. Let's take a look at it. Know that the lyrebird can mimic almost any sound it hears from chainsaws to camera shutters. Meet the axolotl, a salamander that can regenerate its limbs, heart, and even parts of its brain. The Arctic fox has a unique adaptation. Its fur changes color with the seasons for camouflage. Clownfish have a special— We literally have a video that can potentially get a ton of views on YouTube that we generated in mere seconds. And I recommend if you're at all thinking about doing this to jump in and do it before a huge flood of people discover this technology and also do it as well. If you want to be on the cutting edge of doing this, now is the time to get started. But that being said, you can set yourself apart from the competition by doing a few key secrets and optimizing your channel and your YouTube Shorts correctly that most people don't ever do. And I'm going to be showing you how to do that in the next videos in this series and in my upcoming Shorts Mastery course. It's going to be the ultimate guide for going viral with YouTube Shorts. So make sure to join the early bird waitlist now, which is down at the link below for exclusive access and bonuses. Also make sure you claim your discount for vid.ai and your price will stay locked in forever, even as vid.ai keeps adding more features and raising its value. Now in this video, you saw me just make one YouTube Short, but in the next video in the series, I'm gonna show you how to actually build an entire Shorts channel from the ground up by using AI step by step so you can start doing this today. Now, if the next video in this series is live, you can check it out next to me right here. If it's not up already, make sure to subscribe so you don't miss it. It'll be out very soon. I'll see you there.