What Are Content Buckets And How To Use Them

What Are Content Buckets?

One of the most effective methods YouTubers use to organise their content is through content buckets. But what exactly are content buckets, and how can they help you grow your channel?

Let’s break it down!

What Are Content Buckets?

Content buckets are categories or themes that a YouTuber focuses on within their channel. You can think of them as sub-topics that branch off your channel’s main theme, offering variety while keeping your content relevant. Each bucket represents a different type of video you consistently produce to attract and engage viewers, while maintaining your connection with core audiences.

For example, if your channel is about fitness, you might create content buckets like "workout routines," "nutrition tips," "fitness challenges," and "Q&A sessions". By creating content within these buckets, you can cater to different viewer interests and keep your channel fresh and engaging.

For example, if your channel is focused on fitness, your content buckets might include:

• Workout Tutorials: Specific exercise routines.
• Healthy Eating: Nutrition advice and meal prep tips.
• Motivation: Mental health and fitness motivation videos.

These categories help guide your content creation while ensuring you hit different aspects of your audience’s interests.

Why Are Content Buckets Important?

Consistency and Branding

A well-defined set of content buckets helps maintain a consistent theme on your channel. Your viewers know what kind of content to expect from you, which builds trust and brand identity.

When someone subscribes to your channel, it’s often because they’re interested in a particular type of content or "bucket". Consistent buckets allow you to cater to that interest while establishing a recognizable brand.

Balancing Audience Retention and Growth

One of the biggest challenges for YouTubers is balancing the needs of their existing audience with the desire to attract new viewers. Content buckets make this easier. By creating videos within multiple categories, you cater to different viewer preferences within your niche.

For example, a fitness YouTuber might attract new subscribers with workout tutorials but retain them with nutrition advice and motivational content. This variety helps keep both new viewers and core audiences engaged.

Simplifying Content Planning

Defining your content buckets also makes planning your video schedule more efficient. Instead of struggling with what to post next, you can rotate through your buckets, ensuring you’re regularly covering the key topics your audience cares about.

This approach not only keeps your content fresh but also ensures you’re consistently providing value across multiple areas of interest.

Data-Driven Decisions

Once you establish your content buckets, you can monitor how each category performs. Over time, you’ll be able to adjust your strategy, focusing more on the high-performing buckets and possibly dropping or evolving those that aren’t working as well.

This data-driven approach will help you optimise your content strategy and maximise your audience engagement.

Testing New Buckets

It's important to keep experimenting with new buckets. As viewers see more and more of the same topic, it can lead to viewer fatigue. So to avoid this, it's important to add new buckets to your content.

Once you have established content buckets, you're able to test out new buckets whilst still providing content relating to previously proven buckets. This allows you to still provide for your audience but also to experiment with potential buckets. If a bucket doesn't work for your channel, you can just stop posting it - but if it does work then you have another content bucket to add to your channel!

Below is a clip of Leroy ter Braak, a YouTube Strategist who explains the benefits of content buckets and how to experiment with them.

You can check out the full video here on our podcast channel to learn more.

How to Define Your Content Buckets

Identify Your Core Themes

To effectively plan your YouTube content, start by identifying your channel’s main theme or niche. What is your channel about? Fitness, cooking, travel, personal finance?

Once you’ve defined the core theme, break it down into 3-5 sub-categories that reflect the different types of content you want to create. This will help you organize your content and ensure that you’re consistently producing high-quality videos that your audience will love.

Segment Based on Audience Interests

Your content buckets should reflect the various interests of your audience. For example, if your channel is focused on personal finance, you might create buckets around saving tips, investing, and debt management.

This allows you to cater to a broad spectrum of viewers within your niche, meaning none of your viewers will feel excluded from your channel.

Ensure Relevance

Your content buckets should align with your channel’s main focus while providing variety. For example, if your channel is about gaming, avoid buckets that are too far removed from that theme, like cooking tips or travel advice. Staying relevant keeps your content engaging.

By organizing your content into buckets, you can create a consistent and engaging viewing experience for your audience. It also helps you identify gaps in your content strategy and plan future videos more effectively. Remember to stay relevant to your niche. Avoid creating content that is too far removed from your core audience's interests. Focusing on topics that your viewers are passionate about lets you build a loyal following and drive engagement.

Track and Adjust

Once you’ve implemented your content buckets, regularly track their performance using YouTube analytics. Identify which buckets are bringing in views and viewers, and adjust your strategy accordingly. This will help you continuously refine your content.

If you find that certain buckets consistently underperform, consider re-evaluating your content strategy. Perhaps the topic isn't as engaging as you thought, or your approach needs to be refined. On the other hand, if a particular bucket is consistently successful, consider doubling down on that content. You can create more videos within that bucket, experiment with different formats, or collaborate with other creators to reach a wider audience.

By regularly tracking and analysing your content performance, you can make data-driven decisions to optimize your strategy and maximise your impact on YouTube.