How to Find Outlier Videos in Any Niche (Step-by-Step)

The fastest way to come up with a video idea that works is to find one that already has. Outlier videos, the breakout hits that massively outperform a channel's usual results, are the clearest proof that an idea connects with viewers.

The problem is finding them. YouTube does not label outliers, and searching a topic mostly shows you big channels with big numbers. In this guide, you will learn how to find outlier videos in any niche, step by step, using nothing but YouTube and a spreadsheet. Then we will show you how to do the same thing in seconds.

What you are looking for

An outlier is measured against the channel that posted it, not against YouTube as a whole. The key number is the outlier score:

A video with 80,000 views on a channel that usually gets 10,000 has an outlier score of 8x. Anything above 2x is worth noting, and 5x or more is a clear outlier. If you are new to the idea, read our guide to what an outlier video is on YouTube first.

How to find outlier videos manually (step by step)

Step 1: List your niche's keywords

Write down 10 to 20 phrases your ideal viewer would type into YouTube. Think in topics, not channel names. A personal finance creator might list "how to budget," "index fund investing," "pay off debt fast" and "passive income ideas."

Step 2: Search each keyword and filter results

Search each phrase on YouTube, then open Filters and sort by upload date or restrict results to the past year. Recent results matter more, because audience tastes and the algorithm shift over time. Scroll past the biggest channels and look for videos with high views from channels you have never heard of.

Step 3: Collect small and mid-sized channels

Note every channel between roughly 1,000 and 100,000 subscribers that shows up with a strong-looking video. These are your best sources. When a small channel lands a big video, the idea itself did the work, not an existing fanbase.

Step 4: Work out each channel's typical views

Open the channel's Videos tab and look at its last 20 or so uploads. Ignore the single highest and lowest numbers, then estimate the middle value. That median is a fairer baseline than an average, because one viral hit can drag an average way up. Check Shorts and long-form videos separately, since they perform very differently.

Step 5: Calculate the outlier score

Divide each standout video's views by the channel's typical views. Record the results in a simple spreadsheet:

Step 6: Look for patterns

Sort your spreadsheet by outlier score. Then look across the top results for repeated topics, title formats and thumbnail styles. One outlier might be luck, but three outliers on the same topic from different channels is a strong signal of real demand.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Judging by raw views. A million views on a channel with ten million subscribers is normal. Always compare against the channel's own baseline.
• Using lifetime averages. Channels grow and change. A baseline from five years ago will distort today's scores, so stick to recent uploads.
• Mixing Shorts and long-form. Shorts often get far more views than long-form videos on the same channel. Comparing one against the other creates fake outliers.
• Chasing old outliers. A 20x video from 2019 may reflect a trend that has passed. Prioritise breakouts from the last 12 months.
• Copying instead of adapting. Use outliers to understand what viewers want, then bring your own angle, experience and packaging.

The faster way: find outlier videos with PimpMyViews

The manual method works, but it is slow. Reviewing a single niche properly can mean checking dozens of channels and hundreds of videos, and the numbers are out of date almost as soon as you finish.

PimpMyViews automates the searching and scoring. Search any topic and get videos ranked by outlier score, calculated against the median of each channel's recent same-format uploads when available. Shorts and long-form are scored separately, so comparisons stay meaningful.

You can filter results by upload date, video length, language and region, then refine by channel size to focus on creators at your level. Instead of spending an afternoon in a spreadsheet, you can explore ranked results in one place.