How Does a Video Trend on YouTube?

Trending videos on YouTube often accumulate a large number of views and help catapult channels to success. But how does a video trend on YouTube? Does YouTube select which videos get featured on the trending tab, and is the trending tab the same for every YouTube user?

Videos trend on YouTube by accumulating a large number of views from a specific country in a short amount of time. A video must follow YouTube's Terms of Service guidelines and it must be advertiser-friendly. If a video does not follow the YouTube TOS or is not advertiser-friendly, it will not be featured on the trending tab, regardless of its popularity.

There is some debate as to whether or not YouTube hand-picks which videos get featured on the trending tab. This speculation isn't unfounded and does hold some weight. Many of the videos featured on the trending tab tend to have fewer views and interactions than other videos, leading to questions about the real way trending videos are chosen.

What Makes a Video Trending on YouTube

Have you ever wondered what makes a video trending on YouTube? If so, you aren't alone. The thing is, YouTube isn't very public about what leads to a video getting featured on the trending tab. Is it views, engagements, or something else that leads to a video getting featured on the trending tab?

The biggest contributing factor to a video getting featured on the trending tab is view velocity. When a video has a high view velocity, it means that it is receiving a significant number of views shortly after being published. Typically, a video must get a significant number of views within the first 6 hours of being published to become a trending video.

While view velocity is the biggest contributing factor to a video gets featured on the trending tab, there are other factors involved. For a video to be featured on the trending tab, it must also follow the YouTube Terms of Service and it must be advertiser-friendly. If a video conflicts with the YouTube TOS or isn't advertiser-friendly, it will not trend.

This is why so many videos with millions of views do not get featured on the trending tab. Often, their videos contain elements that conflict with the YouTube Terms of Service or they are not completely advertiser-friendly. So, if you've ever wondered why a particular video that seems to be going viral isn't trending, this is why.

Does YouTube Choose Trending Videos

Based on what I explained above, you might be wondering: Does YouTube choose trending videos? After all, if a video that is going viral doesn't get featured on the trending tab, but a video with barely any views does, then clearly the trending tab isn't what it appears to be, right?

An argument could be made that the trending tab isn't actually what it appears to be. Many videos are not placed on the trending tab due to their subject matter. Essentially, this means that videos featured on the trending tab don't accurately represent what is trending on the platform.

Knowing this, we can conclude that YouTube does indirectly choose which videos trend and which videos do not trend based on their guidelines. However, most videos tend to follow the YouTube Terms of Service guidelines and are advertiser-friendly. So, the majority of trending videos are featured based on their view velocity.

While still heavily visited, the trending tab does not have the same power it once had. Of course, a trending video can still gain a significant number of views. But since many people are aware that some types of content are not included in the trending tab, they are less likely to visit it, making it less powerful.

Is YouTube Trending the Same for Everyone

Chances are, you've noticed that different videos seem to be featured on the trending tab for different people. But why is this? Is YouTube trending the same for everyone, or is the trending tab personalized for each user? Do a user's interests determine which videos are featured as trending videos?

The YouTube trending tab is different in each country. You see, part of the criteria for a video to trend is the number of views it accumulates from a particular country. This doesn't mean that a French video cannot trend in Sweden. What this means is, a video must have a high view velocity consisting of views from a specific country to be trending in that country.

Typically, however, different content creators are more popular in specific countries. For example, British content creators tend to be more popular in the United Kingdom. Due to this, many of the videos the end up on the trending tab in the United Kingdom are from British content creators.

Something important for you to be aware of is the fact that different countries have different requirements for a video to be trending. In certain countries, a video can be featured on the trending tab with less than 10,000 views. For countries like the USA, Canada, etc. it takes a lot of views for a video to trend. Whereas in smaller countries, it takes fewer views.

Conclusion

In years past, getting a video featured on the trending tab was a big step towards a channel exploding in growth. Nowadays, however, this isn't the case, as the trending tab isn't as heavily visited as in years past. How does a video trend on YouTube? It has a high view velocity in a specific country, is advertiser-friendly, and doesn't break the YouTube TOS.