What counts as an outlier
Raw views say little on their own: a million views is normal for some channels and a fluke for others. An outlier is measured against its own channel, in two steps:
- Work out the channel’s usual: the middle value of its recent long videos’ views. Use the middle, not the average, because one hit can double an average.
- Divide the video’s views by that usual. That’s its outlier score.
| Outlier score | What it means |
|---|---|
| Under 1x | Below the channel’s usual |
| 1x to 2x | A normal to good video for that channel |
| 2x to 3x | Clearly above usual: worth a look |
| 3x to 10x | An outlier: study it |
| 10x and up | Rare: the idea or the package hit hard |
Example: a channel’s recent videos usually get 6,000 views, and one gets 90,000. That’s 15 times its usual: an outlier, whatever the channel’s size.
How to find outlier videos, step by step
1. List 15 to 30 channels in your niche
Pick channels whose viewers would also watch you: the same subjects and a similar format. Include several near your own size, not only the biggest.
2. Work out each channel’s usual
Open the channel’s Videos tab, sorted by latest. Take the views of its last 20 to 30 long videos and find the middle value. Leave out Shorts and live streams, which run on a different scale.
3. Flag every recent video at 3x or more
Go through each channel’s recent uploads and note any video with three times its usual or more. Sorting by Popular shows a channel’s biggest videos of all time, which answers a different question: many of them are old, and old videos had years to collect views.
4. Keep the recent ones
An outlier from the last few months tells you what viewers want now. One from three years ago may be a subject that has moved on. And since 24 August 2026, YouTube counts a view from the first frame, so videos posted since then show more views than older ones did: compare them with the channel’s other recent videos.
5. Look for the pattern
One outlier can be luck. Three on the same idea from different channels are a pattern. Write down what they share: the promise in the title, the subject, the format, the main thing in the thumbnail.
6. Check that a channel your size did it too
A 30x video on a channel with a million subscribers may lean on that channel’s reach. If a channel near your size also beat its usual with the same idea, the idea travels to channels like yours.
Mistakes that make a video look like an outlier
- Comparing views with subscribers. Views divided by subscribers is a quick shortcut, but subscriber counts include people who stopped watching long ago. The channel’s recent views are the fairer yardstick.
- Old videos. Give a video three years and it can pass a channel’s recent usual without ever having been a hit.
- Shorts mixed in with long videos. Shorts get far more views per video and would make every long video look weak.
- Outside traffic. A video linked from a big newsletter or a news story got its views from somewhere YouTube won’t repeat for you.
- Collaborations. A video with a guest brings the guest’s audience along.
What to do with an outlier
Don’t copy it. Take the promise that made it work and deliver it your way: your example, your test, your result, on your channel’s subject. A good test: could a viewer watch both and still get something new from yours?
- Keep the idea, change the package. Write your own title and thumbnail around the same promise, never the other video’s words.
- Check that people search for it. Type the idea’s words into YouTube’s search box: if most of the suggestions keep them, people search for it. Our guide to finding YouTube video ideas that get views covers this check and the rest.
- Make it soon. An idea that’s beating channels’ usual views now can be crowded in a few months.
Find outliers without the spreadsheet
MakeThisNext does this every morning for the channels in your niche. It reads every new video, holds it against its own channel’s usual, and shows the video behind each idea with its score, next to the best a channel your size did with the same idea.
Questions
What is an outlier video on YouTube?
A video that got far more views than its channel usually gets, typically three times its usual or more.
What is a good outlier score?
3 or more is worth studying, and 10 or more is rare. The score is the video’s views divided by its channel’s usual views.
Do outliers work for small channels?
Yes, and they tell you the most there. An outlier on a small channel shows the idea did the work, not the channel’s reach.
Is it OK to make a video on the same idea?
Yes. Nobody owns an idea; a creator’s script, footage and thumbnail are theirs. Make your own version, with something new in it.