YouTube just made one of its biggest moves in years: it’s retiring the Trending tab. If you’re like many creators, you might be wondering, “How will people find my content now?”
The answer: YouTube discovery is no longer about going viral on one centralized page. It’s now about being found through personalized feeds, AI-powered suggestions, and creator-friendly tools like YouTube Charts and the Studio Inspiration Tab.
And while it might sound like a major shift, it’s a huge opportunity for creators who know how to ride the new wave.
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In this guide, we’ll break down what’s changing, what it means for your visibility, and how you can adapt your strategy to grow faster, even without Trending.
1. What’s Changing
As of July 21, 2025, the Trending tab and Trending Now list will be permanently removed from YouTube.
But discovery isn’t going away, it’s just being reimagined. Instead of a one-size-fits-all feed, YouTube is focusing on personalized discovery based on how viewers engage with content.
Here’s what’s taking its place:
- YouTube Charts: These category-specific rankings (like Top Music Videos or Top Podcasts) highlight what’s rising in your niche.
- AI-Powered Home & Explore Feeds: Viewers now discover content through algorithm-driven recommendations that are personalized to their watch history and behavior.
- Shorts Shelf & Search Suggestions: With millions of daily views, YouTube Shorts now leads the way in surfacing trending ideas and creators.
What this means: viral visibility is no longer about landing on a single list; it’s about showing up where your audience already is.
2. Discovery Isn’t Dead, It’s More Democratic
Let’s be honest, the old Trending tab often favored already-popular creators or big media brands. That meant smaller creators had to work ten times harder for half the exposure.
With this update, YouTube discovery becomes more democratic. Algorithms now elevate content based on relevance, engagement, and viewer behavior, not just overall view counts.
Your content can reach the right audience even if you don’t have millions of subscribers, especially if you understand how Shorts, Charts, and personalized feeds work.
In short, the playing field got a little more level.
3. Meet the New Discovery Tools Built for Creators
YouTube isn’t just removing features; they’re replacing them with tools that help creators grow smarter and faster.
- Studio Inspiration Tab: This built-in tool inside YouTube Studio shows AI-recommended video ideas tailored to your audience and channel performance. You’ll also see breakout videos from similar creators, perfect for trendjacking with your spin.
- YouTube Hype System (experimental); Hype helps surface emerging creator content to new audiences, including testing auto-promotion in YouTube’s recommendation engine.
- YouTube Charts: These replace Trending by showcasing top-performing content across key categories like Music, Gaming, Podcasts, and Trailers—a great resource for identifying high-interest formats and topics to remix or respond to.
4. How to Optimize for YouTube Discovery in 2025
If you’re wondering what to do with all this, here’s your step-by-step game plan:
- Create More Shorts: YouTube Shorts is one of the most powerful discovery tools right now. Post consistently—3 to 5 Shorts a week can drastically improve visibility.
- Use the Studio Inspiration Tab Weekly: Check it before scripting or filming. It’s like having a trend scout in your pocket.
- Repurpose Your Best Performers: Found a Short that pops? Turn it into a long-form video with deeper insights or behind-the-scenes context.
- Watch YouTube Charts Like a Creator Calendar: Spot trends in your niche and join the conversation early.
- Educate Your Audience with Community Posts: Use polls, behind-the-scenes notes, and teasers to build momentum before posting.
Discovery today is a rhythm, not a one-time shot at virality.
5. Related Insights from Logie
We’ve seen this shift coming. At Logie, we’ve covered the rise of Shorts, the push toward in-app tools, and the growing importance of micro-trends in multiple updates:
- YouTube’s Shorts Feature Expansion explained how creators are gaining tools that favor speed and trend response.
- The Rise of Short-Form Content explored why YouTube is putting discovery power in the hands of everyday creators, not just big brands.
- Creator Tools for Community Growth showed how the Studio’s built-in features are designed to give creators actionable insights, like the Inspiration Tab and Hype promos.
Conclusion
The removal of the Trending tab might feel like the end of something familiar, but in reality, it’s the beginning of a smarter, more creator-first discovery system.
YouTube isn’t pulling back; they’re pushing forward with tools that help creators like you connect with the right audience at the right time.
This shift favors creators who are nimble, data-aware, and ready to experiment. You don’t need to chase virality anymore.
You need to stay discoverable where your people are scrolling. That’s the beauty of today’s YouTube discovery: it’s personal, it’s intentional, and with the right strategy, it’s powerful.
So if you’ve been waiting for a sign to rethink your YouTube game, this is it. Discovery has changed, and the door is wide open for you to grow.
