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45 ranking video ideas that get people talking

The best ranking videos are made from clips you already have, ranked in an order people want to argue about. Here are 45 ideas grouped by niche, and how to choose one that works for you.

Updated October 23, 2026 · 6 minute read

What makes a good ranking topic

• You already have the footage. Your own clips are the quickest to work with and the safest to post. More on that below.
• People can disagree. "Ranking my five worst haircuts" invites opinions. A list everyone agrees with gets watched and forgotten.
• It's specific. "Top 5 falls from my first year of skateboarding" is more interesting than "Best skateboarding fails", and it's a ranking only you can make.
• Each clip works on its own. A viewer should understand every clip within a few seconds, without needing context.
• #1 is clearly the best. A countdown promises that the last clip is worth waiting for, so make sure it is.

Sports and fitness

1. Top 5 goals, saves or tackles from your team's season
2. Every trick you learned this year, ranked from easiest to hardest
3. Your worst falls while learning to ski, surf or snowboard
4. Gym exercises ranked by how much you dread them
5. Best moments from this summer's pickup games

Gaming

6. Your top 5 clutch plays from this week's sessions
7. Your funniest deaths in one game
8. Every boss in a game, ranked by how many tries it took you
9. Your bases or builds, from first attempt to best
10. Best moments from a co-op night with friends

Food and cooking

11. Every dish you cooked this month, ranked
12. Hot sauces you tried, from mildest to hottest, with your reactions
13. Your worst kitchen disasters
14. Street food from your last trip, ranked
15. Homemade versions of fast-food favorites, ranked against each other

Travel and places

16. The best views from your last trip
17. Every city you visited this year, ranked
18. The best hikes near where you live
19. Hotel rooms you stayed in, from worst to best
20. The best sunsets you filmed this year

Pets and animals

21. Your dog's most dramatic moments
22. Your cat's strangest sleeping spots
23. The best zoomies of the year
24. Every trick your pet knows, ranked by how well they do it
25. Wildlife you spotted on walks and hikes

Everyday life and humor

26. Things you bought this year, ranked by how much you actually use them
27. Your outfits from this week
28. Your most embarrassing moments caught on camera
29. Your friends' reactions to the same surprise, with their permission
30. Rainy-day activities you tried, from worst to best

Hobbies and skills

31. Your drawings or paintings from the past year, from worst to best
32. Your first ten attempts at a new skill
33. The plants in your garden, ranked by how well they survived
34. DIY projects ranked by how much went wrong
35. The best shots from a day of photography or drone flying

Music and performance

36. Songs you learned this year, ranked by how hard they were
37. Your best live moments from gigs or open mics
38. Your dance practice clips, from first week to latest
39. Instruments in your collection, ranked by how much you play them
40. Your band's rehearsal bloopers

Creators and small businesses

41. Your most-watched videos of the year, as a recap
42. Products in your shop, ranked by you or your team
43. Behind-the-scenes bloopers from your shoots
44. Customer reactions, with their permission
45. Your top 5 tips for your niche, each with a short demo clip

Using other people's clips

Many ranking videos are built from movie scenes, sports broadcasts, music videos or other creators' posts. That footage belongs to someone else. Platforms can mute, block or remove videos that use it, and repeated copyright claims can put your account at risk.

Using footage you shot yourself avoids all of that, and it makes your video one nobody else can copy. If you want to include someone else's clip, ask them for permission first. Rules about copyrighted material differ between countries and platforms, and this guide isn't legal advice, so when in doubt, leave it out.

The same goes for music. Use a track you have the rights to, or add a sound from the app's own library after you upload.

Turn one idea into a series

A ranking that works once often works again. "Best clips of the week" can become a weekly post, and a video where commenters disagree with your #1 is an easy follow-up: rank their suggestions in part 2. Keeping the same title style, colors and layout across a series makes your videos recognizable in a busy feed. In RankingReel, open the draft of your last video, swap in the new clips and labels, and export the next one in the same style. Saving it again replaces the old draft, so export the first video before you start changing it.