Though YouTube is most commonly associated with visual content, sound-oriented videos are resonating with millions of users. Learn how some brands are raising their online profiles by lowering the volume.
Alerts, notifications, pings—the sounds send an anxious shiver down our spines. But many consumers are actually using technology, especially video, as a way to relax. There’s an entire universe of sound creation on YouTube designed to make you feel good. Sound a bit niche? It’s not. ASMR is the one of the biggest trend you’ve never heard of. The whole point of ASMR is to relax people and it’s big business on the internet.
For Kayleigh Hughes, 27, of Austin, Texas, ASMR videos provide her with an additional means of coping with her migraines and anxiety.
“I originally started listening because I had migraines all the time, and it helped me manage those while waiting for medication or sleep to hit,” she said. “I quickly started using it to calm down when I was panicked and soon started using it as a sleep aid because my anxiety makes it hard for me to clear my head and fall asleep at night.”
What’s in a name?
ASMR is a massive and growing trend. In fact, there’s more search interest on YouTube for ASMR than for ‘candy’ or ‘chocolate.’ Odds are, however, you’ve never heard of it. In fact, the top-searched question about ASMR on Google is, “What is ASMR?“
From beauty mavens to technophiles:
Brands don’t have to create their own ASMR videos to capitalize on the trend; interested audiences can still be reached. Who in particular? Both men and women are interested in ASMR content, with viewers skewing young—18- to 24-year-olds comprise around half of the interested audience. Most (77%) are also looking at beauty and fitness content.
Beauty products, in fact, play a starring role in the trend. Makeup tutorials have long been popular on YouTube, but after viewers realized how relaxing they were, many tutorials now double as ASMR videos. Some creators take the role-play approach, simulating the feeling of being in a makeup artist’s chair, while others use makeup brushes to create soothing noises. Search for “ASMR nails,” and you’ll see many creators showing off their manicures as they make tapping and scratching sounds. Even Michelle Phan—the queen of beauty herself, with 8.6 million subscribers and counting—has created an ASMR video.
3 of the highest ranked ASMR Youtube accounts:
1) SAS-ASMR (7.84 Million subscribers)
Specializing in food-related ASMR, SAS-ASMR currently ranks as the number one ASMR-tist in the community by some margin. Having become renowned for her ‘mukbang’ shows (where people indulge in a copious amount of food), SAS also reaches her large following on her Vlog channel, where she typically posts challenge video featuring her family and friends.
2) Gibi ASMR (2.26 Million subscribers)
Having gained over 2 Million subscribers in her short tenure as an ASMR-tist, Gibi ASMR sits just next to ‘Darling ASMR’ on the list. Known for her soft-spoken roleplay and makeup videos, Gibi ventured into the genre as someone who absorbed content to alleviate her recurring sleep issues, before deciding to post her own take on her YouTube and Twitch channel.
3) Ting Ting ASMR (2.01 Million subscribers)
Ting Ting ASMR is where Ting Ting, the content creator of the channel relaxes her audience by making videos for self-grooming, spa-care, and her speciality is Chinese origin ASMR content. She has 2.4 Million subscribers on Youtube.
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