As a video content creator, you have many platforms to choose from. There is Instagram, TikTok, and now YouTube. Yes, YouTube now welcomes vertical, short videos up to 1-minute in length. With the YouTube Shorts feature, YouTube is competing aggressively with Instagram and TikTok. That means more opportunities for you and for you to jump on this wagon while this feature is still developing.
What are YouTube Shorts?
YouTube Shorts is more of a feature offered within YouTube. The platform/feature hosts user content much like YouTube’s primary service but limits videos to 60 seconds in length. Since its launch in 2020, YouTube Shorts has accumulated over 5 trillion views.
It’s not a new feature, but YouTube is still working on it, improving it, adding new possibilities, etc.
YouTube realized that TikTok usage had jumped drastically during the pandemic, and thus they decided that something had to be done. Users prefer Instagram Reels and TikTok over YouTube.
YouTube’s primary focus was on long-form videos with horizontal orientation. But trends change, and people are on their phones all the time. Thus, TikTok and Instagram Reels had more to offer because these two platforms only focused on mobile devices.
Videos are still the future because video content is better consumed than written content. This article should have been a video. 😓
If you want to become a content creator but don’t want to use Instagram or TikTok because you feel old, then YouTube Shorts is the right choice.
YouTube is still considered a more formal business platform with much potential to make money. Shorts only expands on this and gives you, the content creator, an opportunity to create content in a format that is now popular.
YouTube Shorts works similarly to TikTok. You can create 15 to 60 seconds long videos in portrait mode. Adding licensed popular music is allowed. You can still write descriptions and add links to them, and users can comment.
Viewers can scroll through endless videos and consume the content more quickly.
The only difference is that YouTube Shorts videos can be viewed on a desktop, and you don’t have to be logged in. TikTok and Instagram have that option, but watching a video on a desktop is challenging because you must be logged in.
Why focus on Short videos?
Yes, short videos are popular and will get even more popular in 2023. 39% of marketers report that short-form videos generate the most significant ROI.
In addition, the top social media platform for sharing videos is YouTube (70%), followed by Instagram (60%) and TikTok (35%). So, YouTube is still ahead.
Here are the reasons why focusing on shorts is a good idea:
You can quickly go viral
YouTube Algorithm now pushes short videos more often, and your videos can quickly go viral. People spend more time scrolling short videos, and thus you are more likely to find your audience, and your YouTube channel has the potential to grow faster.
More views
Even if you don’t go viral, short videos tend to get more views, and more importantly, the user is more likely to watch your video from start to finish, thus increasing the retention ratio.
Quicker subscriber growth
More views also mean more subscribers. If you have interesting videos worth watching more than once, you are on an excellent path to gaining more subscribers.
Production is less time consuming
Short videos are easy to make, and you don’t have to spend much time editing and adding perfect transitions. People prefer raw videos that are informative and engaging. However, if you want to edit your video perfectly, shorts features let you do that within the app.
More lenient rules
YouTube shorts started in 2020, so it’s still in the editing phase. YouTube is trying to capture community feedback and give the best, so rules for content creators are still not as strict. YouTube’s goal is to be better than TikTok and Instagram; thus, they are improving daily. That goes for the algorithm as well. Some videos and content that are not working for YouTube, in general, might be perfect for YouTube Shorts.
Should you start Shorts only channel?
You can start adding short-format videos if you already have a YouTube channel. YouTube likes content creators who combine both formats; thus, the algorithm is more likely to recognize your channel and push it to the audience.
However, starting a completely new channel with only short-format videos is even better. That way, you are jumping on the wagon of YouTube’s urge to be better than other platforms.
For you, it will be easier to track analytics and focus on one type of format that is graded differently than long-format videos. You can easily spot what is working and what is not working.
Monetization
You are here to make money, and you are here to make money from your YouTube channel. The good news is that in 2023, creators who focus on creating shorts can now apply for the YouTube Partner Program.
So many content creators were reluctant to create shorts because of the monetization issue. Reaching that threshold of 4000 watch hours is tricky enough with long-format videos and even more challenging with short-format videos.
However, YouTube is now welcoming short video creators. For your channel to be monetized, your channel must have 1000 subscribers and 10M shorts views in 90 days. Ten million views seem a lot, but views are easier to achieve than watch hours. As I mentioned, people are more likely to watch short videos more than once, which counts toward your view count.
How to scale faster?
There are some ways for your channel to grow faster. There are so many tools that can help you get more views and subscribers. The two best tools to help you achieve goals more quickly are vidIQ and TubeBuddy.
Content creators always struggle with the following:
- Video Optimization
- Writing good Description
- Finding High Converting Tags
- Finding Trending Topics
- Finding Trending Keywords
- Thumbnail Design
- Video Music
These can be solved with unique tools such as TubeBuddy and vidIQ. Both extensions are designed explicitly for YouTube’s algorithm, and there is no room for error.
TubeBuddy lets you rank higher in search results. It will guide you through YouTube’s Best Practices and ensure your videos are set up for success. Millions of creators and brands are optimizing their channels for increased views and subscribers with TubeBuddy.
vidIQ is a growth tool for video creators. With vidIQ, you can discover keywords and get title and description recommendations, and it’s designed to get you more views and subscribers. You can read our in-depth vidIQ review.
Both tools will help you scale your YouTube channel. TubeBuddy and vidIQ will save you valuable time, and you will have more time for content creation.
Don’t miss this opportunity!
