Just when you thought YouTube couldn’t get any more fun, it introduced YouTube Shorts. YouTube has been entertaining its audience since its launch in 2005.
It has come a long way since and is focused on evolving to make the platform more user-friendly. Billions of creators have taken the platform by storm with their content and creativity.
Recently, YouTube launched the YouTube Shorts Report dedicated to providing a detailed report for users using YT Shorts. YT Shorts was launched in India in Sept 2020 in a beta version. Since December, the no. of channels using Shorts has tripled in number. In March, YouTube Shorts will be released in the USA.
In this blog, we will cover the following points to make it easy for creators to understand what YT Shorts are and how they can use them to gain maximum benefit.
What Are YouTube Shorts?
With YouTube introducing new features and tools, creators are raising the bar for content creation. YouTube Shorts are a fun new way to create short 15-second videos for creators to express themselves on the platform. According to YouTube, the new feature focuses on three main aspects:
- Create
- Get discovered
- Watch
Create
You can create short videos in the easiest way possible. The casual use of smartphones makes it much easier to do so. Just like Instagram and Snapchat, Shorts lets you compile multiple video clips together. Once you’ve shot or uploaded a video from your gallery, you can Add Music from a wide range of options available in the music library. You can also click on the bookmark icon appearing on the music track’s left-hand side to mark it as a favorite.
YouTube has strict policies for creators using copyrighted music, and this blog will teach you how to legally use copyrighted music for your YouTube videos.
You can find options like Speed controls that let you adjust the speed of a video and get more creative with your videos. Lastly, you can add a Timer for a hands-free recording. YouTube Shorts is a beta version launched by YT who plans on adding more features in the coming months.
Get Discovered
People use YouTube daily for different purposes. Some use the platform to learn, while others use it to entertain themselves. With more than 2 billion users, creators have an entire community waiting to discover their excellent content. YouTube is one of the best platforms to get discovered via video content, and creators can take advantage of this feature to do so.
Watch
Like Instagram, you will see a grid of videos on your YouTube homepage that you can easily click on and watch. YouTube hopes to upgrade its watch experience with Shorts. You can swipe up to watch similar videos and discover new ones.
How To Create YouTube Shorts?
Now that you are familiar with YouTube Shorts let’s take a look at creating a YT Short.
- Click on the ‘+’ icon on your YouTube homepage.
- Select ‘Create a Short’
- Click on the ‘Record’ button.
- Click on ‘Next’ after adding music and text.
- In the ‘Add details’ section, insert a title for your video, and switch the view option to ‘Public’ and ‘Select Audience.’
- Tap on ‘Upload’
YouTube Shorts Requirements
To qualify your video as a YouTube Short, the video should be created between 5 to 60 seconds. The dimensions of your video are essential too. The recommended dimensions are 1080 x 1080 pixels in a vertical format. Remember that your video will not qualify as a YT Short if the measurements don’t match the requirements.
Why Should You Create YouTube Shorts?
Creating YT shorts has loads of benefits, like increasing the channel’s online presence due to accessibility, helping to beat the competitive edge, and reaching new audiences. On top of that, it is one video format that is very easy to create. Does understanding the YouTube algorithm also feel like a maze for you? Well, it does to many, but the catch is it prioritizes YT short content more than long-form videos. So, if you want to get YouTube algorithms on your side and buy YouTube views, shorts are the key.
How To Track YT Shorts’ Performance?
To track the performance of your YouTube Shorts:
- Log in to your YouTube Studio account and click on the Analytics tab.
- The Overview page will appear on your screen, showcasing views, watch time, and subscribers on a graph.
- Click on the See More option below the graph.
- Next, click on the Traffic Source option > Shorts.
Here, you will see views, watch time, and average view duration of your YT Shorts.
Monetization With YouTube Shorts
If you are a YouTuber looking to monetize your channel, you can leverage the subscribers you gain from YouTube Shorts towards applying for the YouTube Partner Program (YPP). Keep in mind that your Shorts watch hours won’t count toward the YPP eligibility criteria. The YouTube Partner Program lets creators earn through revenue sharing via ads placed on their videos. The eligibility criteria for YPP is that a creator needs to have more than 1,000 subscribers and more than 4,000 public watch hours in the last 12 months.
Tips For Creating YouTube Shorts
The best tip for creating YT shorts is to know your purpose for starting it and then think about what you can do to achieve the goal. Let’s dissect the process together!
Decide Your Goal & Audience
Understand what your end goal is for creating YouTube shorts. Then, it’s time to focus on your audience. When you decide on your goal, you must also understand who your target audience can be. Create content that can resonate with them.
Hook Your Viewers
YouTube allows you to create shorts of 60 seconds only, which is the time to hook your viewers. YouTube’s latest update increases the shorts’ time from 1 to 3 minutes. This means any video you publish within 3 minutes turns out to be short. So you get a little extra time to speak more about your products, but keep it short and crisp to grab.
Eye-catching Thumbnails And Captions
Thumbnails and captions are something that entice your audience to watch your content. Thumbnails that attract people and captions that give the reason for your audience to click. If you are in a bind with creating video captions, you can make an AI YouTube description generator handy.
Consistency
Understanding what the YouTube algorithm wants can be tricky, but consistency is one thing we can say with a blindfold. Whether you are a regular creator or just starting off, uploading once weekly and as often as 2 to 3 times daily is a must.
Best Time To Post
What’s the point of posting content when your audience isn’t active? Your video will be pushed down when your viewers get back on the platform. To get maximum results, you have to test and understand the best time to post your videos. You can also use YouTube analytics to know when your viewer engages the most.
YouTube Shorts Report
The YT Shorts Report is a biweekly report that provides creators with the latest updates, tips for content creation, and ideas to inspire their videos. This update is a way for YouTube to hint at introducing more features and updates to Shorts.
The Shorts Report begins with a mandate where the platform mentions its goal and what the Shorts Report has to offer the users. The report shows a content trend that users can use to get into the trending race. It provides users with strategies and tips to improve their Shorts videos and make them more entertaining. Creators can learn how to use its features and find FAQs at the end of the report.
Conclusion
We have reached the end of this blog; you now know how to create YouTube Shorts. So get out there and use this feature to bring in more subscribers and views for your channel and videos. Keep an eye out for the new features that YouTube will add to Shorts.