Many creators wonder, ‘Do YouTube shorts count as watch hours?’ Accumulating 4000 watch hours is no cakewalk. However, one video format that generates the maximum number of watch hours is YouTube shorts. So, there may be confusion among people. Today, we will discuss several details to understand the correlation between YouTube shorts and watch hours.
Do Shorts Count As Watch Hours On YouTube?
The simple answer to this question is NO. Though YouTube shorts are one of the practical video formats, watch hours are not considered for YouTube partner programs. So, if you are a creator starting your YouTube channel, your primary focus should be generating views from long-form videos. Ofcourse, you can see YT shorts to drive viewers to your channel. Here are some other things to know when it comes to understanding do YouTube shorts count as watch hours:
- Watch hours must be public to be counted.
- Watch hours should be for the last 12 months.
- Repetition in a YouTube video view counts as additional views and watch hours if the video is watched for 30 seconds.
- YouTube shorts can be monetized at least once you meet the YPP requirement.
YPP: 5 Videos That Won’t Boost The Watch Time
The answer to “Do shorts count towards public watch hours?” is simply yes. However, other video types don’t contribute to your watch hour increment. Let’s discover:
1. Private & Unlisted YouTube Videos
Private and unlisted videos don’t help in meeting the YPP requirement. You can watch unlisted videos if you have the link. Private video creators make it shareable with a limited audience, like friends, family, and channel members. Earlier in 2019, private and unlisted videos contributed to watch hours. Subsequently, YouTube decided to keep the public videos to count watch hours only. So, if you want to meet the YPP requirement faster, prioritize public videos over others as a new YouTuber.
2. Deleted YouTube Videos
Yes. As a new creator, you would test every strategy you encounter. One common strategy is following trends. But this trend has no permanent timespan. It can stay up to a week or a month or end in a day. So, if you delete any video after the end of the trend or because of underperformance, YouTube deducts and doesn’t count the short watch time. For instance, if you have a total of 3000 watch hours and delete a video that includes 500 watch time, your channel will have 2500 watch hours only.
3. Advertising Campaigns
Promoting videos helps creators enhance the videos’ performance and increase the engagement rate. However, advertising campaigns on YouTube are not eligible for watch hours because they explicitly refer to the time viewers spend watching your organic content. It includes content from searches, recommendations, or browsing YouTube channels.
4. Unconverted Live Streams
Live streams are longer videos that maximize your watch hours. But unfortunately, live streams that aren’t transferred into VOD videos can’t count as watch hours. Your live stream will generate watch hours, but they won’t be helpful. So, keep your live-stream videos public so your viewers can access them.
5. YouTube Shorts
YT’s short watch hours don’t count for YPP’s requirement of 3000 watch hours. Initially, you have to rely on organic views of long-form videos and start monetizing.
Tips To Generate 3,000 YouTube Watch Hours
After you know, do YouTube shorts count as watch hours? You would want tips to increase your video’s watch time.
As a creator, reaching the eligibility requirement of 3000 watch hours is a must if you want to monetize your YT channel. Walking through the current trends and aligning your content with competitors are the primary ways to reach your watch hours goals. You must also specialize in your niche topic.
What Is The Importance Of YouTube Shorts?
Though YouTube shorts do not directly contribute to your watch hours, they greatly impact your YT channel’s growth. Here’s how.
- It boosts exposure, as YouTube shorts are great at reaching a massive audience and converting casual viewers into quick subscribers.
- The YouTube algorithm pushes shorts to viewers more, bringing the highest engagement than long-form content. However, it drives traffic to long-form content.
- If viewers like the content they come across, the chances are they go through your channel, and if they like what you create, they convert into subscribers.
Tips To Maximize YouTube Watch Hours
You know the answer to ‘Do YouTube shorts count as watch hours?’ Now, whether you want to reach the 3000 watch hour goal of the YPP requirement or boost the watch time, these tips will help you achieve both.
1. Create Long-Form Videos
YouTube shorts are a quick way to engage people with your content. If you want to have long-term growth, create longer videos. This is what builds trust and a strong relationship with viewers while keeping them hooked on your YT channel.
2. Build A Relentless Playlist
Organizing a YT video playlist is the key to keeping your viewers connected to your videos. Playlist are like series that plays the next upcoming video automatically. This is a great strategy to make your viewers stick to your channel for a longer time.
3. Use YouTube Shorts
As YouTube shorts are a gateway to quick engagement on your content, you can use this content format to redirect viewers to the main video. Use YT shorts to promote the video trailer and entice users to watch the entire video, increasing the watch hours.
4. Engage With Your Viewers
Lastly, just to play it safe, engage with your viewers. Respond to comments and Q&A sessions and interact with your watchers in the live session. Doing so will ensure that your viewers aren’t going anywhere.
Conclusion
Whether you are a new creator or a regular one, watch hours is a powerhouse to speed up the process of meeting the YPP requirement. However, you cannot ignite your watch’s hour count from anywhere. You can do that only with video-on-demand content. As you know, there are three types of long-form videos: public, private, and unlisted. Only public videos are useful.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q1. How to Get 4,000 Hours of YouTube Watch Time?
Creating compelling titles and thumbnails will help you get 4000 watch hours on YouTube more organically. You can try all the traditional approaches to meet the YPP requirement.
Q2. Does Rewatching A YouTube Video Count As A View Or Watch Hour?
Yes. Rewatching a YouTube video counts as a view and watching hours both, but only if the video is watched for up to 30 seconds by a real person.
Q3. Do YouTube Shorts views count for monetization?
Yes, you can only count views after you reach 10 million short views in the last 90 days.
Q4. Do YouTube Shorts help get subscribers?
Yes. YouTube shorts are the most engaging video format that attracts a wider audience to your YouTube channel.
Q5. How many watch hours to monetize YouTube?
According to the new update, you must generate 3000 watch hours and 500 subscribers within 12 months of content creation.
