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.
What are Public Watch Hours on YouTube?
The total time viewers watched your public videos counts as watch hours. Apart from being public, the video must be watched at regular speed; skipping or playing it at 2X speed will not increase watch hours.
The total watch hours contributed make the channel eligible for the YouTube Partner Program. Once eligible, you can apply for monetization. The target for watch hours is 4000 hours, to be achieved within a year. If you are wondering, do YouTube Shorts count towards watch hours, then no. The Shorts views don’t count.
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.
The Role of Watch Hours in YouTube Monetization
Once the channel reaches 4000 watch hours in the last year, you become half eligible for the YouTube Partner Program. To become fully eligible, you must have 1000 subscribers and no active community guideline strikes.
Apart from YPP, watch hours contribute to algorithm push, thereby increasing visibility. Additionally, you can pitch brands and advertisers for brand collaboration using YouTube Brandconnect.
Increased watch hours mean you can increase earnings with Affiliate marketing, get brand deals, deeper engagement, and find channel audience intent.
Tips To Generate 4,000 YouTube Watch Hours
Do Shorts views count as watch hours? You would want tips to increase your video’s watch time.
As a creator, reaching the eligibility requirement of 4000 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.
Good Thumbnail and Title: This is the first impression viewers have of your content, and it’s what draws them to your videos.
Interacting with the audience: When you interact with the audience, you give a sense of appreciation. The viewers feel valued.
Focusing on video quality: Even with a limited budget, you can use creativity, storytelling, editing, or genuine personality to produce high-quality videos.
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.
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:
Private and unlisted videos: These uploads don’t meet the YPP requirement. You can watch unlisted videos if you have the link. Private video creators make their content shareable with a limited audience, such as friends, family, and channel members.
Deleted YouTube Videos: If you delete a video after the trend ends or due to underperformance, YouTube deducts and doesn’t count the watch time of that video.
Promoted videos: It helps creators enhance the video’s performance and increase the engagement rate. However, views from promoted content contribute to watch hours because it’s inorganic, and watch-hours count organic views only.
Unconverted Live Streams: Live videos converted into regular videos will count towards watch hours.
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.
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.