Since its launch in 2005, YouTube has been home to countless video trends and multiple forms of entertainment. Who remembers “Charlie Bit My Finger “, “David After the Dentist “and the still very relevant “Leave Britney Alone”?
Now the team behind one of the most visited websites in the world has capitalized on the popularity of short videos by creating YouTube Shorts. These 15-60 second videos are designed to entertain the audience and help brands and creators get noticed.
What are YouTube shorts?
YouTube Shorts are short vertical video content created with a smartphone and uploaded directly to YouTube from the YouTube app.
Using YouTube’s built-in tools, you can capture, edit, add music from major labels (including Sony, Universal, and Warner), add animated text, control footage speed, and edit multiple 15-second video clips into a coherent whole. create your shorts.
Viewers of your shorts can share, comment, like, dislike or subscribe to your channel while watching the video. Content doesn’t disappear and stays on YouTube, unlike other short video apps like Instagram Stories and Snapchat.
Why Try YouTube Shorts?
Initially launched in India on September 14, 2020 and launched in the US on March 18, 2021, YouTube Shorts quickly surpassed 6.5 billion daily views worldwide. On July 12, 2021, the shorts were finally released in beta mode in 100 countries around the world.
YouTube’s VP of Product Management described the video format as “a new way to create short videos for creators and artists who want to shoot short, memorable videos using just their mobile phones,”and continues, “Shorts are a new way to express yourself in 15 seconds.”or less”.
YouTube’s attempt at short video content isn’t much different from other social media ephemeral videos, including TikTok, Instagram Reels, Instagram Stories, Snapchat Spotlight, and even Twitter Fleets and LinkedIn Stories (RIP).
Short videos are not new to YouTube. The first download of the channel lasted only 18 seconds.
But what makes YouTube Shorts different is its ability to turn viewers into subscribers to your channel, which is essential for brands and creators.
When you set up YouTube Shorts, you can create a separate channel for them, or place the Shorts widget on your main channel. But we recommend leaving your shorts on the main channel. This is because bringing YouTube core content and short content together in one place will make it easier for your audience to engage with your videos and give them more options to switch from shorts to YouTube videos and eventually subscribe to your channel.
Viewers can find your shorts by clicking Shorts at the bottom of the YouTube app.
In addition, viewers can access short films:
- On YouTube home page
- On your channel page
- Through notifications
How long are YouTube shorts?
YouTube Shorts are vertical videos that are no longer than 60 seconds. Featurettes can be a 60-second continuous video or several 15-second videos combined. However, if your short features music from the YouTube catalog, your short will be limited to 15 seconds.
Pro tip: YouTube will automatically classify any YouTube content that is 60 seconds or less as short.
How to make and upload shorts to YouTube
Step 1: Download the YouTube App
You can only create short films in the YouTube app. It’s a clever game from YouTube to keep everything in one convenient place instead of asking people to download and sign up for another short film app.
To access the YouTube app, follow these steps:
- Log in to the app store of your choice (iOS App Store or Google Play) and search for YouTube.
- Download the official YouTube app
- Sign in with your Google account or a separate YouTube account.
Step 2: Start creating a short YouTube video
1. Tap the plus sign (+) on the app homepage button, then tap Create Short Film.
2. To record a 15 second video clip, hold or touch the red record button to start recording and then again to stop
3. If you want to record a full 60 second video, tap the number 15 above the record button to change the video length to 60 seconds.
4. Use the toolbar on the right side of the screen to add special effects and elements to your video.
A. Tap the spinning arrows to switch the camera view
b. Speed up or slow down the short by pressing the 1x button.
V. Tap the clock icon to set a countdown timer for hands-free video making.
e. Add filters to your short film by tapping the three-circle icon.
e. Add retouching to your video by clicking on the magic wand
f. Touch the person icon to change the background and add a green screen or a photo from your smartphone’s library.
gram. Tap the ghost icon to straighten transitions between video clips.
5. To add audio to your short film, tap the Add Audio icon at the top of the screen. Please note that you can only add an audio track to a short film before the recording starts or after it during the editing process.
6. Made a mistake? Click the reverse arrow next to the record button to cancel
Step 3: Edit and upload your short film.
- When finished recording, tap the checkmark to save the short film.
- Then refine the short by adding a music track, text, and filters.
- If you want to go deeper into editing, tap the timeline icon to change the time the text appears on the video timeline.
- When finished editing, click “Next”in the upper right corner.
- Add information about your short and choose whether you want the video to be public, private, or private.
- Choose if your video is suitable for children or requires an age limit.
- Click Upload Short to post your video.
How to monetize short videos on YouTube
As a business owner or creator, you might be thinking, “How can I monetize YouTube Shorts?”. After all, many creators and brands use YouTube to generate additional income. That’s because YouTube is the only platform (so far) that offers creators the ability to share revenue.
While this has not always been the case, we have good news. From early 2023, shorts creators can qualify for the Partner Program, which means they can earn ad revenue on YouTube.
Short film creators will need at least 10 million views in the previous 90 days to join the affiliate program. After participating in the program, creators will receive 45% of ad revenue from their videos.
An affiliate program is a pretty good reason to focus your efforts on making short YouTube videos. If you can build an audience on the platform, you can make some serious money.
YouTube Shorts Best Practices
Get straight to it
Make the first few seconds of your video captivating and grab your audience’s attention right away.
Keep it fast
Featurettes are not full videos and work best if the content is not one continuous sequence. Instead, experiment with different cuts and edits to keep viewers interested.
Think about repetitions
Shorts play in a loop, so think about how your content will be perceived if it is constantly repeated.
Add value
Don’t just create for the sake of creating. Instead, add value to your audience through short circuiting and align content with a goal, such as increasing engagement by 10% or getting 1,000 more subscribers.
What hook do you have?
What will make the viewer come back for more? Think about how you can get your audience to re-watch your shorts.
Get the Right Vibe
YouTube Shorts is not the place for shortened versions of your long videos. Just like Instagram Reels and TikTok, Shorts is a place to provide your audience with short, quick, and easy-to-digest content, like viral trends or behind-the-scenes looks.
7 Ways to Use YouTube Shorts
YouTube Shorts are perfect for reaching consumers with shorter attention spans. This is the perfect solution to get more attention for your channel, increase your subscriber count and showcase the authentic side of your brand.
Just under 40% of companies are already using short videos to promote their products or services. If you wait much longer, you may fall behind. So, get creative!
Promote your regular channel
Use YouTube Shorts to promote and grow your regular channel. Every time you post a short it’s an opportunity for your content to get a view, and that view can turn into a channel subscriber or someone who interacts with your main channel content.
The subscribe window is always visible when you post a short, making it easy to subscribe if people like what they see.
Shorts will also help you navigate the YouTube algorithm because your channel will see an increase in engagement, which is one of the key ranking factors for how YouTube prioritizes content. This should increase the number of people who see your channel.
Show lower quality video
Not every video you create for YouTube needs to be pre-planned and polished to perfection. Behind the scenes videos (BTS) will give your audience a glimpse into the backstory of your channel, brand, products or services.
Behind-the-scenes footage can take many forms. Here are some ideas to get you started:
- Company events
- Product launch
- Product updates or soon
- Workplace upgrades, such as repairs
BTS videos help make your brand authentic (a huge plus for authenticity-focused Gen-Z usage) and help build consumer trust. After all, people buy from people, and showing off the human side of your brand with BTS is a great way to build strong relationships with your potential customers, followers, and viewers.
Popular American singing show The Voice used Shorts to show exclusive footage of BTS.
Tease your audience
Think of shorts as entertainment video marketing and use this format to whet the appetite of potential leads. For example, you can post a 30-second short film about an upcoming product release along with a call to action to engage viewers in a longer YouTube video that contains more details and directs your viewers to a landing page for signing up for early access.
Dental Digest is one of the most successful short film creators. Here they have created a short teaser review of the famous line of toothbrushes. The short works because it’s bright, engaging, relevant, appeals to a younger audience, and positions Dental Digest as an authority in its field.
Create interaction on the fly
YouTube Shorts allows your audience to engage with your brand on the fly, rather than wasting time watching a full-length video. And since 5% of viewers stop watching a video after the one-minute mark, quick, concise content ensures your audience watches to the end, gets all your messages, and interacts with your call to action.
Follow the trends
In 2021, world famous K-pop group BTS (not to be confused with the acronym for “backstage”) teamed up with YouTube to announce the Permission to Dance Challenge and invited audiences from all over the world to record and share the 15-second version of their recent hit.
YouTube Global Head of Music Lior Cohen said, “We are proud to partner with them [BTS] in the YouTube Shorts Permission to Dance contest, helping to spread happiness and build strong bonds among their YouTube fans around the world. globe”.
Shorts provide brands and creators with the opportunity to take advantage of a trend, such as a dance move or social media challenge. We’re not saying that you have to take on every dance competition that takes place on social media, but if you stay on top of video trends, your brand will be positioned as relevant and up-to-date, and your chances of going viral will increase.
Level up your user-generated content
YouTube shorts are a simple user-generated content request (UGC) format because shorts can be created by anyone, anywhere with access to a smartphone. So, for example, you could send your new product to a group of brand advocates and ask them to create short YouTube videos showing the unboxing process to help expand your brand’s reach.
To save money
Creating YouTube short videos is a cost-effective video marketing strategy. The format can be created by anyone with a smartphone and eliminates the need to hire a creative agency or video marketing company to create your video content.
YouTube Shorts should be an integral part of your social video strategy, not become your entire social strategy. Work with your social and content teams to uncover opportunities to include shorts in campaigns, and always have a purpose for your video. For example, to keep existing customers happy and keep them happy, push your audience to subscribe to your channel and increase YouTube engagement.