The changing times resulted in the evolution of the consumption needs of internet users. Today, people want to consume more content in less time. As a result, social media platforms use stories to churn quick, bite-sized content.
TikTok rose to fame when it addressed this need. When the social media app rose to fame, especially in 2020, other platforms followed TikTok’s footsteps — YouTube included.
The biggest video platform introduced YouTube Shorts in March 2021. YouTube Shorts are vertical videos that last for less than 60 seconds. The vertically shot nature of the video is intended to be watched (and recorded) on your phone, which is similar to TikTok.
YouTube Shorts are also more than just another new feature. If you want to grow your channel, YouTube’s short videos could be the keys to your success.
Why Do You Need YouTube Shorts?
Creating your tribe on YouTube can be a difficult task. The market is so saturated; plus, the big names in the industry are catering majority of the audiences.
YouTube Shorts has an element introduction, which gives creators an opportunity to scale their channel’s growth and boost their engagement rates. This new feature can also help you attract new subscribers easily compared to the traditional YouTube marketing strategies.
YouTube aims to grow this segment and increase the market’s awareness of YouTube Shorts, so the algorithm is on your side. It will help you boost your organic reach, which is a big plus. YouTube Short videos have one of the best organic reaches on the site. You can create an engaging Short with all the proper SEO-focused keywords and tags.
Content creators and businesses have three options in case they use these vertical videos:
- Completely focus on YouTube Shorts and become a Short-oriented channel
- Disregard YouTube Shorts and continue producing regular content
- Combine both elements
To grow your YouTube channel, it’s best to combine both Shorts and traditional YouTube content. Completely ignoring Shorts can cause your marketing opportunities. On the other hand, solely focusing on Shorts will help you gain engagement, but you can’t monetize these videos.
So, it’s best to combine both strategies to get the best of both worlds.
How Do You Make a YouTube Short?
The first step in creating a Short — and to make sure people see these videos on their phones — is to shoot the videos vertically. This veers away from the traditional landscape shooting of videos.
Next, make sure your videos are 58 seconds or less. Plan your content to create a concise yet informative video. Cramming a lot of information in 58 seconds is challenging, but you need to prioritize. What do you want your viewers to know? Hook them immediately instead of filling your video with fluff.
Finally, include the hashtag shorts at the end of your video’s title and in the description.
Best Practices in Creating YouTube Shorts
How can you make it big on YouTube with YouTube Shorts?
Make Valuable Shorts
Posting random content on your channel isn’t always the best way to go. Instead, your videos must be short, precise and valuable. If viewers don’t find your short videos valuable, they’ll scroll up and never engage with your channel. You’ll just get their view but that’s it.
Create or choose short video content that is relevant to your niche, as well as the traditional content you post on your channel. For businesses, one of the best ways to use Shorts is to introduce your new services or products, which can trigger excitement in your viewers.
Title Your Shorts Well
With YouTube Shorts, your titles still count. The title informs the viewer what the Short is about, so make sure yours provides viewers with a good idea. Don’t be a clickbait enthusiast. Misleading titles will cause you to lose the trust of your viewers, which can cost you better engagement in the future.
Create Custom Thumbnails
Similar to other YouTube videos, the thumbnail influences a viewer’s decision to play you Shorts or not. However, if you’re a regular YouTube user, you might wonder if vertical videos will need thumbnails. How does that even work?
YouTube Shorts can still be viewed as regular videos on your channel. So, it still needs an engaging thumbnail to make sure users watch them.
Be Consistent
This tip isn’t just for Shorts. Whether you’re posting long-form videos or Shorts, a single piece of content will not immediately gain you millions of subscribers. Be consistent at posting fresh content. You don’t have to upload every day, but you need a schedule. Also, be consistent with the style of the videos you post.
If you’re a business or content creator trying to make it big on YouTube, perhaps going the Shorts way is the best way for you right now. Good luck!
