Using YouTube Shorts for the growth of your channel can be immensely effective if you know what you’re dealing with. In this article, we’ll take a closer look at the ins and outs of YouTube Shorts, including how the algorithm works and what Shorts are.
What Are YouTube Shorts?
As the name suggests, YouTube Shorts are short-form video content (no longer than 60 seconds). In essence, they’re the equivalent of Instagram Reels and shorter TikTok videos. It’s worth noting that these videos are in a vertical format, rather than a horizontal one.
Where Do You Find YouTube Shorts?
YouTube Shorts are available in many places on the YouTube platform. One of the places you’re most likely to see them is on the homepage (as seen above).
You can also access the unique Shorts page from the YouTube sidebar
When you’re watching long form video content, you may also see a list of related Shorts content in the suggestions list on the right hand side of the page (on desktop).
Finally, YouTube may provide a list of Shorts related to your searches when you perform a search.
Benefits of Making YouTube Shorts
If you plan on using YouTube Shorts for growth, there are several different benefits to this approach. We’ll list a few of these below:
- Viewers have steadily shrinking attention spans and shorter-form videos are more likely to capture their attention.
- The algorithm shows YouTube Shorts to both followers and non-followers, helping you to expand your viewer base.
- The built-in creator tools for Shorts can help you make more videos in a shorter time, boosting your efficiency and visibility.
- According to YouTube Analytics, making Shorts can help your channel grow faster.
How the YouTube Shorts Algorithm Works
Since YouTube Shorts are considerably different from the other video content hosted on the platform, there are also some significant differences between the algorithm used for Shorts and that used for the rest of the site.
Unlike regular YouTube, Shorts uses an algorithm to curate a never-ending stream of short videos. Viewers just swipe up to see the next surprise, with the algorithm calling the shots on what content appears. This means that, by making Shorts, you get far more exposure than you would with full-length videos.
Some of the factors the algorithm considers include the following:
- Completion Rate: Do viewers watch your Short all the way through, or do they swipe away quickly? High completion rates signal to the algorithm that your content is engaging.
- Watch History: YouTube uses past viewing habits to suggest relevant Shorts. If a viewer enjoys content in your niche, they’ll see more of it.
- Engagement: Likes, comments, and shares all tell the algorithm viewers are interested in your Shorts. The more engagement, the better.
- Subscriber Connection: If a viewer subscribes to you, or channels like yours, the algorithm is more likely to recommend your Shorts to them.
Making the Most of YouTube Shorts for Growth
If you want to use YouTube Shorts for growth on your channel, there are a few tips and tricks you need to know to make your Shorts as successful as possible.
1. Maximize Reach With the Algorithm
By leveraging the popularity of short-form videos, you can achieve a broader reach. But to accomplish this, it’s vital to optimize your video titles and descriptions with relevant keywords and hashtags for searchability.
SEO isn’t just for written content, or for long-form videos. If you want the best results, you need to do research around your topic so you can find and use keywords and hashtags for your video titles and descriptions.
Here’s an example where Google incorporated both keywords and hashtags to great effect.
2. Encourage Deeper Engagement
A key aspect with any form of content is that you need to encourage viewers to engage with your videos. One of the essential things you can do is to use pinned comments that link viewers to playlists, other Shorts, or your latest video.
Here’s an example where popular YouTuber Mr. Beast used a pinned comment to provide additional content and information.
The other vital element is that you need to craft compelling narratives that keep viewers engaged and wanting more. Possibly even more than with longform content, you need to ensure that the first few seconds of your Short captures the viewer’s attention.
3. Capitalize on Trends for Visibility
Trends come and go, and getting involved in them swiftly is essential. Do your best to stay updated on trending topics in your niche and create timely content with a unique spin.
It’s a good idea to encourage audience participation by leveraging trending challenges or sounds. For instance, if there’s a certain trending audio clip or topic in your niche, it would be good to incorporate it into your videos as well.
4. Stand out With Creative Thumbnails and Titles
Though Shorts run on a loop, they all show one particular thumbnail to viewers. If you really want to stand out, it’s important to design eye-catching, vertical thumbnails.
The other side of this is that you need to write clear and concise titles (around 50-70 characters) that will pique viewers’ interest. Here are two examples of Shorts with a concise title (despite the added details at the end) and an eye-catching thumbnail.
5. Learn From Successful Creators
As with any other form of content creation, your YouTube Shorts growth can be aided significantly when you analyze popular Shorts in your niche to understand effective themes and styles.
For instance, if you were making videos about search engine optimization and other topics in that niche, you could look at Google’s Shorts to see what they’re doing.
You can also consider repurposing content (with permission) from other channels in your niche and adding your commentary to create fresh narratives. Some of the most popular content today is when different channels dialogue through the use of videos.
Final Thoughts
You can successfully use YouTube Shorts for growth, as long as you understand the basics of this tool. With the concepts discussed here, you should be ready to make YouTube Shorts that will take your channel to a new level.
If you’d like to see even faster channel growth, why not try out the TubeKarma free trial. We’ll help you grow your viewer base in next to no time.
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