There will always be a place for traditional YouTube videos, but now there is a new feature called YouTube shorts. These vertical videos have a specific video length of less than a minute. This means the average watch time of a YouTube video can vary between 15 and 60 seconds.
The goal of these short videos is to be unique, interesting, and informative. As for business owners, YouTube short videos are another tool to help bring an audience to your content and, as a result, allow you to sell a product or make money from ad revenue.
Once you have that content or video, you can then hope that people will find your YouTube videos. However, if you want an easy, completely legal shortcut, you can also pay for real shorts views of your YouTube videos.
How Shorts Revolutionized YouTube
YouTube, like most social media platforms, is constantly changing to keep up with current trends. Beta testing of YouTube shorts began in 2020 in response to the phenomenon of TikTok.
Furthermore, the fact that many countries, such as India, have banned TikTok means there is an open space for a new service like YouTube shorts.
Vertical video
This may seem like a small detail, but the fact that YT shorts are only shot vertically is indeed revolutionary. Most people who watch videos are accustomed to instantly moving their screen into a horizontal position in order to get the right aspect, just like a TV Screen.
YouTube shorts, however, only work in the vertical position. The influence comes directly from TikTok and creates a streamlined design that allows phone YouTube users to watch short videos immediately.
Timing
Yes, there are many longer YouTube videos you can watch, but YouTube shorts are a maximum of one minute. You can also turn your video into 15-second variations if you want to be a bit more creative.
It’s important to note that if you want to include music in your YouTube shorts, the video can only be 15 seconds long. This is so it doesn’t infringe on copyright laws.
Best Tips for Making a Viral Short
Want your YouTube shorts to go viral? Want to attract more and more subscribers? Use a trick from this list to gain organic traction.
Start with appropriate tags
To help people search your videos, tag your YouTube shorts with appropriate tags. These could be current trends or broader terms.
If you aren’t sure what the current trends are, you can Google other sites, such as TikTok or Twitter, to see what the trending hashtags are. You can also visit other channels from your niche.
Don’t go overboard on your tags because it can make you seem too desperate. Instead, creating five tags will show you know your space and are competent in what you are doing.
Keep it short
Most people watch a video on their phone when they’re on a lunch break, waiting for a friend at a restaurant, or when they just want to zone out for a bit.
YouTube videos that are long and complicated only attract a certain small audience, so it’s best not to focus on them.
Even though successful YouTube shorts are under a minute, most people are still hesitant to invest that whole minute if they don’t think it will be good enough.
You can also upload simple 15-second videos, so try posting a range of content that varies in length. This way, you can have multiple choices for your audience.
Have a hook
The first five seconds of an intro are critical for your content. If people aren’t interested, then potential viewers will simply click on something else, and all that hard work getting people to see your YouTube shorts will be for naught.
Start with a clip that is at a unique angle, has an action sequence, or makes someone pause to wonder what is happening.
Even though the middle of your video will have more information, the beginning is more important as it needs to lure people in to watch it.
The right hook can lead to more comments on your YouTube shorts, which will increase the likelihood of more people watching your shorts.
What’s the purpose?
We can’t stress this enough: The audience size of YouTube is in the billions. This is a site that is not going away any time soon.
Don’t panic if you think this is a daunting task. Instead, here are a few simple ways creators can create unique videos that will attract streamers.
The best part is you don’t have to worry about marketing or what other Youtubers are doing.
Pop culture references
What’s the current pop culture moment, and can you capitalize on it? This is a tough spot to work your way into because it means everyone will be jumping on the current craze.
Whether it’s fighting over a blue or gold dress or speculating on who Taylor Swift is dating, these pop culture moments will drive more people to social media platforms and in turn talk to each other.
If creators can find a unique angle on a subject, then you can find more viewers who will hopefully stay tuned for more of your content.
If you want to be significant on YouTube, you can look at other social media avenues to see what trends they have.
For example, YouTube’s current biggest competitor is TikTok. What trends are on TikTok, and can you mirror them in your own videos?
Have something meaningful to say
Fluff videos will only get you so far. Without credible, reliable content, nobody will look at your other videos.
Find a unique angle and present engrossing facts that viewers might not know already. Remember that people come to YouTube to learn new things.
Think of your YouTube shorts as a channel for you to share your knowledge and ideas. The more content you produce, the more relevancy you have will translate to more viewers.
Create content for repeat views
This may seem like contrary advice to the one above about being relevant to pop culture, but it’s a good idea to diversify and have videos that people will look for, even years after you have created them. There is always a topic that brings people to the screen.
Provide a call to action
Hooray! Your audience watched your entire video, which was the point, right?
Of course, now that you have shown viewers you have interesting, meaningful content, it’s time to ask them for a simple favor. In what has become a pop culture catchphrase, be sure to ask viewers to “like and subscribe.”
The reason you want viewers to do this is simple. There’s simply no guarantee that they will find you or your channel again amidst all the content.
Having more people like and follow your YouTube channel also ensures you have more organic growth, which means the YouTube algorithm will kick in and share even more of your short videos.
Links
If you have a website as well as a channel, be sure to use the editing function and add a link.
This will encourage people to check out your website, and from there, you can offer newsletters and products. You can also have access to more ads, which will increase your revenue stream.
Similar to links, you can add thumbnails to your video. This allows users to view a sneak peek, which will hopefully entice them to stream the entire video.
Edit
You don’t have to have advanced technological skills to edit your YouTube short. Instead, the YouTube app provides plenty of handy editing tools, such as filters and stickers. Play around with these tools to get a sense of all your capabilities.
Just remember that your video will be short. Too much editing can be overwhelming and unnecessary. Stick to one editing design that makes your video stand out and keep it simple.
YouTube’s Algorithm
For anyone already familiar with YouTube videos, you’ll be happy to know that the algorithm for YouTube shorts remains the same.
It’s not really about the content but more about who watches a video and for how long. Then, popular YouTube shorts will show up on more and more feeds.
Whether you have short videos of only 15 seconds or longer videos that are up to a minute, the algorithm will work the same. This is great news for creators because you can focus on what you’re good at – making videos that people want to watch.
The ultimate goal is to have tens of thousands of views of a video. This will make it go viral, which will, in turn, send more people to watch the video.
If you feel discouraged, just remember that the most popular videos started with just one viewer, so it is possible for you to have similar success.
The goal of your brand is achieved when YouTube recommends your content to other viewers. Then, you can have these people like and subscribe to your videos, which will increase your popularity and increase your revenue.
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