YouTube Shorts Guide: How to Be Spotted

In an age of short attention spans and social media bombardment, it’s no surprise that fast, fun videos work well.

After the seemingly overnight success of the TikTok short video app on social media – and all platforms that offer stories, reels or other versions of short content aimed at mobile devices – YouTube has released its own micro-video product, YouTube Shorts. .

What are YouTube Shorts?

Here’s how YouTube describes shorts:

“Shorts is a place to record, share and enjoy short videos (I think 60 seconds or less) on YouTube. This is a place where you can start with trends, try a dance challenge, revive your funny ideas and more. ”

Like TikTok, short clips have seen a rapid rise among viewers and creators since its introduction.

In fact, many audiences prefer fast-paced videos to longer-format content and broadcasts.

While the older generations may have scratched their heads in confusion at first because of this, it’s no secret that these apps and their content are very popular with users of all ages.

YouTube has proven time and time again that content doesn’t have to be long to attract and retain people’s attention. After decades of working to remove commercial interruptions from TV shows and other entertainment, we seem to have made a full circle and are now even looking for them.

What’s the point of YouTube Shorts?

While professional video often takes time and budget to record and produce, YouTube Shorts have been developed as a mobile-friendly way for creators to share short content on a whim. This encourages them to quickly record and share right in the middle of everyday life, helping creators to promote and expand their channels effortlessly for full-scale video.

If your audience is watching content from their mobile devices, you should create short videos.

Users like this content because it is fast and concise and because they feel they will see the creators in their real, everyday environment.

While this may not always be the case, it helps increase trust in the audience, which increases loyalty, which increases income.

Channels of qualified short videos are created from anywhere $ 100 to $ 10,000 a month from their shorts. Creators like this content because it’s quick and easy, and they often notice a significant increase in overall channel traffic.

Shorts are a new product, so the platform pays a lot of attention to them to ensure their performance.

Why not jump in and get some of that increased attention for your brand as well?

Creating YouTube Shorts

Because YouTube Shorts are designed as fast-paced content on the go, creating videos is relatively easy.

YouTube breaks it down into six easy steps:

1. Sign in to your YouTube account from the app. Touch Actually (+) and select Actually short oz Upload a video if you already have the clip you want to use.

2. Add sound. Once everything is set up, you can choose the music or other sound on YouTube to use as a soundtrack for your video.

3. Record a video. Creators can start and stop recording, adjust the recording speed, set the timer, and even combine different recorded recordings.

4. Edit your Short. Add filters, captions, and snippets to your videos. When you’re happy with editing, tap Nextand add a title.

5. Choose your audience. Add all the restrictions and share them with the world! Once you’ve recorded, edited and placed your video where you want it, it’s time to present it to an audience.

6. Load. Tap “Upload” and you’re done!

General tips for success with shorts

Length of content

Even though you have 58 seconds, you don’t feel like you should use it all.

Most of the most watched short films are 30 seconds or less.

If you can express your point of view more quickly or tell your story, do so.

And don’t forget to remove dead air or unnecessary shots.

Be consistent

If possible, try to keep the video length relatively even.

Users like to know what to expect. This knowledge can help increase trust in your brand.

Have fun and inform

How does your content benefit the viewer? What could motivate them to want to come back for more?

Provide valuable information while having fun to keep users coming back for more.

Set expectations with value

At the beginning of each video, tell users briefly who you are and what you will share with them.

Custom thumbnails are important

You can also view short videos as regular videos on YouTube, and users will see thumbnails of videos if they encounter your short videos in their regular sources.

The title screen, or something that catches the eye, can be the difference between views and new subscribers and someone scrolling past your content.

If you don’t specify a thumbnail, YouTube will pull a photo from your video. Do you want to take this opportunity?

Include compelling headlines

Use your address to engage users and let them know what your video is about.

Make it interesting and instructive.

Bonus points if you can make them smile.

Use stories

Create YouTube stories that highlight your best shorts and ask users to subscribe and comment.

Keep it simple

Users will most often be on mobile devices. Don’t expect to be able to see fine details or read large blocks of text.

Consistency is key! Maintain consistency in:

• Slog.
• Length.
• Frequency of publication.
• Matter.
• Full tone and voice.

People want to feel like they know your brand. So make it easy for them.

How to increase views on YouTube Shorts

Remove the introduction

Introductory music and / or screens are great for longer video. In short, they steal precious seconds that could attract the attention and curiosity of a new viewer.

Shoot vertically

Viewers expect vertical content, don’t annoy them, or confuse them by changing what they’re used to seeing.

Jump straight inside

As in the TikTok videos, jumping and achieving the purpose of the video is likely to increase views and participation on Shorts.

Use captions and text effects

Add subtitles or text effects to increase interest and collaboration.

Tie the shorts

Extend your viewing time by buttoning your shorts.

If your videos don’t have a clear beginning and end, many viewers will watch your video multiple times – especially if they’re not paying attention.

This way, you may have more opportunities to gain this subscriber.

Remember: the longer the video, the less likely the viewer is to watch more loops.

It never hurts to ask

Ask users to like and comment on the shorts and subscribe to your channel for each video.

Start with one frame

YouTube has a one-second delay at the beginning of each short clip.

Take advantage of this by replacing your opening track with a single clip with your thumbnail at the beginning and end of each video.

Include an attractive title and image to attract more views.

Use the attached comments

Add an attached comment to each video to encourage viewers to watch your channel or site.

People like a clear direction. Again, it never hurts to ask!

Be careful with music

Time for music in short films can be difficult.

A sudden interruption makes the loop obvious and can be annoying to users, causing them to move on to the next video.

If you use music, make sure it flows well when looped.

Set the thumbnail

What do many short films with a low number of views have in common?

They do not show the user what it is about, nor do they set expectations for the viewer.

Tell viewers what you want them to get from your video so that their expectations are set correctly from the start.

Hashtags

Hashtags are important for shorts, especially the #shorts tag.

Include this in your description and at the end of the title, if applicable.

Record a clip on YouTube Shorts

Among the explosive growth of the audience, ease of use, mobile format, user-friendly format and potential for wide reach, it makes sense to try Shorts.

Add to that the fact that you don’t need expensive equipment or lengthy production, and it seems simple.

However, YouTube Shorts are not a magic bullet. For most brands, they may not be a single-element solution. However, they are a fantastic way to increase brand and product visibility, reach, and conversions.

YouTube is a huge brand and has greater endurance than newer platforms, making it a relatively safe place to invest time and resources in creating content for their platform.

Shorts are likely to be around for a while, so dig deeper and see how they can help market your brand.

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The opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Personal authors are listed here.

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