YouTube began in 2004. It has launched a seemingly endless series of viral trends and content and has become a favorite online site for all manner of video content. YouTube began to feature what is called YouTube shorts in 2021. 

Short-form video content is not new to YouTube, but since 2021 they have been pushing this kind of video format. These short videos are designed to compete with things like Instagram reels, and the marketing potential for YouTube shorts has grown consistently since it began. 

YouTube shorts are 15-60 seconds long. They are designed to capture attention quickly and allow people to view video content that is complete even in this short form. With an initial growth of over 16 billion views, YouTube shorts has now launched in more than 100 countries. The potential for YouTube shorts is only growing. 

What are YouTube shorts? What are the benefits of YouTube shorts? And how can you utilize YouTube shorts in your marketing strategies? This guide will introduce you to the details of YouTube shorts.  

What are YouTube Shorts?

YouTube shorts are short-form vertical content that can be created using a smartphone. These are directly uploaded to YouTube using the YouTube app. Users can use YouTube’s built-in creation tools to capture, edit, and add music from major labels. You can add animated text and control the speed of your footage. You can also edit multiple short video clips to create short video content. 

YouTube makes it possible for viewers to share, comment, like and dislike, and subscribe to your channel while they view your videos. Unlike other short-form apps like Instagram Stories and Snapchat, YouTube shorts do not disappear after a period of time. 

What Are the Benefits of YouTube Shorts?

The main and obvious benefit of YouTube shorts is that it makes it possible to tap into YouTube’s massive following and user base. It is a simple and reliable tool of engagement that has the potential to reach millions of viewers. Some of the other benefits of YouTube shorts include:

No lengthy intros. Unlike other, longer video content, YouTube shorts do not require any kind of lengthy introduction. This type of video content cuts directly to the message. This means viewers are more likely to view your short video content without clicking out of it before it gets to your marketing message. When viewers click on YouTube shorts, they get the entire message. 

Easier for viewers to focus on you. YouTube shorts make it easy for users to focus on exactly what your brand is about. Since this content is so short, there are no extraneous images or messages to distract from the object of the video. 

Easy to focus on what your audience cares about. With the right market research, you can get a firm sense of the things your audience cares about. You can focus your YouTube shorts content entirely on these ideas which has a much higher likelihood of capturing their attention. Short video content means incredibly meaningful content. 

Publish at targeted times. YouTube allows you to schedule when your shorts will be published. This means you can target your YouTube shorts for time slots that are most amenable to your target audience. You can align your publishing strategy with the behavior of a target audient to maximize your strategy. 

Funnel for long-form content. YouTube positions itself as a site for long-form and short-form content. This distinguishes YouTube from other sites. You can use your YouTube shorts to funnel traffic to long-form content to better capture your audience.  

YouTube Shorts Requirements

Before embarking on creating YouTube shorts, you should understand the rules and limitations of YouTube shorts. These include: 

• You must have 1,000 subscribers before you can make YouTube Shorts
• YouTube Shorts can be up to 60 seconds in length. This can be several 15-second videos combined or one continuous video.
• Videos must be short in vertical orientation with a 9:16 aspect ratio and 1920 pixels by 1080 pixels resolution.
• You may use audio from YouTube’s library or other videos for up to 60 seconds.
• If you have 1,000 subscribers and gain 10 million Shorts views within a 90-day span, you will soon be able to apply to YouTube’s revenue-sharing program, which is set to launch in early 2023.

Differences Between YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels?

The main things that make YouTube shorts different from TikTok and Instagram reels are the other things that exist on these platforms. YouTube is geared entirely toward video content, and this includes long-form content—even feature-length films. TikTok focuses on short-form video content, and Instagram began as a photo-sharing platform. The other difference between YouTube shorts and TikTok and Instagram are the algorithms that choose videos for people to watch.

How to make and upload YouTube Shorts

YouTube shorts are remarkably easy to make and upload. The steps for making and uploading YouTube shorts include:

• Download the YouTube app

You can only make your YouTube shorts from within the YouTube app. YouTube has designed the process this way to keep the shorts in one place.  

Just go to your app store (IOS App Store or Google Play) and search YouTube. 

Download the YouTube app. 

Login using your Google Login or create a separate login for YouTube. 

• Start creating your YouTube Short

Tap the (+) icon on the button on the app homepage. Then tap create short. 

To record a 15-second clip, simply hold the red record button or tap it to begin recording. Stop as needed. 

To record a full 60-second clip. Tap the number 15 above the record button to change the video length to 60 seconds.

If you want to add special effects or other elements to your video, you can browse the toolbar on the right of the screen. 

The rotating arrows will switch the camera views.  

You can use the 1x button to slow down your shorts simply by tapping it. 

The clock icon will allow you to set a countdown timer to record hands-free videos. 

The three circles icon will allow you to add filters to your short. 

Use the magic wand icon to retouch your video. 

The person icon will allow you to switch the background for your shorts to add a green screen or a photo from your photo library. 

Tapping the ghost icon will help you align your transitions between video clips. 

To add sound to your short, tap the add sound icon at the top of the screen. Be aware that you can only add an audio track before or after you start recording or editing. 

Tap the reverse icon to edit the audio.

• Edit your short and upload it

When you have finished recording, tap the checkmark to save your short. 

Take steps to finalize your short by adding music, text, and filter. 

You can do some customized editing by tapping the timeline icon. This will allow you to change when text appears on the video timeline. 

When you are sure you are finished editing, tap the Next in the top right-hand corner. 

Add final details to your short and select whether you want it to be public, unlisted, or private. 

You will be prompted to select whether your video is appropriate for children or requires an age restriction. 

Finally, simply tap Upload Short to publish your video. 

The entire process is this easy. 

How Do I Get More Engagement and Views on YouTube Shorts?

There are a few things you do to optimize engagement with your YouTube shorts. Some of these steps include:

Keep your videos the appropriate length

The attention span of consumers is short and getting shorter. According to research from ratings organizations, you have literally two seconds to capture consumer attention before they move on to something else. This means keeping your videos the correct length to express a specific message and no more. YouTube shorts need to be packed with the right messaging in an extremely short time span. 

Use the correct tone for your videos that appeals to your audience

You must understand the tone that your target audience will appreciate. Do your research and determine if your YouTube shorts need to be demonstrative, enthusiastic, or informative. Not approaching with the correct tone will drive people away. 

Optimize your titles

You can do similar optimization work as SEO for your YouTube shorts titles. This is a crucial way consumers find your content, and this is how you help the YouTube algorithm place your content in the correct place. 

Create custom thumbnails for your shorts

YouTube will usually place a default thumbnail for your shorts. They do this with a screen grab function on the platform. It is possible to anticipate this function and select your own screen grab for a thumbnail. This is a more advanced technique, but it can be done. 

How to monetize YouTube Shorts

To monetize your shorts on Youtube, you need to become fully acquainted with the YouTube monetization policies. YouTube regulates how this is done, and it is essential that you understand and adhere to these policies. These policies include things like community guidelines, copyright, and Google AdSense.  

The YouTube monetization policies will also explain in detail the ways your content can be made eligible. These policies changed on February 1 of this year, and a full explanation is on the YouTube site. 

YouTube Shorts Tips & Tricks

Some tips for how to make your YouTube shorts really count include:

Make your first few seconds count

As noted above, you have seconds to grab attention before you lose your audience. Optimize those first few seconds. 

Keep it concise

Users are choosing YouTube shorts to get quick and easy content. Make sure your message is as compact as possible. If your shorts are 60 seconds, see if you can get it down to 15 seconds. 

Create a perfect loop

YouTube shorts will repeat if users do not click on another short. This means your short will be repeated. When editing, make sure you have a seamless loop so that information repeats in the most meaningful way. 

Use trending music

Whenever possible try to use trending music with your content. 

Top categories with the largest number of Shorts uploaded

MrBeast

By far the most successful channels for YouTube shorts. MrBeast has over 163 million combined subscribers across his 6 YouTube channels. 

Nas Daily

One Minute Stories from Around the World. The view count on YouTube rose from 211M in July 2021 to 3.2B in April 2022. 

Legal Eagle

Law News and Views in 60 Seconds. A practicing attorney with over 2.2 million subscribers. 

YouTube Shorts FAQS

What are YouTube Shorts? 

YouTube shorts are short-form vertical content that can be created using a smartphone. These are directly uploaded to YouTube using the YouTube app. Users can use YouTube’s built-in creation tools to capture, edit, and add music from major labels. You can add animated text and control the speed of your footage. You can also edit multiple short video clips to create short video content. 

What Are the Benefits of YouTube Shorts?

 The main and obvious benefit of YouTube shorts is that it makes it possible to tap into YouTube’s massive following and user base. It is a simple and reliable tool of engagement that has the potential to reach millions of viewers.

What are the differences between YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels?

 The main things that make YouTube shorts different from TikTok and Instagram reels are the other things that exist on these platforms. YouTube is geared entirely toward video content, and this includes long-form content—even feature-length films. TikTok focuses on short-form video content, and Instagram began as a photo-sharing platform. The other difference between YouTube shorts and TikTok and Instagram are the algorithms that choose videos for people to watch.

The process of integrating YouTube shorts into your overall marketing strategies can get complicated. To get the most out of these kinds of channels, and the most out of your social media channel growth, leave things to HeyDay Marketing Services. 

HeyDay Marketing Services offers the best Social Media Management, and we can integrate things like YouTube shorts into your marketing strategies. HeyDay Marketing can offer full-service research, optimization, and strategies across all social media channels. This includes things like YouTube shorts. 

Wrapping things up

As the digital landscape continues to change, new trends in online marketing and social media marketing keep emerging. One of the newest and most important channels for online marketing is YouTube shorts.

YouTube shorts is a way of packing a lot of information into short-form video that has the potential to build your customer base. By doing the work to determine your audience and their preferences, you can target short videos through YouTube shorts that will increase the exposure of your brand.  

Perhaps one of the best things about YouTube shorts is that the entire process can be accomplished on the YouTube app. You do not need anything other than a smartphone to create, edit, and upload short video content. The app makes everything possible and quite easy. 

To get the most out of this emerging marketing strategy, allow HeyDay Marketing to bring our expertise and experience to building your brand through YouTube shorts.