YouTube Shorts is Google’s answer to the explosive popularity of TikTok. It’s their own version of Instagram Reels and TikTok. As the name suggests, they are short videos that users can quickly scroll through.
Shorts has been in the testing phase in India since September 2020. In March 2021, it became available in the US. More importantly, though, what is YouTube Shorts? How is it different from a normal YouTube video?
What Qualifies as a YouTube Short?
No more than 60 seconds long, vertically oriented (mobile format), videos qualify as YouTube Shorts. If a video doesn’t fulfil this criterion, it won’t qualify as Shorts.
Simply put, as long as a video’s width is less than its height – and it is less than 60 seconds – it qualifies as Shorts. You can even go for a 1:1 square aspect and make an 800×800 video. The only downside will be the black bars on the top and sides when the video is played.
Know this, though: if your video is even a pixel wider than it is high, or even a millisecond longer than 60-seconds, your video won’t qualify as a Short.
Why Make YouTube Shorts?
So why even bother with YouTube Shorts?
Because they’re a great youtube marketing, branding, and revenue generation tool. Especially, if you are just starting out in the social media influencer space.
Short-form videos are the epitome of engaging internet content. Look at the success of TikTok and Instagram Reels. Shorts don’t require any prerequisite subscriber or view count. Anyone with a Google account can make them.
Although not monetized right now, Shorts are great – even essential – to skyrocket your social media popularity. This, in turn, can drive your revenue from your non-Shorts videos, and eventually, other mediums.
More than 70% of YouTube views come from mobile devices. That’s 70% of 30+ million daily users watching more than 40 minutes of YouTube videos every day. YouTube Shorts are the high-grade rocket-propellant to your brand. Use ‘em!
Also, Shorts are in every way like a normal YouTube video. So, if anyone watches your Shorts anywhere outside of the YT mobile app’s exclusive ‘Shorts’ section, they will count towards your revenue stream, provided you have ads enabled.
How to make YouTube Shorts?
Once you have an idea of what to show, you just have to do the following:
1. Open YouTube mobile app on your phone.
2. Tap the Create (‘+’) icon in the middle.
3. Tap ‘Create a Short’.
4. Set a timer or adjust playback speed.
5. Tap the red button to start recording.
6. Click ‘Next’.
7. Add & adjust music or text.
8. Click ‘Next’.
9. Add a title with the hashtag ‘#shorts’ at the end.
10. Select the visibility of the video (public, private, or unlisted).
11. Select the target audience (kids or adults).
12. Tap ‘Upload’.
Although the mobile app only allows 15-second videos, you can record and stitch together multiple videos. You can use any other device to record and upload a Shorts video to bypass the 15-second limit. The only downside is that you have to edit the video before uploading since the app doesn’t let you add text or music to such videos.
And You’re Done!
That’s all you need to know to jump right into the YouTube Shorts train!
If you’re still unsure about leveraging the new YouTube Shorts wave, or navigating the social media influencer ecosystem, hit us up at Syft. We’re kinda good with this stuff!
