In response to the surging popularity of short-form video content, YouTube introduced Shorts in 2020 to compete directly with platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok.
When YouTube recognized this shifting user preference towards brief and engaging videos and decided to leverage its vast user base strategically to capture a growing audience, it allowed creators and YouTubers to grow.
The results speak for themselves; YouTube Shorts now generates an impressive 6.5 billion daily views globally. And YouTubers are gaining massive visibility and attracting new subscribers.
But here’s the truth: not every Short goes viral. It happens only for those who know that success comes down to strategy and understanding the dynamics of YouTube.
We have spent hours analyzing what works and what does not, and we are here to give you the blueprint for how to get more views on YouTube Shorts in 2025. If you want more views on Shorts, these are the only things you need to sware by: no less, no more, just this, and your views will skyrocket.
Can’t wait?
Let’s dive in.
1. Understand YouTube Shorts Algorithm
YouTube Shorts algorithm works similarly to long-form videos. Its core role is to identify content according to individuals’ interests by matching it based on the user’s history and the content they have watched.
Videos with higher engagement and those with a higher audience retention rate are prioritized, making it one of the key drivers for YouTube Shorts’ performance.
How to make the algorithm work for you:
- Hook your audience within the first 3 seconds.
- Use engaging visuals and captions to keep them watching.
- Experiment with video lengths, but keep them under 60 seconds.
Here, the expert Brock Johnson, CEO of InstaClubHub, speaks about the working mechanism of the YouTube algorithm to get more views.
2. Post When Your Audience Is Most Active
Not everyone is aware that timing is everything on YouTube. Most are still confused about the best time to post long YouTube videos Vs. YouTube Shorts.
Yes, we agree that posting when your audience is most active means you can use the same strategy, but to ensure high visibility for YouTube Short, you have to think differently.
Experiment with different time segments when your audience is active and see when you get more YouTube Shorts to reach. This will help you understand when they are more interested in watching Shorts.
Steps to find the best posting time:
- Use the YouTube analytics tool to analyze your audience’s active hours.
- Test posting at different times and track engagement rates.
- Schedule uploads should coincide with peak hours consistently.
3. Don’t Post Too Often, but Post Consistently
When you begin sharing Shorts on YouTube, you feel the urge to flood the feed with several daily posts. Many make this mistake in their desperation to get more views.
Posting consistently builds trust with your audience and the algorithm, but over-posting can overwhelm viewers and reduce overall engagement. Our analysis says posting 3 – 5 YouTube Shorts weekly strikes the right balance.
Strategies for consistency:
- Plan content with a calendar.
- Use scheduling tools like SocialPilot for automation.
- Batch-record videos to maintain a steady flow of uploads.
An example of such a strategy can be seen in Marques Brownlee’s YouTube channel, where he shares only a few quality YouTube Shorts weekly and enjoys millions of views, likes, and shares.
4. Create Shorts on Trending Relevant Topics
Keeping your content relevant is crucial. YouTube Shorts generate more views and interaction when your audience resonates with it. Creating relevant Shorts can be both challenging and easy.
However, being relevant to trending topics boosts visibility as users search for related content. You need to remember that YouTube Shorts are also pushed on the feed of new audiences, so to connect with them, being relevant to the niche is vital.
How to stay relevant:
- Identify trending topics in your niche using Google Trends.
- Use audience feedback to create YouTube Shorts.
- Leverage seasonal events or news to stay timely.
So, if you are a social media growth advisor, you can create a Short around giving social media tips for holidays to grow. Something similar can be seen in the Short by Fiverr below, which contains ways to double your sales this holiday season.
5. Use Eye-Catching Thumbnails
Thumbnails are your video’s first impressions, and yes, even for YouTube Shorts. You should have a bright, bold, simple, easy-to-understand thumbnail to outperform cluttered designs.
They say that thumbnails that feature stills from the video get 1.7 million views. YouTube Creator Acadamy has stated that 90% of the best-performing videos have custom thumbnails. If you want more views on YouTube Shorts, you must have a specially customized thumbnail for each short.
Tips for effective thumbnails:
- Use close-up shots of faces or objects.
- Add contrasting text overlays for clarity.
- Stick to a consistent design style for branding.
The YouTube channel vidIQ is famous for thumbnails that draw millions of clicks. These custom thumbnails are different for each video based on its style.
Seo is not just for long-form videos. YouTube Shorts optimized with keywords and hashtags rank higher in search results and recommended sections. Optimizing your Shorts puts them in the niche category for further discovery and eventually gets you more views.
Similar to what you do in YouTube videos, put keywords and hashtags everywhere in YouTube Shorts, too: in the description, title, caption, and even on the thumbnail for Google Lens to rank it. These are the ways to get views from more and more sources.
How to Optimize Your YouTube Shorts:
- Include relevant keywords in titles and descriptions.
- Add trending and niche-specific hashtags.
- Use tools like TubeBuddy to identify high-ranking tags.
During the pandemic, #WorkFromHome went viral, and creators who made Shorts around this hashtag witnessed millions of views.
7. Use Trending Music and Sounds
Just like Instagram Reels, music is a key element even for YouTubers. Half of the YouTube creators enjoy more views because they use trending music in their content.
Music and sounds popular on YouTube have become the core of their Shorts, and they are getting pushed to the audience who might like this content. Hence, it boosts discoverability by tapping into existing viewers’ interest.
YouTube says that using trending music increases your chances of appearing in the Shorts feed. However, you want to stay safe from restricted and copyrighted music, which might block your Shorts or YouTube channel.
Steps to leverage trending sounds:
- Browse the “Trending” section in YouTube Shorts.
- Choose tracks relevant to your video theme.
- Sync your visuals to beats for added impact.
8. Team up with YouTube Influencers and Creators
Collaborating with other creators, influencers, or YouTubers introduces you to a wider audience, getting you more views and, eventually, more subscribers. This partnership with the creators in your niche is a win-win deal that allows you to tap into their established communities and them into yours.
Influencer collaboration on YouTube gets you more views and creates the best income-generating streams, as stated by 22% of creators on YouTube. The only trick is to partner with the right channel.
How to collaborate effectively:
- Identify creators with similar or overlapping audiences.
- Plan Shorts that showcase both creators equally.
- Cross-promote the content on all platforms.
A similar example can be seen in this YouTube Short, where MrBeast collaborated with BayashiTV to make an egg sandwich. This Short generated more than 11 million views and thousands of new subscribers for both channels.
9. Engage with Comments and Mentions
Engaging with the comments and mentions on your Shorts can influence 4x more views and higher retention rates. When a creators respond to comments and acknowledge mentions, it strengthens viewers’ loyalty and boosts the YouTube algorithm recommendations of your Shorts.
Also, it makes the viewers feel that the connection between them and you is strong and not one-directional. Engagement is the most potent medium for growing more and more views and, eventually, higher subscribers.
Quick engagement strategies:
- Reply to top comments promptly.
- Pin insightful comments to encourage interaction.
- Acknowledge mentions in future Shorts to show appreciation.
YouTuber Peter McKinnon engages regularly in the comments, building a loyal fan base that eagerly anticipates his content.
10. Keep Track of Your Retention Rate
After the engagement, the retention rate is the strongest metric for getting more views on YouTube Shorts. Retention rate is the percentage of viewers who stick till the end of your Short; for YouTube, it is one of the most critical metrics.
The Shorts, which have a high retention rate, mean high quality videos and signal the algorithm to increase the livelihood of recommendations. You can find the retention rate of your Short in YouTube Studio video analytics.
Studies suggest that a retention rate above 70% – 85% is optimum for seeing an increase in views on Shorts.
Steps to boost retention:
- Keep your content concise and engaging throughout.
- Use a hook in the first 3 seconds.
- Avoid long intros; get straight to the point.
- Edit the video if needed.
Hear Marcus Jones explain the strategy to analyze and increase the retention rate of your underperforming YouTube Shorts.
11. Leverage YouTube Shorts Analytics
Analytics provide invaluable insights into what works for your audience and what doesn’t. You need months of data on likes, views, engagement, and watch time to make a real difference by refining your strategy.
Access to reliable data and detailed reports on your YouTube Short performance will help you optimize your content strategy moving forward.
Key analytics to track:
- Audience retention for each Short.
- Traffic sources to identify what drives views.
- Demographics to tailor content to your audience.
- Employee a reliable YouTube analytics Tool.
You will not find several more metrics in YouTube Studio Analytics.
Where YouTube Studio analytics may give you a brief insight, it fails to provide detailed data for your content performance on several fronts, especially for YouTube Shorts.
If you are serious about growing views on YouTube Short, you can not survive without detailed reports and in-depth analytical data.
This is where SocialPilot YouTube Analytics can save you by providing data on not just likes, comments, views, and subscribers gained and lost but on critical metrics such as:
- Average view duration
- Engagement trends
- Views on videos and Shorts both
- Top search keywords
- Comparison of views from different devices.
- Even the operating systems they have used.
These details are crucial so you can target better.
12. Maintain Storytelling Angle
Storytelling makes your content more memorable and gives it a long-lasting impact. People connect better when their narratives and flow of information are constructive.
It’s very rightly said that good storytelling leads to more time to watch on YouTube. Viewers are more likely to reach the call-to-action of a Short that has a strong story than the one that is just generic.
How to incorporate storytelling:
- Set up a problem and resolve it in your Short.
- Add a personal touch for authenticity.
- Use captions to guide the narrative flow.
Heleyybaylee is known for her honest content, showing the BTS of everyday life as a creator. Recently, she shared a YouTube Short with a unique storytelling way of presenting a day in my life trend.
13. Optimize for Sound-Off and Sound-On
In the US, 92% of people view videos on the YouTube app on mobile with sound-off. YouTube Shorts, a short-form video format, are viewed most on mobile devices.
You must ensure a higher retention rate to attract more views, which is possible only when you optimize your YouTube Shorts for sound-off and sound-on. This means using captions, subtitles, and visuals that tell the story without sound. It will ensure accessibility and a better retention rate.
Quick optimization tips:
- Use captions to convey your message.
- Incorporate visuals that tell the story without sound.
- Choose music or sound effects to enhance sound-on engagement.
Here is an example of adding captions or subtitles to your YouTube Shorts and retaining the retention rate for more views.
Content doesn’t go viral every day, but viral content can get you more views every time it’s shared; it has a long shelf life. Re-sharing successful YouTube Shorts allows you to reach new viewers and remind existing audiences of your best work.
Every creator or brand re-posts their viral YouTube Shorts in a specific interval after slightly tweaking them for relevance. With SocialPilot, you canschedule your viral YouTube Short for repeat posting by setting the gap and number of times you wish to share it.
Steps to re-share effectively:
- Update the video description and hashtags.
- Cross-promote on social media platforms.
- Add minor tweaks to refresh the content.
15. Keep Your Shorts Connected with On-going YouTube Content
YouTube Shorts works best when they complement your main channel’s feed. Use Short as a small teaser or extension to your long-form content. Keep them connected to the niche and what is being discussed and shared in long content.
For instance, if you are sharing 15 social media marketing strategies in your recent YouTube video for Shorts, you can share a few of the most vital strategy, and they encourage viewers to watch the full video.
How to integrate effectively:
- Use YouTube Shorts to highlight key moments from long-form videos.
- Add links to related videos in the description.
- Create a series format connecting YouTube Shorts to more prominent content themes.
Greg Preece, a YouTuber, shared a sneaky way to get more YouTube Shorts that also keeps them connected to your feed.
Over to You
Since its launch, YouTube Shorts has been flooded with content, and getting noticed in this competitive pool takes more than luck. It takes strategy, creativity, and a deep understanding of what works.
These tips we have shared aren’t just theories but proven steps that top creators and brands swear by. You will learn everything from mastering the algorithm to leveraging analytics, even the best tool like SocialPilot in your hands.
So, what’s stopping you? Start creating, experimenting, and dominating YouTube Shorts today.
