In 2021, riding the waves created by TikTok and Instagram, YouTube plunged into the short-form video space with its dynamic feature, YouTube Shorts.
Today, we turn our full attention to this. To give you a brief idea of the potential reach of this media type, 70 billion Shorts are viewed daily.
Tapping into the audience, a strong strategy can help you attract millions of viewers in no time compared to your regular YouTube video content.
Essentially, as people love consuming short videos, the algorithm also helps boost the reach.
So, how do you get started with it?
We have covered the answers to all of this and more in this amazing guide.
Without wasting any time, let’s understand how to make these Shorts and grow a successful YouTube channel.
What are YouTube Shorts?
YouTube Shorts refer to the bite-sized vertical video format of YouTube. The feature allows you to craft, edit, and publish brief, vertical videos using the dedicated Shorts camera experience on the YouTube app.
Like Reels and TikTok, Shorts gives you the flexibility to speed up or slow down your recording speed, add filters, string videos together, add captions, remix audio or video clips, and more.
The feature also enables you to add music to the YouTube audio library for personal, non-commercial, and entertainment purposes only. Remember, you have the limit of creating a 15-second clip only if you add audio from the YouTube audio library to your video.
As for discovering and watching its accounts, users can either tap into a dedicated tab and binge Shorts from different accounts on a loop or catch them prominently featured as a “Shorts carousel” on YouTube’s homepage or in search results.
While watching shorts on YouTube, viewers can also share, comment, like, dislike, or subscribe to your channel.
Why Do You Need YouTube Shorts?
If you run a YouTube business channel, you already know how difficult it is to grow your subscribers. The market is becoming saturated as the big guns cater to most of the audience.
With the introduction of Shorts on YouTube, businesses have a golden opportunity to scale their YouTube channel growth and boost their engagement rate.
When any marketer asks “how to grow your YouTube channel,” YouTube Shorts is the answer. It can help you attract new subscribers more effectively and efficiently than any other marketing strategy on YouTube.
Because of this segment’s newness, YouTube wants to grow it and make more people aware. That’s why you can count on the YouTube algorithm to boost your Shorts on YouTube more than your long-form videos.
This is among the content types with the best organic reach on the platform. If you know how to make a viral Shorts video on YouTube, nothing can stop your engagement numbers. To boost your chances at success, you must make it creative and engaging with all the SEO-focused tags and keywords.
One more thing.
To succeed on YouTube, you need to have a mix of both YouTube long videos and Shorts; this will help you get more views and make the most of the platform.
So, regular video and Shorts, it is!
In this blog, we have captured some of the best tips and tactics you can use for Shorts video on YouTube so that you can scale your channel growth and outshine your competitors easily.
But first, let’s learn how to make Shorts.
How Long are YouTube Shorts?
YouTube Shorts can be up to 3 minutes long (according to the latest Google update). Now, you can reach this limit by using a single video or stitching together multiple 15-second-long videos. However, you only have the limit of publishing a 15-second clip if you add any audio from the YouTube audio library to your video.
Here are all the specifications you need to keep in mind:
| YouTube Shorts length | Up to 180 Seconds |
| YouTube Shorts resolution | 1920 pixels by 1080 pixels |
| YouTube Shorts aspect ratio | 9:16 |
How to Create and Upload YouTube Shorts?
Now, let’s get to the fun part: creating and posting your first YouTube Short. In order to create Shorts, you must have a YouTube account and then download the YouTube application on your phone.
You can download it from the iOS App Store or Google Play, based on your device. After downloading the app, log in and start your journey by following our step-by-step process to create a YouTube Short.
Step 1: Open Camera View
- Open the YouTube app on your mobile
- Tap the ‘+’ icon located at the bottom bar
- Select ‘Create a Short’ from the list of open options. If it’s your first time, grant the necessary camera access permissions.
If You’re Uploading a Video From the Device:
If you already have a video ready to be published, then you can avoid using the Shorts camera interface for shooting and editing your video and just directly upload the video from the local storage.
- From the ‘+’ sign, select ‘Upload a video.’ Now pick a short video from your camera roll that’s under 180 seconds; it’ll automatically be recognized as a Short if it is in a vertical orientation.
- You can make the necessary changes to this like caption, visibility, and audience, then hit ‘publish.’
For recording a new video for your YouTube Short, move to the next step.
Step 2: Start Recording with Multiple Recording Options
- Inside the camera view, by default, you’re set for a 15-second duration. If you desire to create a longer duration video, tap the ’15’ on the top right and adjust it to 1 minute or 3 minutes according to your script length.
- Now, tap the red record button to initiate recording. A single tap begins the recording, and another tap will pause it.
On the recording screen, you will see a sidebar with intuitive tools designed to elevate your Short’s quality and creativity. You can use these to make your recording more dynamic. Here’s the breakdown of every editing tool:
- Camera Flip: Use the flip option to switch between front and back cameras to effectively make vlog-style Short videos or showcase different viewpoints within one Short.
- Effects: Incorporate a plethora of effects, such as mirror images, motion trails, and fisheye effects, to give your video a unique touch.
- Playback Speed: Give your video a fast-paced thrill or show the captivating slow motions by modifying the recording speed with options like 0.3x, 0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 3x.
- Timer: Turn the timer on for self-recording scenarios using a tripod.
- Green Screen: Use the green screen effect to superimpose a photo as your background.
- Retouch: Consider this option as a visual makeup, auto-enhancing the quality of your video by making the frame more crisp and clear.
- Filters: Set the tone and mode of your video by adding color filters.
- Lighting: Adjust brightness levels to capture the right mood.
- Flash: Toggle flash on/off as needed.
After including the desired effects, move forward by tapping the white checkmark at the screen’s bottom right.
Step 3: Add Sound and Text
You will be led to a preview screen where you can edit your video in a few different ways:
- Add music, voiceovers, or text overlays to your video and adjust their color, style, and alignment on the screen.
- You can also control when your text appears and disappears on the screen using the timeline option.
To proceed, tap ‘Next’ on the top right.
Step 4: Choose the Final Settings Before Uploading
The final step is to add captions and choose other settings before you upload your video. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the final touches you must consider before your content goes live:
- First, add a captivating caption to enhance the discoverability of your Short and hook your audience by providing more information.
- Next, pick a cover image by clicking the pencil icon in the top-left corner and selecting any desired frame of the video.
Once you are done with the primary updates, it’s time to take care of some of the advanced settings:
- Go ahead and decide if you want your Short’s visibility to be Public, Private, or Unlisted.
- Then, decide on the location and audience you want to target with the ‘Location’ and ‘Select Audience’ options. You can type in the location you want to target, and for audience selection, YouTube requires users to specify if their content is designed for kids or a general audience.
- Lastly, choose whether to permit remixing of your content in new ways, indicate paid promotions, and set filters for spammy comments.
Now, your short video is all set to be posted.
Once you’ve fine-tuned the settings, hit the ‘Upload Short’ button. Within moments, your crafted YouTube Short will be published, set to entertain, educate, and engage viewers.
How to Schedule YouTube Shorts?
Manual uploading can be super easy when it’s just the personal channel you’re looking after.
However, when managing content for a flourishing business’s channel or navigating the YouTube accounts of multiple clients, you will be losing much of your time in switching between accounts and uploading videos.
Wondering how to streamline this process and make uploads a complete breeze?
Well, here’s the secret: Integrate your Shorts scheduling into your daily routine. This nifty trick lets you plan out in advance and line them up.
After that, the scheduling platform shoulders the burden, ensuring your content gets automatically published at the exact moment you want while you’re off planning your next hit Short.
You’re basically future-proofing your content game!
There are two methods to schedule your YouTube Shorts:
So, which is the best option?
Well, if you’re looking for a one-stop solution, you need not look further than SocialPilot. Not only does it allow you to schedule both YouTube videos and Shorts for numerous accounts seamlessly, but it also empowers you to schedule posts across all your go-to networks.
And all this magic from a single, ultra-intuitive dashboard. Why juggle multiple platforms when SocialPilot offers everything you need and more?
How to Monetize YouTube Shorts?
YouTube Shorts is an enticing prospect for you as an original creator or business. It stands out as the sole platform offering revenue-sharing to creators, making it a hotspot for income generation.
From 2023, Shorts creators gained access to the YouTube Partner Program, and in 2025, YouTube allowed them to earn a substantial 45% of ad revenue. To qualify as a YouTube Partner, you need to gain a minimum of 3 million shorts views in the previous 90 days or 3000 watch hours in the last one year. The potential rewards are worth the effort.
The Shorts Fund, launched in August 2021, offers bonuses to eligible creators. You must follow guidelines, create original content, and be located in certain countries. YouTube notifies qualifying creators monthly, with earnings ranging from $100 to $10,000, depending on your audience location and engagement.
This fund encourages creators to grow their Shorts audience and monetize effectively. No applications are needed; YouTube directly informs qualifying creators.
To increase your chances of qualifying, focus on crafting consistent, high-quality, and original content. If you are an original creator, investing efforts in this is a great approach to bringing content-driven revenue growth. It’s a compelling platform tailored for your success as a creator or business owner.
10 Best Practices for Creating Impactful YouTube Shorts
Now that you know how to create Shorts on YouTube, let’s dive deep into the best practices that will help you make the most out of this short-form video format.
1. Use Shorts Length Wisely
It can be as long as 3 minutes, but you need to understand that using the maximum time is not compulsory. Your focus should be on delivering your message as concisely as possible while valuing your viewer’s watch time.
The example below shows how a popular Shorts channel, Block Facts, only posts 27-second videos and gains millions of views.
You need to ask two questions while deciding on the length:
- How much time do you need to make your point in the video?
- Is there any part of the content you can eliminate or cut to minimize the viewing time and maximize the effect?
Once you answer this question, you’ll automatically tailor your content to the most compact version possible, thus increasing the effectiveness of your content.
2. Make Your Caption Count
The title of your Shorts is visible with the thumbnail of the video, so they play a vital role in making the viewer play it. If you are creating informative Shorts, it is important that you include keywords in the title, which would increase the discoverability of these videos on search results.
Your title should inform the viewer of what content you’ll provide in your Short video. Don’t try to fool the user with misleading titles and clickbait; you’ll only lose their trust, which will result in a loss of future engagement.
3. Make Scroll-Stopping Thumbnails
The thumbnail of a YouTube Short holds power to make viewers stop and tap on it. They do not appear in the app’s actual Shorts watch page, but you can see them in your feed, your Subscription tab, your Recommended page, etc.
A well-designed thumbnail for your Shorts can help you get more clicks. If your Short has a good number of impressions but a low CTR, then using a different thumbnail might change this scenario. Luckily, YouTube allows you to change your Shorts thumbnail as many times as you want.
4. Always Record Vertically
Creating your Shorts vertically is the only way to do justice to the format. Vertical videos seamlessly fit on your mobile screens, drawing viewers into a completely immersive experience.
In contrast, horizontal videos sit somewhat out of place in the center. With noticeable blank spaces on both sides, they can’t quite offer the same level of engagement, potentially leaving viewers feeling a tad underwhelmed.
So, aim for a 9:16 aspect ratio and stick to a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels. This is the sweet spot for Shorts.
5. Pay Attention to the Video Loop
Whenever a YouTube Short ends, it loops back to the beginning of the clip and starts playing again until the viewer scrolls to the next one.
This looping can be a fantastic tool if used correctly in some instances.
Let’s say you’ve got a catchy tune or a funny moment that gets even better with a second view. Or perhaps the Short displays a story that seamlessly transitions from the ending to its beginning, creating an infinite loop that keeps viewers hooked.
Additionally, Shorts that can be played in a loop record a higher watch time, signaling the YouTube algorithm to show it to more viewers.
6. Be Consistent
Maintaining consistency in posting YouTube content is crucial to building brand recall and loyalty, whether in videos or Shorts. The key is to plan and create your content ahead of time with a posting schedule for your YouTube channel.
However, maintaining a consistent posting schedule can be a herculean task. This is where YouTube Scheduling tools equipped with a content calendar prove to be handy.
For instance, with SocialPilot’s YouTube scheduling features, you can plan, upload, schedule, and overview months of YouTube posts, videos, and Shorts for multiple accounts from a single place.
You can leverage the platform to automate the regular posting on YouTube to keep your audience engaged with timely uploads.
Now, with the technical aspects sorted, let’s shift gears a bit and look at the heart of it all. Are you ready to showcase the real you?
7. Hook Your Audience From the Beginning
The never-ending feeds of content have made scrolling, a second nature for humans. To make them stop and watch your YouTube Short, you need to make it engaging from the beginning.
What can you do? Here are some strategies:
- Start with a Powerful First Frame: Grab attention immediately with compelling visuals.
- Include Engaging Audio: Use catchy music or sound effects to set the mood instantly.
- Pose a Question: Kick off with a question that resonates with your audience.
- Reveal a Teaser: Show a quick sneak peek of the exciting stuff to come in the video.
- Use Captivating Text: If your video has a text-based start, make it snappy and compelling.
- Show Movement: Include quick transitions or animations to break the scrolling monotony.
- Evoke Emotion: Start with a scene that triggers an emotion like humor or awe.
8. Provide Value with Your Shorts
Though bite-sized in nature, YouTube Shorts are still a powerful medium for delivering valuable and informative content.
You need to ensure that your Shorts aren’t just fleeting moments in a viewer’s day but impactful messages that invite them to connect more with your channel and brand. Think of each Short as an invitation to explore more of your content.
Here are some content ideas that can be super valuable for your audience:
- Product teasers
- Behind-the-scenes
- Tutorials and how-tos
- Customer testimonials
- Flash sales and promotions
- Quick tips
- Events and launches
- Trending challenges
- FAQ sessions
- Brand stories
9. Show Your Authentic Side
No matter the size and the nature of your videos, never forget to show the authentic side of your personality and brand.
This authenticity becomes even more pivotal in compact formats like YouTube Shorts. It enables you to present information in a quick, fun, and raw manner and are, therefore, more ‘transparent’ mediums of content.
As you venture into creating Shorts on YouTube, weave in your brand values and guidelines, ensuring every video remains consistent with your overall message and purpose.
Take a look at how American Eagle effortlessly showcases their new cap, all while staying true to the lively spirit of their brand in this engaging Short.
10. Leverage Latest Trends
Leveraging current trends, trending audio, and challenges can be a great catalyst to amplify the reach of your Shorts.
You can find trends by checking the YouTube ‘Trending’ page. This can give you insights into what’s catching viewers’ attention.
Remember, while following trends is great, being genuine in your content is key. Trends will change, but authentic content stands out. So, get creative and make your Shorts relevant and engaging.
How to Use YouTube Shorts?
The success of TikToks, Reels, Stories, and Shorts makes it apparent that short-form videos are preferred by the audience over longer videos. Hence, you must figure out a strategy for using these short videos on YouTube.
Here are some ways you can leverage the power of Shorts to your advantage:
Retain Your Consistency
Shorts are designed to be created and posted on the go. They do not have to be artistically made videos. So when you need to fill the gap in your YouTube posting schedule, a Short is the right answer.
You can shoot a quick one on your phone and publish it instantly without much editing required. This unpolished Short will be received by your audience as well as any other video you put out there.
If you have created quality Shorts for posting on YouTube, they can be posted as Instagram Stories, Reels, and TikToks as well. Maintaining consistency on all platforms is essential for businesses to maximize reach. Shorts, being these snappy and dynamic videos are well-suited for Instagram as well as TikTok.
And this way, you can leverage the maximum benefit out of your content.
Promote Your Product
Short-form videos are ideal for creating teasers and sneak peeks of any upcoming product or new feature. They provide the perfect stage for drawing the attention of potential customers. By strategically releasing snippets of exciting new developments, brands can generate buzz and excitement among their audience, fostering anticipation for the full product reveal.
Repurpose YouTube
Just like people use Instagram Stories to promote their new posts and Reels, you can repurpose full-length YouTube videos into smaller Shorts and lead the viewers to the actual video. This is a very common practice that YouTubers do to promote their videos and drive traffic to their channel.
However, simply splicing your video into pieces and uploading them as Shorts is not the way to go. Add some trending music in the background to make it more engaging, as short-form content needs to be more dynamic than normal YouTube content.
Behind The Scenes
Showing your audience what goes on behind the curtain, whether you are a creator or a business owner, is always a great way to help them feel connected. You can showcase your creative process and let them know your team or the operations side of things.
Showing behind-the-scenes activities gives insights on your brand values, which humanizes your business for your audience and makes them accept your claims. This is a great way to connect with your audience on a personal level.
Audience Testimonials
You can showcase positive testimonials or feedback from your satisfied customers in YouTube Shorts for all your subscribers. A positive review from existing customers is the best validation you can get, proving the authenticity of your brand. Also, you can talk about any recognition your business received from prestigious platforms.
This is an organic way to boost the trust of your existing audience as well as potential customers who are thinking about buying from your brand.
Transformations
It is great for showing long processes edited into a 3-minute timeframe. Whether it’s redesigning a room, creating a painting from scratch, or getting a bride ready for their wedding look, they make engaging short content.
The main reason beyond this is that people get to see the initial state, the whole process, and the finished product, all within a minute or less.
There You Have It: Quick. Short. Engaging!
YouTube Shorts are an essential tool in your YouTube marketing arsenal. But having a tool just isn’t enough. You need to know how to utilize it effectively.
With all the tips and tricks we’ve shared, you can easily start leveraging them and give a massive boost to your subscriber base and engagement rate.
In a nutshell, beyond just creating Shorts, there’s immense value in meticulously planning valuable content that not only capitalizes on trending topics but also encapsulates the core values and unique characteristics of your brand.
And yes, as you navigate the realms of YouTube marketing, you must adopt a tool like SocialPilot to empower your daily planning and publishing tasks
Level up your YouTube strategy by using SocialPilot to plan and schedule your YouTube videos and Shorts well in advance, starting today.
