YouTube News Shorts is a priority for YT. NFTS also!

[Damon]

@JungleExplorer was right! Read the first highlighted thing from Mrs. Wojcicki's state of the creator economy address:

Letter from Susan: Our 2022 Priorities

Hear from CEO Susan Wojcicki as she addresses YouTube's goals and priorities for the year to come in 2022's CEO lettter.

blog.youtube

More people are creating content on YouTube than ever before. WeΓÇÖre seeing momentum across the platform, including on Shorts. WeΓÇÖve now hit 5 trillion all time views on Shorts!

When that's the first thing out of your mouth, well . . .

She also mentioned that they'd be exploring NFTs. I've been on the Web3.0 bandwagon for a while. I'd be happy to see what they do in this regard. Imagine we as YouTubers actually owning a piece of the network. Don't know if they will mint their own coin or run on one of the current blockchains. I'm a big fan of Solana because it can transact business as NASDAQ speed. Making it fit for finance and actually transacting business.

 

[MattCommand1]

I got a bit of a learning curve on both Shorts and NFTs. Shorts is definitely here to stay. We all gotta figure it out or at least be forced to co-exist with it.

 

[Damon]

I might try some experiments with shorts.

 

[MattCommand1]

I might try some experiments with shorts.

I look forward to your upcoming Shorts.

 

[Damon]

And, I haven't forgotten your question abut NFTs. Just have gotten around to typing up an answer.

 

[BraveStar]

So, shorts as part of your channel or as a separate channel? I've seen both and am not sure what's the better experience.

 

[MattCommand1]

So, shorts as part of your channel or as a separate channel? I've seen both and am not sure what's the better experience.

I've done a couple experimental shorts and might do a few more. But they would tie into my longer-form video. But no way I am going to start another channel for Shorts. Keeping up with one channel is more than enough for me right now.

 

[Damon]

Yeah, no way I'm going to start a new channel at this point. I just don't have the energy. I figure shorts would be a good way to serve as a trailer for long-form playlist. Since I don't own a smartphone it's hard to get my cinema camera to shoot in 9:16. My recorder has the dimension, but when I pull it into the NLE it reverts to 16:9.

Also I don't feel like wasting any more time with it. I could have shot a whole other video in the time it took to try and figure out a 9:16 resolution solution.

Shorts was meant as an easy way for people to shoot and upload quick 15 second videos with their cellphones. It's really completely the opposite of what I'm trying to do: make documentary short-films. In many way short gets back to the roots of YouTube, giving amateurs an easy way to broadcast themselves. When YouTube first launched, before Google bought them out, as I remember, videos were only ~30 seconds anyway. In other words shorts is closer to what the original YouTube was like.

 

[MattCommand1]

From what I have seen of Shorts, many Shorts are well-prepared videos in themselves. I haven't seen many just throw up a video. As you pointed out, there is a fair amount of work involved even in a Short.

And yes, there is a general presumption that one has a smartphone to take advantage of Shorts to get footage of vertical videos although I am sure there are many creators who use really good equipment.

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

I have tried some shorts on my channel. Honestly, I don't think I know how to do them and it has been a waste of time for me. I had one get on the shelf and bring in about 20k views in 72-hours, but then it died completely. It ultimately brought no benefit to my channel at all. I got a few subs, but made no money off of it. One of my regular videos getting 20k views would have meant around a 150 to 200 dollar paycheck, and it would have continued to perform in the long run. I just don't see how anyone can reasonably make money on shorts. Sure those few top people that get 30 million views per video, maybe, but 99% of shorts don't get those and earn the creator no or very little money. Outside of youtube just taking the profits we long-form creators make for them and handing it out to shorts creators, I don't see how they can keep this up, if things stay as they are.

I hear that on TikTok, a video with one million views makes like $20 to $40. I have a video that has 600k views and has made $1,061, and it is one of my lower CPM videos at $1.75 CPM ($1,750 per million views). My channel average is $4.51 RPM ($4,510 per million) and I have videos as high as $11.36 RPM ($11,360 per million). So, a million views for me is a lot of money and it is worth the work. I can't imagine working to produce a viral video and make just $20 to $40. It does not seem like a sustainable business model in the long run. Not when you can get a job anywhere making $12 to $15 starting off with no experience. The economy is crashing. Inflation is at 7% (a 50 year high), and the cost of living has gone up 30% in the last year. People need more money to survive, not less.

On a different note: my most recent video is doing well, in comparison to my last ten. I honestly think it boils down to the thumbnail for me. That is where I am going to focus my energy for now, because I just don't know yet how to make shorts work for my benefit. I am reworking some of my older videos that have a high impression but low CTR with new thumbs and titles. At least for now, I think that is the best I can do to turn things around.

 

[Super Cooper Hobbies]

Has anyone else noticed that the YouTube app now opens up the shorts shelf directly. This could change things.

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

Has anyone else noticed that the YouTube app now opens up the shorts shelf directly. This could change things.

I have, but it does not surprise me. As I have said before, YouTube has put up 200 million dollars to promote Shorts on their platform and they are going to make sure people see them. Facebook is also pushing shorts (Storys) down their user's throats with both feet. Yesterday my wife came to me and ask me to turn video AUTOPLAY off on her FB feed. This used to be a very easy thing to do. I spent two hours trying to find out how to do it. I read no less than 30 tutorials on how to do turn off Video Autoplay. Some of those Tutorials were less than a month old. Not one of them was right. Facebook has recently DISABLED the ability to turn the video autoplay feature off. Facebook has said, "YOU WILL WATCH our videos".

In a video I recently watched from Sean Connell (ThinkMedia) he said that 65% of YouTube users come to YouTube to solve a problem. I agree that the primary purpose of YouTube is education, more than anything else. I am in that niche as well. I think YouTube has decided that they want to NOT be known as the platform for learning things. I think they want to be known primarily as an entertainment platform like TikTok. I think that is what all this aggressive pushing of Shorts is ultimately about. YouTube is trying to change its image in the public's mind. Kind of like if Anheuser-Busch decided that it wanted to be known for making soda pop more than for making beer. This would explain the gargantuan effort that YT has put into pushing Shorts on the platform. Not only are they paying hundreds of millions out of pocket to Shorts creators, they also gave Shorts creators Carte Blanche to use any YT content from any other YT creator they want without fear of getting a copyright strike. I have spoken to a couple of lawyers about YT's move on that and they believe it is just a matter of time before the copyright lawsuits hit the fan. It is a ballsy move on YT's part and I believe it shows just how desperate they are to push their Shorts agenda.

I will state here, that all of the above is just my opinion. So please, nobody get all upset, go on the warpath, and start shooting firey arrows at me. I believe that it is truth, and I believe that knowing the truth is a positive thing, not a negative thing. Only when you know the truth, can you then, know how to properly react to it. Okay?

Here is how I am reacting. I discovered a video with a high impression rate, but a low CTR. This was one of my best-performing videos at one point and now has dropped off. I upgraded the Thumbnail and Title today

Old thumb:

Old Title: How to make Wild Hog BACON! Best bacon you have ever tasted!


New thumb:

New Title: Wild Hog BACON? They say it CAN'T be Done!

Will the new Title and Thumb change anything? I don't know. I will come back and update you in a month or so. What I do know it that, right now, this is what I feel is the only thing I can do. I am not good at making Shorts. So, I have to do what I can do.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wxi-IUnCN_8

 

[Scott C]

I might try some experiments with shorts.

Most of the shorts I post get about 1000 the next day after I post them from 7 am to 9 am, from the shorts feed, then stall quickly. Does anyone one else get this pattern?

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

Most of the shorts I post get about 1000 the next day after I post them from 7 am to 9 am, from the shorts feed, then stall quickly. Does anyone one else get this pattern?

I have put out 12 shorts since July of 2021. Ten of them have gotten less than 1000 views with 95% of the views coming in the first 72-hours after being published, almost all from subscribers. One video hit the Shorts Shelf and got 20,000 views in the first 72-hours. Another video hit the Shorts Shelf and got 1,000 views in 72-hours. All of the videos have gotten almost zero views after the first 72-hours.

On all Shorts except for the one that got the 20K views, I have lost subscribers, so it is crystal clear that the older demographic (my target demographic) pretty much hate it when I put out Shorts.

 

[Scott C]

I have put out 12 shorts since July of 2021. Ten of them have gotten less than 1000 views with 95% of the views coming in the first 72-hours after being published, almost all from subscribers. One video hit the Shorts Shelf and got 20,000 views in the first 72-hours. Another video hit the Shorts Shelf and got 1,000 views in 72-hours. All of the videos have gotten almost zero views after the first 72-hours.

On all Shorts except for the one that got the 20K views, I have lost subscribers, so it is crystal clear that the older demographic (my target demographic) pretty much hate it when I put out Shorts.

LOL I started a stand-up hamster comedian channel for telling kids joke, and it turns out that 80% of my audience are males between 24-34. My Star Wars joke are doing good, but the kids jokes are tanking, but that what happens when you hope YouTube Kids picks your "Made for Kids" videos. Still waiting for that to happen. Good on you for 20,000 views for a single video. My highest got 6,500.

 

[Super Cooper Hobbies]

I have, but it does not surprise me. As I have said before, YouTube has put up 200 million dollars to promote Shorts on their platform and they are going to make sure people see them. Facebook is also pushing shorts (Storys) down their user's throats with both feet. Yesterday my wife came to me and ask me to turn video AUTOPLAY off on her FB feed. This used to be a very easy thing to do. I spent two hours trying to find out how to do it. I read no less than 30 tutorials on how to do turn off Video Autoplay. Some of those Tutorials were less than a month old. Not one of them was right. Facebook has recently DISABLED the ability to turn the video autoplay feature off. Facebook has said, "YOU WILL WATCH our videos".

In a video I recently watched from Sean Connell (ThinkMedia) he said that 65% of YouTube users come to YouTube to solve a problem. I agree that the primary purpose of YouTube is education, more than anything else. I am in that niche as well. I think YouTube has decided that they want to NOT be known as the platform for learning things. I think they want to be known primarily as an entertainment platform like TikTok. I think that is what all this aggressive pushing of Shorts is ultimately about. YouTube is trying to change its image in the public's mind. Kind of like if Anheuser-Busch decided that it wanted to be known for making soda pop more than for making beer. This would explain the gargantuan effort that YT has put into pushing Shorts on the platform. Not only are they paying hundreds of millions out of pocket to Shorts creators, they also gave Shorts creators Carte Blanche to use any YT content from any other YT creator they want without fear of getting a copyright strike. I have spoken to a couple of lawyers about YT's move on that and they believe it is just a matter of time before the copyright lawsuits hit the fan. It is a ballsy move on YT's part and I believe it shows just how desperate they are to push their Shorts agenda.

I will state here, that all of the above is just my opinion. So please, nobody get all upset, go on the warpath, and start shooting firey arrows at me. I believe that it is truth, and I believe that knowing the truth is a positive thing, not a negative thing. Only when you know the truth, can you then, know how to properly react to it. Okay?

Here is how I am reacting. I discovered a video with a high impression rate, but a low CTR. This was one of my best-performing videos at one point and now has dropped off. I upgraded the Thumbnail and Title today

Old thumb: View attachment 11699
Old Title: How to make Wild Hog BACON! Best bacon you have ever tasted!


New thumb: View attachment 11700
New Title: Wild Hog BACON? They say it CAN'T be Done!

Will the new Title and Thumb change anything? I don't know. I will come back and update you in a month or so. What I do know it that, right now, this is what I feel is the only thing I can do. I am not good at making Shorts. So, I have to do what I can do.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wxi-IUnCN_8

Yeah, there doesn't seem to be a way to turn off opening up to the shorts feed. Honestly, if they're forcing it on people, thats going to backfire on them in some way. YouTube is about the viewer experience, the experience isn't so great if I'm annoyed by the app every time I open it.