YouTube Tips Shorts... What are you doing with them?

[Hiking with Shawn]

I think using any feature of YouTube the best you can is a good idea.

YT wants us to use its features. Shorts is a competitor of a few platforms that YouTube wants to outdo so using Shorts might be helpful for your channel reach.

But what are you using Shorts for? I'm interesting in what others are doing?

Are you uploading on the same channel as long-form video content? Or do you have a dedicated Shorts channel?

I myself post 3 long-form videos a week, Mon, Wed, and Fri. I'm uploading shorts for the other days I don't post videos. That allows me to have one video a day whether short-form or long-form content. It is easier to post one a day this way IMO.

The weirdness of shorts that I notice is some of mine will get 50 views while others get 1,500 views. It is a very interesting feature to watch evolve.

What do you all think about it? I'd love to see your thoughts on YouTube Shorts.

 

[Damon]

I haven't used shorts at all. It really isn't a good fit for what I do. I don't even own a cell phone, lol!

 

[MattCommand1]

Hi Shawn,

I experimented with a couple of #shorts and could do a couple more if I get a bug in me. But I have mostly abandoned #shorts because they don't seem to help much getting towards YPP status. I do want to do a few more shorter videos (1-2 minutes) for very specific purposes. But I am not doing any more vertical videos on YT (horizontal videos only) and I am not going to do any videos less than 61 seconds. I will keep with the latest developments on #shorts and revisit it again but I am very clear now. No #shorts for me in 2022.

Another thing I don't like. I want viewers who are willing to spend more than a 5-second attention span on my videos. If my asking for more than 30 seconds of viewing is too much, I will just have to live without their view and subscribe. No skin off my nose.

I have defined my ideal viewer avatar in writing and one of those characteristics is to cater to viewers who have more than at least a 61-second attention span.

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

I have tried out shorts and found them lacking on the YT platform. Shorts tend to cater to a certain type of eye candy, junk food for the brain type interest base. In other words, people watch shorts for sheer entertainment purposes. If shorts were a drug, it would be Crack. If you have a channel that is geared towards that type of entertainment and amusement junkies, shorts are a great option. However, they benefit a channel very little, unless you can consistently produce viral shorts that get millions of views.

I produced a short that got 20K views in 72-hours. I made a total of $0.70 off of that traffic. If one of my normal videos got 20k views, I would have earned from $100 to $250 on it. My normal videos continue to get views month after month for years. Shorts only get views if they hit the shorts shelf and they generally only stay on the shelf for 24-hours. So unless you can produce viral shorts that get millions of views, they are pretty much worthless.

 

[Super Cooper Hobbies]

I see channels that post the same video dozens of times asking for subs cause they want to get to 1,000 subscribers or something like that. Its annoying effective, even though its just spam.

But still, even when they get that many subs, they've accomplished nothing, because those subs mean nothing, as they likely won't want to watch the content that the channel puts out.

And yet, it makes me feel like I'm doing it the right way and having a hard time, and here are these people, abusing the system, producing spam, and somehow people actually subscribe to them.

 

[Damon]

I see channels that post the same video dozens of times asking for subs cause they want to get to 1,000 subscribers or something like that. Its annoying effective, even though its just spam.

But still, even when they get that many subs, they've accomplished nothing, because those subs mean nothing, as they likely won't want to watch the content that the channel puts out.

And yet, it makes me feel like I'm doing it the right way and having a hard time, and here are these people, abusing the system, producing spam, and somehow people actually subscribe to them.

That's one of the sad things about the world. The people doing the right things simply are not rewarded. However those doing all the cheating get all the accolades. We live in a broken world. This is a glaring example of it.

 

[BraveStar]

I haven't used shorts at all. It really isn't a good fit for what I do. I don't even own a cell phone, lol!

I'm sure you know this but you don't need a phone to make Shorts. I am curious if you ever consider using them as a trailer to upcoming videos of yours. That's what I believe is the best use for certain type of content. Like gaming channels. They can also benefit from sweet clips during gameplay made into Shorts.

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

One of the qualities that I tried to instill in my children, is the idea of Honor. Growing up, I was obsessed with the idea of honor. The problem was, I could not see a clear definition of what it was. In each culture, it seemed to be represented differently. In European culture, it seemed to be tied to elitism and class. In Oriental culture, it seems to be tied to the same, with the inclusion of obsession with pride in one's name and stature. In Western culture, it seemed to be tied to physical strength and machoism.

After many years of studying the issue, I finally decided that what true Honor is, is simply this, "Doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do." Not because it is the most popular thing. Not because it is the most beneficial thing. Not because it will gain you any prestige or accolades. But just because it is the right thing to do, even if it might even end up badly for you.

I feel that those that try to build their channel the shenanigans described by Super Cooper, are people that have no honor. For us who try to do it the right way through hard work and perseverance, we see these people and we feel it is not the right way it should be done, but we in spite of it, we will continue to do it the right way, because that is the right thing to do. Deep inside, we feel a sense of pride in that we are doing it the right way, even if we don't get all the acoloades and fame, and that is more important to us.

 

[The Jungle Explorer]

I'm sure you know this but you don't need a phone to make Shorts. I am curious if you ever consider using them as a trailer to upcoming videos of yours. That's what I believe is the best use for certain type of content. Like gaming channels. They can also benefit from sweet clips during gameplay made into Shorts.

You are correct. Actually, it is far better to create shorts from a landscape shot video than to shoot it in profile originally. Video simply was not invented to be shot in profile. Even the best cameras suffer from rolling shutter even when shooting in landscape. When you shoot in profile, you just amplify that problem manyfold. If you shoot landscape in 4K, you can cut an HD profile slice out of that landscape with ease. Because it was shot in landscape, you have a much better chance of getting everything with less horizontal panning. Additionally, you can frame the shot perfectly in profile, and if there is lateral motion, you can simply slide the profile slice along the landscape video and get perfect panning with zero rolling shutter effect.

If you do not understand what I am saying, I can post some links to some samples to demonstrate, but only if the you (Brave Star) authorize it, since it is not a designated area.

 

[Super Cooper Hobbies]

One of the qualities that I tried to instill in my children, is the idea of Honor. Growing up, I was obsessed with the idea of honor. The problem was, I could not see a clear definition of what it was. In each culture, it seemed to be represented differently. In European culture, it seemed to be tied to elitism and class. In Oriental culture, it seems to be tied to the same, with the inclusion of obsession with pride in one's name and stature. In Western culture, it seemed to be tied to physical strength and machoism.

After many years of studying the issue, I finally decided that what true Honor is, is simply this, "Doing the right thing because it is the right thing to do." Not because it is the most popular thing. Not because it is the most beneficial thing. Not because it will gain you any prestige or accolades. But just because it is the right thing to do, even if it might even end up badly for you.

I feel that those that try to build their channel the shenanigans described by Super Cooper, are people that have no honor. For us who try to do it the right way through hard work and perseverance, we see these people and we feel it is not the right way it should be done, but we in spite of it, we will continue to do it the right way, because that is the right thing to do. Deep inside, we feel a sense of pride in that we are doing it the right way, even if we don't get all the acoloades and fame, and that is more important to us.

I really like this, you're definitely right. What they're doing, really just isn't the right way to do youtube.

 

[Damon]

I'm sure you know this but you don't need a phone to make Shorts.

Yes, I know. I can't get the aspect ratio correct no matter what I do, and, I simply have no interest in shorts.

 

[Scott C]

Something changed recently with YouTube Shorts. For a months I was doing good with my shorts, a hamster telling jokes about star wars, Marvel and DC Comics, pop culture. I'd say 6 out of ten videos would get around a thousand views the day after I posted them, in the morning, all within a 2 hour period. I'd post one every other day. The videos stopped getting put on the shorts shelf, and the shorts feed analytic disappeared from all my prior vides that did well in the shorts shelf. Has anyone else noticed this? In the red circle used to be the stats on Internal, External, and Shorts Feed.

 

[nate polmateer]

I think using any feature of YouTube the best you can is a good idea.

YT wants us to use its features. Shorts is a competitor of a few platforms that YouTube wants to outdo so using Shorts might be helpful for your channel reach.

But what are you using Shorts for? I'm interesting in what others are doing?

Are you uploading on the same channel as long-form video content? Or do you have a dedicated Shorts channel?

I myself post 3 long-form videos a week, Mon, Wed, and Fri. I'm uploading shorts for the other days I don't post videos. That allows me to have one video a day whether short-form or long-form content. It is easier to post one a day this way IMO.

The weirdness of shorts that I notice is some of mine will get 50 views while others get 1,500 views. It is a very interesting feature to watch evolve.

What do you all think about it? I'd love to see your thoughts on YouTube Shorts.

Great question! For me I am experimenting with my shorts. So I am posting a short every day, but it is revamped video from my previous videos. Many of my videos have a do these three things or these 6 tips format. So I'll break a long form video down into 7 short videos for example. I have been doing this for three weeks so far. Some videos have hit 400 views many are at 30 views. I am going to continue this for 6 months and see where I am at compare my growth over those 6 months with the previous 6 months and assess if I only do a couple shorts or not.

I also thought of breaking my long form videos down into 3 minute segments instead of the 15 minutes they usually are. But thts for another time. Experimenting is a great way to see what sticks.

I am also currently experimenting with a new segment on my channel about financial articles that people may not see everyday but I think is super interesting!

 

[Scott C]

Great question! For me I am experimenting with my shorts. So I am posting a short every day, but it is revamped video from my previous videos. Many of my videos have a do these three things or these 6 tips format. So I'll break a long form video down into 7 short videos for example. I have been doing this for three weeks so far. Some videos have hit 400 views many are at 30 views. I am going to continue this for 6 months and see where I am at compare my growth over those 6 months with the previous 6 months and assess if I only do a couple shorts or not.

I also thought of breaking my long form videos down into 3 minute segments instead of the 15 minutes they usually are. But thts for another time. Experimenting is a great way to see what sticks.

I am also currently experimenting with a new segment on my channel about financial articles that people may not see everyday but I think is super interesting!

I've been doing the same, posting regular formatted videos with a couple of kids jokes on them, then cutting them into several shorts. As I mentioned in a question above, I have noticed my shorts are not getting on the shorts feed for the past two weeks and today I noticed that the analytic for the shorts feed has disappeared from my analytics.

 

[MattCommand1]

Does anyone know what happens if I create a horizontal video under 60 seconds and DON'T use the #shorts hashtag? Has anyone tried that?

I want the ability to create shorter horizontal videos but NOT be pulled into weird treatment of #shorts videos.

 

[Super Cooper Hobbies]

Something changed recently with YouTube Shorts. For a months I was doing good with my shorts, a hamster telling jokes about star wars, Marvel and DC Comics, pop culture. I'd say 6 out of ten videos would get around a thousand views the day after I posted them, in the morning, all within a 2 hour period. I'd post one every other day. The videos stopped getting put on the shorts shelf, and the shorts feed analytic disappeared from all my prior vides that did well in the shorts shelf. Has anyone else noticed this? In the red circle used to be the stats on Internal, External, and Shorts Feed. View attachment 11871

Theres nothing there because you have no views, that would tell you where those views from the last 48 hours came from, but because it has no views in the time period, it can't show you any traffic sources.

 

[Scott C]

Does anyone know what happens if I create a horizontal video under 60 seconds and DON'T use the #shorts hashtag? Has anyone tried that?

I want the ability to create shorter horizontal videos but NOT be pulled into weird treatment of #shorts videos.

I did that by accident once. When you put the #shorts in the name, it produced a little shorts white with red "S" icon on the thumbnail. I forgot to put the "#shorts" in the name once and it didn't give it the shorts icon. Another time I didn't put it in and it gave me the icon. I don't believe either video ended up on the shorts feed. In this case, I forgot to put #shorts in the middle thumbnail, but it still got onto the shorts shelf regardless.

 

[Stanley | Team TB]

Does anyone know what happens if I create a horizontal video under 60 seconds and DON'T use the #shorts hashtag? Has anyone tried that?

I want the ability to create shorter horizontal videos but NOT be pulled into weird treatment of #shorts videos.

It should still get indexed as a Shorts video... just takes YouTube a little longer to figure it out. They need the hashtag for their own discovery purposes.