YouTube is the king of long-form video content material, however YouTube Shorts is shortly coming into the highlight. With 70 billion views a day and counting, Shorts have gotten a go-to alternative for creators and types to attach with their audiences by means of short-form video.
All for creating extra YouTube Shorts however unsure the place to start out? Don’t fear. We’ve received you lined. On this publish, we’ll clarify what Shorts are and the way they differ from different sorts of social movies. You’ll additionally get a ton of YouTube Shorts concepts with real-life model examples to encourage you.
Understanding YouTube Shorts
YouTube Shorts. Instagram Reels. TikTok movies. What’s the distinction? They’re all vertical short-form movies, however the largest distinction between the three is their period size.
Instagram Reels vary from 15 to 90 seconds. TikTok movies are 3 seconds to 10 minutes lengthy. And YouTube Shorts? They was once capped at 15 to 60 seconds, however as of October 2024, they’ll now be as much as three minutes lengthy.
This period size enhance makes it simpler to repost short-form video content material from different platforms to YouTube Shorts and attain a contemporary, untapped viewers. You would possibly suppose there’s a variety of crossover between the short-form social video apps. Nonetheless, a 2024 AlphaWise survey discovered that 40% of Shorts viewers aren’t on TikTok or Instagram Reels. In the meantime, 84% of TikTok and 88% of Instagram Reels customers are already watching Shorts. Which means Shorts provide you with an avenue to achieve a brand new viewers.
Shorts additionally shine on the subject of searchability. YouTube is the second-largest search engine on the planet after Google. Google can be testing a “Brief Movies” tab on cell search. This characteristic permits customers to filter and discover quick movies from platforms like YouTube Shorts, making your content material much more discoverable.
To sum it up, in the event you’re not creating YouTube Shorts, you’re lacking out. The platform has shortly grow to be the highest short-form video platform for locating new merchandise and types in Europe, the Center East and Asia. It’s additionally greater than doubled its common every day views in lower than two years.
YouTube Shorts is carving out a singular area available in the market and you may’t ignore its development.
Good YouTube Shorts concepts to seize consideration and resonate along with your viewers
Creating short-form video content material is so much simpler stated than finished. Realizing what sort of content material will resonate along with your viewers and the algorithm is hard. Developing with new concepts on a regular basis can result in artistic fatigue. And, in fact, then there’s each social marketer’s worst concern: placing a ton of time and vitality into movies that get crickets if you hit publish.
Thankfully, we’ve received some YouTube Shorts concepts (with examples) to get your artistic juices flowing.
Reply FAQs from followers
Create Shorts round frequent buyer questions to coach your viewers and present your model’s persona.
On this Brief from Shopify, a useful host solutions the query, “What’s a print-on-demand enterprise?” They maintain their reply quick and to the purpose, including picture overlays to assist convey data. Upbeat background music and fast edits seize and maintain viewers’ consideration.
To maximise discoverability, embrace the query within the title and outline. It helps customers on the lookout for solutions on YouTube or serps discover your content material. Additionally, invite viewers to remark with extra inquiries to create a suggestions loop along with your viewers.
Spotlight buyer opinions and success tales on YouTube Shorts
Use Shorts to highlight optimistic buyer opinions and success tales. Have video testimonials? Edit them down into quick clips that evoke emotion. Written opinions? Compile a number of screenshots to create a montage-style Brief.
Or leverage user-generated content material (with permission) like Sample Magnificence. This Brief highlights a buyer’s expertise with their haircare merchandise as part of their takeover marketing campaign with Ulta Magnificence salons. The client shares the merchandise the stylist used, her emotions in regards to the merchandise and a before-and-after transformation of her hair pre- and post-styling.
Share day-in-the-life or behind-the-scenes content material
Give your followers a enjoyable, fast look into what makes your model tick. Relying in your model or trade, this might embrace clips from particular occasions like a photoshoot or extra day-to-day work like packing orders.
This Brief from native Rhode Island espresso store chain The Nitro Bar is easy however efficient. With a brief textual content overlay and calm music, the Brief lets their delicious-looking black raspberry matchas do the speaking.
Spotlight upcoming product releases or promotions
Construct buzz for an upcoming launch or promotion with Shorts. Tease the merchandise with close-ups or unboxings. Or take issues additional with a demo that exhibits the product in motion and highlights key advantages.
We additionally love Oner Lively’s behind-the-scenes method. On this video, workers are requested to explain their upcoming Black Friday sale in a single phrase. The consequence feels informal and relatable. It’s a refreshing change from the standard high-urgency “purchase now” messages that customers often get. This method helps the model stand out and showcases what makes them completely different.
Repurpose current content material for YouTube Shorts
Because of its newly prolonged period limits, it’s simpler to repurpose current content material from different advertising and marketing channels for YouTube Shorts. Nonetheless, we don’t recommend merely copying and pasting belongings from one channel to a different. You must nonetheless tailor it barely for YouTube Shorts.
Listed below are just a few methods you possibly can repurpose content material for YouTube shorts to get you began, plus platform and video specs to think about.
Repurpose Instagram Reels and TikTok Movies on YouTube Shorts
Reposting your short-form vertical video content material to YouTube Shorts is a straightforward approach to attain YouTube’s huge viewers with out reinventing the wheel.
Simply take away any platform watermarks and take into account changing background music with trending YouTube Shorts audio. Additionally, embrace related key phrases and hashtags within the description to spice up discoverability.
We love how make-up model Cheekbone Magnificence repurposes this TikTok video for YouTube Shorts by swapping out the background music for a text-to-voice voiceover and makes use of video clips as a substitute of a photograph slideshow format.
If you’re able to publish, use a social media administration instrument like Sprout Social to streamline the method. The Publishing Calendar allows you to plan and schedule social media posts throughout completely different profiles and networks. Plus, the Asset Library will maintain all of your authorized movies organized.
Create quick trailers for a brand new video or podcast episode
A YouTube Shorts trailer builds hype and sparks curiosity for longer content material, like a video interview or podcast episode. An efficient trailer ought to spotlight probably the most thrilling or intriguing second—like a strong quote, shocking reality or key takeaway. Maintain it quick and punchy, and finish with a transparent call-to-action inviting viewers to take a look at the total content material.
Thinkific nails this method with their trailer for an episode of their podcast, Distinctive Genius, that includes finance content material creator and enterprise coach Ellie Diop. The quick features a compelling clip of Ellie, a podcast emblem animation and a title card with necessary episode particulars and the discharge date.
Create a YouTube Brief out of an extended video
Get extra mileage out of your long-form video content material by enhancing it into a number of Shorts. It’ll drive extra views to your longer movies and pull in viewers who’re simply on the lookout for one thing fast and straightforward to look at.
Edit and publish your video’s most enjoyable, humorous or impactful moments. Or create an abridged Shorts-friendly model. Both method, be sure you optimize it for a vertical format.
For instance, Brooklinen created a brief model of this longer residence tour video that includes artist Zoe Schlacter. The Shorts model provides viewers a style of Zoe’s aesthetic and design method, with a call-to-action on the finish to be taught extra in regards to the artist and model collaboration.
Experiment and iterate with completely different concepts for YouTube shorts
Incorporating YouTube Shorts into your social technique doesn’t should be a heavy elevate, particularly in the event you’re already creating video content material for different social or advertising and marketing channels. So long as your video is below three minutes and in a vertical format, it might work as a Brief.
There’s additionally a variety of room for creativity. Social developments transfer quick. However you’ve got extra concepts for YouTube Shorts than you suppose, from answering frequent inquiries to highlighting buyer tales and teasing upcoming launches or promotions.
The most effective method is to deal with what works to your model. Fortunately, a instrument like Sprout Social makes it easy. You should use Sprout’s analytics instruments to trace efficiency, double down on the content material driving probably the most impression and refine your technique as you go.
Able to get began? Use our YouTube technique template to construct a strong basis to your YouTube efforts or optimize your present method.
