FEATURES
Let’s Talk Creation
Table Of Contents
1. Vision + Features
2. Best Practices
3. Inspiration
4. Q&
Vision
To give everyone a voice and
help creators grow their
audiences with short-form
video
How?
Enable Mobile Creation
Shorts is a new way to watch and create bite-sized, easily
accessible entertainment that combines the reach of YouTube
with joy of short-form video! By empowering mobile creation,
we make it easy for anyone to be a creator on YouTube.
Empower Discovery
Whether you're here to start a trend, become a comment
section star, or simply view content, Shorts is the place for you!
With the Shorts player surpassing 15 billion daily views globally
as of July 2021, the Shorts community is growing alongside
you.
MOBILE CREATION
Shoot Your Shot
Start
To get started, tap the create (+) icon at the bottom center of the
home page on the YouTube mobile app. From there, select the "Create
a Short" title on the create submenu.
Create
This is where the fun really begins! In the Shorts Camera, you can
shoot up to 60s of content and access fun tools. To ensure your video
is eligible for the Shorts Fund, we recommend avoiding uploading
videos with watermarks or logos from other platform.
MOBILE CREATION
Pulling from the Past
Import Segments & Record
Got videos you recorded outside of the Shorts camera? You can upload
and edit them within the YouTube app to create a Short. In the Shorts
camera, click the bottom left corner to access your video library,
choose a clip, trim if needed, and you’ll be directed back to the camera
to shoot or add another video from your camera roll. After you’re
satisfied with your footage, you can add finishing touches like sounds
or text, and share it with the world!
Save Drafts In
a creative mood but want to post your video another time? Just hit “X”
in the top left of the Shorts camera to save your work-in-progress by
tapping “Save and exit.” If you’ve made additional changes after
recording or adding segments such as adding text or music, you can
hit the back arrow button on the top left and tap “Save and exit.
MOBILE CREATION
Picking Your Audio
Add a Sound
To add audio to your short, click “add sound” in the top center of the
Shorts camera. From there, you can choose a sound and pick the
section that you want to include in your video. If you want to adjust the
volume, you’ll need to click “volume” while in the Shorts editor and drag
the lever until it’s where you wanted it!
Find it In-Feed
Hear something you like while you’re scrolling through your Shorts
feed? If you’re feeling creative, you can use it in the moment to jump on
a trend. Or, you can tap the audio that’s being used and save it to your
favorites, where you can find it in the favorites tab later on.
15 Second Snippets
Currently, the Shorts audio library limits audio length to
15 seconds - be sure to take that into consideration when you’re
picking and placing a track!
MOBILE CREATION
Reimagine Sounds
Reimagine
Enjoying a non-Short video and hear a sound bite that inspires you?
You can now sample audio from your favorite YouTube videos and
add it to your Short! Simply tap the “Create” button with the Shorts
icon above the description to jump directly into the Shorts camera
with that sound.
Recreate
Scrolling through Shorts and hear audio you love? Tapping on the
sound in the bottom right of the player will take you to the audio
library, where you can explore other Shorts using that sound for
additional inspiration. When you’re ready, tapping “Use This Sound”
will bring you into the Shorts camera.
BEST PRACTICES
Second Vs. Main Channel
Choosing between a same vs. second-channel Shorts strategy is more
about your creative vision, and less about performance risk and. We
recommend you think about the following:
Content Style
If your Shorts align with your long-form content, it might make sense to
keep it on your main channel. However, if you plan to deviate, it might be
best to create a new channel for your Shorts.
Channel Notifications
Viewers who have hit the notification bell will not be notified everytime you
post a Short. For channels uploading both long-form and Shorts, to avoid
overwhelming your audience, we will target Shorts notifications at viewers
who are likely to enjoy your Shorts.
Posting Frequency
When determining how often you’ll post, it’s important to
consider the following:
Your Interest
By no means do you need to jump on every new trend or track
added to the audio library - authenticity is key, so you should
only make content when something speaks directly to you.
Your Schedule
Similarly, you should be aware of your own mental and
physical health - it’s important to commit to a posting
cadence that matches your availability and resources.
Your Creativity
For some, a deadline can help foster creative risks while
others might find a set schedule drives them to release lower
quality content. Think about both scenarios and choose what
makes sense for you!
Focus on quality videos uploaded on a regular cadence over
very high upload quantities, as volume alone doesn’t always
translate to increased success.
A Case Study
BACKGROUND
The Klem Family
This Indiana family of six used their increased
family time during COVID to showcase their favorite
pastime: family games! Though they started by
uploading their Tik Tok uploads in Oct 2020, they
quickly found success with YouTube-first content
and are now fully committed to Shorts!
Planning & Execution
Goal
Have fun, spend time together, and showcase the family’s
athletic skill-set.
Strategy
Leaning into their unique talents, the family built their content
strategy around a repeatable format driven by competition and
reward.
Execution
First posting in October 2020, the family has used the audience’s
response and their own creativity to consistently evolve the
format, finding new and exciting contests along the way!
Results
3.2 Billion
Views From Shorts
25 Million
Hours Of Watch Time
2.5 Million
Subscribers Gained
AS OF SEPT 2021
Why This Worked
Gamification and Stakes
Centering their content around contests with with monetary
rewards, the Klem family’s videos utilize a layer of gamification
and stakes that captures a viewer’s attention and drives real
tension as the content plays out.
Consistent Formatting
By sticking with a consistent competitive format, the Klems allow
the audience to connect with the competitors, giving them a
reason to return and root for their favorite family member or
track a long-time winner!
Universal Appeal
Leaning into physical action and the easy-to-understand rules,
the Family’s content entertaining regardless of whether you
speak English or have any awareness of previous content.
Got Questions?
