How to Create YouTube Shorts
Before we discuss how to create your first YouTube Short which we will do in the next chapter, all of the Shorts that you create must be as engaging as possible. Although YouTube Shorts is fairly new, there are already a lot of Shorts on the platform and you need to make yours stand out from the crowd.
Plan your YouTube Shorts Content
As a YouTube Short is less than 60 seconds on average it will not take that much planning to create engaging videos. But we do recommend that you have a plan for each video. We also recommend that you plan your YouTube Shorts content for the weeks and months ahead.
When you are planning your YouTube Shorts you need to think about the message that you want to convey to your audience. If you already have some longer videos on your YouTube channel, could you create Shorts from these? Providing value to your audience is your number one priority.
It may take a few experiments with YouTube Shorts to get all of this right. Before you start to upload Shorts to YouTube it is a good idea to test these for impact with colleagues and others that you know. Over time you should become a lot better at creating YouTube Shorts that are engaging and deliver the message that you want. Test and test again.
What will the Length be?
Now that you have a plan for your YouTube Shorts content you can determine the length of each short video. The most popular YouTube Shorts tend to be around one minute long but there are certainly some popular Shorts that are not as long as this.
Of course, you do not have to use the full 60 seconds available to you when creating your YouTube Shorts. Instead, it is better that you concentrate on delivering your message in the shortest amount of time possible. It is very important that you respect the time of your audience and they will appreciate you for doing this.
You can determine the length of each of your YouTube Shorts by asking yourself these 2 questions:
- How quickly can I get my point across in the video?
- Can I cut any part of the content to minimize the length and provide maximum impact?
Ask yourself these 2 questions each time you plan and create your YouTube Shorts. With some practice, you can create the most concise YouTube Shorts that are the most effective.
Most Businesses can Leverage YouTube Shorts
Some of the Shorts that we see on YouTube are thrown together or are random ideas. This is fine if you merely want to entertain with your short videos, but for marketing, you need to focus on providing value.
If you upload Shorts to your YouTube channel that do not provide value then you run the risk of existing subscribers ignoring your future videos and new visitors not bothering to subscribe. When you are using YouTube as a marketing tool it is never just a case of the number of views that you can get to your videos.
Make sure that your YouTube Shorts are all relevant to your niche. If you have an existing YouTube channel then your Shorts need to be congruent with this. Going off-topic is not something that you want to do with your YouTube Shorts.
Use Custom Thumbnails for your YouTube Shorts
If you have other videos on YouTube already, you are probably using custom thumbnails already that reflect your brand. Many studies have proved that the use of custom thumbnails attracts more clicks or taps than letting YouTube choose an image for your videos.
While it is true that a YouTube Short can be viewed in the vertical format which is best for smartphones, you may be wondering why you need to create any thumbnails for your Shorts. But YouTube Shorts can be viewed as regular videos as well so we do recommend a custom thumbnail.
Make your YouTube Shorts thumbnails consistent with your regular video thumbnails. We would recommend that you add the word “Shorts” to the thumbnail so that the YouTube user will see this immediately. This is very likely to get you more clicks or taps.
Use Enticing Titles
You need to use titles with your YouTube Shorts that will grab the attention of YouTube users. Your title needs to be SEO optimized and enticing for the user. The best titles for YouTube Shorts tell YouTube users what type of content the Short contains. Never try to mislead YouTube users with clickbait or misleading titles in an attempt to get more views.
Utilize YouTube Stories
It is a good idea to use YouTube Stories to promote your YouTube Shorts. We will discuss this in more detail in a later chapter. You can create good stories for your audience which include some of your best YouTube Shorts for example. This will have a good impact on users and they will be more likely to look out for future YouTube Shorts that you upload.
Add Music to Your Shorts
Your YouTube Shorts will be more engaging and entertaining if they have some background music. This may not apply to all Shorts videos that you create but it should work well with the vast majority of them.
We will explain how to add music to your YouTube Shorts in the next chapter. This is easy to do and you can choose from a library of music clips from well-known artists if you want. You can also use your own music if you have it. The bottom line here is that YouTube Shorts with music are likely to be perceived as far more engaging by your audience than those without.
Use the Speed Controls where appropriate
In the YouTube app, there are speed controls that you can use with your YouTube Shorts. It is a good idea to experiment with these as there are 5 different speeds to choose from. You can slow down your YouTube Short by 0.3 times or speed it up by 3 times. Of course, it may not always be appropriate to use speed controls so make the best judgment with this feature.
Make use of the Text feature
Adding text to your YouTube Shorts can make an impact. Some people may be viewing your YouTube Shorts at work and will not have the sound turned on. There are different text styles and colors available so experiment with these for maximum impact. You can change the alignment, size, width, and more.
Use existing Video Clips
Check the gallery on your phone to see if you already have some existing video clips that you can use to make engaging YouTube Shorts. It is easy to import these clips for YouTube Shorts creation. We also recommend that you consider combining different video clips to create engaging YouTube Shorts.
Use Filters for more Eye-Catching YouTube Shorts
When you are creating your YouTube Shorts you will have access to different filters that you can apply to make your videos more eye-catching. You can use filters to change the overall look and feel of your Shorts or just use them at certain times for good effect.
Use a Consistent Approach with your YouTube Shorts
When you are planning your YouTube Shorts content for the upcoming weeks and months you need to consider the frequency of uploading new Shorts. It is always a good idea to be consistent with the content that you upload to YouTube.
Consistency will give you an edge over your competitors that are just randomly uploading YouTube Shorts. Your audience will learn to expect new YouTube Shorts from you on certain days for example. This will help to increase shares of your YouTube Shorts and develop brand loyalty with your audience. In the next chapter, we will explain how to create your first YouTube Short…
To your Success,
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