Summary

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With the attention span of Gen Z shrinking at a rapid rate, short form video content has been seen to dominate the industry. Capitalising on this opportunity, platforms such as Youtube, launched their own proprietary version of it 'Youtube Shorts.' This revolutionary feature allows for videos up to 60 seconds and is said to have gained traction at an exponential rate, creating room for online and digital brands to explore fresh and newer opportunities with creators. Join us on this journey, as this article delves deep into the benefits of YoutubeShorts and case studies that highlight these thriving changes.

Increased Reach and Visibility

Youtube Shorts is know for increasing both the reach of creators and brands along side increasing visibility. With a dedicated section for their short form content, youtube allows for these videos to be discovered seamlessly, implying that users have an increased chance of discovering and engaging with your content which normally would not have been found. It is said that the youtube algorithm, favours interactive and fresh content, promoting those shorts that successfully reach broader and diverse audiences with an increased chance of going viral.

Rapid Content Creation and Engagement

Youtube shorts is seen to be streamlined in nature supporting the prompt and frictionless content creation journey. These short form videos not only require minimal production time when compared to traditional video content, allowing us to infer that creators and brands would be able to publish content in a more consistent matter. This increased frequency of posting, keeps audiences not just engaged but repeat viewers of your content.

Additionally, short and concise videos are seen to result in higher engagement rates, such as views and shares. This is because of the format being digestible. When discovering, and consuming content becomes a frictionless process, viewers are more likely to watch multiple Shorts in one session, boosting overall engagement metrics.

Channel Monetisation and Growth

YouTube includes a dedicated Shorts fund to incentivise the creation of short-form content. This initiative allows creators to monetize their Shorts, providing a new revenue stream. The increased visibility and engagement from Shorts can also lead to a surge in subscribers to the creator’s main channel, fostering organic growth. For brands, this translates to greater brand awareness and customer engagement, which are pivotal for long-term success.

Image showing why YouTube shorts is gaining traction.

How the YouTube Shorts Algorithm Works

It is important to understand the shorts algorithm in order to be able to maximise your results while minimising your efforts. The algorithm gives preference to video content that aligns with both user interactions as well as their past interactions. This is pivotal to understand, in order to be able to create and publish content that resonates with your targeted audiences.

Speed of Propagation

Did you know that the relevant speed at which a video gains traction once published is a pivotal element of success? Those videos that are able to actively captivate audience interests are more likely to be favoured by the algorithm. Due to this, it is essential that as an online brand you make sure that, when shorts are published it coincides with the peak audience activity, maximising the initial view count while parallel enhancing the chances of the video being promoted further by the algorithm.

Viewing Time and Retention

As explained above, the youtube shorts algorithm is seen to give priority to those videos with increased viewing times and viewer retention. Did you know? The longer users spend watching your Shorts, the better the content performs in the eyes of the algorithm. Creating engaging content that holds viewers’ attention is key to improving these metrics and ensuring your Shorts reach a wider audience.

User Engagement

Last but not least we have user engagement, this includes metrics like comments, likes and shares which is seen to also have an influence on the algorithm itself. Increased engagement merely implies that your content is resonating with viewers, prompting the algorithm to recommend it to more users.

Additionally remember, to interact with your content through calls to action can enhance these engagement rates and improve the overall performance of your Shorts.

Case Studies

1. Mr.Beast

Does the name sound familiar? You have already probably heard of MrBeast. As one of the most-subscribed individual YouTube content creator his shorts are seen to get millions of views. If you have, heard of him it goes without saying that his content is the ideal blend of engaging, creative as well as interactive.

What truly sets him apart from his competition is that he ensures his shorts channel content as well as main, do not overlap. With him, there is a constant flow of new and freshly created content in both formats maximising on the potential to keep viewers engaged and curious for more.

His short-form content is concise, to the point, and delivers the message in a few short seconds making viewers watch the entire video.

Image showing Mr.Beast YouTube channel.

2. Nas Daily

Nuseir Yassin, also commonly referred to as Nas Daily, is another notable creator of short-form video content long before its widespread popularity even came to play.

With his dedication towards, short video content on facebook under 60 seconds, over the duration of a 1000 days, he became a globetrotter using the different narratives for his unique and captivating content.

However, it is important to note that, his success is driven also by the niche found by him. He actively seeks out captivating people and places, crafting videos that focus on their compelling backstories. This niche in a saturated market in addition to his engaging content till date is seen to resonate with its viewers globally.

Image showing NAS Daily.

3. The Try Guys

Last but not least we have The Try Guys.

This brand initially started to gain traction through Buzzfeed, and not not long after was seen to have mastered the art of Youtube Shorts. With a diverse range of channels, the main channel, is focused towards more long form content and their alternative channel is focused towards the growth of their youtube shorts content. This alternative approach, higlighted behind the scenes footage, feeling the curiosity of their targeted viewers. They also were creative enough to, use these short videos to highlight captivating segments from their longer videos giving viewers previews of their upcoming videos.

What are you waiting for? Are you ready to get started with your youtube shorts strategy?