How to Make YouTube Shorts For Content Marketing

Just a little over a year after its release, YouTube Shorts has grown its user-base massively, making it another powerful avenue for digital marketing. With short-form videos now native to YouTube, the platform is introducing more and more generations of audiences to short-form video content.

It’s only a matter of time until all YouTube audiences, especially those not on TikTok or Instagram, are introduced to Shorts. To give you a headstart, here’s a complete guide on how to make YouTube shorts, and why you should!

What Are YouTube Shorts

Shorts are YouTube’s response to short-form, vertical video content production popularized by TikTok and Instagram Reels. YouTube has been home to user-generated video content for years until the rise of TikTok.

Through Shorts, YouTube aims to provide an avenue for short-form video creators and artists, mainly producing content for mobile users. As the vertical orientation remains popular, other platforms have started to adapt to this mobile-oriented experience.

You can find YouTube Shorts on YouTube. These are vertical videos of up to 60 seconds in length, published as Shorts.

Why Use YouTube Shorts For Your Business

In a short amount of time, YouTube Shorts has managed to grow massively. This makes it a force to be reckoned with now and in the future, especially for marketers. Here are a few reasons why you should incorporate YouTube shorts in your video marketing strategy.

1. Bigger Reach

Compared with other video publishing platforms, YouTube has the largest number of users, giving creators the biggest opportunity when it comes to their reach. YouTube has 2.29 billion active users every month.

On YouTube, your videos can reach billions of people. This means that publishing Shorts on YouTube can lead to more impressions, engagement, and subscriptions than on other platforms. 

That’s because YouTube is its own search engine, making it easier for content creators and business owners to target different sized audiences of different demographics much easier than other social platforms.

2. Niche Targeting

The billions of users in YouTube come from a more varied selection of demographics than in other video publishing platforms. Combined with the actual number of users to possibly reach, this allows for much better niche targeting for all kinds of businesses.

3. Platform Reliability

As a subsidiary of Alphabet, Google’s main holding company, YouTube receives the same global trust and authority as an online publishing platform. Using YouTube Shorts for your short-form video marketing means it’s on an authoritative and trusted platform that isn’t as vulnerable to global scrutiny as its competitors. 

4. Longer Relevance Life

The current algorithm on YouTube Shorts allows for videos to be discoverable or on a “trending” status longer than other platforms allow. This means each post has a longer duration of gaining traction, instead of expiring faster than the trend itself.

5. Monetization

YouTube plans to make shorts monetizable, inviting more content creators on the platform. They’ve already released a $100 million fund for it, so far. 

Publishing short-form content on YouTube could be far more rewarding than through other platforms because of this.

6. More To Come

YouTube Shorts is still in its experimental phase and the company aims to roll out more features in the future to beat its competitors. 

With YouTube’s native long-form video content and other functionalities like Studio and Creator Academy, there are endless possibilities for creators who pursue short-form marketing through Shorts.

How To Make YouTube Shorts

Wondering about how to make YouTube Shorts? Making YouTube Shorts can be as easy as uploading an existing video, creating with the multi-segment camera, or as high-level as producing a fresh new video for your audiences.

All you have to do is sign in on the YouTube mobile app, choose “Create” or the “+” button, and choose “Create a Short.” This lets you shoot with a multi-segment camera, upload videos from your library, add music, edit speeds, and use a lot of other features.

On your desktop, you can also upload vertical videos no longer than 60 seconds to create Shorts.

YouTube Shorts Tips

When creating YouTube Shorts, here are a few tips on how to make YouTube Shorts that can remain engaging and relevant even after more changes roll out in the future.

1. The First Few Seconds Matter

Hook your audience with something highly appealing right away. It’s important that you understand what keeps your audience from scrolling away so you can leverage that to your advantage. 

2. Shoot Vertical

Like Reels and TikToks, YouTube Shorts are most enjoyable using a mobile device. Make sure you prepare videos for vertical viewing before uploading them. If you’re segmenting a longer video, crop it or zoom out for a better viewing experience.

3. Use Hashtags

Using hashtags is essential in almost any social media platform today. This practice looks to remain prominent for a longer period of time. Give your content some chance at having evergreen relevance by using appropriate hashtags.

Right now, the hashtag #shorts can be used so your videos can be promoted by YouTube to other users.

4. Incorporate Trends

Want to go viral? Stay updated on the latest trends and use your creativity to spin your content accordingly. Going viral could result in a massive increase in your subscribers overnight. 

Always check if you can create something that has the opportunity to appeal to a wider audience and go viral.

5. Optimize For Looping

YouTube Shorts, like Reels and TikTok videos, loop. Try creating videos that maximize this feature for entertainment purposes. This could be an effective strategy to get audiences engaged with your content.

6. Stay Authentic And Relatable

Social media content thrives on being relatable. Go back to your brand’s tone and voice guide and strategize how you’re going to create authentic content. 

You can also post behind-the-scenes videos to make your content more relatable to your niche.

7. Publish Rewarding YouTube Shorts

Make sure that your content benefits your audience. Plan your content ahead of time so you can be sure that it’s educational, informative, or entertaining if not all of that. 

It doesn’t always have to be some serious takeaway because entertainment is also valuable for audiences in a more recreational mood.

8. Learn From Others

Follow other content creators in your industry or niche and learn how they keep their audiences engaged. Try and see how you can adopt their best strategies to grow your library. Perhaps approach them for collaboration as that’s also a common practice in influencer marketing.

9. Use The YouTube “Shorts” Section

Help your viewers find your Shorts faster by categorizing them into the “Shorts” section on your homepage. This lets audiences know that subscribing to your channel can be rewarding especially if you publish both Shorts and long-form content.

10. Segment Long-Form Content Into Shorts

Repurpose your longer videos into Shorts by publishing highlights, before-and-after edits, and other inviting segments. Combine it with a compelling call to action and you can create more traffic into more of your content and even grow your YouTube channel.

11. Repurpose Off-Platform Content

If you publish short-form videos on other platforms, consider reposting them as Shorts on YouTube. Perhaps tweak it a bit to optimize for the platform’s viewers. This can be an easy way to migrate your users to a platform where they can see more of your videos.

12. List All Possible Topics

Another strategy you can take is to list all topics possibly relevant to your target audience. This way, you’ll have prepared a list of content to produce in advance, or you can quickly pick something out that easily matches the newest trend on social media.

13. Follow An Editorial Calendar

Consistency is key in social media marketing. Following an editorial calendar can help you out a lot in staying on a consistent shooting, editing, and publishing schedule.

YouTube Shorts For Content Marketing

YouTube Shorts is possibly the most promising social media marketing activity for the next few months. Short-form videos have been popular in the last decade, and YouTube simply created an avenue for its creators to be rewarded for their creativity.

Rewarding as it is, video content production, marketing, and management can be very time-consuming. Outsourcing tasks to a social media virtual assistant or a content creator virtual assistant could be a great way to get it done without sacrificing productivity in other aspects of your business.

If you’re interested in growing your brand with a video marketing virtual assistant, fill out this form, and one of our Consultants will get in touch with you.

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