Do YouTube Shorts really help boost your standard videos?
This post talks about the influence of YouTube Shorts on the app’s algorithm, so you can know whether it’s worth making them at all.
by Bobby Owsinski of Music 3.0
Just about every social site has new features directly influenced by TikTok and YouTube is no exception. YouTube Shorts have proved to be very popular, but the question is whether adding short-form videos is worth it when you’re already posting standard length music videos on the platform. According to YouTube, the answer is yes, and it just posted a video describing how Shorts actually influence YouTube’s algorithm.
First of all, the platform has done some recent analysis and has come to find that the channels that use shorts actually are growing faster than the ones that don’t, which seems like a good enough reason to start doing more Shorts right there.
When it comes to figuring out whether you should concentrate on long form or shorts, that question appears to be one that’s determined more by your audience. Some viewers prefer shorter videos while the length doesn’t matter to others. Given the popularity of TikTok these days, I’d err on the side of shorter is better. That said, longer videos of over an hour tend to build community, and it’s fairly easy to pull a few moments from these to make something more appropriate for a Short.
YouTube’s Algorithm
In terms of how YouTube’s algorithm is influenced by your Shorts, according to YouTube it separates the Shorts from the long form and recommends each separately. This is after they found that people that prefer shorter videos don’t want to see longer ones so much.
Does this mean that you should have separate channels for your Shorts and long videos? According to YouTube, the answer is no unless each audience for each has separate interests. That would mean that if you’re only concentrating on your music, then it’s good to have both. If your shorts are based on funny outtakes from your shows, then maybe a separate channel is appropriate.
Finally, a question that pops up is if a channel needs a certain number of Shorts before the algorithm notices. Every Short is given a chance to succeed no matter the channel or the number of videos on the channel. Performance is based solely on whether your audience watches or skips the video in the Shorts feed.
Over 1.5 billion people watch Shorts every month so the feature is very successful. It’s worth considering if you’re planning to have a presence on the platform.
Bobby Owsinski is a producer/engineer, author and coach. He has authored 24 books on recording, music, the music business and social media.
Read more: https://music3point0.com/2022/08/09/how-shorts-influences-youtubes-algorithm/#ixzz7bWDAEdQU
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