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How to Make YouTube Shorts: Here’s 7 Tips That Actually Work

YouTube Shorts is still a relatively new feature, but it is quickly getting more popular among YouTubers and other content creators, as well as the audience. Mastering YouTube Shorts is not that different from mastering TikTok, Instagram Reels, or even regular YouTube (although the format of the latter is not the same). But knowing a few tips still helps, so check these out.

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How to Make YouTube Shorts: Here’s 7 Tips That Actually Work


#1. Find Your Audience and Cater to it

One of the most important things for all content creators is to find their unique niche. YouTube Shorts is not an exception to this rule. Once a creator has identified their target audience, they can adjust their content, style, and voice to keep growing.

Say a shorts creator wants to focus on college students. Most of the content they post will have to be about college assignments and helpful study tips. For example, they might post a short with a testimony from a student telling “How to write my paper with PaperWriter writers” or a list of to-do things that help one improve their grades for homework.

#2. Make sure that your content is valuable

The main reason why it is critical to identify and stick to one’s audience is that to be popular, content must be valuable. But value is a subjective thing. What is interesting to one demographic might not be so for the other. Therefore, once a shorts creator knows who they are going to cater to, they need to do research.

The easiest way to make one’s content valuable is to track the audience’s engagement and response. How well a short performs is an indicator of how good it is. But there are more strategies for increasing the value of the content. For example, it is always a good idea to have a mini-survey among one’s audience, asking what followers would like to see in your shorts.

#3. Come up with a clear uniform style and stick to it

“Style” is a broad term here. It refers to various aspects of YouTube Shorts, including:

  • Length. YouTube Shorts can be up to 60 seconds long, but this does not mean that they have to be. If your content is not educational or tutorial videos, it is okay if most shorts last only 30 seconds or so. But try to make most videos the same length.
  • Thumbnail. Any YouTuber or even regular YouTube user knows that thumbnails play a major role in how well a video performs. The same is true for YouTube Shorts. Custom, intriguing, and uniform thumbnails are a good thing to invest in.
  • Videography. Most people do not expect to see a cinematic masterpiece from a 60-second-long short. But it still has to be well-shot, well-edited, and more or less the same for all shorts. 
  • Sound. YouTube Shorts that have background music are generally more popular. But even the creators who do not use music need to care about the quality of their sound (if any). Otherwise, it will not be pleasant for their audience to listen to them.

#4. Quality matters

As discussed, while the audience does not expect as much effort from shorts as it does from regular YouTube videos, quality still matters. No one wants to watch a video (even a short one) if they cannot see or hear what is going on in it. If in doubt, use a couple of friends as sounding boards before posting.

Quality applies to the content itself too. No one wants to be deceived by a misleading title or hashtag, so do not make them overly clickbait-y. Also, make sure that if a short lasts for 60 seconds, it is informational or entertaining for the entire time. Watered-down content is annoying and costs content creators their followers.

#5 Use captions and effects wisely

Similar to TikTok and Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts allow creators to use effects as well as captions in their videos. One of the best ways to make the most out of this feature is to include subtitles for the followers who belong to the deaf community.

Alternatively, captions and text effects can make a video more fun. Or they can reflect the topic of the short. For example, it makes sense to insert “Good morning” into a video that documents the creator’s morning routine. However, avoid overusing captions and text effects. Few things are more frustrating than a caption so large and distracting that it makes it impossible to watch the video.

#6. Post intentionally and consistently

If a content creator’s goal is to focus on YouTube Shorts instead of treating them as something on the side, they have to approach shorts the same way they would their regular YouTube channel. Among other things, this means posting intentionally and consistently.

Followers appreciate YouTubers who post with some kind of system and do not deviate from it too much. If a creator posts every day for two weeks and then disappears for a week with no forewarning, they are bound to lose followers. So try to post at roughly the same time with more or less the same intervals.

#7. Help your shorts appear on the Short Shelf

Finally, no matter how perfectly curated a creator’s shorts are, they are pointless if no one can see them. A creative and diligent YouTuber will always build their audience, but it takes time. Luckily, there is a way to speed up the process.

A bulletproof strategy that helps more people see a short is using “#short” in the title. This way, the video appears on the so-called YouTube Short Shelf, and users who are just browsing are exposed to your content. 

Instead of an afterword

There is no single secret that makes a YouTube Shorts creator instantly successful. But creativity paired with hard work can do wonders. The rule of thumb is that the content creators who genuinely care about the quality, consistency, and promotion of their shorts always win. And do not forget to identify who your audience is and what they want to see first. Good luck!

About the author

Shelly

Shelly is an avid reader, and the love of reading takes her to content writing eventually. She loves writing on various topics.

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  • Hey, It’s helpful post. Youtube Shorts is a good way to earn some money online. But i can’t figure it out how a short video correct way to upload. Can I use any video from other source or should be my own content? Thanks for nice post.

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