YouTube SHORTS (Do This Before It Is Too Late)

Summary

This video warns about the potential risks of mixing YouTube Shorts with long-form content. The creator shares personal experience where focusing on Shorts initially led to a surge in subscribers but later hindered the growth of long-form video views. The advice is to maintain separate channels for Shorts and long videos to avoid confusing audience expectations and to maximize growth.

Takeaways

• 🚫 YouTube Shorts can negatively impact your channel if not used correctly.
• 💡 The speaker emphasizes that while YouTube Shorts can be profitable, they can also sabotage channel growth if misused.
• 📈 The initial plan was to post long-form videos and one short per day, but the focus shifted to Shorts due to their popularity.
• 💰 Long-form videos were initially more lucrative due to higher ad revenue potential.
• 🌐 One of the speaker's Shorts reached a million views, leading to a focus on monetization through Shorts.
• 🔄 After monetization, refocusing on long videos resulted in a significant drop in views.
• 📊 The speaker discovered that the average view duration on their videos was poor, indicating an issue with audience engagement.
• 🎥 Efforts to make videos more engaging, such as adding captions and b-rolls, did not work due to the audience's short attention span.
• 🤖 The YouTube algorithm prioritizes videos for subscribers, but if subscribers do not watch, the video's reach is limited.
• 🔍 Channels that mix Shorts and long-form content risk attracting two different types of audiences with different attention spans.
• 📚 The speaker advises creating separate channels for long and short videos to avoid hampering each other's growth.

Q & A

What is the main concern about YouTube Shorts as discussed in the video?

The main concern is that while YouTube Shorts can be profitable, they can also sabotage a channel's growth if not used correctly. The video creator warns about the potential risks of focusing too much on Shorts and how it can affect the audience's engagement with longer content.

What was the creator's initial plan for their channel?

The creator initially planned to post long-form videos with proper creation, aiming to post one long video per week and a short every day, thinking it would be an easy way to gain an audience.

Why did the creator shift their focus to YouTube Shorts?

The creator shifted their focus to YouTube Shorts because they gained a lot of attention, especially when one of their Shorts reached a million views. They believed that monetization would be easier to achieve with Shorts.

What was the unexpected consequence of focusing on YouTube Shorts?

The unexpected consequence was that when the creator started focusing on long-form videos again, they couldn't get more than a few thousand views. Their audience, gained through Shorts, had shorter attention spans and would not watch the longer content.

How did the creator's audience behavior affect their channel's growth?

The audience behavior affected the channel's growth negatively because the subscribers gained through Shorts would only watch a few seconds before clicking off, leading to a poor average view duration and lower recommendations from YouTube's algorithm.

What is the role of the YouTube algorithm in this scenario?

The YouTube algorithm initially suggests a video to a small number of people. If they react positively (views, likes, comments), it gets recommended to a larger audience. However, if the creator's own subscribers do not watch the video or watch only a small part of it, the algorithm stops recommending the video, leading to lower view counts.

What advice does the creator give to other YouTubers regarding Shorts and long-form content?

The creator advises to create separate channels for long and short videos to avoid one type of content hampering the other. They suggest that both types of content can be profitable by themselves, but mixing them can lead to issues with audience engagement.

What is the creator's experience with monetization of YouTube Shorts?

The creator found that monetization was easier to achieve with Shorts compared to long-form videos, but this also led to a focus on Shorts at the expense of longer content, which ultimately affected their channel's growth.

How does the creator suggest managing the attention span of the audience?

The creator suggests that managing the attention span is crucial. They tried making videos more engaging by adding captions, b-rolls, etc., but found that the issue was with the audience's expectation, which was shaped by the Shorts they were used to watching.

What are the potential benefits of using YouTube Shorts correctly?

When used correctly, YouTube Shorts can be very profitable. They can help in gaining a large audience and even lead to significant monetization, as experienced by the creator with one of their Shorts reaching a million views.

What is the final recommendation from the creator regarding the use of YouTube Shorts?

The final recommendation is to be aware of the potential risks that Shorts bring and to consider creating separate channels for long and short videos to ensure that one type of content does not negatively impact the other.