How to get more views on YouTube Shorts

YouTube Shorts are the new ‘in’ thing when it comes to short-form vertical videos. But new users often wonder how to get more views on YouTube Shorts, because of the time constraint. Creating compelling content with only 15-60 seconds per video may seem a daunting hill to climb.

Shorts follow a different way of appealing to audiences. Where regular YouTube videos thrive on slick production, longer form and polish, Shorts follow the mantra of ‘quick’. Let’s jump in and find out just how you can hone in on a method to get more views on Shorts!

Source: YouTube

1. Add your Shorts Videos to the ‘Featured’ Section

When it comes to visibility, videos in the Featured section are more likely to be seen and engaged with. YouTube’s algorithm suggests videos to users based on their viewing history and the videos they’ve interacted. However, ‘Featured’ videos are what YouTube believes might be of interest to users, and are suggested with greater frequency than the ‘Recommended’ category.

Source: YouTube

Never fear, for adding YouTube Shorts to the ‘Featured’ section is a matter of a simple few steps. Just bear in mind that you will need to have already published at least one Short for this to work.

1: YouTube Studio Customization

Firstly, open YouTube on your PC, sign in to your Google account and the go to the navigation bar on the left. Click on ‘Your Videos‘, wait for the Studio page to open up and then click ‘Customization‘. The next step is super easy!

2: Add YouTube Shorts

Subsequently, click the ‘Add Section‘ button on the Layout tab in the right window, and then click ‘Short Videos‘ on the list that appears.

3: Add Short videos to Featured sections

Finally, click and hold the ‘Short Videos’ bar and move it below the ‘Featured Sections’ button. Once you’ve done so, click Publish and you’re ready to go!

Once you’ve followed these steps, any Shorts you create and upload will be added automatically as ‘Featured’, pending approval.

2: Attractive Thumbnails for better engagement!

The whole point of Shorts is to capture the attention of the audience quickly. Hence, your thumbnail needs to capture the essence of your video. If you can’t pick an adequate looking thumbnail from within the video, consider uploading a separate one from your PC. Discard the one picked by YouTube! Here are some other important tips for creating a thumbnail that is eye-catching;

  • Relevance – This is key

Thumbnails, whether from within the video or custom images, must be relevant to the video. This will ensure your Shorts target the intended audience.

  • Clarity – Because no one likes squinting

Make sure your image shows the subject or focal interest in complete clarity. Context is important, and things getting lost in context means lost views.

  • Correctness Don’t mislead the audience

Don’t mislead your audience. Apart from losing views, you will lose future goodwill towards you and your channel.

3. Views through optimization!

Though Shorts may differ from regular videos in terms of execution, some of the basic optimization techniques remain the same! Below you’ll find some useful ways to optimize your Shorts for more views;

  • Attractive Thumbnail

In the aforementioned point, your video’s thumbnail is it’s face. The better the face, the more views your video will get.

  • A Title worthy of you video

If your title can grasp the attention of today’s serial scrollers on social media, you’ve done half the job. A title that hooks the attention of the audience from the get-go will get you those coveted views!

  • Descriptions are underrated

Some of the more finicky viewers may not be drawn in by your carefully crafted title and thumbnail. What then? A complete and attractive description is your last line of defense in gaining those vital views!

Never underestimate the power of tagging your videos! Firstly, add #Shorts into the title or description, to ensure that its apparent that the video is made for YouTube Shorts. Secondly, add tags that are relevant to the content of the clip, in order for YouTube to better suggest your media to viewers!

Conclusion

Going viral and getting those massive views on YouTube can seem a daunting and painstakingly long process. The good news is, that you can optimize your journey and get to racking up those views in no time! You might even be eligible for the YouTube Shorts Fund, a $100M initiative by YouTube for Shorts creators to monetize their videos!

Source: Social Nation

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