What You Need to Know About YouTube Shorts for Your Business
June 3, 2021 | By Ilfusion Team
With the increasing popularity of short-form video platforms like TikTok, YouTube has recently released a new feature called YouTube Shorts.
Basically, YouTube Shorts, as the name suggests, allows you to create short-form (up to 1 minute) vertical videos from the mobile app. It’s currently in beta stage and only available in the US and India.
What this means for businesses is that if you’re an early adopter, there’s not much competition yet and you get a good head start. YouTube Shorts is also a good way to expand your reach and offer your audience a whole new experience in viewing your content, especially if you’re targeting the younger generation.
How Do You Use YouTube Shorts for Your Business?
YouTube Shorts vs. YouTube Stories
First off, YouTube Shorts should not be confused with YouTube Stories. While both can be accessed only from the mobile app and are in the same aspect ratio (16:9, or basically taking up the whole mobile screen in portrait view), their similarities end there.
The main difference between the two is that Shorts’ shelf life is the same as with regular YouTube videos, in that it stays in your channel for as long as you keep them.
YouTube Stories, on the other hand, are more short-lived (up to 15 seconds in length) and disappear after 7 days unless you save them.
Getting Started
- To record a Short video, go to the YouTube mobile app and select Create
→ Create a Short 
. - Start recording by selecting the Record
button. You can record a video for up to 60 seconds. For videos with music from the YouTube library, the limit is up to 15 seconds only. - Once done, add a descriptive title (up to 100 characters), then select Upload.
Can You Earn Revenue from YouTube Shorts?
As of now, YouTube doesn’t offer any sort of ad revenue to creators for Shorts. However, they offer rewards to creators whose Shorts get the most engagement in a month through their YouTube Shorts Fund.
The Fund is open to every YouTube Shorts creator, regardless if you’re part of the YouTube Partner Program, as long as you create original content and adhere to the Community Guidelines.
3 Tips for Creating Engaging Video Content for YouTube Shorts
1. Create relevant and interesting content for your audience
Your content should resonate with your audience. Ask yourself: What content would help my subscribers? What are they most interested in? What topics do they care about? Knowing where they are in the sales funnel also helps in determining what content is best suited for your audience segments.
Additionally, the content you post need not be transactional all the time. Fun, lighthearted, or behind-the-scenes content are also a hit for many users! Promoting user-generated content is also a great way to engage your viewers and make them feel more valued. The important thing here is to balance being authentic and being in line with your branding.
2. Get creative
YouTube Shorts offer several features you can use to make your videos more creative and engaging:
- Add music/sound – Select a song from the YouTube Music Library by selecting Add Music to add more fun to your videos. You also have the option to add your own audio for as long as it’s royalty-free or you have the proper copyright permission to use it.
- Add video captions – You can either enable auto-caps on YouTube or you can manually add your own video captions. Captions are especially helpful for users with disabilities or for users who opt to watch videos without sound. YouTube Shorts also allows you to use the Timeline feature to help you control when a text/caption appears or disappears.
- Add filters – You can switch filters in the recording and editing screens on YouTube Shorts! This is a great feature to use if you want to color-correct footage on the go or to simply add more depth to your videos.
3. Be consistent
Lastly, consistency is key. Make a commitment to have a consistent posting schedule, even if it’s only once a week. Your audience will be more likely to be engaged if they know when they can expect more content from you.
Make Your Content Stand Out from the Competition
The popularity of video content has been soaring high for the past few years, which also means that the competition is also high in making your content stand out from the rest.
If you need help with any of your video creation and content marketing needs, Ilfusion has the right resources, skilled professionals, and the experience to lend you a hand. Get in touch with us at 888-420-5115, or email us at [email protected] to get started!
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