You have a handle on your YouTube Channel. You can produce various types of videos. And you have a video strategy you are reasonably proud of. Is it time to add YouTube Shorts into your mix?
What Are YouTube Shorts?
YouTube Shorts are, by definition, short. They must be 60 seconds or less.
You can watch one, then swipe up to watch the next one, and keep swiping till you’ve spent more time than you could have imagined–just like with TikTok and Instagram videos.
YouTube Shorts can be accessed via the Shorts button at the bottom of the YouTube phone app. Or you can click “Shorts” on desktop view within your chosen YouTube channel. You can also find YouTube Shorts in your YouTube Subscriptions feed, if the publisher chooses to include Shorts.
In this post, you’ll see some solid professionally-oriented use cases for these scrollable, catchy videos. We’ll also share techniques and apps to help avoid YouTube Shorts adding to already full workloads.
What Kinds of YouTube Shorts Would Fit Your Professional Brand?
Let’s say you represent an association where meetings and events are a critical organizational activity and community builder. Options for you to use YouTube Shorts are wide-ranging.
You could consider a meeting promotion video like the one on the right from the American Medical Association (AMA).
YouTube Shorts like the following might also work for you:
- Teasers highlighting the dates, location and meeting theme
- Spotlights on famous speakers or unique program features
- Videos geared towards specific stakeholder segments (young, experienced, international, etc.)
- Stories or testimonials from diverse attendees looking forward to coming
- “Behind the scenes” videos from staff and volunteers working to make the big event a reality
And if you have a focus on highlighting the benefits of membership in your association, another good YouTube Shorts option is to create a membership promotion video geared to a younger demographic like the video to the right.
It has 22,000 views and counting! Under the channel name, you’ll also notice a new YouTube feature, the overlay attesting to the AMA as an accredited US health care educator.
YouTube Shorts for Brand Recognition & Fundraising
YouTube Shorts can be highly effective for reaching new audiences with a brand. The fundraising video on the right from St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital demonstrates this.
People scrolling through shorts will see the channel name, a button for subscribing, an overlay showing the video is from an accredited. U.S. hospital, a hospital image with the catchy title “There is No Other Place Like St. Jude in the World,” and social sharing features.
If the initial view persuades the viewer to let the video play, the video will show how special St. Jude’s is, with the opening of the door inviting people in and donation tiles in prominent view. Shorts will frequently be watched without sound, and therefore visual communication is primary.
“No Other Place Like St. Jude” garnered 12,000+ views and 260 likes in a little more than a year. Importantly, how to donate, subscribe, and join social channels are included in the video description, and the Subscribe button is prominent on the video. Also, even if this video is not watched, the brand still conveys as the video images passes by.
And YouTube shorts can be even simpler than this! At over 35,000 views, the value of “St. Jude patient Devyn popping in to say hey!,” easily exceeds the minimal production time and expertise required to make it. It too puts all-important St. Jude’s branding, subscription and donation information within easy reach of thousands of viewers–many of them likely new.
Why Add YouTube Shorts to the Mix?
Here are a few thoughts about why you might want to use YouTube Shorts, even if you already use short videos on TikTok, Instagram, or Facebook:
- If you are already creating short videos , you could consider just posting the same videos as YouTube Shorts, thereby increasing your YouTube channel presence and reach without much extra effort.
- While a significant portion of your community of stakeholders may not use TikTok or Instagram. for instance, most certainly are comfortable with YouTube.
- The trend is towards short videos, and producing YouTube Shorts will help make sure you include short videos in your mix.
- YouTube Shorts are a growth area for YouTube right now and likely going forward, so it may be best to get on board.
Nonetheless, remember that if you do decide to pursue YouTube Shorts, it’s important to have a strategy for how you are going to use the videos, a plan for monitoring results and adapting, as well as a streamlined production process that preserves your time.
Easy Creation of YouTube Shorts
Getting a standard operating procedure in place for producing Shorts will make things easier. Processes we recommend include:
- If you are already producing short videos for TikTok, Facebook and/or Instagram and have a process for doing this, upload those same videos as YouTube Shorts.
- If you have a video production company creating animated or filmed videos where the content would make great YouTube Shorts, add a bit of money to the budget to produce Shorts at the same time.
- To produce your own Shorts, we recommend adding the YouTube Create app on your phone and using that. It has many add-on features if you want to do something quite creative and complex, but you can also just use it for the basics–from filming to upload without even an edit. The camera and upload features in the regular YouTube app also works for this purpose. Hold the phone vertically for Shorts, and remember to think about how your Short will loop. YouTube itself also provides some good guidance about producing Shorts in this video.
- There are a variety of AI products that can break up longer videos into Shorts. Software such as Canva will allow you to create nicely designed Shorts. However, you will have to assess these on a case-by-case basis and test the workflow. Our clients have tended to find that it’s more efficient to work in the single YouTube ecosystem–and that all the features you need are there.
The Distribution Step
There are a lot of unknowns regarding the YouTube Shorts algorithm, but here are a few things you can do to help your cause:
- Use hashtags – the #shorts hashtag in the title and one or two additional hashtags in the title or description are a recommended best practice.
- Just as with regular YouTube videos, it’s good to create a strong, enticing title that echoes key content words. It won’t work to try to trick the algorithm with a catchy title that does not match your content.
- Proofread your captions to make sure your content is captured correctly and you are providing accessibility to potential viewers and members of your community.
- Publish your Shorts regularly rather than all at once.
- Encourage liking and allow the option for remixing, if that fits with your brand.
In a late 2023 interview, YouTube Shorts Product Lead Todd Sherman stated simply–or cryptically–“The audience is the algorithm.” In other words, you also have to focus on content your audience wants.
Your Video Production Mix
If you can keep the workload manageable, YouTube Shorts offer a strong option for your video–especially if you have target audiences that spend time scrolling through videos.
MiniMatters can produce YouTube shorts like this. So let us know if MiniMatters can help you work YouTube Shorts and other videos aligned with your goals into your video production mix.
