With YouTube Shorts now receiving over 50 billion - yes, billion - views per day, if you’re not already posting Shorts, you’re missing out on tons of potential views and attention to your channel.

Today we’re going to break down why you need to get on YouTube Shorts, even if you don’t have a YouTube channel yet - but especially if you do, and how you can start sharing YouTube shorts today with some easy and actionable content ideas.

If you’d prefer to watch rather than read, check out the video:

YouTube is serious about Shorts, and that became clear when Shorts officially became eligible for the YouTube Partnership Program (YPP) - that’s the program that allows you to get paid directly from YouTube for your views by placing ads in front, in the middle and at the end of your videos. 

To be eligible for the YPP, you need 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours on long-form content within 12 months, or 1,000 subscribers and 10 million views within 90 days on Shorts (which is not as hard as it sounds when you consider the virality potential of short-form content).

This leads to our first reason why you need to be posting regularly on YouTube shorts - YouTube shorts actually drive subscribers. We’re getting subs on our High Season Co. channel from YouTube Shorts every day, and those subscribers count towards that 1,000 needed to join the partnership program, directly resulting in you growing your channel.

YouTube Shorts also push traffic toward long-form videos, so it can actually help you increase your channel views and overall traction on your long-form content. This again contributes to you getting the watch hours needed to join the partnership program, and it also helps you drive views for your channel, something which we’re also seeing daily with our channel. Remember, Shorts views count towards your overall channel views, and can sometimes even end up even getting more views than your long-form videos, which we’ve seen on our channel. We recently did a 30 Day Shorts Challenge, where we posted Shorts every day for 30 days to see the results. If you’re watching already and haven’t subscribed to the channel, be sure to do that and hit that notification bell, because we can already see that the results are VERY interesting.

If you’re already a part of the YPP, YouTube Shorts also contribute to your AdSense revenue. Of course, they don’t drive as much revenue as your long-form content but that could possibly change, and YouTube is still the best social platform to make money on.

There is also less competition on YouTube Shorts (for now), so even though YouTube is pushing Shorts and there are a lot of views to go around, most of the attention is still on Instagram Reels and TikToks, which means there is an opportunity for you to carve out a space and lead the way in your category on the platform.

YouTube Shorts have started appearing on many different surfaces in both the YouTube app and desktop, which means there are increased opportunities for your content to show up in front of new eyes. These include:

• In search results across YouTube, including on most smart TVs, game consoles, and other streaming devices;

• On the YouTube homepage;

• Featured on your channel homepage;

• Checking their Subscriptions;

• In their notifications.

You can also go viral more easily on YouTube Shorts (for now), even if you aren’t posting long-form content at all. This is something common we’re seeing amongst a ton of large TikTokers who have realized the monetization and growth opportunities that YouTube has to offer.

Now that we’ve talked about WHY you need to be creating YouTube Shorts, let’s talk about HOW you can easily start creating and sharing Shorts as soon as today - all without actually have to record anything new at all:

• Re-upload your Reels and TikTok content - Start with the content that did the best on those platforms, because you already have some “proof” that the content will likely work well on Shorts. When you cruise the Shorts feed right now, a lot of the content you’ll see is from other platforms and is still performing well. This is a clear and easy way to get launched on Shorts because it only involves downloading your content from the other platforms and re-uploading via the YouTube Mobile App.

• To download videos you’ve already shared on TikTok, you can use savett.cc, which allows you to rip the video without the watermark. To download your Reels without a watermark, you can use igram.io. Be mindful of any copywritten music underneath your videos, and re-add that song manually from the YouTube Music Library when you upload your Short.

• Re-purpose from your long-form content on YouTube - Cut your videos down into a series of clips that are less than 60 seconds for Shorts. This is another major strategy of ours and it only requires editing on your part.

This is where we’d love to introduce our partner of today’s post - TubeBuddy is a YouTube analytics and growth platform dedicated to helping YouTube creators optimize their channels and grow their audiences. We’ve been on TubeBuddy since we first started our channel and we’re so excited to share their latest AI-powered technology that’ll help you create Shorts that people are more likely to watch called “TubeBuddy Suggested Shorts”.

TubeBuddy Suggested Shorts analyzes your long-form content and highlights exactly where audiences have engaged the most on your videos (including timecodes), so you can cut that exact high-performing section without having to guess.

All you need to do to use the new feature is install the FREE TubeBuddy app and sign-up for the Pro or Legend account. TubeBuddy has hooked our community up with a 25% discount by using code HIGHSEASONBUDDY - that’s 25% off a plan that starts at $5.99 per month. It’s a steal, and you’ll get access to this plus all the other incredible features that your favourite YouTube creators are already taking advantage of to stay ahead.

Once you do install TubeBuddy, open your content library in YouTube Studio, click the video you want to check for potential Shorts, click the TubeBuddy tab to open your toolbox, click “Suggested Shorts” and watch it do its magic! It’ll pull the timecode that they recommend that you cut, and then you can edit it in your preferred video editing software. This is an amazing way to not only save you time but take the guesswork out of your Shorts creation, too.

• Clip a trailer from an existing YouTube video to promote it - Another very easy way to create a Short is by clipping a snippet, usually the beginning or any “teaser” or “hook” of your existing long-form video, and directing people to watch the full video. You can actually do this directly within the YouTube app by going to your video, tapping “Remix” and selecting “edit into Short”. From there, you can just create and upload or schedule your Short, and in the comments section pin a link to the full video.

All of these are easy ways you can create and schedule YouTube Shorts without actually having to film anything new - which we love. We’re all about working smarter and not harder.

Tell us how you’re feeling about Shorts - have you already started using them? Have you been wanting to but you hesitated?

And thank you again to TubeBuddy for this partnership - we love you guys! Remember to use our code HIGHSEASONBUDDY at checkout for 25% off your TubeBuddy subscription and unlock incredible features to help you grow on YouTube.

Still struggling with your YouTube Shorts content? Book a consultation for tailored guidance.