6 Things You Should Know Before Starting a YouTube Shorts Channel

Just over a year has passed since YouTube launched the beta version of Shorts on September 14, 2020, in India.

YouTube Shorts are videos under 60 seconds that fall into a specific section of YouTube separated from regular videos.

They are vertical videos, 9:16 ratio, ideally shooted with the phone camera and posted right away on the platform.

You don’t need to create a separate channel to start uploading short videos, but if you do, be aware of the following tips!

17 seconds is the sweet spot

While Shorts can be up to 60 seconds, it has been noticed that people usually watch short videos only for 15–20 seconds.

I did some research, and several YouTubers confirmed this theory. My shorts channel stats proved that the average duration of the views is 17 seconds.

Shorts watching ours don’t count to reach the minimum 4,000 watch hours to apply for monetization.

You read it right. Go to the monetization section of your account and, placing the mouse cursor on the little “i” icon, you will see that short videos and ad campaigns watch hours won’t count to reach the minimum of 4,000 hours to be eligible for monetization.

It makes sense considering that Shorts can be watched one after the other simply scrolling on mobile and that some ads can be longer than Shorts videos themselves.

That’s probably why YouTube created the Shorts Fund.

YouTube Shorts Fund

YouTube Shorts Fund is a long-term project YouTube decided to build to pay creators who focus on Shorts.

It consists of a $100M fund distributed between 2021 and 2022 to support creators and, while there’s no specific performance threshold to qualify for a bonus, there’s no clue how much you will get paid either.

Well, YouTube says that if you are eligible, you can get paid between $100 and $10,000, but that’s it.

Alternative monetization ways

Some YouTubers pointed out that you can use Shorts to promote products to compensate for what you would have earned with the Partner Program.

A 60-second demonstration or product review with a link to your shop or affiliate marketing offer might be a valid alternative to make some cash without having to create a longer video.

#Shorts

When Shorts started to become popular, creators suggested adding the hashtag #Shorts in the title and description of the video so the YouTube algorithm would have categorized the video properly faster.

Does this rule still apply?

Maybe not, but your videos will follow under that hashtag when people search it on YouTube if you add it.

If your video falls into the Shorts category, you will see a little red “S” on the bottom right side of your video. Shorts will also fall into a different section of your YouTube Studio Content area on the mobile app.

Uploading Shorts using the desktop version of YouTube

YouTube implemented its app to allow creators to upload videos right away from their phones. You can add music, set a timer, zoom, and have a default recording time of 15 seconds that you can extend if needed.

While this feature is excellent for those confident in using the camera and uploading right away, that’s not the only way to upload a video on the platform.

Uploading Shorts using the desktop version of YouTube works the same way as uploading a longer video. It might take longer but also gives you the chance to choose a miniature or edit the video, recorded with other tools rather than your camera, before putting it on air.

YouTube Shorts don’t follow under the Partner Program monetization terms but might still be an excellent way for creators to gain new followers.

I was surprised to see how a couple of short videos managed to reach thousands of views and a total of 8 watch hours in just a few days.

Will my new Shorts channel get funded by YouTube’s Shorts program?

And what about yours?