Ready to get your next 10,000 subscribers?
Join thousands of creators who use Subscribr to create faster, better YouTube videos.
Stuck on what to create for YouTube Shorts? You're not alone. Many creators feel uncertain about what content performs well in the fast-paced Shorts feed and struggle to make their videos stand out. The good news is that with a strategic approach, YouTube Shorts can be a powerful engine for channel growth, driving views, boosting subscribers, and even opening up new monetization avenues.
Unlike traditional long-form YouTube, Shorts operates on a different algorithm and viewer behavior. People scrolling the Shorts shelf are looking for immediate value, entertainment, or information delivered concisely. Understanding this is the first step to crafting a winning content strategy.
What Type of Content Works Best for Shorts?
The key to successful YouTube Shorts content is delivering a complete, engaging experience within a short timeframe. Think of Shorts as standalone pieces of content, not just trailers or commercials for your longer videos. While you can certainly use Shorts to point viewers towards your main channel, the Short itself must provide value from start to finish.
Content that performs well often includes:
- Quick Tips and Tutorials: Share a single, actionable tip or demonstrate a simple process. Can you teach someone one thing in under 60 seconds? This is perfect for Shorts.
- Engaging Snippets: Highlight a compelling moment from a longer video, share a surprising fact, or showcase a quick transformation.
- Behind-the-Scenes or Daily Life: Give viewers a peek into your process, your workspace, or a funny/interesting moment from your day. This builds connection.
- Challenges and Trends: Participate in popular Shorts trends or create your own simple challenges people can replicate.
- Educational Bites: Explain a complex concept simply, define a term, or share a statistic in an easy-to-digest format.
Focus on content ideas that are interesting but might not warrant a full-length video. Shorts offer a fantastic opportunity to explore smaller ideas and use content snippets that might otherwise go unused.
To make your content stand out, especially in saturated niches, focus on strong hooks and visual storytelling. Use burning captions or text on screen, as many viewers watch without sound. Leverage popular music options available in the Shorts editor, but always ensure it aligns with your content and brand. Adding a voiceover can also increase engagement and add personality.
How Long Should YouTube Shorts Be?
While Shorts can be up to 60 seconds, the optimal length is a subject of ongoing experimentation. Based on analysis of views, two specific lengths have shown the highest concentration of views: 13 seconds and 60 seconds (one minute).
However, simply hitting a duration isn't the full picture. Viewer retention is paramount. Some insights suggest that achieving high retention (around 90%) on videos just under 50 seconds can be very successful. This implies that if you can maintain viewer attention throughout, a longer Short (45-60 seconds) can perform exceptionally well. Shorter Shorts (15-30 seconds) can also go viral if they have a strong hook and keep viewers engaged.
The primary focus should always be on hooking the viewer in the first few seconds and maintaining their attention throughout the video, regardless of the exact length. Experiment with different durations between 13 and 60 seconds to see what resonates best with your specific audience and content style.
Can YouTube Shorts Make You Go Viral?
Absolutely! YouTube Shorts have proven to be a powerful tool for rapid channel growth. New channels focused heavily on Shorts have gained tens of thousands of subscribers and millions of views in just weeks. Shorts can drive massive views and subscriber growth quickly, making them a key component of a modern YouTube strategy.
While virality is never guaranteed, focusing on compelling content with strong hooks and high retention significantly increases your chances. The Shorts algorithm is designed to surface engaging content to a wide audience, offering a unique opportunity for discovery.
Strategic Content Planning (Formats)
Strategic planning is crucial for consistent Shorts success. Don't just haphazardly upload short videos. Think about how Shorts fit into your overall content ecosystem.
Consider creating native Shorts specifically for the vertical, under-60-second format. These are often the most effective as they are designed with the Shorts viewer in mind. Alternatively, you can strategically repurpose engaging moments from your longer videos, but ensure these moments make sense as standalone content.
Plan your Shorts content calendar just like you would for long-form videos. Experiment with posting frequency – some creators find success posting daily, or even multiple times a day initially, before settling into a rhythm.
Subscribr's AI Chat and Research Assistant can be invaluable here. You can brainstorm ideas conversationally, asking what types of Shorts perform well in your niche, and even use the Chat-to-Script conversion to turn your brainstorming into structured outlines for your Shorts.
Multi-Format & Cross-Platform Ecosystems
Think beyond just YouTube. Creating a multi-format content ecosystem means producing content in various lengths and styles (Shorts, long-form videos, live streams) and potentially repurposing it for other platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels.
While there are similarities between YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Instagram Reels, there are also key differences in audience behavior and algorithmic preference.
- YouTube Shorts: Integrated into the broader YouTube platform, allowing for easier cross-promotion to long-form content. Audience may tolerate slightly more educational or direct content.
- TikTok: Known for trends, challenges, and highly creative, often fast-paced content. Algorithm is powerful for discovery.
- Instagram Reels: Often leans more towards lifestyle, aesthetic, and quick tips. Integrated into the Instagram ecosystem, good for leveraging existing audience.
Creating content that can be adapted for each platform allows you to reach a wider audience and build your brand across multiple touchpoints. A quick tip Short could become a TikTok, which could then be expanded into a longer YouTube tutorial. Subscribr's research tools, like the ability to import and analyze YouTube transcripts or external URLs, can help you gather information and inspiration from successful content across platforms.
Balancing Trends, Evergreen Content, and Virality
A balanced Shorts content strategy incorporates a mix of content types:
- Trending Content: Participating in current trends can expose your channel to a massive audience quickly. Stay updated on what's popular in the Shorts feed and see how you can put your unique spin on it.
- Evergreen Content: These are Shorts that remain relevant over time, like quick "how-to" videos or answers to frequently asked questions. This provides consistent value and can continue to attract views and subscribers long after publishing.
- Viral Attempts: Don't be afraid to experiment with ideas specifically designed for virality. These might be more experimental or outside your usual content, but they have the potential for explosive growth.
Balancing these types ensures you're not solely reliant on fleeting trends while still giving yourself opportunities for significant discovery. Use Subscribr's Channel Intelligence and Video Performance Intelligence to analyze what's working (and what's not) on your channel and in your niche, identifying potential outlier content ideas that could go viral.
Monetization with Shorts
While Shorts watched on the Shorts shelf are not directly monetized through traditional AdSense in the same way as long-form videos, they offer significant monetization potential.
Firstly, Shorts can drive massive subscriber growth and increase overall channel visibility. This directly benefits your long-form content, boosting views and increasing AdSense revenue on those videos.
Secondly, YouTube has introduced the Shorts monetization model, allowing creators to earn revenue from ads viewed between Shorts in the feed.
Beyond platform monetization, Shorts can open doors to alternative revenue streams:
- Brand Deals: As your Shorts views and subscriber count grow, you become more attractive to brands for sponsorships.
- Affiliate Marketing: Recommend products or services relevant to your Shorts content and earn a commission on sales.
- Selling Your Own Products/Services: Use Shorts to promote your merchandise, digital products, courses, or services.
- Patreon or Memberships: Drive viewers from your Shorts to platforms where they can support you directly.
Strategically linking your Shorts to your long-form content (e.g., using end cards on Shorts, mentioning a full video in the pinned comment) is crucial for converting Shorts viewers into dedicated subscribers who watch your monetizable long-form content.
Overcoming Pain Points with Strategy
Addressing the pain points of uncertainty about audience preferences and struggling to stand out requires a data-driven and strategic approach.
- Audience Preferences: Instead of guessing, use tools like Subscribr's Audience Persona Generation (if you've linked your channel) to understand who is watching your content. Look at the analytics for your existing Shorts – which ones got the most views, likes, and retention? What topics or formats resonated?
- Standing Out: Analyze successful Shorts in your niche using tools like Subscribr's Video Breakdown Tool. What are they doing differently? Can you identify patterns in their hooks, editing style, or content topics? Use these insights for idea transfer – adapt successful concepts to your unique voice and niche.
Strategic content planning, analyzing what works (both for you and others), and consistently experimenting are the best ways to overcome these challenges and create Shorts that truly connect with viewers and stand out from the crowd.
Conclusion
YouTube Shorts offer an incredible opportunity for creators to expand their reach, gain subscribers rapidly, and build a thriving channel in 2025 and beyond. By focusing on creating engaging, standalone content, experimenting with optimal lengths, balancing trends with evergreen topics, and strategically integrating Shorts into your overall content and monetization plan, you can unlock the full potential of this dynamic format.
Remember to analyze your performance, learn from what works (and what doesn't), and continuously refine your strategy. With the right approach and the help of tools like Subscribr to streamline your research and content creation, you can turn the uncertainty around Shorts into a clear path to growth and success.
