If you currently post Instagram Reels and/or TikTok videos, you need to be utilizing YouTube Shorts. I mean, if you’re already putting in the work — creating that kind of short-form content — you might as well get more bang for your buck, as they say. So today, I’d love to bring you my best practices to ensure your Shorts are getting lots of attention!
YouTube Shorts Best Practices and Top Tips
But first…
Did you know there’s, arguably, more social credibility to having a large YouTube subscriber base compared to Instagram followers or TikTok followers?
Oh, and did I mention YouTube is the world’s second largest search engine behind Google and that your Shorts are just as searchable and rank-able as any long-form YouTube content?
By the way, if you don’t already know what YouTube Shorts are, you can check out this podcast right here!
Number one: Include hashtags on your videos.
Hashtags improve your SEO for YouTube Shorts. Hence, use hashtags that are related to your video — so when people are looking up content in relation to your topic, your video will pop up!
This also helps YouTube recommend your content to people who might be interested in it.
Number two: Caption = title for that video.
Your caption (on Shorts) doesn’t show up in the same way that it would on Instagram Reels or TikTok (i.e., people can read the long caption).
On Shorts there will just be a few bold words right below your video.
And so, for that reason, I’d suggest using the caption as a title that can create curiosity — intriguing the viewer to continue watching your video.
Number three: Have an attention-grabbing cover (aka thumbnail).
YouTube Shorts does a really good job of creating a thumbnail for you — picking eye-catching moments. However, if you can do it on your own, that’s always best! This way, you’re not relying on the artificial intelligence to just randomly pick a freeze frame.
Number four: Shorter is better.
Shorts are all about being quick and punchy. Think about the early days of TikTok or Reels when shorter was definitely recommended (and longer than 15 seconds wasn’t even available).
Well, we’re in the early days of YouTube Shorts.
For so much more related to this topic, like:
- How to upload on YT
- How Brock’s dog, Mila, is crushing engagement
- Why quantity is better than quality
Then, you must check out this episode of Build Your Tribe:
And don’t forget to subscribe to BYT for weekly shows dedicated to your social media success!
