I want to work on documentary videos.

[StoreVccHelp]

You can go with a hybrid approach.
Start with a small, high-quality channel to build your credibility.
Then, gradually add shorter, more varied or complementary videos on a regular schedule.
That gives you the best of both worlds: authority + reach.

hybrid approach is good

 

[StoreVccHelp]

It depends on your goal and audience.

• Short videos (under 5–10 mins) work well for attention-grabbing, mobile viewers, and building quick engagement. Great for starting out or summarizing big topics.
• Long videos (10–30+ mins) are better for deep storytelling, watch time, and monetization. YouTube rewards longer retention.

Tip: Start with short documentaries to build interest, then mix in longer, detailed ones as your channel grows.

Consistency + quality = success. Choose what you can produce best!

Thank you very much for guiding me.

 

[StoreVccHelp]

Depends on your style and audience. Shorts can help you grow fast, but long videos are better for deeper storytelling and watch time. Maybe mix both?

Thank You

 

[StoreVccHelp]

Upload long and short both, short helps in user attraction long build trust

I am starting like this.

 

[StoreVccHelp]

Shorts channel videos helps to get new viewers documentary long form is always good but should be non boring

Do you have any idea how many minutes it should be?

 

[Roko]

Do you have any idea how many minutes it should be?

On what subject did you intend to produce videos?
use quote to reply multiple people

 

[Wynodi]

I started with a few long videos but they don't get many views or subscribers.

in that case try to build an audience with shorts and switch to longer videos once you can

 

[BLGProductions]

Help me. Will a short channel be better for documentary videos? Or will a long video upload channel be better?

For documentaries always go for long form videos, those long form doc channels rpm is very high + you will get a lot of sponsorship deals as well.
You can also upload 1-2 shorts a week just to keep the channel more active and for a surge in views and subscribers but again focus on long form content.

 

[StoreVccHelp]

For documentaries always go for long form videos, those long form doc channels rpm is very high + you will get a lot of sponsorship deals as well.
You can also upload 1-2 shorts a week just to keep the channel more active and for a surge in views and subscribers but again focus on long form content.

But my new channel doesn't have many subscribers, is that normal?

 

[StoreVccHelp]

in that case try to build an audience with shorts and switch to longer videos once you can

The first few days were good. But suddenly it's going bad.

 

[StoreVccHelp]

On what subject did you intend to produce videos?
use quote to reply multiple people

yes sure

 

[StoreVccHelp]

Let divide a long documentary video to shorts of 2-3 minutes.

I am making a different video now.

 

[StoreVccHelp]

long form, so you can then chop it up & recycle into shorts, might as well stone two birds at once IMO

You're right. I need to work this way.

 

[StoreVccHelp]

Generally, long videos is what pays the bills on YouTube. YouTubers makes money through ads, if you're doing shorts, you have to wait till you hit a million views.

Now, let's talk about documentary. It would be extremely difficult to summarise history or facts. Work with long videos of between 10- 25 minutes.

In between, I am a YouTube script writer. We can work together.

Your idea is good. If you need anything from me, I will definitely get back to you. Thank you.

 

[StoreVccHelp]

Can be both. Personally, if I'm the audience I would love documentaries to be long so they can be more informational. But posting short vids can help promote it.

I started with a short video to start with, but I will upload a long video in the middle.

 

[StoreVccHelp]

You have to do the shorts, no matter what. You can skip the longer ones at the start.

Yes Thank You

 

[StoreVccHelp]

Hi,

If you want to make documentary videos, here’s a simple way to look at it:

• Short videos (Shorts) are great for grabbing attention fast. You can use them to tease your full documentaries or share quick facts. It helps your channel grow faster in the beginning.
• Long videos are better if you want people to really watch and understand your story. They also give more watch time, which helps your channel’s ranking.

The best way? Do both. Use short videos to attract people, then guide them to your full documentary.
Hope this helps! Let me know how it goes — I’ve seen others grow using this method.

My problem is that when I started it I saw very good results. But when it is 7 days old it suddenly goes downhill. I can't understand why it is like this.

 

[StoreVccHelp]

Choosing video length depends on your audience—both short and long formats can work well for documentaries

I can understand it now.

 

[StoreVccHelp]

Learned this the hard way running history docs - shorts will spike your subs but murder your watch time. YouTube's algo now treats shorts and long-form viewers as completely separate audiences. After testing both approaches, here's what stuck:

Start with long-form first, even if it grows slower. The algorithm types your channel based on early uploads - we got stuck in shorts jail for months because our first 5 videos were vertical. Once you've got 3-4 proper docs up (12+ minutes works best for midroll placement), then use shorts as teasers.

Take your strongest 60 seconds from each long doc, add "Full story in bio" captions, and space these repurposed shorts 2-3 days apart. Our retention on long videos jumped 40% when we stopped posting original shorts and only used clipped content.

Under 8 minute docs get crushed by the algo now. Our 7-minute test videos earned 62% less RPM than 12-minute cuts of the same content.

So am I on the wrong track? Because I started with short videos and after 2 days I am posting 3 minute long videos, is that wrong? So I need to make a new plan.

 

[FinnPulse]

Long-form videos usually work better for documentaries—more time to tell a compelling story