are YouTube shorts bringing subscribers who actually watch long videos?

J

Ji Xao

Newbie
Joined
Sep 8, 2026
Messages
15
Reaction score
2
shorts can get thousands of views but do those viewers ever watch your regular videos? i'd like to hear from creators who have tried both.
 
Advertise on BHW
They can, but it depends on how similar the Shorts are to your long-form videos. I would use Shorts to highlight an important clip from a video and track the return of views, not the growth of subscribers.
 
joseph.clark said:
They can, but it depends on how similar the Shorts are to your long-form videos. I would use Shorts to highlight an important clip from a video and track the return of views, not the growth of subscribers.
Click to expand...
Yes, indeed, Shorts will work effectively if they can get the same audience that your long videos have gotten. There is a need to check the returning audience in addition to click-throughs.
 
Ji Xao said:
shorts can get thousands of views but do those viewers ever watch your regular videos? i'd like to hear from creators who have tried both.
Click to expand...
Yes sone viewers indeed watch more of ones's long form videos, however, one should ALWAYS try to get them to subscribe, in order for one's videos to reach ones's audience naturally.
 
It primarily depends on whether your short video fully conveys the intended message; if it does, viewership will increase over time.
 
Ji Xao said:
shorts can get thousands of views but do those viewers ever watch your regular videos? i'd like to hear from creators who have tried both.
Click to expand...
i believe they can but only in cases where the short nd video content is meant for the same audience. viral shorts may attract subscribers who have never clicked on anything before, so i would use the shorts to inttroduce the topics discussed in the full videos.
 
Shorts are good for reaching new people, but turning them into regular viewers is a different thing.
 
Ji Xao said:
shorts can get thousands of views but do those viewers ever watch your regular videos? i'd like to hear from creators who have tried both.
Click to expand...
I am running a channel right now and started with shorts, but now changed to long videos.
The audience I earned from the shorts are helping me grow and reach monetization.
 
Ji Xao said:
shorts can get thousands of views but do those viewers ever watch your regular videos? i'd like to hear from creators who have tried both.
Click to expand...
Yes, but in my experience, a very small percentage of shorts viewers end up watching videos regularly. Shorts are great for reaching new viewers, but you need to give them a reason to watch more. I would say create shorts with similar content to your longer videos and use them to introduce viewers to your main content.

You can also look at Audience Analytics in YouTube Studio to see how many viewers are watching videos in both formats.
 
Ji Xao said:
shorts can get thousands of views but do those viewers ever watch your regular videos? i'd like to hear from creators who have tried both.
Click to expand...
as far as my experience goes, it is more convenient to get subscribers via shorts rather than to make them view longer videos.this is bcz people usually scroll through for fast entertainment nd might even skip the process of checking out the channel. as far as i m conccerned, the use of shorts would be more effective in case it gives the viewer a hint of the full video.
 
In my opinion, you should leverage viral short videos targeting the same audience as a funnel to attract subscribers and introduce the topic; this is an effective strategy for naturally directing viewers to full-length videos.
 
Ji Xao said:
shorts can get thousands of views but do those viewers ever watch your regular videos? i'd like to hear from creators who have tried both.
Click to expand...
The key factor is that the long videos actually get viewings from repeat customers after u have made an impact with ur short video. i have seen many instances where a channel makes some incredible numbers with their shorts but struggles with long content.
 
Ji Xao said:
shorts can get thousands of views but do those viewers ever watch your regular videos? i'd like to hear from creators who have tried both.
Click to expand...
It is true that they do watch, but the numbers are very small. People who browse short-form videos are usually looking for quick entertainment; they have neither the need nor the time to sit through entire videos lasting 10 to 20 minutes.
 
We’ve tried both and shorts bring in views, but only a few people seem to check out our regular videos too.
 
Advertise on BHW
You must log in or register to reply here.
Sign up now!

Main Menu

Home Main Forum List Black Hat SEO White Hat SEO BHW Newbie Guide Blogging Black Hat Tools Social Media Downloads

Marketplace

Account Selling Content / Copywriting EBooks / Methods Hosting Misc Proxies For Sale SEO - Link building SEO - Packages Social Media Social Media - Panels Web Design More

Making Money

Affiliate Programs Hire a Freelancer IM Journeys Making Money Pay Per Click Site Flipping Want to Buy

BlackHat World

Dispute Resolution Forum Suggestions & Feedback Introductions Lounge
Back
Top