Short videos vs. long videos: Which is more effective?

Yasin12

Yasin12

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Hi everyone,
I've recently noticed some new YouTube channels making long videos (not short videos) and they're getting hundreds of thousands of views.
So, should my new channel start with just short videos, or should I combine both and experiment with long videos?
 
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I think you should start with shorter videos, as people generally prefer watching content that is around 3–5 minutes long. However, the ideal video length also depends on the content itself. If a video is engaging, interesting, and well-presented, viewers may happily watch it for 10 minutes or even longer.
 
Yasin12 said:
Hi everyone,
I've recently noticed some new YouTube channels making long videos (not short videos) and they're getting hundreds of thousands of views.
So, should my new channel start with just short videos, or should I combine both and experiment with long videos?
Click to expand...
These are two completely different audiences. In my view, you can gain a significant advantage by focusing on long-form videos—which offer the best monetization potential—and then using AI to create clips from them. This provides you with content for short-form videos, which are the most effective at attracting an audience. Good luck!
 
scofieldd24 said:
These are two completely different audiences. In my view, you can gain a significant advantage by focusing on long-form videos—which offer the best monetization potential—and then using AI to create clips from them. This provides you with content for short-form videos, which are the most effective at attracting an audience. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Thanks for sharing your opinion also.
 
I'd actually recommend trying both of them rather than restricting a new channel to Shorts.

Shorts can be a great way to get to new audiences quickly, whereas long form video gives you the opportunity to build up watch time, trust and a loyal audience. The format you choose is very much going to be down to your niche.

I'd start with a few Shorts each week and then consistently publish one longer form video that's actually useful. Then you'd track retention, returning viewers and which topics are actually bringing in the subscribers rather than just views.

You can also take a strong long form video and break it down into a number of Shorts and use those to drive the viewer back to the full video. Run both formats for a few weeks and let the data tell you which way to go.
 
Yasin12 said:
Hi everyone,
I've recently noticed some new YouTube channels making long videos (not short videos) and they're getting hundreds of thousands of views.
So, should my new channel start with just short videos, or should I combine both and experiment with long videos?
Click to expand...
It's simple, Yasin. There's a huge difference in earnings between a Short with 100K views and a regular horizontal video with 100K views. So I think long-form videos are the way to go.
 
Yasin12 said:
Hi everyone,
I've recently noticed some new YouTube channels making long videos (not short videos) and they're getting hundreds of thousands of views.
So, should my new channel start with just short videos, or should I combine both and experiment with long videos?
Click to expand...
depends on your time, topics...
 
a lot of people start out with shorts because its more rewarding in the short term. By that i mean YouTube pushes a lot more views to shorts then long form content; however, views on shorts normaly dont convert very well. It depends on what your goal is with YouTube. Long form videos will earn a lot more in the long run, just normally take more time and effort to make and get going.
 
Yasin12 said:
Hi everyone,
I've recently noticed some new YouTube channels making long videos (not short videos) and they're getting hundreds of thousands of views.
So, should my new channel start with just short videos, or should I combine both and experiment with long videos?
Click to expand...

YouTube has some recent updates that makes the algorithm for long videos gets same views as shorts, this is as per my experience so I would say it depends if you don't want to go for the watch time you can continue with the shorts.
If you want to complete the watch time early go for the long videos.
 
I think for a new channel, it's best to upload both types of videos. You can take advantage of cutting longer videos into shorter segments to attract viewers to the longer videos.
 
Yasin12 said:
Hi everyone,
I've recently noticed some new YouTube channels making long videos (not short videos) and they're getting hundreds of thousands of views.
So, should my new channel start with just short videos, or should I combine both and experiment with long videos?
Click to expand...
I think that using both may be a better idea than using only one format of video. this is becuz short videos enable you to get your new followers faster while long videos give you a bigger chance to grow your audience. You will also be able to make short vds out of long vds nd therefore you will have more videos to post without necessarily creating all of them. Just check how many followers both give you in a matter of weeks.
 
Both are equally good imo. Shorts can help you get more views quickly, while long videos can keep people watching for longer. I'd try both and see which one works better for your niche.
 
adnook said:
Both are equally good imo. Shorts can help you get more views quickly, while long videos can keep people watching for longer. I'd try both and see which one works better for your niche.
Click to expand...
Absolutely, I would use the Shorts feature to experiment with various topics and know which topics have more appeal, and those successful topics I would develop into regular videos. Thus you do not have to guess what interests your audience.
 
Yasin12 said:
Hi everyone,
I've recently noticed some new YouTube channels making long videos (not short videos) and they're getting hundreds of thousands of views.
So, should my new channel start with just short videos, or should I combine both and experiment with long videos?
Click to expand...
Shorts bring views and followers and long form videos basically monetize your audience/followers. So you should use both but ALWAYS start with shorts.
 
Try test both, but focus on long videos if your goal is to build a loyal audience and earn through YouTube ads.

Shorts are great for getting quick exposure and testing content ideas, but views don't always translate into loyal subscribers.
 
jhonalexandria said:
I think you should start with shorter videos, as people generally prefer watching content that is around 3–5 minutes long. However, the ideal video length also depends on the content itself. If a video is engaging, interesting, and well-presented, viewers may happily watch it for 10 minutes or even longer.
Click to expand...
It's true that length depends on the content, but for a channel without established reputation, keeping viewers engaged for 10 minutes is a huge challenge.
 
scofieldd24 said:
These are two completely different audiences. In my view, you can gain a significant advantage by focusing on long-form videos—which offer the best monetization potential—and then using AI to create clips from them. This provides you with content for short-form videos, which are the most effective at attracting an audience. Good luck!
Click to expand...
Can you recommend some of the best AI tools for cutting short positions currently available?
 
Depends entirely on what your end goal is with those views. Shorts bring in more viewers but they are generally harder to convert than long form viewers.
 
iFreelancer said:
I'd actually recommend trying both of them rather than restricting a new channel to Shorts.

Shorts can be a great way to get to new audiences quickly, whereas long form video gives you the opportunity to build up watch time, trust and a loyal audience. The format you choose is very much going to be down to your niche.

I'd start with a few Shorts each week and then consistently publish one longer form video that's actually useful. Then you'd track retention, returning viewers and which topics are actually bringing in the subscribers rather than just views.

You can also take a strong long form video and break it down into a number of Shorts and use those to drive the viewer back to the full video. Run both formats for a few weeks and let the data tell you which way to go.
Click to expand...
With the strategy of splitting long videos into short clips, do you have any tips for effectively directing viewers from the short clips to watch the long video? I've noticed that the current click-through rate for the short clips is quite low.
 
originallife said:
It's simple, Yasin. There's a huge difference in earnings between a Short with 100K views and a regular horizontal video with 100K views. So I think long-form videos are the way to go.
Click to expand...
For a new channel starting to create long videos, based on your experience, what elements should be prioritized for optimization?
 
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