Creating YouTube Shorts can feel discouraging when your view counts are low. Plus, the fast-paced, fleeting format is a far cry from the long-form videos we know and love.
For creators accustomed to the familiar path of long-form content, adapting to the concise and punchy nature of Shorts presents a fresh challenge.
This shift requires not just a change in content length, but also a rethink in strategy and creativity. How do you capture attention in mere seconds? How do you make your short content stand out against endless scrolling?
The first step is identifying why your current Shorts aren’t getting traction. Are your videos eye-catching? Is your audio quality engaging? Do your first few seconds hook viewers? Analyze what may be turning viewers away.
Next, study what’s working for popular Shorts in your niche. Look for opportunities to improve things like pacing, transitions, text/graphics, etc.
Most importantly, keep creating. The more Shorts you put out, the more chances you must hit the algorithm sweet spot. Learn from each video and apply those lessons to the next.
With some thoughtful adjustments and consistency, you can absolutely boost your Shorts performance. Stick with it! This article will walk you through best practices so you can start gaining more views.
Potential 5 Reasons Why Your YouTube Shorts Are Not Getting Views + How To Fix
When your YouTube Shorts aren’t getting the views you expected, it can be frustrating trying to determine what went wrong.
In this section, we’ll explore the 5 most common issues Shorts creators face and provide actionable solutions to help optimize your content for more views.
- Algorithm Visibility
- Audience Engagement
- Content Saturation
- Video Quality and Length
- Lack of Promotion
1. Algorithm Visibility
Algorithms, which dictate what content gets promoted and seen by a wider audience, rely on various factors including the use of trending hashtags, viewer engagement rates, and strategic posting times.
If your Shorts aren’t optimized to appeal to these algorithms, they may remain hidden from potential viewers.
The impact on views can be significant because when a Short doesn’t align with the algorithm’s preferences, it’s less likely to appear in recommended feeds or gain organic reach.
This means fewer potential viewers and less engagement, which in turn can create a cycle where your content continues to be overlooked by the algorithm.
To remedy this, focus on optimizing your Shorts for the algorithm. Use relevant, trending hashtags to increase discoverability.
Enhance engagement by creating content that encourages viewer interaction, like comments and likes.
Also, pay attention to the best times to post, which can vary depending on your audience.
2. Audience Engagement
For YouTube Shorts, engagement metrics like likes, comments, and shares are more than just vanity metrics; they are important indicators of content appeal and relevance.
Low engagement on your Shorts could mean they’re not interesting to viewers, leading YouTube to perceive the video as “bad” or irrelevant. This lack of interaction can significantly limit the spread of your content.
All social media platforms, including YouTube, prioritize content that demonstrates high engagement, as it’s often seen as more compelling or valuable to viewers. When your Shorts garner fewer likes, comments, or shares, they’re less likely to be promoted in users’ feeds, reducing their visibility and reach.
To boost engagement, focus on creating content that invites interaction. Ask questions in your videos to encourage comments, create relatable content that viewers are more likely to share, and use calls-to-action for likes.
Engaging with viewers by responding to comments can also further enhance engagement since others may be more inclined to comment if they see the content creator responding.
Remember, it’s about making your content not just watchable, but interactable.
3. Content Saturation
Content saturation can be a significant hurdle in YouTube Shorts, just like with long form content. If your content falls within a highly saturated niche, it’s challenging to stand out when there are so many other videos similar to yours.
This saturation means viewers are bombarded with a plethora of options, making it harder for any single Short to capture sustained attention. In niches with abundant content, even high-quality videos can struggle to gain traction.
This saturation directly impacts views. In a crowded niche, the competition for viewer attention is intense. Your Shorts are not just competing against a few videos but potentially thousands with similar themes or styles. This abundance can lead to your content being overlooked, as viewers have limited time and may choose to watch Shorts that immediately grab their attention or come from already established creators.
To combat this, strive for uniqueness in your content. Explore topics that are less common or present popular topics with a fresh perspective or twist. This distinctiveness makes your Shorts more likely to pique interest and stand out.
Additionally, try and get ahead of this situation by researching less saturated niches and tailoring your content to fill those gaps can help in gaining more views and engagement.
4. Video Quality and Length
The quality of your video, including its resolution, sound, and editing, plays a significant role in viewer retention on YouTube Shorts.
Subpar video quality can be off-putting and may lead viewers to stop watching prematurely.
The length of your Shorts is also important; if they are too long or too short compared to the typical content format on the platform, viewers might lose interest.
Another common pitfall is using the wrong video ratio; for example, uploading horizontal videos in a space dominated by vertical content can make your videos look out of place, amateur, and less appealing.
The impact on views is clear: viewers are drawn to videos that are visually appealing and easily consumable. Poor video quality or an inappropriate length can disrupt the viewing experience, leading to lower engagement and fewer views.
YouTube Shorts thrive on brevity and clarity, and any deviation from these norms can be detrimental to your video’s performance.
To remedy this, focus on producing high-quality videos with clear visuals and crisp sound.
Keep your Shorts concise and to the point, ideally within the 15 to 45-second range that is typical for the platform.
Also, ensure you are using the vertical format (9:16 aspect ratio) which is more suitable for mobile viewing and aligns with the standard for YouTube Shorts.
5. Lack of Promotion
Lack of promotion is a common oversight that can affect the reach of your YouTube Shorts. While your Shorts can certainly succeed with just the algorithm, if you’re only relying on YouTube’s platform to showcase your content, you might be missing out on expanding your audience.
Viewers from other social media platforms or communities may never discover your content if it’s not shared beyond YouTube. This limited exposure restricts your potential viewership and can hinder the growth of your channel.
This can be particularly challenging for new creators or those looking to grow their audience. Without external promotion, even high-quality Shorts can go unnoticed.
Plus, when you encourage other audiences to check out your videos, YouTube will know and promote your video more than usual (especially if your audience has a high retention rate and watches lots of your Shorts).
Try to actively promote your YouTube Shorts on other social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook to leverage the power of cross-platform promotion to drive traffic to your YouTube channel.
Also, engage with online communities relevant to your content, participate in discussions, and share your Shorts where appropriate. This not only increases visibility but also helps in building a loyal audience across multiple platforms.
How Are YouTube Shorts Different From Traditional Long Form Content?
YouTube Shorts represent a new frontier in video content, providing creators an alternative to the traditional long-form video that the platform is known for. Shorts are YouTube’s direct response to the meteoric rise of TikTok and its short-form, vertical videos.
While YouTube isn’t new to short videos, Shorts are unique in the level of attention and priority the platform has given them.
Shorts have a dedicated place within the YouTube app and website, allowing them to be viewed one after another in a continuous feed. This format gives Shorts higher potential to be discovered by viewers who stay engaged as additional clips auto-play!
The short length, typically 15 to 60 seconds, requires creators to hook viewers quickly with compelling visuals, sounds, text, and effects.
Shorts are consumed in a unique manner: viewers often watch them in rapid succession, one after another, creating a continuous stream of content. This binge-watching style means that there’s no room for slow build-ups; you have seconds to capture attention and tell a story or deliver information in a punchy, engaging way. Every second counts.
Shorts also lend themselves well to trends, challenges, and other viral content formats. Viewers appreciate the digestible bites of entertainment and info they can consume quickly in spare moments of downtime.
For creators accustomed to 10+ minute videos, adapting to Shorts may represent a creative challenge. But the long-term payoff is huge because Shorts receive prominent placement by YouTube, opening up new audiences, and they provide more opportunities to drive viewers to longer videos and other monetization streams.
Rather than replacing long-form videos, Shorts simply offer a new way to express creativity and grow your channel. By leveraging both formats, creators can maximize their audience, views and revenue.
Best 8 Tips To Increasing Your Shorts Views On YouTube
Pinpointing the root cause of low YouTube Shorts viewership is step one to getting your content back on track.
The solutions can range from minor adjustments to more extensive overhauls.
However, lackluster view counts could also signal fundamental flaws in topic choice, pacing, editing, or other substantive issues requiring a total redo.
So if you need to completely rework your video, here are some of the 8 best practices when making a YouTube Short.
- Strong Hook: Begin your Shorts with a compelling hook to grab viewers’ attention immediately. The first few seconds determine whether viewers will stay or scroll away. Use intriguing visuals, engaging questions, or surprising facts to make that initial impact.
- Know Your Audience: Tailor your content to the interests and preferences of your target audience. Understanding what your viewers like, their common questions, or the trends they follow helps in creating content that they’ll enjoy.
- Give Concise Information: Since Shorts are brief, ensure your content is direct and to the point. Deliver your message in a clear, concise manner, avoiding unnecessary details. This keeps viewers engaged and more likely to watch the video till the end (helping you with watch time, retention, and ultimately telling the algorithm that your video is great).
- Use Relevant Hashtags: Add relevant and trending hashtags to boost your Shorts’ visibility. Hashtags help categorize your content, making it easier for users interested in those topics to discover your videos. Research and select hashtags that are most relevant to your content and audience.
- Engage with Your Audience: Actively respond to comments and engage with your viewers. This builds a community around your channel and encourages viewers to return for more content.
- Consistent Posting Schedule: Maintain a regular posting schedule. Consistency keeps your audience engaged and can help with algorithm favorability.
- Trends: Stay updated with current trends and incorporate them into your content. Trending topics are more likely to be searched for and viewed.
- Optimize Video Quality: Ensure your Shorts are of high quality both visually and audibly. Good quality content is more appealing and can lead to higher engagement and shares.
