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Is It Worth Posting YouTube Shorts? The Pros and Cons

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Long-form videos are still important on YouTube, but the platform has diversified. Since September 2020, users have had the ability to publish Shorts on the platform—and many channels have successfully utilized this feature.


If you’re consistent with your posts, YouTube Shorts can form a crucial part of your growth strategy. But before you start, understanding the pros and cons is a good idea.

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This article will identify the top benefits and drawbacks of posting Shorts on YouTube.


The Pros of Posting YouTube Shorts

Before we look at why you might want to think twice about posting YouTube Shorts, let’s look at the biggest benefits.

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The main reason that many YouTubers post Shorts is because of the potential extra reach they offer. Long-form videos still have their benefits, but gathering views can often take time. Shorts, on the other hand, are more short-term.

If you’re new to YouTube, posting Shorts is an excellent way to build and strengthen your YouTube channel. And if you’re consistent, you may discover that more people subscribe than would otherwise have been the case.

When posting Shorts to try and grow your reach, you’ll need to experiment with different topic ideas. And while it can feel tempting to not add a description, doing so might help make your content more discoverable.

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2. Use the Skills You Learn Elsewhere

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YouTube isn’t the only social media platform to embrace short-form video content. TikTok sparked the sharp rise in this medium; meanwhile, Facebook and Instagram let users publish Reels. Although each network is different, some of the skills you learn are transferable.

You’ll quickly discover how to create short-form video content by learning how to publish YouTube Shorts. As such, you can easily take this knowledge and apply it to other social platforms.

If you publish Shorts consistently, you’ll also better understand which topic ideas work—and those that do not. So, it’ll be easier for you to make smarter choices elsewhere.

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3. Push Yourself Outside Your Comfort Zone

Getting complacent can quickly become your worst enemy if you want to succeed as an online creator. Not pushing yourself to continue growing can result in stagnation and—over time—getting overtaken by others.

It’s easy to dismiss new features if what you’re currently doing is working. But often, these dismissals come from a fear of not wanting to step into the unknown.

Posting Shorts will help you push outside your comfort zone, especially if you’ve never shared short-form videos before. You don’t need to do silly moves on your camera, but the simple act of trying something new will open your mind to new possibilities.

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4. Shorts Are Easy to Publish

If you’ve ever made long-form YouTube videos, you’ll know how long it can take to share one video with your audience. Besides filming it, you’ve got to edit your footage. Rendering and exporting can take a while, too—especially if you’ve got an older computer.

In contrast, Shorts are easy to publish. You can record from your smartphone and use a tool like Adobe Premiere Rush to edit short-form videos on the same device. And once you’ve finished, you can easily upload the video from a computer, smartphone, or tablet.

When posting your video, make sure that you add #shorts at the end. That way, YouTube will publish it as one.

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5. No Heavy Editing Required

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Editing longer video projects typically requires cutting your clips and adjusting the colors in your footage. On top of that, you have to make sure that the audio sounds good—along with adding graphics and such. For particularly long projects, heavy editing can feel laborious.

Shorts still require editing; you’ll need to cut out bits that don’t make sense, and choosing a color style is a good idea. Moreover, you should think about adding subtitles. At the same time, however, you’ve got a lot less to edit—and your videos shouldn’t take too long to adjust.

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Because no heavy editing is necessary, you can spread your message more quickly to your audience.

The Cons of Posting YouTube Shorts

Despite the many benefits of sharing YouTube Shorts with your audience, you might notice a couple of drawbacks when using the feature.

1. No Guarantee of Growth

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It’s easy to think that you’re guaranteed to grow just because you share short-form content on your YouTube channel. However, that isn’t the case. Even if you regularly post YouTube Shorts, you must understand that you still might not become as big as you want.

If your content doesn’t add value, people aren’t going to want to subscribe to your channel. Again, you might need to experiment here—as it’s unlikely that you’ll find a winning formula immediately. Over time, however, you’ll want to ensure that each Short gets better than the last.

2. Shorts Can Be Time-Consuming to Produce

While Shorts aren’t long in and of themselves, the creation process can take longer than you might want. Thinking of topics worth discussing can require a little research, and having at least a rough idea of what you’d like to say is necessary.

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If you plan to post Shorts more than three times per week, you should carve a little time in your calendar to record these. Batching-recording is a good idea; you can use apps like Apple Calendar to stay on top of everything.

3. Shorts Don’t Count Toward Watch Hours for Monetization

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For many creators, hitting YouTube’s monetization threshold is a key objective to stride toward. And to become eligible for ad revenue, you need to hit 1,000 subscribers and have 4,000 watch hours in a 12-month period.

Shorts can receive a high number of views, especially if you share something relevant to your audience. But if you thought sharing short-form videos would help you reach that watch hours threshold, we’ve got bad news: they don’t count.

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The good news is that while Shorts don’t count toward your watch hours, you can—if you have 1,000 subscribers—monetize your channel with 10 million views in 90 days. Before you meet the monetization threshold, you can make money from your channel in several ways.

YouTube Shorts Can Help You Grow Your Online Presence

YouTube Shorts is an excellent way to build your presence on YouTube, as long as you consistently share valuable content with your audience. You can attract more people to your channel and potentially increase the number of views on your long-form content as a result.

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However, you’re not guaranteed to grow—and you should remember that views on Shorts don’t count toward watch hours. Nonetheless, the benefits of using this feature outweigh the negatives.

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Snapchat Explores New Messaging Retention Feature: A Game-Changer or Risky Move?

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Snapchat Explores New Messaging Retention Feature: A Game-Changer or Risky Move?

In a recent announcement, Snapchat revealed a groundbreaking update that challenges its traditional design ethos. The platform is experimenting with an option that allows users to defy the 24-hour auto-delete rule, a feature synonymous with Snapchat’s ephemeral messaging model.

The proposed change aims to introduce a “Never delete” option in messaging retention settings, aligning Snapchat more closely with conventional messaging apps. While this move may blur Snapchat’s distinctive selling point, Snap appears convinced of its necessity.

According to Snap, the decision stems from user feedback and a commitment to innovation based on user needs. The company aims to provide greater flexibility and control over conversations, catering to the preferences of its community.

Currently undergoing trials in select markets, the new feature empowers users to adjust retention settings on a conversation-by-conversation basis. Flexibility remains paramount, with participants able to modify settings within chats and receive in-chat notifications to ensure transparency.

Snapchat underscores that the default auto-delete feature will persist, reinforcing its design philosophy centered on ephemerality. However, with the app gaining traction as a primary messaging platform, the option offers users a means to preserve longer chat histories.

The update marks a pivotal moment for Snapchat, renowned for its disappearing message premise, especially popular among younger demographics. Retaining this focus has been pivotal to Snapchat’s identity, but the shift suggests a broader strategy aimed at diversifying its user base.

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This strategy may appeal particularly to older demographics, potentially extending Snapchat’s relevance as users age. By emulating features of conventional messaging platforms, Snapchat seeks to enhance its appeal and broaden its reach.

Yet, the introduction of message retention poses questions about Snapchat’s uniqueness. While addressing user demands, the risk of diluting Snapchat’s distinctiveness looms large.

As Snapchat ventures into uncharted territory, the outcome of this experiment remains uncertain. Will message retention propel Snapchat to new heights, or will it compromise the platform’s uniqueness?

Only time will tell.

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Catering to specific audience boosts your business, says accountant turned coach

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Catering to specific audience boosts your business, says accountant turned coach

While it is tempting to try to appeal to a broad audience, the founder of alcohol-free coaching service Just the Tonic, Sandra Parker, believes the best thing you can do for your business is focus on your niche. Here’s how she did just that.

When running a business, reaching out to as many clients as possible can be tempting. But it also risks making your marketing “too generic,” warns Sandra Parker, the founder of Just The Tonic Coaching.

“From the very start of my business, I knew exactly who I could help and who I couldn’t,” Parker told My Biggest Lessons.

Parker struggled with alcohol dependence as a young professional. Today, her business targets high-achieving individuals who face challenges similar to those she had early in her career.

“I understand their frustrations, I understand their fears, and I understand their coping mechanisms and the stories they’re telling themselves,” Parker said. “Because of that, I’m able to market very effectively, to speak in a language that they understand, and am able to reach them.” 

“I believe that it’s really important that you know exactly who your customer or your client is, and you target them, and you resist the temptation to make your marketing too generic to try and reach everyone,” she explained.

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“If you speak specifically to your target clients, you will reach them, and I believe that’s the way that you’re going to be more successful.

Watch the video for more of Sandra Parker’s biggest lessons.

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Instagram Tests Live-Stream Games to Enhance Engagement

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Instagram Tests Live-Stream Games to Enhance Engagement

Instagram’s testing out some new options to help spice up your live-streams in the app, with some live broadcasters now able to select a game that they can play with viewers in-stream.

As you can see in these example screens, posted by Ahmed Ghanem, some creators now have the option to play either “This or That”, a question and answer prompt that you can share with your viewers, or “Trivia”, to generate more engagement within your IG live-streams.

That could be a simple way to spark more conversation and interaction, which could then lead into further engagement opportunities from your live audience.

Meta’s been exploring more ways to make live-streaming a bigger consideration for IG creators, with a view to live-streams potentially catching on with more users.

That includes the gradual expansion of its “Stars” live-stream donation program, giving more creators in more regions a means to accept donations from live-stream viewers, while back in December, Instagram also added some new options to make it easier to go live using third-party tools via desktop PCs.

Live streaming has been a major shift in China, where shopping live-streams, in particular, have led to massive opportunities for streaming platforms. They haven’t caught on in the same way in Western regions, but as TikTok and YouTube look to push live-stream adoption, there is still a chance that they will become a much bigger element in future.

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Which is why IG is also trying to stay in touch, and add more ways for its creators to engage via streams. Live-stream games is another element within this, which could make this a better community-building, and potentially sales-driving option.

We’ve asked Instagram for more information on this test, and we’ll update this post if/when we hear back.

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