YouTube this week put out another video intended to resolve makers’ inquiries over its short-structure video stage, YouTube Shorts. They responded to a range of questions. This includes the differences in calculation between Shorts and long-structured content and what qualifies as a view. YouTube chose not to reveal the specifics of its algorithm like TikTok and Instagram did. However, it did provide creators producing Shorts videos with general guidelines and insights.
YouTube’s Shorts vs Long-form Content
Todd Sherman, the product lead for Shorts, explains that the Shorts algorithm functions differently from the algorithm for long-form videos. In long-form videos, viewers actively select videos to watch, influencing subsequent recommendations. In contrast, individuals are swiping through content without knowing what will appear next on Shorts.
Although both recommendation systems aim to display videos that users will find valuable and entertaining, the Shorts feed emphasizes diversity. This is because users scroll through hundreds of videos instead of the amount typically encountered in long-form content. Additionally, Sherman stated that not every flip is counted as a view. This differs from other platforms, such as TikTok. On Shorts, the view is intended to represent that users had an intention to watch. This ensures creators their content is being intentionally watched.
“There are parts of the algorithm that try and find people, find creators an audience,” Sherman explained. “And sometimes those algorithms will go and effectively find like a seed audience, a set of people that may enjoy your video. And depending on how that goes, it may get a lot more traffic, or it may taper off,
YouTube doesn’t distribute what its view limit is, however, because it changes it occasionally, and it doesn’t believe individuals should attempt to game the system. In addition, Sherman mentioned that there isn’t a specific video length that benefits creators in increasing their videos’ visibility. Nonetheless, he pointed out that Shorts will stay zeroed in on videos that are 60 seconds and under. This varies from rival TikTok, which has been exploring different avenues regarding allowing makers to record longer recordings after first advocating the short-structure design.
