I wanted to cover how YouTube shorts has helped me in delivering video content online alongside normal YouTube videos. It’s maybe worth starting with the base point.
Why I have a youtube channel
when I deliver my digital for social enterprise series, I often feel like there are uncovered areas. Sometimes there are new developments. Other times there are questions attendees have. Either way, I am left wanting to give and share more. One outlet is podcasts. Another is YouTube.
Its’ worth mentioning that one of my session led to me creating a website checklist. This is really helpful SEO businesses who have a social impact and need an annual website checklist. It also seemed like a good idea to make a video to further explain this document. So I made a video.
What are my YouTube goals
Goal setting here is very easy. Upload. See what happens. Increase by 20% or another 100. Hope for the best. I think having gradual increments is healthy. What tends to be done by industry leaders is a more systematic way of gaining views. The funnels and process become complex and often include Google Ads. This will wield results but assumes you have played the game before.
Past experiences
Vine and TikTok videos
In writing this post I thought it would be useful not to note that I have dabbled in long and short-form video content. The birth of Vine was where it started for me.
GoPro vs iPhone
FOr a long time I have always wanted a much better DSLR camera. This would have really helped my game. The main holdup there would be access to the video file. It would take a step or two to get it into Premier. The overall cost of a GoPro and the utilisation of its app means that it. was very superior. It also has a buit in gimble style function and always allows 4k resolution.
What is very strange is that I now have a GoPro. But it really is not all that. The web still seems to function on 1080p. It’s not a localised issue on internet usage. The globe has enough access to show a 1080p video. It doesn’t when it comes to 4k. This means GoPro wins on many fronts. But it’s technically just another iPhone or device. As everything is built into the iPhone. Why spend the extra £xx odd just to carry something extra? What ever your reason, it better be good.
Creating my first short
So like most things the first short is a car crash. Oddly for mine, it was fine. Due to the earlier explanation on my experience in short-form content, it was actually easy and painless. I think that the real issue was around what the topic could be. In my case I did an ‘it’s my first video’. It also got a bit of traction which was helpful.
Age settings
It’s worth mentioning that a few of my shorts actually didn’t work. This was because they were restricted by age. Once you figure it out, it’s easy. The trick is to not really block the video by age.
Length of Shorts
You can either go 15 seconds or 60 seconds. Often it’s probably worth going for 60 seconds. Once you do, be sure to stay within it. People don’t watch for that long. The editing or content needs to be very punchy.
When selecting music overlays it helps to stay within 15 seconds. It just works. There can be issues with sound coming to an end when you use 60-second videos. I have chosen sounds and in reply and found them to fall short.
video vs text
It makes sense to be punchy. Clear. Short LEts not forget its a visual medium. That doesn’t mean don’t use text. The opposite. Deaf people may access this info. Key words can anchor your message. Using text can actually grab the eye more than a person. Yet a person is interpersonal. Getting the balance right is gold dust.
My analytics
This is super hard to put into context because one video did actually do really well, by my standards. This meant that I also tipped into the 2k views mark. The data showed that I did get over 2K overall.
The really odd feelings come when the data I’m looking at is for – the last 28 days. This means that Christmas saw a natural decline in my stats. I also took a break. So right now, I need to take a hard look at what my 2023 plan could be.
In no mood to get slowed down, I have actually made a mini-series where I have delivered Digital Strategy in eight Shorts. I’m not sure it fully works but together does make sense. As a workshop, it’s ace and works. As a bunch of YouTube Shorts. Time will tell. That’s when I might come back and update you on my journey.
