YouTube Long Videos vs Shorts: which is better for newbie creators?

On YouTube as a platform, content creators have two main options for posting videos:Long videos and Shorts. As a result of YouTube Shorts of popularity, many novice creators are becoming confused about which format to choose to maximize their exposure, appeal, and revenue. So, should you choose long videos or Shorts? This article will analyze the pros and cons of both in detail to help new creators make an informed decision.

I. Advantages of YouTube long videos

1. Higher viewing hours and ad revenue

Longer videos get more watch time on YouTube, and it's important to understand YouTube's recommendation algorithm. Watch Time is an important factor in YouTube's assessment of whether a video is worth pushing. If your longer videos get longer watch times, the platform will be more inclined to push your content to more people. This directly means you can attract more viewers and subscribers.

existreddit forumDiscussions about revenue from YouTube videos have also shown that ad revenue from long videos is significantly higher than Shorts.YouTube inserts ads into long videos, including lead-in, interstitial, and end-of-roll ads. These ads generate a steady stream of revenue for the creators.

2. Easier to create in-depth content and branding

If you are planning to createinstructive,commentarialmaybeentertainmentstrong content, a longer video would be a better option. Longer videos allow creators enough time to develop exposition, provide more detailed knowledge or tell a complete story. For creators who want to build a personal brand, long videos can showcase a more complete self, personality and depth of content, helping you build a loyal fan base among your audience.

3. Allows for content distribution and SEO optimization

The content of long videos can be more easily SEO Optimization. You can improve your video's ranking in search engines through titles, descriptions, tags, and more. Also, YouTube's search algorithm will recommend relevant users based on your video content. If your long video content is attractive enough, viewers are likely to leave comments and interact below the video, which has a positive effect on the exposure of the video.

II. Advantages of YouTube Shorts

1. Opportunities for rapid growth

Shorts are YouTube's form of short videos, typically between 15 seconds and 1 minute in length. One of the significant advantages of Shorts over longer videos is how quickly they can go viral; YouTube's recommendation algorithm for Shorts is very user-friendly, so as long as the quality of your short video is engaging enough, it's easy to get it in front of a large audience, especially through YouTube's Shorts Feed. in a short amount of time, your video could be getting millions of views.

For newbie creators, this opportunity for rapid growth will be a huge draw. You can entice users to click and watch with short content, racking up a lot of exposure and bringing in more subscribers in a relatively short period of time.

2. Easy to make with low threshold

Shorts has a low production threshold and doesn't require high-quality equipment or complex editing skills. You can shoot on your cell phone and upload quickly, making it suitable for novice creators who are just getting started and don't have a lot of resources. Even if you're inexperienced, with creativity and simple editing, there's still a chance to produce content that engages your audience.

In addition, the Shorts format allows creators to publish content quickly, without the time and effort required for longer videos. Creators are able to maintain a high frequency of updates, thus maintaining user attention and engagement.

3. Easier to attract younger audiences

The Shorts format appeals to a large young audience, especially Gen Z and Millennials. The short-form video format makes it easy for them to consume content quickly, and if you're targeting these young people, Shorts could be a great option. You can use Shorts to grab their attention and then lead them to your channel ecosystem by linking to your other long-form content.

III. Differences between YouTube Long Videos and Shorts

1. Content length and viewing hours

Longer videos attract longer viewing hours, and Shorts are primarily designed to consume content quickly.YouTube's Recommendation AlgorithmViewing duration is highly valued, so longer videos can better help you get recommendations from platforms. Shorts, on the other hand, have a shorter watch length, and while it leads to faster exposure, it also means that viewers are relatively less sticky.

2. Difficulty and frequency of creation

Longer videos tend to require more careful planning, filming, and editing, which makes them more difficult to create and relatively infrequently updated. In contrast, theProduction of Shortsand publishing is much simpler and can be done daily, or even multiple times. Novice creators with limited time and energy may prefer Shorts for its frequent updates and relatively simple production process.

3. target audience

Longer videos are for viewers who want to dive deeper into content that provides more value and depth. Shorts, on the other hand, are for viewers who want a quick attention grabber, with content that is often concise, fun, creative and easy to consume quickly. Longer videos are better suited for more educational and entertaining content, while Shorts are better suited for fun, light-hearted content that passes the time quickly.

IV. Options for novice creators

1. If you are a creative creator with limited resources

If you're just starting out and don't have a lot of filming equipment or editing experience, Shorts is a great option. You can shoot on the fly with your cell phone, upload it quickly, and attract a portion of your audience without even fine editing. Shorts have a lower threshold, the creation process is easier, and they can help you quickly build up an initial audience base and following.

2. If you have the time, energy and content planning skills

If you have the time and energy for detailed content planning, filming and post-production, long videos would be a more suitable choice. Longer videos not only allow you to better demonstrate the depth and value of your content, but also bring in higher ad revenue and longer-term fan stickiness.

3. Combining the use of long videos with Shorts

In fact, long videos and Shorts are not completely opposing options. The ideal strategy for novice creators is to use a combination of both. You can use Shorts to quickly engage your audience and increase exposure, while also posting some high-quality long videos to deeply satisfy your audience and build your brand image for the long term.

For example, you can grab your audience's attention by posting Shorts and then direct users to your longer videos in the video description or comments. This way, not only can you capitalize on the traffic that comes from short videos, but you can also get more viewing hours and ad revenue from longer videos.

V. Conclusion

For newbie creators, choosing the right format depends on your creative goals, time commitment and resources. If you want to quickly build up a following and maintain a high frequency of updates, Shorts is a good place to start, while if you have more creative resources and content planning skills, longer videos can better help you build in-depth content and a stable audience.

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