Why Marketers Should Focus on YouTube Shorts in 2023
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The subsequent year, in
2022, YouTube unveiled the Remix tool, empowering users to turn up to 15
seconds of their own lengthy videos into Shorts. These remixes stand alone,
featuring prominently on the Shorts tab and within the Shorts feed. The Remix
tool has proven particularly beneficial for repurposing existing content,
thereby streamlining the process of diving into Shorts or generating fresh
material.
Fast forward to June
2023, YouTube took these tools to the next level, effectively merging the
functionalities of Clips and Remix. Now, users can remix YouTube clips,
effectively converting these lengthier highlights into shorter videos that
prominently appear on Shorts surfaces—both in the Shorts feed and on the
channel's dedicated Shorts tab. This amalgamated tool introduces several
noteworthy benefits.
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In early 2023, YouTube
underwent significant changes in its YouTube Partner Program (YPP), a platform
enabling users to monetize content and access exclusive resources.
Historically, only views on long-form videos contributed to YPP eligibility.
However, the platform's recent alterations now incorporate Shorts views into
YPP eligibility, offering users an extra incentive to dive into short-form
content creation. If you're inching closer to the 3 million shorts views
benchmark, leveraging clips could prove beneficial.
In May 2023, YouTube
declared its intention to phase out Stories. This move seemingly aims to steer
brands and creators away from ephemeral stories and towards the creation of
Shorts. Notably, clips and remixes automatically attribute credit to the
original video, driving traffic to long-form content while simultaneously
providing new avenues to enhance discovery within the Shorts feed.
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One might wonder: Why
not simply create YouTube Shorts directly from your channel's original videos?
Of course, that's a viable route, bypassing the clip conversion process. Yet,
if your plan involves sharing clips on other social media platforms such as
Facebook or LinkedIn, while concurrently developing more Shorts content, this
workflow emerges as the ideal strategy.
When contemplating the
creation of YouTube Shorts, working directly from longer videos can prove
cumbersome. The process entails finding the desired snippet for repurposing and
remixing it using a mobile device. Conversely, working with clips—due to their
shorter duration (5 to 60 seconds) and inclusion of existing highlights—can
significantly expedite the expansion of your short-form video inventory.
In essence, YouTube
Shorts presents an invaluable opportunity for marketers and content creators to
tap into the power of short-form content creation. With a suite of tools and
features designed to facilitate the process, YouTube is positioning itself as a
prime platform for engaging with audiences in this evolving content landscape.
How to Create YouTube Shorts From Clips
Whether you're new to
YouTube clips or have an existing library of clips ready for conversion, follow
the step-by-step process below to transform your channel's content into
engaging shorts.
#1:
Select or Create Clips
If your team isn't
accustomed to crafting clips yet, you can generate them in approximately a
minute each. The clip creation process is almost identical for both desktop
browsers and the mobile app. In this guide, we'll use the YouTube app.
1.
Open
the YouTube app and tap the Library button in the main menu.
2.
Access
your channel's videos and tap the Videos section to exclude shorts, which
aren't eligible for clips.
3.
Open
any video that's at least 2 minutes long and tap the Clip button below the
title and description.
Choose a snippet
ranging from 5 to 60 seconds in length. Utilize the slider to isolate your
preferred section. Note that creating clips through a desktop browser allows
you to enter timestamps, which can simplify the process for very lengthy videos
or clips with precise start and end times. After establishing the clip's start
and end, provide it a title within the 140-character limit.
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Keep in mind that the
title will be visible to viewers, so ensure its appropriateness for public
display. Since clips don't stand alone and won't appear in searches or viewers'
home pages, there's no necessity to optimize titles for search.
Upon completion, tap
the Share Clip button to save the snippet to your channel. You can directly
share it on other social platforms from this workflow or copy the link for your
team. Alternatively, close the Share pop-up to proceed with remixing. You can
then access all your clips within your channel's library.
If your team has a
predefined strategy for clip creation, you can skip the aforementioned step and
begin with your existing content. In the YouTube app, tap the Library button in
the main menu, then navigate to Your Clips. Open the clip you intend to remix.
It's important to note that, starting from June 2023, only clips from your
channel's own content are eligible for import into Shorts.
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To transform clips into
shorts, use the YouTube mobile app. As of June 2023, YouTube doesn't support
remixing from desktop browsers or YouTube Studio.
1.
Open
the clip you wish to repurpose within the mobile app and tap the Remix button.
2.
Choose
the Edit Into a Short option.
3.
Utilize
the slider to select the snippet you want to repurpose. While clips are
confined to 60 seconds, you have the flexibility to import the entire clip for
a short-form video. Alternatively, you can choose a shorter snippet optimized
for the Shorts feed.
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The clips-to-shorts
Remix tool also provides the option to pick a different snippet from the
original video. YouTube automatically loads the entire video into the Shorts
creation tool. This allows you to start the snippet earlier, extend it, or
select an entirely different clip from the video if necessary.
You can adjust the
positioning of the video on the screen by pressing, holding, and moving it left
or right. It's important to remember that you're converting a landscape aspect
ratio of a long-form video into a vertical aspect ratio of a short-form video,
which can be somewhat challenging.
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In cases where
long-form videos don't transition well into a vertical aspect ratio, such as
when critical components are cut off regardless of the positioning, it's advisable
to edit the video in a third-party application and then upload the edited
version as a short.
#3:
Use YouTube's Native Editing Tools
After finalizing the
timing and on-screen placement of the video snippet, tap the Next button. The
app will prompt you to begin editing the selected clip, but you also have the
option to add more content to the video. If you wish to add additional content,
tap the Back button located in the upper-left corner to record a new clip or
select one from your device.
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#4: Publish the YouTube Short to Your YouTube Channel
Upon
reaching the publishing screen, input a title for the short video. Utilize your
YouTube SEO strategy to craft a title that is likely to attract viewers and
show up in relevant searches. Keep in mind that you won't be able to add short
descriptions directly within the YouTube app, but you can retroactively add
them in YouTube Studio.
Before
finalizing the publishing, take a moment to review the thumbnail. If the
automatically generated thumbnail doesn't align with your channel's design
standards, tap the pencil icon to replace it. Please note that you'll need to
select a frame from the short video, as the YouTube app doesn't support
uploading pre-made thumbnails.
Finally,
ensure that the visibility settings are accurate. You can choose to publish the
short video as public, unlisted, or private. Additionally, you have the option
to schedule the video for a future date or time. After reviewing these
settings, tap the "Upload Short" button.
#5: Check Remix Analytics in YouTube Studio
Following
the publication of the short video, you'll have access to two types of
analytics within YouTube Studio.
Firstly,
examine content-level analytics. For every short video created from a clip, you
can access metrics such as watch time, audience retention, viewership count,
and the source of viewers. By comparing these analytics with those of other
short videos, you can identify trends that resonate most effectively with your
audience, thus optimizing your clip repurposing strategy.
Next,
delve into remix analytics for the original video. Within the YouTube Studio
app, you can discover top-performing remixes and compare the results across all
the short videos you've crafted from longer clips.
How
to Configure Remix and Clips Permissions
Before
embarking on your plan to transform clips into shorts, be aware that not all
YouTube videos are eligible for clips or remixing. Permissions can be
configured both at the channel and content levels, so it's vital to confirm
these settings as you develop your shorts content plan.
Enable Clips for Your
YouTube Channel
To
enable the Clips feature, navigate to YouTube Studio and access the Settings.
Within the Channel panel, go to the Advanced Settings tab. Activate the
"Allow Visitors to Clip My Content" option to enable this tool for
both your team and other viewers. Once enabled, the Clip button will appear
beneath any public video uploaded to your YouTube channel.
Clips
permissions apply to all public content on your channel and can be toggled on
or off as needed. Keep in mind that if you disable permissions, any clips made
from your long-form videos will disappear, but they will reappear once
permissions are re-enabled.
However,
not all videos are eligible for clipping. Clippable content must be published
as a long-form video (not as a short) and should be at least 2 minutes in
length.
Change Remix Settings
at the Content Level
To
determine whether a clip can be remixed, open it within the YouTube app and
locate the Remix button beneath the video. Tap the button and check for the
"Edit Into a Short" option in the Remix menu. If this option is
available, the clip is eligible for remixing into shorts. If not, you won't be
able to directly remix it into a short.
Your
team controls the remix settings for clips derived from your channel's existing
YouTube videos. Clips automatically inherit the remix settings of the original
video. The simplest way to enable remixing for clips is to set appropriate
permissions when uploading the original content.
During
the video upload process, scroll down to the bottom of the Details screen and
click "See More." Look for the "Shorts Remixing" options.
To allow remixing for clips, check the "Allow Video and Audio
Remixing" option.
Enabling
remixing permits eligible users to sample up to 5 seconds of your long-form
video in their own content. However, it doesn't allow users to import your
content directly into a short video without additional footage or editing. As
of June 2023, only the original creator (your channel) can import up to 60
seconds of a long-form video directly into Shorts.
If
you wish to repurpose a clip that doesn't have the video Remix feature enabled,
you can adjust the settings after the initial upload. Open your YouTube Studio
dashboard and navigate to the Content panel. Edit any video, scroll down to
view the Shorts Remixing settings in the Video Details panel, and select
"Allow Video and Audio Remixing." Save the changes to apply the
settings.
If
you need to enable remixing for multiple videos, you can save time by changing
the settings in bulk. On the Content panel in YouTube Studio, select the videos
in question and click the Edit button to access the drop-down menu. Choose
"Shorts Remixing," then "Allow Video and Audio Remixing,"
and click "Update Videos" to apply the changes.
YouTube's new tool for repurposing clips offers
brands a quick and efficient way to create short-form video content. By
utilizing this tool, teams can maximize the value of their long-form video
clips and produce more shorts in less time, effectively establishing a presence
in both the standard video and Shorts feed on the platform.
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