Adding another form of content to your mix isn’t appealing, but sometimes the benefits outweigh the inconvenience. YouTube Shorts, in particular, present a unique opportunity for growth in 2023.

You may want to consider starting if you’re not already posting Shorts. Here are five reasons to consider pumping out Shorts regularly this year.

YouTube is boosting Shorts

Short-form video has the unique benefit of being actively promoted to new audiences. The more people like your Shorts, the more those Shorts will be recommended to others outside your existing subscribers. Long videos also appear in recommendations, but people have to click on them based on the title and thumbnail. With Shorts, the title and thumbnail don’t matter as much when your video shows up directly in someone’s feed.

YouTube appears to be on a mission to dethrone TikTok as the leader in short-form video content. To this end, they’re encouraging creators to make Shorts by promoting them heavily and putting this content in front of as many people as possible. Whenever a platform pushes creators to use a new feature, it’s an excellent time to get in and enjoy the attention. Take the opportunity to get in now while YouTube still focuses on Shorts as the new, shiny feature. 2023 could be a year of enormous audience growth if you play your cards right.

Monetization is here!

As of February 2023, Shorts have access to monetization. Previously, monetization was only for those with a YouTube account enrolled in the Partner Program or Shorts creators who qualified for the creator fund. Now, creators can monetize Shorts through the Partnership Program, even if that’s all you post. Long-form video content isn’t required to join the Partnership Program anymore, with new standards in place that allow Shorts creators to join.

This is a big step forward for YouTube since Shorts will pay around 45% of the income generated from your views. Compared to TikTok’s creator fund model with a static pool for all payouts, Shorts are a clear winner for long-term monetization.

You may not be eligible for this monetization path at first. Still, it’s possible to gain a lot of momentum pretty quickly with Shorts. The Partnership Program will add another stream of income that’s way more consistent and better paying than TikTok.

Shorts drive engagement

A higher engagement rate can be great for growing your community and reaching a new audience. The more engagement you have, the more your content is shown to new people. If you’re looking for a way to grow your audience and build a following, Shorts could be invaluable for putting your name in front of more eyes in 2023.

Let’s look at the stats.

Audience Retention

For standard YouTube videos, average retention rates are around 40-60%, with top performers reaching closer to 80%. In contrast, short videos between 30-60 seconds have average retention rates closer to 60-80%. Short-form videos have much better retention rates because they don’t take as much commitment from your audience to get through them. Watching 30-60 seconds at a time is easier than sitting through 3+ minutes of a video.

Engagement Rates

The same trends for retention also apply to engagement. While a good engagement rate for regular YouTube videos is between 3.5-6%, short-form videos have almost 3x the engagement rates. There’s not enough good data on Shorts specifically, but a standard engagement rate on TikTok can be as high as 18%.

Deciphering the Stats

Higher engagement sets the stage for you to expand your audience. It’s all about increasing your ability to reach people, whether that leads to conversions or not. With Shorts, you’ll likely get more viewers and engagement on your content. It’s up to you to turn those new viewers into repeat visitors who follow through on your call to action.

Barrier to entry is low

There’s a very gentle learning curve for creating Shorts, even if you’ve never recorded a video before. You don’t need equipment beyond a phone, tablet, or computer. It’s a great way to dip your toes into something new that can hugely impact your audience growth.

Creating and publishing Shorts directly from the YouTube app is simple, but keep in mind that Shorts is still a newer feature for YouTube. It’s not as mature of a product as TikTok, so the editing tools are not as extensive. There aren’t as many filters, sounds, or effects right now. Don’t let that stop you from giving it a try. The Shorts editor will likely receive regular updates over time, getting it closer to the smooth, intuitive experience you get on TikTok.

Note: While you can create videos on third-party apps and then upload them to Shorts, that may hinder your growth and monetization. If your videos contain music, they’ll get a copyright strike immediately unless you reattach the music through the YouTube Shorts editor. Getting used to the Shorts editor and learning how to make your content there directly is better.

Reuse Shorts around your website & social media

Because shorts are 60 seconds or less, they work well in many different places online. Spruce up your existing content or slide some Shorts into other curated social media feeds. They’re great for punctuating long articles and speaking directly to your audience. You can even have a simple introductory video on your homepage to keep new website visitors interested while introducing yourself.

Shorts are versatile. How you use them is up to you. Short-form video fits in well on most platforms. A few use-case examples could be:

  • How-to guides
  • Landing pages
  • Customer testimonials
  • Product demonstrations
  • Tips & tricks demonstrations
  • Previews for long-form content pieces

Shorts can work for any content, whether you’re educating or entertaining your audience. Reusing Shorts helps you diversify your other content without increasing your workload. Any time you get more use out of the same content, it’s a win!


Were you thinking of adding Shorts to your content mix this year? Why or why not? Let us know in the comments below!