What You Need to Know About YouTube’s New TikTok-Like Feature, Shorts

Over the last few months, YouTube has been beta-testing their version of TikTok and Instagram Reels in India. The new feature, Shorts, is a short-form video experience on YouTube for creators who want to share short, catchy videos using their mobile phones. Per YouTube’s chief product officer, Neal Mohan, testing in India has been successful, with Shorts being viewed over 3.5 billion times per day worldwide.

Now, YouTube is getting ready to release the Shorts feature in the United States this month! This news comes as no surprise, as short-form video content has been exploding on social media, especially during this past year due to the ongoing pandemic. For example, TikTok’s business has been booming with people stuck at home being entertained by a never-ending stream of new, short videos at their fingertips.

Shorts is an exciting update for the popular video platform, making creating content more accessible, allowing you to create fun content quickly without spending weeks producing and editing full videos. As explained by the platform:

“Every year, increasing numbers of people come to YouTube to launch their own channel. But we know there’s still a huge amount of people who find the bar for creation too high. That’s why we’re working on Shorts, our new short-form video tool that lets creators and artists shoot snappy videos with nothing but their mobile phones.” 

When the feature becomes available, you will see a carousel at the top of the YouTube home page. Users will be able to flip from one video to the next by scrolling vertically – just like TikTok! To get started, all you will need to do is access the in-app camera or upload a pre-shot video from your camera roll. Any vertical video that is 15-seconds or less meets the requirements to be featured in the carousel!

When creating Shorts, you will be able to:

• Film and upload videos of 15-seconds or less.
• Edit your video with a set of creative tools.
• Stitch various clips together with a multi-segment camera.
• Add music to videos from a growing library.
• Speed up or slow down videos.
• Go hands-free with timers and countdowns.

Businesses of all sizes will need to pay attention to the growth of YouTube Shorts and consider adding it to your existing digital marketing strategy. With over 2 billion monthly active users, this is a fantastic opportunity for your brand to reach more people and have fun while doing so. We cannot wait for this feature to be released, and we will share more information as we learn more!

Ready to start creating short-form video content? Call, DM, or email us at sbellem@bbrookstone.com to get started. We would love to help you shine on YouTube and beyond!