Is There a Science to YouTube’s Quick Subscribe Tactic?

YouTube Sub4Sub: Does It Really Work?

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Sometimes YouTubers with smaller channels feel like their small subscriber counts are holding them back. There is some truth to this. When you have a higher number of subscribers it is easier to get even more. That is why some users try to use methods like Sub4Sub to improve their numbers.

Sub4Sub, or ‘sub for sub’, is the practice of subscribing to somebody else’s channel in exchange for them subscribing to yours. Whether Sub4Sub works is debatable, but it is fairly popular. YouTubers often send messages to other YouTubers asking if they would like to sub for sub, and there are even off-YouTube sites devoted to connecting YouTubers so they can subscribe to each other. A lot of vloggers do not believe in Sub4Sub, though. This is because they doubt whether subscribers gained this way actually help them get more views on their videos.

This article will explain the pros and cons of Sub4Sub.

Does YouTube Sub4Sub Work

1. Does Sub4Sub Work?

The technical answer is ‘yes’. You can get new subscribers quickly using sub for sub and it is in no way against YouTube’s rules. On the other hand, subscribers gained through sub for sub do not watch or share your videos. Users end up with more subscribers, but their channels do not truly grow.

2. Pros of Sub4Sub

A big part of doing well on YouTube is being engaged in your vlogging community. If a YouTuber with a similar topic to yours approaches you with a Sub4Sub request and you engage them in a conversation it could be the beginning of a great friendship. Beyond subscribing to each other you can share tips, comment on each other’s videos, and maybe even collaborate on a video someday.

Sub4Sub can also help some YouTubers with their confidence. It can be discouraging not to see any growth and being embarrassed over their low subscriber counts can result in vloggers deciding to hide that information. They may feel like their content is being judged badly by people who are not even watching their videos based on how few subscribers they have. Building up a higher number using Sub4Sub may allow some YouTubers to move past these concerns and get back to focusing on making good videos.

3. Cons of Sub4Sub

The reality is that if people are pre-judging your videos based on your stats it is not subscribers they are looking at so much as views. Sub4Sub helps you get subscribers, but in most cases those subscribers will never watch any of your videos. They will also never share them or tell their friends to watch them, the way subscribers gained organically will. So while your subscriber count goes up, your view count stays low.

The situation described in the Pros section, where you talk to each other and comment on each other’s videos, is rare. You are more likely to make friends with other YouTubers after you have already watched each other’s videos or after chatting in a forum. It is worth trying to engage a vlogger with a similar topic to yours if they ask you to sub for sub, but most people who ask will have no intention of interacting with you beyond subscribing to each other. Realistically if you are going to use sub for sub to increase your subscriber count by any significant number you will not have time to have actual conversations with everyone you approach, or to watch their videos.

When you agree to exchange subscriptions with somebody there is also the danger that they will decide to unsubscribe from your channel afterwards. This could happen much later when they realize they do not want to be subscribed to so many people and have forgotten which channels were parts of Sub4Sub agreements. Or it could happen within weeks, days, or even hours of you subscribing to them. There are some dishonest YouTubers who use sub for sub to get subscribers while already planning to unsubscribe to anybody who agrees. Their hope is that the other person will not notice or will not bother unsubscribing from them if they do.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Sometimes YouTubers with smaller channels feel like their small subscriber counts are holding them back. There is some truth to this. When you have a higher number of subscribers it is easier to get even more. That is why some users try to use methods like Sub4Sub to improve their numbers.

Sub4Sub, or ‘sub for sub’, is the practice of subscribing to somebody else’s channel in exchange for them subscribing to yours. Whether Sub4Sub works is debatable, but it is fairly popular. YouTubers often send messages to other YouTubers asking if they would like to sub for sub, and there are even off-YouTube sites devoted to connecting YouTubers so they can subscribe to each other. A lot of vloggers do not believe in Sub4Sub, though. This is because they doubt whether subscribers gained this way actually help them get more views on their videos.

This article will explain the pros and cons of Sub4Sub.

Does YouTube Sub4Sub Work

1. Does Sub4Sub Work?

The technical answer is ‘yes’. You can get new subscribers quickly using sub for sub and it is in no way against YouTube’s rules. On the other hand, subscribers gained through sub for sub do not watch or share your videos. Users end up with more subscribers, but their channels do not truly grow.

2. Pros of Sub4Sub

A big part of doing well on YouTube is being engaged in your vlogging community. If a YouTuber with a similar topic to yours approaches you with a Sub4Sub request and you engage them in a conversation it could be the beginning of a great friendship. Beyond subscribing to each other you can share tips, comment on each other’s videos, and maybe even collaborate on a video someday.

Sub4Sub can also help some YouTubers with their confidence. It can be discouraging not to see any growth and being embarrassed over their low subscriber counts can result in vloggers deciding to hide that information. They may feel like their content is being judged badly by people who are not even watching their videos based on how few subscribers they have. Building up a higher number using Sub4Sub may allow some YouTubers to move past these concerns and get back to focusing on making good videos.

3. Cons of Sub4Sub

The reality is that if people are pre-judging your videos based on your stats it is not subscribers they are looking at so much as views. Sub4Sub helps you get subscribers, but in most cases those subscribers will never watch any of your videos. They will also never share them or tell their friends to watch them, the way subscribers gained organically will. So while your subscriber count goes up, your view count stays low.

The situation described in the Pros section, where you talk to each other and comment on each other’s videos, is rare. You are more likely to make friends with other YouTubers after you have already watched each other’s videos or after chatting in a forum. It is worth trying to engage a vlogger with a similar topic to yours if they ask you to sub for sub, but most people who ask will have no intention of interacting with you beyond subscribing to each other. Realistically if you are going to use sub for sub to increase your subscriber count by any significant number you will not have time to have actual conversations with everyone you approach, or to watch their videos.

When you agree to exchange subscriptions with somebody there is also the danger that they will decide to unsubscribe from your channel afterwards. This could happen much later when they realize they do not want to be subscribed to so many people and have forgotten which channels were parts of Sub4Sub agreements. Or it could happen within weeks, days, or even hours of you subscribing to them. There are some dishonest YouTubers who use sub for sub to get subscribers while already planning to unsubscribe to anybody who agrees. Their hope is that the other person will not notice or will not bother unsubscribing from them if they do.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Sometimes YouTubers with smaller channels feel like their small subscriber counts are holding them back. There is some truth to this. When you have a higher number of subscribers it is easier to get even more. That is why some users try to use methods like Sub4Sub to improve their numbers.

Sub4Sub, or ‘sub for sub’, is the practice of subscribing to somebody else’s channel in exchange for them subscribing to yours. Whether Sub4Sub works is debatable, but it is fairly popular. YouTubers often send messages to other YouTubers asking if they would like to sub for sub, and there are even off-YouTube sites devoted to connecting YouTubers so they can subscribe to each other. A lot of vloggers do not believe in Sub4Sub, though. This is because they doubt whether subscribers gained this way actually help them get more views on their videos.

This article will explain the pros and cons of Sub4Sub.

Does YouTube Sub4Sub Work

1. Does Sub4Sub Work?

The technical answer is ‘yes’. You can get new subscribers quickly using sub for sub and it is in no way against YouTube’s rules. On the other hand, subscribers gained through sub for sub do not watch or share your videos. Users end up with more subscribers, but their channels do not truly grow.

2. Pros of Sub4Sub

A big part of doing well on YouTube is being engaged in your vlogging community. If a YouTuber with a similar topic to yours approaches you with a Sub4Sub request and you engage them in a conversation it could be the beginning of a great friendship. Beyond subscribing to each other you can share tips, comment on each other’s videos, and maybe even collaborate on a video someday.

Sub4Sub can also help some YouTubers with their confidence. It can be discouraging not to see any growth and being embarrassed over their low subscriber counts can result in vloggers deciding to hide that information. They may feel like their content is being judged badly by people who are not even watching their videos based on how few subscribers they have. Building up a higher number using Sub4Sub may allow some YouTubers to move past these concerns and get back to focusing on making good videos.

3. Cons of Sub4Sub

The reality is that if people are pre-judging your videos based on your stats it is not subscribers they are looking at so much as views. Sub4Sub helps you get subscribers, but in most cases those subscribers will never watch any of your videos. They will also never share them or tell their friends to watch them, the way subscribers gained organically will. So while your subscriber count goes up, your view count stays low.

The situation described in the Pros section, where you talk to each other and comment on each other’s videos, is rare. You are more likely to make friends with other YouTubers after you have already watched each other’s videos or after chatting in a forum. It is worth trying to engage a vlogger with a similar topic to yours if they ask you to sub for sub, but most people who ask will have no intention of interacting with you beyond subscribing to each other. Realistically if you are going to use sub for sub to increase your subscriber count by any significant number you will not have time to have actual conversations with everyone you approach, or to watch their videos.

When you agree to exchange subscriptions with somebody there is also the danger that they will decide to unsubscribe from your channel afterwards. This could happen much later when they realize they do not want to be subscribed to so many people and have forgotten which channels were parts of Sub4Sub agreements. Or it could happen within weeks, days, or even hours of you subscribing to them. There are some dishonest YouTubers who use sub for sub to get subscribers while already planning to unsubscribe to anybody who agrees. Their hope is that the other person will not notice or will not bother unsubscribing from them if they do.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

Sometimes YouTubers with smaller channels feel like their small subscriber counts are holding them back. There is some truth to this. When you have a higher number of subscribers it is easier to get even more. That is why some users try to use methods like Sub4Sub to improve their numbers.

Sub4Sub, or ‘sub for sub’, is the practice of subscribing to somebody else’s channel in exchange for them subscribing to yours. Whether Sub4Sub works is debatable, but it is fairly popular. YouTubers often send messages to other YouTubers asking if they would like to sub for sub, and there are even off-YouTube sites devoted to connecting YouTubers so they can subscribe to each other. A lot of vloggers do not believe in Sub4Sub, though. This is because they doubt whether subscribers gained this way actually help them get more views on their videos.

This article will explain the pros and cons of Sub4Sub.

Does YouTube Sub4Sub Work

1. Does Sub4Sub Work?

The technical answer is ‘yes’. You can get new subscribers quickly using sub for sub and it is in no way against YouTube’s rules. On the other hand, subscribers gained through sub for sub do not watch or share your videos. Users end up with more subscribers, but their channels do not truly grow.

2. Pros of Sub4Sub

A big part of doing well on YouTube is being engaged in your vlogging community. If a YouTuber with a similar topic to yours approaches you with a Sub4Sub request and you engage them in a conversation it could be the beginning of a great friendship. Beyond subscribing to each other you can share tips, comment on each other’s videos, and maybe even collaborate on a video someday.

Sub4Sub can also help some YouTubers with their confidence. It can be discouraging not to see any growth and being embarrassed over their low subscriber counts can result in vloggers deciding to hide that information. They may feel like their content is being judged badly by people who are not even watching their videos based on how few subscribers they have. Building up a higher number using Sub4Sub may allow some YouTubers to move past these concerns and get back to focusing on making good videos.

3. Cons of Sub4Sub

The reality is that if people are pre-judging your videos based on your stats it is not subscribers they are looking at so much as views. Sub4Sub helps you get subscribers, but in most cases those subscribers will never watch any of your videos. They will also never share them or tell their friends to watch them, the way subscribers gained organically will. So while your subscriber count goes up, your view count stays low.

The situation described in the Pros section, where you talk to each other and comment on each other’s videos, is rare. You are more likely to make friends with other YouTubers after you have already watched each other’s videos or after chatting in a forum. It is worth trying to engage a vlogger with a similar topic to yours if they ask you to sub for sub, but most people who ask will have no intention of interacting with you beyond subscribing to each other. Realistically if you are going to use sub for sub to increase your subscriber count by any significant number you will not have time to have actual conversations with everyone you approach, or to watch their videos.

When you agree to exchange subscriptions with somebody there is also the danger that they will decide to unsubscribe from your channel afterwards. This could happen much later when they realize they do not want to be subscribed to so many people and have forgotten which channels were parts of Sub4Sub agreements. Or it could happen within weeks, days, or even hours of you subscribing to them. There are some dishonest YouTubers who use sub for sub to get subscribers while already planning to unsubscribe to anybody who agrees. Their hope is that the other person will not notice or will not bother unsubscribing from them if they do.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

How to Make Every Minute Count for View Growth with YouTube Shorts

How to Get More Views with YouTube Shorts

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

One of the biggest challenges that people face while using YouTube Shorts is how to get more views. Many new users wonder what and how should they prepare a video that is both 15-to-60 seconds long, and at the same time, it is engaging enough to make the audience view them with excitement.

With that said, the following sections discuss some best practices, and share a couple of tips to increase views on your YouTube Shorts videos.

• Part 1: Get More Views by Adding Shorts Video to the ‘Featured’ Section
• Part 2: Create Attractive Thumbnail for YouTube Shorts to Get More Views
• Part 3: Optimize YouTube Shorts to Get More Views
• Part 4: How to Analyze YouTube Shorts Performance

---

Part 1: Get More Views by Adding Shorts Video to the ‘Featured’ Section

Comparatively different from other videos, the ones that are added under the ‘Featured’ section are recommended to the audience throughout the YouTube platform on the basis of the algorithms that automatically determine which clips should be liked beach viewer individually.

A cross-platform for making videos anywhere for all creators

Why your video editing isn’t good enough? How about some creative inspo?

• 100 Million+ Users
• 150+ Countries and Regions
• 4 Million+ Social Media Followers
• 5 Million+ Stock Media for Use

Try It Free Try It Free

Try It Free

Try It Free

* Secure Download

To elaborate, generally, YouTube suggests you a video as per your viewing history, browsing statistics, and other such information that the streaming media giant collects over time. On the other hand, the ‘Featured’ videos are suggested according to what YouTube ‘thinks’ might be of your interest, or could be somehow useful to you.

Therefore, when any clip is added as a ‘Featured’ video, YouTube suggests it to more viewers as compared to those that are published under the ‘Recommended’ category.

Note: Although there is a lot more to cover under the ‘Featured’ videos and channels section such as branding, advertisements, etc., such topics are beyond the scope of this piece.

Adding YouTube Shorts videos to the ‘Featured’ section is fairly simple, and the instructions given below explain how this can be done:

Note: It is assumed that you already have a couple of shorts video published on YouTube.

Step 1: Get to YouTube Studio Customization Section

Go to YouTube on your PC’s web browser, sign in to your Google account, click Your videos from the navigation bar in the left, and click Customization from the left bar when the Studio page opens up.

Step 2: Add YouTube Shorts

Click ADD SECTION from the Layout tab in the right window, and click Short videos from the list that appears next to add the YouTube Shorts category.

Step 3: Add Short videos to Featured sections and Save the Changes

Hold the Short videos bar from the moving handle at the left, and move it right below the Featured sections segment. Once the Short videos category is in the right place, click PUBLISH from the top-right corner of the page to save the changes. From this point onward, any YouTube Shorts video that you publish on your channel will be automatically added as ‘Featured’ after its approval.

Part 2: Create Attractive Thumbnail for YouTube Shorts to Get More Views

The thumbnails are the face of the videos that you publish anywhere online. Therefore, it is imperative to take down the default one that is automatically added by YouTube, and add your own, custom image instead.

To have your own thumbnail, you can either pick any frame from within the video itself, or you can upload a separate photo from your PC, and replace the existing one with it.

Things to Consider for creating attractive thumbnail

While using your custom image as a thumbnail for your YouTube Shots videos, a few things that you should keep in mind include:

• Relevance

Make sure that the new photo that you are planning to use as a thumbnail is relevant to the short video. Any image that is out of context might confuse the viewers, and you may lose your audience and the subscribers forever and for good.

• Clarity

Always use an image with clear content and large text (if any). This lets the viewers easily determine whether the video is of their interest.

• Correctness

You should avoid using misleading images as thumbnails. While such photos would attract more viewers initially, people will gradually lose trust in your channel if they do not find what they expect by the glimpse of the thumbnail.

Part 3: Optimize YouTube Shorts to Get More Views

The fact of the matter is, YouTube Shorts videos aren’t much different that any other video that you publish on the platform. Therefore, the process of optimizing both short and regular videos is identical.

A few things that are extremely important, and play a vital role in optimizing YouTube Shorts videos include:

• Attractive Thumbnail

As mentioned above, the thumbnail of a video is its face, and the prettier and appealing the face is the more audience will it attract, and the more hits your video will get. Therefore, ensure to make the thumbnail of your short videos as attractive as you possibly can.

• Compelling Title

The title says it all. Your short videos will have good chances of getting noticed and hits if they have an impulsive and compelling title that can give the viewers a summary of what they can expect from the clip.

• Detailed Description

The description of your short videos should be complete, and must explain the theme, genre, and nature of the clip. With the detailed description, the viewers will be able to assess if the video would be helpful to them in some manner.

• Tags

Make sure to add relevant tags to your short videos. For instance, adding ‘#Shorts’ in the title or description of the video tells YouTube that the clip is created for YouTube Shorts. Likewise, other tags that are related to the genre and/or theme of the short videos help YouTube suggest your media to the relevant audiences across the website.

Filmora - Best YouTube Shorts Video Editor for PC

• Easily record a video on PC and Mac.
• Edit videos quickly with a wide range of gaming effects.
• Rich video tempaltes and resources for YouTube videos.
• Export to MP4, MOV, MKV, GIF and multiple formats.

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Secure Download

Try It Free >>

Part 4: How to Analyze YouTube Shorts Performance

YouTube Shorts are videos that are no more than 60 seconds long in length. When added under the ‘Featured’ category, you can see a significant amount of increment in the hits, and therefore the view count and the playback duration of your YouTube channel gets directly affected.

However, because these short videos cannot be monetized, at times you may notice that even though the total playback duration and view counts of your YouTube channel are high, your earnings may not be as much as what you would receive if those clips were published as regular videos.

FAQ: Will YouTube Shorts Performance Impact Other YouTube Stats?

Yes. As mentioned above, the view counts and playback durations of YouTube Shorts videos are added to your channel’s statistics. Therefore, with the number of views your short videos get, the overall performance of your YouTube stats is affected accordingly.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

One of the biggest challenges that people face while using YouTube Shorts is how to get more views. Many new users wonder what and how should they prepare a video that is both 15-to-60 seconds long, and at the same time, it is engaging enough to make the audience view them with excitement.

With that said, the following sections discuss some best practices, and share a couple of tips to increase views on your YouTube Shorts videos.

• Part 1: Get More Views by Adding Shorts Video to the ‘Featured’ Section
• Part 2: Create Attractive Thumbnail for YouTube Shorts to Get More Views
• Part 3: Optimize YouTube Shorts to Get More Views
• Part 4: How to Analyze YouTube Shorts Performance

---

Part 1: Get More Views by Adding Shorts Video to the ‘Featured’ Section

Comparatively different from other videos, the ones that are added under the ‘Featured’ section are recommended to the audience throughout the YouTube platform on the basis of the algorithms that automatically determine which clips should be liked beach viewer individually.

A cross-platform for making videos anywhere for all creators

Why your video editing isn’t good enough? How about some creative inspo?

• 100 Million+ Users
• 150+ Countries and Regions
• 4 Million+ Social Media Followers
• 5 Million+ Stock Media for Use

Try It Free Try It Free

Try It Free

Try It Free

* Secure Download

To elaborate, generally, YouTube suggests you a video as per your viewing history, browsing statistics, and other such information that the streaming media giant collects over time. On the other hand, the ‘Featured’ videos are suggested according to what YouTube ‘thinks’ might be of your interest, or could be somehow useful to you.

Therefore, when any clip is added as a ‘Featured’ video, YouTube suggests it to more viewers as compared to those that are published under the ‘Recommended’ category.

Note: Although there is a lot more to cover under the ‘Featured’ videos and channels section such as branding, advertisements, etc., such topics are beyond the scope of this piece.

Adding YouTube Shorts videos to the ‘Featured’ section is fairly simple, and the instructions given below explain how this can be done:

Note: It is assumed that you already have a couple of shorts video published on YouTube.

Step 1: Get to YouTube Studio Customization Section

Go to YouTube on your PC’s web browser, sign in to your Google account, click Your videos from the navigation bar in the left, and click Customization from the left bar when the Studio page opens up.

Step 2: Add YouTube Shorts

Click ADD SECTION from the Layout tab in the right window, and click Short videos from the list that appears next to add the YouTube Shorts category.

Step 3: Add Short videos to Featured sections and Save the Changes

Hold the Short videos bar from the moving handle at the left, and move it right below the Featured sections segment. Once the Short videos category is in the right place, click PUBLISH from the top-right corner of the page to save the changes. From this point onward, any YouTube Shorts video that you publish on your channel will be automatically added as ‘Featured’ after its approval.

Part 2: Create Attractive Thumbnail for YouTube Shorts to Get More Views

The thumbnails are the face of the videos that you publish anywhere online. Therefore, it is imperative to take down the default one that is automatically added by YouTube, and add your own, custom image instead.

To have your own thumbnail, you can either pick any frame from within the video itself, or you can upload a separate photo from your PC, and replace the existing one with it.

Things to Consider for creating attractive thumbnail

While using your custom image as a thumbnail for your YouTube Shots videos, a few things that you should keep in mind include:

• Relevance

Make sure that the new photo that you are planning to use as a thumbnail is relevant to the short video. Any image that is out of context might confuse the viewers, and you may lose your audience and the subscribers forever and for good.

• Clarity

Always use an image with clear content and large text (if any). This lets the viewers easily determine whether the video is of their interest.

• Correctness

You should avoid using misleading images as thumbnails. While such photos would attract more viewers initially, people will gradually lose trust in your channel if they do not find what they expect by the glimpse of the thumbnail.

Part 3: Optimize YouTube Shorts to Get More Views

The fact of the matter is, YouTube Shorts videos aren’t much different that any other video that you publish on the platform. Therefore, the process of optimizing both short and regular videos is identical.

A few things that are extremely important, and play a vital role in optimizing YouTube Shorts videos include:

• Attractive Thumbnail

As mentioned above, the thumbnail of a video is its face, and the prettier and appealing the face is the more audience will it attract, and the more hits your video will get. Therefore, ensure to make the thumbnail of your short videos as attractive as you possibly can.

• Compelling Title

The title says it all. Your short videos will have good chances of getting noticed and hits if they have an impulsive and compelling title that can give the viewers a summary of what they can expect from the clip.

• Detailed Description

The description of your short videos should be complete, and must explain the theme, genre, and nature of the clip. With the detailed description, the viewers will be able to assess if the video would be helpful to them in some manner.

• Tags

Make sure to add relevant tags to your short videos. For instance, adding ‘#Shorts’ in the title or description of the video tells YouTube that the clip is created for YouTube Shorts. Likewise, other tags that are related to the genre and/or theme of the short videos help YouTube suggest your media to the relevant audiences across the website.

Filmora - Best YouTube Shorts Video Editor for PC

• Easily record a video on PC and Mac.
• Edit videos quickly with a wide range of gaming effects.
• Rich video tempaltes and resources for YouTube videos.
• Export to MP4, MOV, MKV, GIF and multiple formats.

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Secure Download

Try It Free >>

Part 4: How to Analyze YouTube Shorts Performance

YouTube Shorts are videos that are no more than 60 seconds long in length. When added under the ‘Featured’ category, you can see a significant amount of increment in the hits, and therefore the view count and the playback duration of your YouTube channel gets directly affected.

However, because these short videos cannot be monetized, at times you may notice that even though the total playback duration and view counts of your YouTube channel are high, your earnings may not be as much as what you would receive if those clips were published as regular videos.

FAQ: Will YouTube Shorts Performance Impact Other YouTube Stats?

Yes. As mentioned above, the view counts and playback durations of YouTube Shorts videos are added to your channel’s statistics. Therefore, with the number of views your short videos get, the overall performance of your YouTube stats is affected accordingly.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

One of the biggest challenges that people face while using YouTube Shorts is how to get more views. Many new users wonder what and how should they prepare a video that is both 15-to-60 seconds long, and at the same time, it is engaging enough to make the audience view them with excitement.

With that said, the following sections discuss some best practices, and share a couple of tips to increase views on your YouTube Shorts videos.

• Part 1: Get More Views by Adding Shorts Video to the ‘Featured’ Section
• Part 2: Create Attractive Thumbnail for YouTube Shorts to Get More Views
• Part 3: Optimize YouTube Shorts to Get More Views
• Part 4: How to Analyze YouTube Shorts Performance

---

Part 1: Get More Views by Adding Shorts Video to the ‘Featured’ Section

Comparatively different from other videos, the ones that are added under the ‘Featured’ section are recommended to the audience throughout the YouTube platform on the basis of the algorithms that automatically determine which clips should be liked beach viewer individually.

A cross-platform for making videos anywhere for all creators

Why your video editing isn’t good enough? How about some creative inspo?

• 100 Million+ Users
• 150+ Countries and Regions
• 4 Million+ Social Media Followers
• 5 Million+ Stock Media for Use

Try It Free Try It Free

Try It Free

Try It Free

* Secure Download

To elaborate, generally, YouTube suggests you a video as per your viewing history, browsing statistics, and other such information that the streaming media giant collects over time. On the other hand, the ‘Featured’ videos are suggested according to what YouTube ‘thinks’ might be of your interest, or could be somehow useful to you.

Therefore, when any clip is added as a ‘Featured’ video, YouTube suggests it to more viewers as compared to those that are published under the ‘Recommended’ category.

Note: Although there is a lot more to cover under the ‘Featured’ videos and channels section such as branding, advertisements, etc., such topics are beyond the scope of this piece.

Adding YouTube Shorts videos to the ‘Featured’ section is fairly simple, and the instructions given below explain how this can be done:

Note: It is assumed that you already have a couple of shorts video published on YouTube.

Step 1: Get to YouTube Studio Customization Section

Go to YouTube on your PC’s web browser, sign in to your Google account, click Your videos from the navigation bar in the left, and click Customization from the left bar when the Studio page opens up.

Step 2: Add YouTube Shorts

Click ADD SECTION from the Layout tab in the right window, and click Short videos from the list that appears next to add the YouTube Shorts category.

Step 3: Add Short videos to Featured sections and Save the Changes

Hold the Short videos bar from the moving handle at the left, and move it right below the Featured sections segment. Once the Short videos category is in the right place, click PUBLISH from the top-right corner of the page to save the changes. From this point onward, any YouTube Shorts video that you publish on your channel will be automatically added as ‘Featured’ after its approval.

Part 2: Create Attractive Thumbnail for YouTube Shorts to Get More Views

The thumbnails are the face of the videos that you publish anywhere online. Therefore, it is imperative to take down the default one that is automatically added by YouTube, and add your own, custom image instead.

To have your own thumbnail, you can either pick any frame from within the video itself, or you can upload a separate photo from your PC, and replace the existing one with it.

Things to Consider for creating attractive thumbnail

While using your custom image as a thumbnail for your YouTube Shots videos, a few things that you should keep in mind include:

• Relevance

Make sure that the new photo that you are planning to use as a thumbnail is relevant to the short video. Any image that is out of context might confuse the viewers, and you may lose your audience and the subscribers forever and for good.

• Clarity

Always use an image with clear content and large text (if any). This lets the viewers easily determine whether the video is of their interest.

• Correctness

You should avoid using misleading images as thumbnails. While such photos would attract more viewers initially, people will gradually lose trust in your channel if they do not find what they expect by the glimpse of the thumbnail.

Part 3: Optimize YouTube Shorts to Get More Views

The fact of the matter is, YouTube Shorts videos aren’t much different that any other video that you publish on the platform. Therefore, the process of optimizing both short and regular videos is identical.

A few things that are extremely important, and play a vital role in optimizing YouTube Shorts videos include:

• Attractive Thumbnail

As mentioned above, the thumbnail of a video is its face, and the prettier and appealing the face is the more audience will it attract, and the more hits your video will get. Therefore, ensure to make the thumbnail of your short videos as attractive as you possibly can.

• Compelling Title

The title says it all. Your short videos will have good chances of getting noticed and hits if they have an impulsive and compelling title that can give the viewers a summary of what they can expect from the clip.

• Detailed Description

The description of your short videos should be complete, and must explain the theme, genre, and nature of the clip. With the detailed description, the viewers will be able to assess if the video would be helpful to them in some manner.

• Tags

Make sure to add relevant tags to your short videos. For instance, adding ‘#Shorts’ in the title or description of the video tells YouTube that the clip is created for YouTube Shorts. Likewise, other tags that are related to the genre and/or theme of the short videos help YouTube suggest your media to the relevant audiences across the website.

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Part 4: How to Analyze YouTube Shorts Performance

YouTube Shorts are videos that are no more than 60 seconds long in length. When added under the ‘Featured’ category, you can see a significant amount of increment in the hits, and therefore the view count and the playback duration of your YouTube channel gets directly affected.

However, because these short videos cannot be monetized, at times you may notice that even though the total playback duration and view counts of your YouTube channel are high, your earnings may not be as much as what you would receive if those clips were published as regular videos.

FAQ: Will YouTube Shorts Performance Impact Other YouTube Stats?

Yes. As mentioned above, the view counts and playback durations of YouTube Shorts videos are added to your channel’s statistics. Therefore, with the number of views your short videos get, the overall performance of your YouTube stats is affected accordingly.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett

Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions

One of the biggest challenges that people face while using YouTube Shorts is how to get more views. Many new users wonder what and how should they prepare a video that is both 15-to-60 seconds long, and at the same time, it is engaging enough to make the audience view them with excitement.

With that said, the following sections discuss some best practices, and share a couple of tips to increase views on your YouTube Shorts videos.

• Part 1: Get More Views by Adding Shorts Video to the ‘Featured’ Section
• Part 2: Create Attractive Thumbnail for YouTube Shorts to Get More Views
• Part 3: Optimize YouTube Shorts to Get More Views
• Part 4: How to Analyze YouTube Shorts Performance

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Part 1: Get More Views by Adding Shorts Video to the ‘Featured’ Section

Comparatively different from other videos, the ones that are added under the ‘Featured’ section are recommended to the audience throughout the YouTube platform on the basis of the algorithms that automatically determine which clips should be liked beach viewer individually.

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To elaborate, generally, YouTube suggests you a video as per your viewing history, browsing statistics, and other such information that the streaming media giant collects over time. On the other hand, the ‘Featured’ videos are suggested according to what YouTube ‘thinks’ might be of your interest, or could be somehow useful to you.

Therefore, when any clip is added as a ‘Featured’ video, YouTube suggests it to more viewers as compared to those that are published under the ‘Recommended’ category.

Note: Although there is a lot more to cover under the ‘Featured’ videos and channels section such as branding, advertisements, etc., such topics are beyond the scope of this piece.

Adding YouTube Shorts videos to the ‘Featured’ section is fairly simple, and the instructions given below explain how this can be done:

Note: It is assumed that you already have a couple of shorts video published on YouTube.

Step 1: Get to YouTube Studio Customization Section

Go to YouTube on your PC’s web browser, sign in to your Google account, click Your videos from the navigation bar in the left, and click Customization from the left bar when the Studio page opens up.

Step 2: Add YouTube Shorts

Click ADD SECTION from the Layout tab in the right window, and click Short videos from the list that appears next to add the YouTube Shorts category.

Step 3: Add Short videos to Featured sections and Save the Changes

Hold the Short videos bar from the moving handle at the left, and move it right below the Featured sections segment. Once the Short videos category is in the right place, click PUBLISH from the top-right corner of the page to save the changes. From this point onward, any YouTube Shorts video that you publish on your channel will be automatically added as ‘Featured’ after its approval.

Part 2: Create Attractive Thumbnail for YouTube Shorts to Get More Views

The thumbnails are the face of the videos that you publish anywhere online. Therefore, it is imperative to take down the default one that is automatically added by YouTube, and add your own, custom image instead.

To have your own thumbnail, you can either pick any frame from within the video itself, or you can upload a separate photo from your PC, and replace the existing one with it.

Things to Consider for creating attractive thumbnail

While using your custom image as a thumbnail for your YouTube Shots videos, a few things that you should keep in mind include:

• Relevance

Make sure that the new photo that you are planning to use as a thumbnail is relevant to the short video. Any image that is out of context might confuse the viewers, and you may lose your audience and the subscribers forever and for good.

• Clarity

Always use an image with clear content and large text (if any). This lets the viewers easily determine whether the video is of their interest.

• Correctness

You should avoid using misleading images as thumbnails. While such photos would attract more viewers initially, people will gradually lose trust in your channel if they do not find what they expect by the glimpse of the thumbnail.

Part 3: Optimize YouTube Shorts to Get More Views

The fact of the matter is, YouTube Shorts videos aren’t much different that any other video that you publish on the platform. Therefore, the process of optimizing both short and regular videos is identical.

A few things that are extremely important, and play a vital role in optimizing YouTube Shorts videos include:

• Attractive Thumbnail

As mentioned above, the thumbnail of a video is its face, and the prettier and appealing the face is the more audience will it attract, and the more hits your video will get. Therefore, ensure to make the thumbnail of your short videos as attractive as you possibly can.

• Compelling Title

The title says it all. Your short videos will have good chances of getting noticed and hits if they have an impulsive and compelling title that can give the viewers a summary of what they can expect from the clip.

• Detailed Description

The description of your short videos should be complete, and must explain the theme, genre, and nature of the clip. With the detailed description, the viewers will be able to assess if the video would be helpful to them in some manner.

• Tags

Make sure to add relevant tags to your short videos. For instance, adding ‘#Shorts’ in the title or description of the video tells YouTube that the clip is created for YouTube Shorts. Likewise, other tags that are related to the genre and/or theme of the short videos help YouTube suggest your media to the relevant audiences across the website.

Filmora - Best YouTube Shorts Video Editor for PC

• Easily record a video on PC and Mac.
• Edit videos quickly with a wide range of gaming effects.
• Rich video tempaltes and resources for YouTube videos.
• Export to MP4, MOV, MKV, GIF and multiple formats.

Try It Free

For Win 7 or later (64-bit)

Try It Free

For macOS 10.12 or later

Secure Download

Try It Free >>

Part 4: How to Analyze YouTube Shorts Performance

YouTube Shorts are videos that are no more than 60 seconds long in length. When added under the ‘Featured’ category, you can see a significant amount of increment in the hits, and therefore the view count and the playback duration of your YouTube channel gets directly affected.

However, because these short videos cannot be monetized, at times you may notice that even though the total playback duration and view counts of your YouTube channel are high, your earnings may not be as much as what you would receive if those clips were published as regular videos.

FAQ: Will YouTube Shorts Performance Impact Other YouTube Stats?

Yes. As mentioned above, the view counts and playback durations of YouTube Shorts videos are added to your channel’s statistics. Therefore, with the number of views your short videos get, the overall performance of your YouTube stats is affected accordingly.

Richard Bennett

Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.

Follow @Richard Bennett

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