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"Perfecting YouTube Shorts Step-by-Step Video Production Tips"
Perfecting YouTube Shorts: Step-by-Step Video Production Tips
YouTube Shorts Ultimate Guide in 2024
Richard Bennett
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Since smartphones are cheap and easily available in the market today, and there is also a huge range of contents to view online, a majority of users prefer watching videos that are both short enough to convey the message within a few seconds, and can be seen on your phone’s screen with decent picture quality. Considering this, Google lately came up with a Tik Tok-style app calledYouTube shorts that can be accessed right from your Android or iPhone as long as you are using the YouTube app, and are signed in to your Google account.
That said, in the following sections you will learn everything about the YouTube Shorts app, and how it could help you gain more viewers for your YouTube channel.
- Part 1: What Is YouTube Shorts?
- Part 2: How to Make and Upload a YouTube Shorts Video with Shorts App?
- Part 3: Creating Vertical YouTube Shorts Video in Filmora [Step by Step Tutorial]
Part 1: What Is YouTube Shorts?
A short and quick answer to the question is, YouTube Shorts is a Tik Tok competitor developed by Google and can be accessed via the YouTube app on an Android or iOS device. In order to use the YouTube Shorts app, all you need to do is, sign in to your YouTube account on the YouTube app, and you are good to go.
1. YouTube Shorts Release History
At the time of this writing, YouTube Shorts is still in the Beta phase, and there is a lot more that the developers at Google have yet to explore and discover. However, for now, the fully functional variant of the program is available only for users in India on Android and iOS platforms.
2. YouTube Shorts Target Audience
A majority of people who can be called the target audience for YouTube Shorts are the artists and creators looking forward to getting noticed. Some of them could also be among those who wish to become an influencer, or get their YouTube channel more subscribers to be able to become eligible for YouTube Partnership Program.
And of course, the viewers and subscribers cannot be left alone when talking about the target audiences of YouTube Shorts as without them, there’s no point in creating short videos in the first place.
The type of contents that the viewers expect to see as YouTube Shorts could include:
- Entertainment – While movies are of longer duration, roasting the characters in it, or explaining some other stuff to the subscribers could be one of the things that could keep the viewers engaged
- Gaming – Some extraordinary gaming tips, tricks, and skills can be demonstrated in a short video
- How-To – A couple of brief how-to illustrations can yet be another attraction for DIY-loving viewers
- Science and Technology – A short introduction of upcoming gadgets or applications along with their usability can be explained within the timeframe of 60 seconds as well
In addition to the above, a few other categories could be People and Places, Music, Domestic and Wild Animals, Education, etc.
3. YouTube Shorts Content Requirements
While creating YouTube Shorts, there are certain guidelines that must be followed. These points include:
- YouTube Shorts videos must not be more than 60 seconds long
- The videos must be vertically shot, and must not be in the landscape orientation
- You can have multiple short videos clubbed together. However, the total length of the final video must not exceed 60 seconds in duration
- While posting YouTube Shorts videos, the title or the description must contain ‘#shorts’ in it
Certain things that you must keep in mind while creating YouTube Shorts include:
- YouTube Shorts cannot be monetized. However, they can serve as a good medium to attract and redirect the audiences to your main YouTube channel which may contain several videos that are eligible for monetization.
- The number of views and the total playtime of the YouTube Shorts videos DO affect your YouTube channel statistics
4. Where People Can Find YouTube Shorts
As mentioned earlier, YouTube Shorts can be accessed by launching the YouTube app on your Android or iOS device. You can use YouTube Shorts by clicking the + (Add) icon present at the bottom. Once the YouTube Shorts app is initialized, you can easily create and publish short videos by following the simple on-screen instructions.
Part 2: How to Make and Upload a YouTube Shorts Video with Shorts App?
You can follow the instructions given below to make and upload a YouTube Shorts video using the YouTube Shorts app:
Step 1: Record a Video with YouTube Shorts
Launch the YouTube app on your Android or iOS smart device (Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ is used here for demonstration), make sure that you are signed in to your Google account, tap the + (Add) button present at the bottom of the screen, tap Create a Short on the popup box that appears next, tap the Record button on the next window to start the recording. Once you are done, tap the Stop button to stop the recording.
Step 2: Edit the Video
Tap Music from the bottom of the screen to add background music to the video. The music that you can use in your short videos must be either created by you, or you should have permission to use them. However, the audio files that the Music library contains is made available by Google, is royalty-free, and can be used throughout the platform.
Likewise, you can tap Text to add captions as well. As for the text type, the app offers various formatting options such as alignment (left, center, and right), text highlighter, font changer, and even color selector. Further, the Speed and Timer icons at the top-right area allow you to manage the playback speed anywhere between 0.3x to 3x, and automatically stop the recording after the set time limit respectively. Once everything is set up, tap NEXT from the top-right corner to proceed to the next step.
Step 3: Pick Target Audience Type
On the Add details window, tap Select audience, and on the Select audience window, tap to select the appropriate radio button to define whether the video is suitable for kids. Tap the Back button once the target audience is selected.
Step 4: Add Details and Upload the Video
Enter a title for the video in the Title field. Make sure to include #shorts to help YouTube understand that you are preparing a YouTube Shorts video. Next, tap UPLOAD from the upper-right corner of the screen to submit the video for review. Once YouTube reviews the recording and finds it appropriate, it will be published on the portal, and will be visible throughout and even under the Shorts category of the main page.
Part 3: How to Create a Vertical YouTube Shorts Video in Filmora?
The YouTube Shorts app is pretty convenient to access and use alright. However, it doesn’t allow you to fine edit the videos. The app doesn’t even have many filtering options such as Effects, Elements, etc. to make your videos more engaging.
With that said, you can always use an efficient third-party program like Wondershare Filmora to create professionally-looking YouTube Shorts videos to attract your viewers.
When talking about Wondershare Filmora, it is a production and post-production app available for both Windows and Mac computers, and gives tough competition to some of the globally accepted similar programs like Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro X, etc. Furthermore, Filmora has its own built-in screen, webcam, and voice recording features that can be used to prepare interactive videos, game walkthroughs, and voiceovers as needed.
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
For macOS 10.12 or later
Secure Download
The following step-by-step guide teaches you how to use Wondershare Filmora to create a vertical YouTube Shorts video:
Note: Before proceeding to the instructions, make sure that you have already recorded a vertical video using your cellphone, and that it has been transferred to your PC.
Step 1: Add the Video to Timeline
Launch Wondershare Filmora on your Windows or Mac PC (a Windows 10 computer is used here for demonstration), go to File > New Project, and click 9:16 (Portrait). Click anywhere inside the Media box, and select and import the source vertical video from your PC to Filmora.
Next, hover the mouse over the clip in the Media box, click the + button that appears at the bottom-right corner of the thumbnail, and in the resolution confirmation box that comes up next, click the button under the Match to Media section to add the video in the correct orientation to the Timeline at the bottom.
Step 2: Edit the Video
Select the clip in the Timeline, and use the Split, Crop, Speed, etc. buttons above the Timeline itself to remove the unwanted portions from the clip, manage its playback speed, and do other fine-tuning tasks.
You can even click the Edit button, and use the available editing features like Motion Tracking and Stabilization to add text or objects to a moving body in the video and stabilize the clip if the camera shook during the recording session respectively. Click OK to save the changes when done.
Note: To be able to remain compliant with the YouTube Shorts policies, make sure that the video length is no longer than 60 seconds.
Step 3: Beautify the Video
Click Titles from the standard toolbox at the top, choose your preferred text category from the list in the left, hover the mouse over a decent preset in the right window, and click the + button at the bottom-right corner of the thumbnail to add the preset on top of the media track in the Timeline. Next, you can double-click the preset track in the Timeline to modify the text and make granular modifications to it as needed. Click OK to save the changes.
Similarly, you can select the Effects and Elements tools to add effects and elements to the video as needed. To add background music, you can go to the Audio tool, and pick your preferred preset from the available options. A custom music can be added by going to the Media tool, and importing an audio file from your PC using the method explained in Step 1.
After this, optionally, you can go to Split Screen from the standard toolbar at the top, and use your preferred Split Screen preset to club multiple video clips into one screen. In Filmora, you can add as many as 6 screens in a video.
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
For macOS 10.12 or later
Secure Download
Step 4: Render the Final Output
Once everything is set up, click EXPORT from the top of the window, go to the Local tab on the Export window, select MP4 from the formats list in the left, give a name and configure other settings from the available options in the right, and click EXPORT from the bottom-right corner to create a YouTube Shorts video. Once the clip is generated, you can upload the video to YouTube using #Shorts in the title or description to publish the video under the YouTube Shorts section.
FAQs About YouTube Shorts
- Where to download the YouTube Shorts app?
The YouTube Shorts app is already present in the YouTube app that your Android or iOS smartphone has. All you need to do to access it is, sign in to your Google account, tap the + button at the bottom, and tap Create a Short in the popup box that comes up.
- What if YouTube Shorts is not showing on my YouTube app?
Make sure that your YouTube app is updated to its latest version. If the app is already updated, and YouTube Shorts is still unavailable, the chances are that Google hasn’t rolled the app in your region. Since YouTube Shorts is still in its Beta phase, only the region of India can use all the functions of the app at the time of this writing. In such a case, you are suggested to wait until the YouTube Shorts app is made available for your location.
- What’s the YouTube Shorts video duration?
A YouTube Shorts video can be of only up to 60 seconds.
- What’s the YouTube Shorts size limitation?
YouTube hasn’t provided any information related to this as of now. However, you can rest assure that a 60 seconds long video file wouldn’t be too large for YouTube to handle.
- How many subs do you need to access Shorts?
YouTube Shorts is available for everyone regardless of the number of subscribers the channel has.
- Can you make money on Shorts?
Unfortunately, NO. Although you cannot monetize the recordings published as YouTube Shorts, they can be a good source to drive subscribers to your main YouTube channel that may have the videos that can be monetized.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Since smartphones are cheap and easily available in the market today, and there is also a huge range of contents to view online, a majority of users prefer watching videos that are both short enough to convey the message within a few seconds, and can be seen on your phone’s screen with decent picture quality. Considering this, Google lately came up with a Tik Tok-style app calledYouTube shorts that can be accessed right from your Android or iPhone as long as you are using the YouTube app, and are signed in to your Google account.
That said, in the following sections you will learn everything about the YouTube Shorts app, and how it could help you gain more viewers for your YouTube channel.
- Part 1: What Is YouTube Shorts?
- Part 2: How to Make and Upload a YouTube Shorts Video with Shorts App?
- Part 3: Creating Vertical YouTube Shorts Video in Filmora [Step by Step Tutorial]
Part 1: What Is YouTube Shorts?
A short and quick answer to the question is, YouTube Shorts is a Tik Tok competitor developed by Google and can be accessed via the YouTube app on an Android or iOS device. In order to use the YouTube Shorts app, all you need to do is, sign in to your YouTube account on the YouTube app, and you are good to go.
1. YouTube Shorts Release History
At the time of this writing, YouTube Shorts is still in the Beta phase, and there is a lot more that the developers at Google have yet to explore and discover. However, for now, the fully functional variant of the program is available only for users in India on Android and iOS platforms.
2. YouTube Shorts Target Audience
A majority of people who can be called the target audience for YouTube Shorts are the artists and creators looking forward to getting noticed. Some of them could also be among those who wish to become an influencer, or get their YouTube channel more subscribers to be able to become eligible for YouTube Partnership Program.
And of course, the viewers and subscribers cannot be left alone when talking about the target audiences of YouTube Shorts as without them, there’s no point in creating short videos in the first place.
The type of contents that the viewers expect to see as YouTube Shorts could include:
- Entertainment – While movies are of longer duration, roasting the characters in it, or explaining some other stuff to the subscribers could be one of the things that could keep the viewers engaged
- Gaming – Some extraordinary gaming tips, tricks, and skills can be demonstrated in a short video
- How-To – A couple of brief how-to illustrations can yet be another attraction for DIY-loving viewers
- Science and Technology – A short introduction of upcoming gadgets or applications along with their usability can be explained within the timeframe of 60 seconds as well
In addition to the above, a few other categories could be People and Places, Music, Domestic and Wild Animals, Education, etc.
3. YouTube Shorts Content Requirements
While creating YouTube Shorts, there are certain guidelines that must be followed. These points include:
- YouTube Shorts videos must not be more than 60 seconds long
- The videos must be vertically shot, and must not be in the landscape orientation
- You can have multiple short videos clubbed together. However, the total length of the final video must not exceed 60 seconds in duration
- While posting YouTube Shorts videos, the title or the description must contain ‘#shorts’ in it
Certain things that you must keep in mind while creating YouTube Shorts include:
- YouTube Shorts cannot be monetized. However, they can serve as a good medium to attract and redirect the audiences to your main YouTube channel which may contain several videos that are eligible for monetization.
- The number of views and the total playtime of the YouTube Shorts videos DO affect your YouTube channel statistics
4. Where People Can Find YouTube Shorts
As mentioned earlier, YouTube Shorts can be accessed by launching the YouTube app on your Android or iOS device. You can use YouTube Shorts by clicking the + (Add) icon present at the bottom. Once the YouTube Shorts app is initialized, you can easily create and publish short videos by following the simple on-screen instructions.
Part 2: How to Make and Upload a YouTube Shorts Video with Shorts App?
You can follow the instructions given below to make and upload a YouTube Shorts video using the YouTube Shorts app:
Step 1: Record a Video with YouTube Shorts
Launch the YouTube app on your Android or iOS smart device (Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ is used here for demonstration), make sure that you are signed in to your Google account, tap the + (Add) button present at the bottom of the screen, tap Create a Short on the popup box that appears next, tap the Record button on the next window to start the recording. Once you are done, tap the Stop button to stop the recording.
Step 2: Edit the Video
Tap Music from the bottom of the screen to add background music to the video. The music that you can use in your short videos must be either created by you, or you should have permission to use them. However, the audio files that the Music library contains is made available by Google, is royalty-free, and can be used throughout the platform.
Likewise, you can tap Text to add captions as well. As for the text type, the app offers various formatting options such as alignment (left, center, and right), text highlighter, font changer, and even color selector. Further, the Speed and Timer icons at the top-right area allow you to manage the playback speed anywhere between 0.3x to 3x, and automatically stop the recording after the set time limit respectively. Once everything is set up, tap NEXT from the top-right corner to proceed to the next step.
Step 3: Pick Target Audience Type
On the Add details window, tap Select audience, and on the Select audience window, tap to select the appropriate radio button to define whether the video is suitable for kids. Tap the Back button once the target audience is selected.
Step 4: Add Details and Upload the Video
Enter a title for the video in the Title field. Make sure to include #shorts to help YouTube understand that you are preparing a YouTube Shorts video. Next, tap UPLOAD from the upper-right corner of the screen to submit the video for review. Once YouTube reviews the recording and finds it appropriate, it will be published on the portal, and will be visible throughout and even under the Shorts category of the main page.
Part 3: How to Create a Vertical YouTube Shorts Video in Filmora?
The YouTube Shorts app is pretty convenient to access and use alright. However, it doesn’t allow you to fine edit the videos. The app doesn’t even have many filtering options such as Effects, Elements, etc. to make your videos more engaging.
With that said, you can always use an efficient third-party program like Wondershare Filmora to create professionally-looking YouTube Shorts videos to attract your viewers.
When talking about Wondershare Filmora, it is a production and post-production app available for both Windows and Mac computers, and gives tough competition to some of the globally accepted similar programs like Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro X, etc. Furthermore, Filmora has its own built-in screen, webcam, and voice recording features that can be used to prepare interactive videos, game walkthroughs, and voiceovers as needed.
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
For macOS 10.12 or later
Secure Download
The following step-by-step guide teaches you how to use Wondershare Filmora to create a vertical YouTube Shorts video:
Note: Before proceeding to the instructions, make sure that you have already recorded a vertical video using your cellphone, and that it has been transferred to your PC.
Step 1: Add the Video to Timeline
Launch Wondershare Filmora on your Windows or Mac PC (a Windows 10 computer is used here for demonstration), go to File > New Project, and click 9:16 (Portrait). Click anywhere inside the Media box, and select and import the source vertical video from your PC to Filmora.
Next, hover the mouse over the clip in the Media box, click the + button that appears at the bottom-right corner of the thumbnail, and in the resolution confirmation box that comes up next, click the button under the Match to Media section to add the video in the correct orientation to the Timeline at the bottom.
Step 2: Edit the Video
Select the clip in the Timeline, and use the Split, Crop, Speed, etc. buttons above the Timeline itself to remove the unwanted portions from the clip, manage its playback speed, and do other fine-tuning tasks.
You can even click the Edit button, and use the available editing features like Motion Tracking and Stabilization to add text or objects to a moving body in the video and stabilize the clip if the camera shook during the recording session respectively. Click OK to save the changes when done.
Note: To be able to remain compliant with the YouTube Shorts policies, make sure that the video length is no longer than 60 seconds.
Step 3: Beautify the Video
Click Titles from the standard toolbox at the top, choose your preferred text category from the list in the left, hover the mouse over a decent preset in the right window, and click the + button at the bottom-right corner of the thumbnail to add the preset on top of the media track in the Timeline. Next, you can double-click the preset track in the Timeline to modify the text and make granular modifications to it as needed. Click OK to save the changes.
Similarly, you can select the Effects and Elements tools to add effects and elements to the video as needed. To add background music, you can go to the Audio tool, and pick your preferred preset from the available options. A custom music can be added by going to the Media tool, and importing an audio file from your PC using the method explained in Step 1.
After this, optionally, you can go to Split Screen from the standard toolbar at the top, and use your preferred Split Screen preset to club multiple video clips into one screen. In Filmora, you can add as many as 6 screens in a video.
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
For macOS 10.12 or later
Secure Download
Step 4: Render the Final Output
Once everything is set up, click EXPORT from the top of the window, go to the Local tab on the Export window, select MP4 from the formats list in the left, give a name and configure other settings from the available options in the right, and click EXPORT from the bottom-right corner to create a YouTube Shorts video. Once the clip is generated, you can upload the video to YouTube using #Shorts in the title or description to publish the video under the YouTube Shorts section.
FAQs About YouTube Shorts
- Where to download the YouTube Shorts app?
The YouTube Shorts app is already present in the YouTube app that your Android or iOS smartphone has. All you need to do to access it is, sign in to your Google account, tap the + button at the bottom, and tap Create a Short in the popup box that comes up.
- What if YouTube Shorts is not showing on my YouTube app?
Make sure that your YouTube app is updated to its latest version. If the app is already updated, and YouTube Shorts is still unavailable, the chances are that Google hasn’t rolled the app in your region. Since YouTube Shorts is still in its Beta phase, only the region of India can use all the functions of the app at the time of this writing. In such a case, you are suggested to wait until the YouTube Shorts app is made available for your location.
- What’s the YouTube Shorts video duration?
A YouTube Shorts video can be of only up to 60 seconds.
- What’s the YouTube Shorts size limitation?
YouTube hasn’t provided any information related to this as of now. However, you can rest assure that a 60 seconds long video file wouldn’t be too large for YouTube to handle.
- How many subs do you need to access Shorts?
YouTube Shorts is available for everyone regardless of the number of subscribers the channel has.
- Can you make money on Shorts?
Unfortunately, NO. Although you cannot monetize the recordings published as YouTube Shorts, they can be a good source to drive subscribers to your main YouTube channel that may have the videos that can be monetized.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Since smartphones are cheap and easily available in the market today, and there is also a huge range of contents to view online, a majority of users prefer watching videos that are both short enough to convey the message within a few seconds, and can be seen on your phone’s screen with decent picture quality. Considering this, Google lately came up with a Tik Tok-style app calledYouTube shorts that can be accessed right from your Android or iPhone as long as you are using the YouTube app, and are signed in to your Google account.
That said, in the following sections you will learn everything about the YouTube Shorts app, and how it could help you gain more viewers for your YouTube channel.
- Part 1: What Is YouTube Shorts?
- Part 2: How to Make and Upload a YouTube Shorts Video with Shorts App?
- Part 3: Creating Vertical YouTube Shorts Video in Filmora [Step by Step Tutorial]
Part 1: What Is YouTube Shorts?
A short and quick answer to the question is, YouTube Shorts is a Tik Tok competitor developed by Google and can be accessed via the YouTube app on an Android or iOS device. In order to use the YouTube Shorts app, all you need to do is, sign in to your YouTube account on the YouTube app, and you are good to go.
1. YouTube Shorts Release History
At the time of this writing, YouTube Shorts is still in the Beta phase, and there is a lot more that the developers at Google have yet to explore and discover. However, for now, the fully functional variant of the program is available only for users in India on Android and iOS platforms.
2. YouTube Shorts Target Audience
A majority of people who can be called the target audience for YouTube Shorts are the artists and creators looking forward to getting noticed. Some of them could also be among those who wish to become an influencer, or get their YouTube channel more subscribers to be able to become eligible for YouTube Partnership Program.
And of course, the viewers and subscribers cannot be left alone when talking about the target audiences of YouTube Shorts as without them, there’s no point in creating short videos in the first place.
The type of contents that the viewers expect to see as YouTube Shorts could include:
- Entertainment – While movies are of longer duration, roasting the characters in it, or explaining some other stuff to the subscribers could be one of the things that could keep the viewers engaged
- Gaming – Some extraordinary gaming tips, tricks, and skills can be demonstrated in a short video
- How-To – A couple of brief how-to illustrations can yet be another attraction for DIY-loving viewers
- Science and Technology – A short introduction of upcoming gadgets or applications along with their usability can be explained within the timeframe of 60 seconds as well
In addition to the above, a few other categories could be People and Places, Music, Domestic and Wild Animals, Education, etc.
3. YouTube Shorts Content Requirements
While creating YouTube Shorts, there are certain guidelines that must be followed. These points include:
- YouTube Shorts videos must not be more than 60 seconds long
- The videos must be vertically shot, and must not be in the landscape orientation
- You can have multiple short videos clubbed together. However, the total length of the final video must not exceed 60 seconds in duration
- While posting YouTube Shorts videos, the title or the description must contain ‘#shorts’ in it
Certain things that you must keep in mind while creating YouTube Shorts include:
- YouTube Shorts cannot be monetized. However, they can serve as a good medium to attract and redirect the audiences to your main YouTube channel which may contain several videos that are eligible for monetization.
- The number of views and the total playtime of the YouTube Shorts videos DO affect your YouTube channel statistics
4. Where People Can Find YouTube Shorts
As mentioned earlier, YouTube Shorts can be accessed by launching the YouTube app on your Android or iOS device. You can use YouTube Shorts by clicking the + (Add) icon present at the bottom. Once the YouTube Shorts app is initialized, you can easily create and publish short videos by following the simple on-screen instructions.
Part 2: How to Make and Upload a YouTube Shorts Video with Shorts App?
You can follow the instructions given below to make and upload a YouTube Shorts video using the YouTube Shorts app:
Step 1: Record a Video with YouTube Shorts
Launch the YouTube app on your Android or iOS smart device (Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ is used here for demonstration), make sure that you are signed in to your Google account, tap the + (Add) button present at the bottom of the screen, tap Create a Short on the popup box that appears next, tap the Record button on the next window to start the recording. Once you are done, tap the Stop button to stop the recording.
Step 2: Edit the Video
Tap Music from the bottom of the screen to add background music to the video. The music that you can use in your short videos must be either created by you, or you should have permission to use them. However, the audio files that the Music library contains is made available by Google, is royalty-free, and can be used throughout the platform.
Likewise, you can tap Text to add captions as well. As for the text type, the app offers various formatting options such as alignment (left, center, and right), text highlighter, font changer, and even color selector. Further, the Speed and Timer icons at the top-right area allow you to manage the playback speed anywhere between 0.3x to 3x, and automatically stop the recording after the set time limit respectively. Once everything is set up, tap NEXT from the top-right corner to proceed to the next step.
Step 3: Pick Target Audience Type
On the Add details window, tap Select audience, and on the Select audience window, tap to select the appropriate radio button to define whether the video is suitable for kids. Tap the Back button once the target audience is selected.
Step 4: Add Details and Upload the Video
Enter a title for the video in the Title field. Make sure to include #shorts to help YouTube understand that you are preparing a YouTube Shorts video. Next, tap UPLOAD from the upper-right corner of the screen to submit the video for review. Once YouTube reviews the recording and finds it appropriate, it will be published on the portal, and will be visible throughout and even under the Shorts category of the main page.
Part 3: How to Create a Vertical YouTube Shorts Video in Filmora?
The YouTube Shorts app is pretty convenient to access and use alright. However, it doesn’t allow you to fine edit the videos. The app doesn’t even have many filtering options such as Effects, Elements, etc. to make your videos more engaging.
With that said, you can always use an efficient third-party program like Wondershare Filmora to create professionally-looking YouTube Shorts videos to attract your viewers.
When talking about Wondershare Filmora, it is a production and post-production app available for both Windows and Mac computers, and gives tough competition to some of the globally accepted similar programs like Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro X, etc. Furthermore, Filmora has its own built-in screen, webcam, and voice recording features that can be used to prepare interactive videos, game walkthroughs, and voiceovers as needed.
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
For macOS 10.12 or later
Secure Download
The following step-by-step guide teaches you how to use Wondershare Filmora to create a vertical YouTube Shorts video:
Note: Before proceeding to the instructions, make sure that you have already recorded a vertical video using your cellphone, and that it has been transferred to your PC.
Step 1: Add the Video to Timeline
Launch Wondershare Filmora on your Windows or Mac PC (a Windows 10 computer is used here for demonstration), go to File > New Project, and click 9:16 (Portrait). Click anywhere inside the Media box, and select and import the source vertical video from your PC to Filmora.
Next, hover the mouse over the clip in the Media box, click the + button that appears at the bottom-right corner of the thumbnail, and in the resolution confirmation box that comes up next, click the button under the Match to Media section to add the video in the correct orientation to the Timeline at the bottom.
Step 2: Edit the Video
Select the clip in the Timeline, and use the Split, Crop, Speed, etc. buttons above the Timeline itself to remove the unwanted portions from the clip, manage its playback speed, and do other fine-tuning tasks.
You can even click the Edit button, and use the available editing features like Motion Tracking and Stabilization to add text or objects to a moving body in the video and stabilize the clip if the camera shook during the recording session respectively. Click OK to save the changes when done.
Note: To be able to remain compliant with the YouTube Shorts policies, make sure that the video length is no longer than 60 seconds.
Step 3: Beautify the Video
Click Titles from the standard toolbox at the top, choose your preferred text category from the list in the left, hover the mouse over a decent preset in the right window, and click the + button at the bottom-right corner of the thumbnail to add the preset on top of the media track in the Timeline. Next, you can double-click the preset track in the Timeline to modify the text and make granular modifications to it as needed. Click OK to save the changes.
Similarly, you can select the Effects and Elements tools to add effects and elements to the video as needed. To add background music, you can go to the Audio tool, and pick your preferred preset from the available options. A custom music can be added by going to the Media tool, and importing an audio file from your PC using the method explained in Step 1.
After this, optionally, you can go to Split Screen from the standard toolbar at the top, and use your preferred Split Screen preset to club multiple video clips into one screen. In Filmora, you can add as many as 6 screens in a video.
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
For macOS 10.12 or later
Secure Download
Step 4: Render the Final Output
Once everything is set up, click EXPORT from the top of the window, go to the Local tab on the Export window, select MP4 from the formats list in the left, give a name and configure other settings from the available options in the right, and click EXPORT from the bottom-right corner to create a YouTube Shorts video. Once the clip is generated, you can upload the video to YouTube using #Shorts in the title or description to publish the video under the YouTube Shorts section.
FAQs About YouTube Shorts
- Where to download the YouTube Shorts app?
The YouTube Shorts app is already present in the YouTube app that your Android or iOS smartphone has. All you need to do to access it is, sign in to your Google account, tap the + button at the bottom, and tap Create a Short in the popup box that comes up.
- What if YouTube Shorts is not showing on my YouTube app?
Make sure that your YouTube app is updated to its latest version. If the app is already updated, and YouTube Shorts is still unavailable, the chances are that Google hasn’t rolled the app in your region. Since YouTube Shorts is still in its Beta phase, only the region of India can use all the functions of the app at the time of this writing. In such a case, you are suggested to wait until the YouTube Shorts app is made available for your location.
- What’s the YouTube Shorts video duration?
A YouTube Shorts video can be of only up to 60 seconds.
- What’s the YouTube Shorts size limitation?
YouTube hasn’t provided any information related to this as of now. However, you can rest assure that a 60 seconds long video file wouldn’t be too large for YouTube to handle.
- How many subs do you need to access Shorts?
YouTube Shorts is available for everyone regardless of the number of subscribers the channel has.
- Can you make money on Shorts?
Unfortunately, NO. Although you cannot monetize the recordings published as YouTube Shorts, they can be a good source to drive subscribers to your main YouTube channel that may have the videos that can be monetized.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett
Mar 27, 2024• Proven solutions
Since smartphones are cheap and easily available in the market today, and there is also a huge range of contents to view online, a majority of users prefer watching videos that are both short enough to convey the message within a few seconds, and can be seen on your phone’s screen with decent picture quality. Considering this, Google lately came up with a Tik Tok-style app calledYouTube shorts that can be accessed right from your Android or iPhone as long as you are using the YouTube app, and are signed in to your Google account.
That said, in the following sections you will learn everything about the YouTube Shorts app, and how it could help you gain more viewers for your YouTube channel.
- Part 1: What Is YouTube Shorts?
- Part 2: How to Make and Upload a YouTube Shorts Video with Shorts App?
- Part 3: Creating Vertical YouTube Shorts Video in Filmora [Step by Step Tutorial]
Part 1: What Is YouTube Shorts?
A short and quick answer to the question is, YouTube Shorts is a Tik Tok competitor developed by Google and can be accessed via the YouTube app on an Android or iOS device. In order to use the YouTube Shorts app, all you need to do is, sign in to your YouTube account on the YouTube app, and you are good to go.
1. YouTube Shorts Release History
At the time of this writing, YouTube Shorts is still in the Beta phase, and there is a lot more that the developers at Google have yet to explore and discover. However, for now, the fully functional variant of the program is available only for users in India on Android and iOS platforms.
2. YouTube Shorts Target Audience
A majority of people who can be called the target audience for YouTube Shorts are the artists and creators looking forward to getting noticed. Some of them could also be among those who wish to become an influencer, or get their YouTube channel more subscribers to be able to become eligible for YouTube Partnership Program.
And of course, the viewers and subscribers cannot be left alone when talking about the target audiences of YouTube Shorts as without them, there’s no point in creating short videos in the first place.
The type of contents that the viewers expect to see as YouTube Shorts could include:
- Entertainment – While movies are of longer duration, roasting the characters in it, or explaining some other stuff to the subscribers could be one of the things that could keep the viewers engaged
- Gaming – Some extraordinary gaming tips, tricks, and skills can be demonstrated in a short video
- How-To – A couple of brief how-to illustrations can yet be another attraction for DIY-loving viewers
- Science and Technology – A short introduction of upcoming gadgets or applications along with their usability can be explained within the timeframe of 60 seconds as well
In addition to the above, a few other categories could be People and Places, Music, Domestic and Wild Animals, Education, etc.
3. YouTube Shorts Content Requirements
While creating YouTube Shorts, there are certain guidelines that must be followed. These points include:
- YouTube Shorts videos must not be more than 60 seconds long
- The videos must be vertically shot, and must not be in the landscape orientation
- You can have multiple short videos clubbed together. However, the total length of the final video must not exceed 60 seconds in duration
- While posting YouTube Shorts videos, the title or the description must contain ‘#shorts’ in it
Certain things that you must keep in mind while creating YouTube Shorts include:
- YouTube Shorts cannot be monetized. However, they can serve as a good medium to attract and redirect the audiences to your main YouTube channel which may contain several videos that are eligible for monetization.
- The number of views and the total playtime of the YouTube Shorts videos DO affect your YouTube channel statistics
4. Where People Can Find YouTube Shorts
As mentioned earlier, YouTube Shorts can be accessed by launching the YouTube app on your Android or iOS device. You can use YouTube Shorts by clicking the + (Add) icon present at the bottom. Once the YouTube Shorts app is initialized, you can easily create and publish short videos by following the simple on-screen instructions.
Part 2: How to Make and Upload a YouTube Shorts Video with Shorts App?
You can follow the instructions given below to make and upload a YouTube Shorts video using the YouTube Shorts app:
Step 1: Record a Video with YouTube Shorts
Launch the YouTube app on your Android or iOS smart device (Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ is used here for demonstration), make sure that you are signed in to your Google account, tap the + (Add) button present at the bottom of the screen, tap Create a Short on the popup box that appears next, tap the Record button on the next window to start the recording. Once you are done, tap the Stop button to stop the recording.
Step 2: Edit the Video
Tap Music from the bottom of the screen to add background music to the video. The music that you can use in your short videos must be either created by you, or you should have permission to use them. However, the audio files that the Music library contains is made available by Google, is royalty-free, and can be used throughout the platform.
Likewise, you can tap Text to add captions as well. As for the text type, the app offers various formatting options such as alignment (left, center, and right), text highlighter, font changer, and even color selector. Further, the Speed and Timer icons at the top-right area allow you to manage the playback speed anywhere between 0.3x to 3x, and automatically stop the recording after the set time limit respectively. Once everything is set up, tap NEXT from the top-right corner to proceed to the next step.
Step 3: Pick Target Audience Type
On the Add details window, tap Select audience, and on the Select audience window, tap to select the appropriate radio button to define whether the video is suitable for kids. Tap the Back button once the target audience is selected.
Step 4: Add Details and Upload the Video
Enter a title for the video in the Title field. Make sure to include #shorts to help YouTube understand that you are preparing a YouTube Shorts video. Next, tap UPLOAD from the upper-right corner of the screen to submit the video for review. Once YouTube reviews the recording and finds it appropriate, it will be published on the portal, and will be visible throughout and even under the Shorts category of the main page.
Part 3: How to Create a Vertical YouTube Shorts Video in Filmora?
The YouTube Shorts app is pretty convenient to access and use alright. However, it doesn’t allow you to fine edit the videos. The app doesn’t even have many filtering options such as Effects, Elements, etc. to make your videos more engaging.
With that said, you can always use an efficient third-party program like Wondershare Filmora to create professionally-looking YouTube Shorts videos to attract your viewers.
When talking about Wondershare Filmora, it is a production and post-production app available for both Windows and Mac computers, and gives tough competition to some of the globally accepted similar programs like Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro X, etc. Furthermore, Filmora has its own built-in screen, webcam, and voice recording features that can be used to prepare interactive videos, game walkthroughs, and voiceovers as needed.
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
For macOS 10.12 or later
Secure Download
The following step-by-step guide teaches you how to use Wondershare Filmora to create a vertical YouTube Shorts video:
Note: Before proceeding to the instructions, make sure that you have already recorded a vertical video using your cellphone, and that it has been transferred to your PC.
Step 1: Add the Video to Timeline
Launch Wondershare Filmora on your Windows or Mac PC (a Windows 10 computer is used here for demonstration), go to File > New Project, and click 9:16 (Portrait). Click anywhere inside the Media box, and select and import the source vertical video from your PC to Filmora.
Next, hover the mouse over the clip in the Media box, click the + button that appears at the bottom-right corner of the thumbnail, and in the resolution confirmation box that comes up next, click the button under the Match to Media section to add the video in the correct orientation to the Timeline at the bottom.
Step 2: Edit the Video
Select the clip in the Timeline, and use the Split, Crop, Speed, etc. buttons above the Timeline itself to remove the unwanted portions from the clip, manage its playback speed, and do other fine-tuning tasks.
You can even click the Edit button, and use the available editing features like Motion Tracking and Stabilization to add text or objects to a moving body in the video and stabilize the clip if the camera shook during the recording session respectively. Click OK to save the changes when done.
Note: To be able to remain compliant with the YouTube Shorts policies, make sure that the video length is no longer than 60 seconds.
Step 3: Beautify the Video
Click Titles from the standard toolbox at the top, choose your preferred text category from the list in the left, hover the mouse over a decent preset in the right window, and click the + button at the bottom-right corner of the thumbnail to add the preset on top of the media track in the Timeline. Next, you can double-click the preset track in the Timeline to modify the text and make granular modifications to it as needed. Click OK to save the changes.
Similarly, you can select the Effects and Elements tools to add effects and elements to the video as needed. To add background music, you can go to the Audio tool, and pick your preferred preset from the available options. A custom music can be added by going to the Media tool, and importing an audio file from your PC using the method explained in Step 1.
After this, optionally, you can go to Split Screen from the standard toolbar at the top, and use your preferred Split Screen preset to club multiple video clips into one screen. In Filmora, you can add as many as 6 screens in a video.
For Win 7 or later (64-bit)
Secure Download
For macOS 10.12 or later
Secure Download
Step 4: Render the Final Output
Once everything is set up, click EXPORT from the top of the window, go to the Local tab on the Export window, select MP4 from the formats list in the left, give a name and configure other settings from the available options in the right, and click EXPORT from the bottom-right corner to create a YouTube Shorts video. Once the clip is generated, you can upload the video to YouTube using #Shorts in the title or description to publish the video under the YouTube Shorts section.
FAQs About YouTube Shorts
- Where to download the YouTube Shorts app?
The YouTube Shorts app is already present in the YouTube app that your Android or iOS smartphone has. All you need to do to access it is, sign in to your Google account, tap the + button at the bottom, and tap Create a Short in the popup box that comes up.
- What if YouTube Shorts is not showing on my YouTube app?
Make sure that your YouTube app is updated to its latest version. If the app is already updated, and YouTube Shorts is still unavailable, the chances are that Google hasn’t rolled the app in your region. Since YouTube Shorts is still in its Beta phase, only the region of India can use all the functions of the app at the time of this writing. In such a case, you are suggested to wait until the YouTube Shorts app is made available for your location.
- What’s the YouTube Shorts video duration?
A YouTube Shorts video can be of only up to 60 seconds.
- What’s the YouTube Shorts size limitation?
YouTube hasn’t provided any information related to this as of now. However, you can rest assure that a 60 seconds long video file wouldn’t be too large for YouTube to handle.
- How many subs do you need to access Shorts?
YouTube Shorts is available for everyone regardless of the number of subscribers the channel has.
- Can you make money on Shorts?
Unfortunately, NO. Although you cannot monetize the recordings published as YouTube Shorts, they can be a good source to drive subscribers to your main YouTube channel that may have the videos that can be monetized.
Richard Bennett
Richard Bennett is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Richard Bennett
SEO Tactics to Increase YouTube Traffic and Views
The 12-step YouTube SEO Guide for Beginners Who Want More Views
Shanoon Cox
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
The joy of creating on YouTube is often dampened by the disappointment of underperforming videos. You have published your content and it’s not getting the views you had hoped.
Well, let’s change that!
In this guide, I’m going to walk you through YouTube SEO from the very start to the very end.
Nothing complicated. No paid programs or expensive apps needed. We are going back to basics and get your videos discovered.
Ready?
Let’s Go!
Part 1: Research Your Topic and Competitors
Come up with a video idea . Can’t come up with one? Let me help. I heard you can make a mean scrambled egg, why don’t you show the world how you do it?
Excellent! Let’s go with that idea.
Wait, don’t go making the video yet. First, we have to do some research. We need to know what videos already exist out there.
Step 1: Find Related Videos
Do a quick search on YouTube to see what videos already exist on your topic.
Uh oh… your video will be competing against celebrities like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.
Okay, don’t panic! There is a fantastic quote, credited to bestselling author, Jon Acuff , that goes:
While researching your competition, you will feel overwhelmed, but remember, you are at the beginning, and Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver are not even at their middle, they are way passed the finish line. You still have a long journey to go, so don’t get discouraged, get inspired!
Watch those videos and understand what they are all about.
Understand that people watch YouTube for 3 key reasons:
- To be entertained
- To learn something new
- To be inspired
A video that can hit all 3 marks is going to be positioned for success. Don’t fret too much about the competition, as long as your content is good, you will see improvement.
So if you think this scrambled egg idea can hit those 3 marks, then I encourage you to go to the next step. If you don’t, let’s regroup and brainstorm some more YouTube video ideas .
Step 2: Find Keywords
Now that we’ve decided that we are sticking with the video idea, we are ready to do some keyword research. Keywords are the words and phrases people type in the YouTube search bar to discover videos.
Come up with as many relevant keywords as you can. Start by entering a keyword into the YouTube search bar. This will tell you what are the most popular searches associated with that keyword:
Once you have an idea of what people are searching for related to your topic, you’ll want to find more relevant keywords. I like to use the free app, Ubersuggest to do that.
This app gives you a whole list of long-tail keywords, which are 3-4-word phrases which is specific to what your video is about.
Some you will use to dig deeper in and other you will deem irrelevant to your videos. A good way of determining the value of a keyword is by the stats the application shows.
How to Read Keyword Suggestions
Once you have a list of keywords, you will see some numbers on the right-hand side. Here is what each one is about:
- Search volume is the number used to identify the popularity of the keyword. The higher the number the more people are searching for it.
- CPC is the value accredited by YouTube, determining how much advertisers are paying to target audiences who search for that keyword and click on the link.
- Competition is the number used to qualify how many other content are using that keyword.
The two categories that matter most to us right now is Search Volume and Competition. We want keywords with high search volume and low competition rate.
In the example above, you can see that the keyword “avocado scrambled eggs” has a Search Volume of 1,000 and a competition rate of 0.0. This is a good keyword to target, if you can incorporate an avocado to your dish… which of course you can!
Step 3: Write Title
I know you might want to deal with the Title, Description, and Tags after you’ve filmed and edited your video. But if you want to apply a YouTube SEO-focused strategy, then these should be addressed before you even pick up a camera as it can greatly dictate the content you end up creating.
A good YouTube title sparks curiosity, evokes emotional reaction, and promises value to your viewers.
Of course you can title your video simply: Making Scrambled Eggs
But does it spark curiosity? Not really… most people can make scrambled eggs.
Does it evoke any emotion? Maybe hunger… but even then, not really…
Finally, does it promise value? Well, assuming that most people can at least crack an egg into a pan, then hardly.
Your scrambled egg is special! Your video is special! We need to evoke that in the title — and as long as you are not writing any clickbait and deliver on what the title suggest, you can do this.
So, how about this: Are My Amazing Scrambled Eggs Better Than Gordon Ramsay’s?
Hmmm… Well, is it? We know that the Gordon Ramsay’s video has almost 30M views. Many people have already tried cooking it, I’m sure. There is only one way to find out, by encouraging others to try it over Gordon’s.
You don’t need to go for a somewhat contentious title like this, but that’s the idea, you want something that gets people curious, make them feel a certain way, and in the end, make them better for having watched your video.
See how a good title can guide the rest of your video?
Step 4: Write Description
You aren’t going to be writing the description for the viewers necessarily, you are going to be writing it for YouTube’s algorithms. The better YouTube understands what your video is about, the better they can show it to people searching for it.
This means you need to include the keywords you were researching at the beginning of your description, as YouTube will be using them to identify the content of your video. 1 or 2 keywords that best represent your video is enough. Don’t stuff the title with too many keywords or you’ll risk sounding like a robot.
But also use the description for practical uses too, if you have additional information such as supportive links, outline of the video’s content, a list of materials, step-by-step guide, or a recipe that you think your human viewers will find useful, you should input that in the description as well.
Step 5: Write Tags
Thank goodness we did the keyword research in Step 2, because coming up with tags is not as easy as it looks.
Pull 15 keywords from the list and keep it somewhere safe.
Note: The keywords you used in the title should be found in your tags, and since they are the most important ones, you should place them first.
Organize your keywords in the tag as such:
Have the specific keywords at the top, followed by more general keywords, and then branded ones:
Specific: How to make scrambled eggs
General: Scrambled eggs
Branded: Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs
Part 2: Make The Best Darn Video Possible
It doesn’t matter how relevant your keywords are or how epic your title is, if you video sucks (i.e. your viewers click in and leave right away), YouTube will not show it in search.
Even if you haven’t created any videos yet, you can follow these next steps to ensure you are following the best practices to structure your video.
Step 6: Plan and Film the Hook
The first few seconds is where the largest percentage of your earned viewership will drop off. Odds are 20% of your viewers won’t even get past the first 10 seconds .
What you need is a hook, an intro that ensures this video is what they want to watch and let’s them know what they can expect.
Step 7: Film B-Roll
One static camera shot of you talking or cooking or giving a tutorial can cause your viewers to lose attention.
In order to keep your viewers interest, you will need b-roll, or supplemental footage you can cut to give you video more life.
While jump cuts (cuts made on a sequential clip of the same subject or in the same camera position) are fine, having additional footage to cut to will make your video feel more fluid.
So when you are filming your scrambled egg video, make sure you get some footage of you cracking the egg, scrambling it, and serving it on the plate.
Step 8: Encourage Viewers to Engage in Video
Liking, disliking, subscribing, and commenting on your video will all help your performance indirectly.
While YouTube wouldn’t rank your video higher simply because you have more likes subscribers, or comments, engagement from viewers help your video get discovered. If you get a like or comment from a YouTuber with a lot of subscribers, your video may be visible to those who are following that YouTuber for a while.
The best way to get engagement from your audience is to encourage them to like and subscribe or ask them a question or start a dialogue.
For example, in this scrambled egg video you are making, at the end you can ask, “So what do you think, is this better than Gordon Ramsay?”
Who knows, who will respond.
Step 9: Design a Thumbnail
You could have made a brilliant video, but if you have a poor quality thumbnail that is unattractive, then the overall performance of your video will suffer — and good SEO can only do so much after that.
Your viewers will absolutely judge your video by its cover so it’s important to put some thought into it and not solely rely on the three random thumbnail choices that YouTube picks for you.
Take a look at your competition. If they all look the same, do something different. Add text or a human face (preferably yours) to evoke emotion, as viewers are more likely to click into a video if they see an expressive image.
Don’t want to pay money for a photo editing software such as Photoshop?
You can use an online service called Canva or download GIMP , an open-source photo editor much like Photoshop, but far less powerful. These will help you get the job done as you are starting out.
Want to know more thumbnail maker? Check our picks of the best free YouTube thumbnail makers .
Part 3: Publishing With Attention to Optimization
Well done finishing the video! You are almost there… but not there yet.
Come on, keep going!
Step 10: Fill Out Your Videos Assets
The video is done, the thumbnail is designed, and you have all your title, description, and tags ready to go. This step is easy, upload the video, and fill out the assets, and give yourself a pat on the back.
Step 11: Add Transcripts
In addition to making your content accessible for people who don’t want to or can’t listen to the audio in your video, adding subtitles and closed captions will help YouTube understand the spoken content in your video.
While YouTube does have an automatic subtitle generator, it’s not reliable enough to be used for identifying the keywords you use in your video.
You can choose to write out the whole transcript of your video yourself, but if you are press on time, which of course you are, you can simply go and edit the automatic transcript already available in your video. By the way, you can also use some automatic transcription software.
Step 12: Add Video to Playlist
Finally the last thing you need to do for your video is to add it to a playlist. Even though it might be the first video in the playlist, it helps YouTube identify your video if you organize it in a playlist. As you accumulate more content, having videos in playlists makes content easier to find and keeps relevant videos together.
When viewers searches, having your videos in playlists increases the chance of it being discovered.
So if your first video is about scrambled eggs, maybe you next video can be about the awesome butter toasts.
I guess, you are on your way to making a pretty badass breakfast playlist. I personally can’t wait to see it!
If you treat SEO as an afterthought, only after your video is created, you are not using it to its full potential. If you follow these 12 steps during the course of your production, you will find that SEO doesn’t simply help your video perform at the end, but contributes in all the other phases of creating your video as well.
Besides considering YouTube SEO, you should make a good YouTube video as well. Filmora is a powerful video editing software that features lots of templates and effects. Get the free trial version below and have a try today.
Do you have any questions about SEO? Please leave us a comment below.
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
The joy of creating on YouTube is often dampened by the disappointment of underperforming videos. You have published your content and it’s not getting the views you had hoped.
Well, let’s change that!
In this guide, I’m going to walk you through YouTube SEO from the very start to the very end.
Nothing complicated. No paid programs or expensive apps needed. We are going back to basics and get your videos discovered.
Ready?
Let’s Go!
Part 1: Research Your Topic and Competitors
Come up with a video idea . Can’t come up with one? Let me help. I heard you can make a mean scrambled egg, why don’t you show the world how you do it?
Excellent! Let’s go with that idea.
Wait, don’t go making the video yet. First, we have to do some research. We need to know what videos already exist out there.
Step 1: Find Related Videos
Do a quick search on YouTube to see what videos already exist on your topic.
Uh oh… your video will be competing against celebrities like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.
Okay, don’t panic! There is a fantastic quote, credited to bestselling author, Jon Acuff , that goes:
While researching your competition, you will feel overwhelmed, but remember, you are at the beginning, and Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver are not even at their middle, they are way passed the finish line. You still have a long journey to go, so don’t get discouraged, get inspired!
Watch those videos and understand what they are all about.
Understand that people watch YouTube for 3 key reasons:
- To be entertained
- To learn something new
- To be inspired
A video that can hit all 3 marks is going to be positioned for success. Don’t fret too much about the competition, as long as your content is good, you will see improvement.
So if you think this scrambled egg idea can hit those 3 marks, then I encourage you to go to the next step. If you don’t, let’s regroup and brainstorm some more YouTube video ideas .
Step 2: Find Keywords
Now that we’ve decided that we are sticking with the video idea, we are ready to do some keyword research. Keywords are the words and phrases people type in the YouTube search bar to discover videos.
Come up with as many relevant keywords as you can. Start by entering a keyword into the YouTube search bar. This will tell you what are the most popular searches associated with that keyword:
Once you have an idea of what people are searching for related to your topic, you’ll want to find more relevant keywords. I like to use the free app, Ubersuggest to do that.
This app gives you a whole list of long-tail keywords, which are 3-4-word phrases which is specific to what your video is about.
Some you will use to dig deeper in and other you will deem irrelevant to your videos. A good way of determining the value of a keyword is by the stats the application shows.
How to Read Keyword Suggestions
Once you have a list of keywords, you will see some numbers on the right-hand side. Here is what each one is about:
- Search volume is the number used to identify the popularity of the keyword. The higher the number the more people are searching for it.
- CPC is the value accredited by YouTube, determining how much advertisers are paying to target audiences who search for that keyword and click on the link.
- Competition is the number used to qualify how many other content are using that keyword.
The two categories that matter most to us right now is Search Volume and Competition. We want keywords with high search volume and low competition rate.
In the example above, you can see that the keyword “avocado scrambled eggs” has a Search Volume of 1,000 and a competition rate of 0.0. This is a good keyword to target, if you can incorporate an avocado to your dish… which of course you can!
Step 3: Write Title
I know you might want to deal with the Title, Description, and Tags after you’ve filmed and edited your video. But if you want to apply a YouTube SEO-focused strategy, then these should be addressed before you even pick up a camera as it can greatly dictate the content you end up creating.
A good YouTube title sparks curiosity, evokes emotional reaction, and promises value to your viewers.
Of course you can title your video simply: Making Scrambled Eggs
But does it spark curiosity? Not really… most people can make scrambled eggs.
Does it evoke any emotion? Maybe hunger… but even then, not really…
Finally, does it promise value? Well, assuming that most people can at least crack an egg into a pan, then hardly.
Your scrambled egg is special! Your video is special! We need to evoke that in the title — and as long as you are not writing any clickbait and deliver on what the title suggest, you can do this.
So, how about this: Are My Amazing Scrambled Eggs Better Than Gordon Ramsay’s?
Hmmm… Well, is it? We know that the Gordon Ramsay’s video has almost 30M views. Many people have already tried cooking it, I’m sure. There is only one way to find out, by encouraging others to try it over Gordon’s.
You don’t need to go for a somewhat contentious title like this, but that’s the idea, you want something that gets people curious, make them feel a certain way, and in the end, make them better for having watched your video.
See how a good title can guide the rest of your video?
Step 4: Write Description
You aren’t going to be writing the description for the viewers necessarily, you are going to be writing it for YouTube’s algorithms. The better YouTube understands what your video is about, the better they can show it to people searching for it.
This means you need to include the keywords you were researching at the beginning of your description, as YouTube will be using them to identify the content of your video. 1 or 2 keywords that best represent your video is enough. Don’t stuff the title with too many keywords or you’ll risk sounding like a robot.
But also use the description for practical uses too, if you have additional information such as supportive links, outline of the video’s content, a list of materials, step-by-step guide, or a recipe that you think your human viewers will find useful, you should input that in the description as well.
Step 5: Write Tags
Thank goodness we did the keyword research in Step 2, because coming up with tags is not as easy as it looks.
Pull 15 keywords from the list and keep it somewhere safe.
Note: The keywords you used in the title should be found in your tags, and since they are the most important ones, you should place them first.
Organize your keywords in the tag as such:
Have the specific keywords at the top, followed by more general keywords, and then branded ones:
Specific: How to make scrambled eggs
General: Scrambled eggs
Branded: Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs
Part 2: Make The Best Darn Video Possible
It doesn’t matter how relevant your keywords are or how epic your title is, if you video sucks (i.e. your viewers click in and leave right away), YouTube will not show it in search.
Even if you haven’t created any videos yet, you can follow these next steps to ensure you are following the best practices to structure your video.
Step 6: Plan and Film the Hook
The first few seconds is where the largest percentage of your earned viewership will drop off. Odds are 20% of your viewers won’t even get past the first 10 seconds .
What you need is a hook, an intro that ensures this video is what they want to watch and let’s them know what they can expect.
Step 7: Film B-Roll
One static camera shot of you talking or cooking or giving a tutorial can cause your viewers to lose attention.
In order to keep your viewers interest, you will need b-roll, or supplemental footage you can cut to give you video more life.
While jump cuts (cuts made on a sequential clip of the same subject or in the same camera position) are fine, having additional footage to cut to will make your video feel more fluid.
So when you are filming your scrambled egg video, make sure you get some footage of you cracking the egg, scrambling it, and serving it on the plate.
Step 8: Encourage Viewers to Engage in Video
Liking, disliking, subscribing, and commenting on your video will all help your performance indirectly.
While YouTube wouldn’t rank your video higher simply because you have more likes subscribers, or comments, engagement from viewers help your video get discovered. If you get a like or comment from a YouTuber with a lot of subscribers, your video may be visible to those who are following that YouTuber for a while.
The best way to get engagement from your audience is to encourage them to like and subscribe or ask them a question or start a dialogue.
For example, in this scrambled egg video you are making, at the end you can ask, “So what do you think, is this better than Gordon Ramsay?”
Who knows, who will respond.
Step 9: Design a Thumbnail
You could have made a brilliant video, but if you have a poor quality thumbnail that is unattractive, then the overall performance of your video will suffer — and good SEO can only do so much after that.
Your viewers will absolutely judge your video by its cover so it’s important to put some thought into it and not solely rely on the three random thumbnail choices that YouTube picks for you.
Take a look at your competition. If they all look the same, do something different. Add text or a human face (preferably yours) to evoke emotion, as viewers are more likely to click into a video if they see an expressive image.
Don’t want to pay money for a photo editing software such as Photoshop?
You can use an online service called Canva or download GIMP , an open-source photo editor much like Photoshop, but far less powerful. These will help you get the job done as you are starting out.
Want to know more thumbnail maker? Check our picks of the best free YouTube thumbnail makers .
Part 3: Publishing With Attention to Optimization
Well done finishing the video! You are almost there… but not there yet.
Come on, keep going!
Step 10: Fill Out Your Videos Assets
The video is done, the thumbnail is designed, and you have all your title, description, and tags ready to go. This step is easy, upload the video, and fill out the assets, and give yourself a pat on the back.
Step 11: Add Transcripts
In addition to making your content accessible for people who don’t want to or can’t listen to the audio in your video, adding subtitles and closed captions will help YouTube understand the spoken content in your video.
While YouTube does have an automatic subtitle generator, it’s not reliable enough to be used for identifying the keywords you use in your video.
You can choose to write out the whole transcript of your video yourself, but if you are press on time, which of course you are, you can simply go and edit the automatic transcript already available in your video. By the way, you can also use some automatic transcription software.
Step 12: Add Video to Playlist
Finally the last thing you need to do for your video is to add it to a playlist. Even though it might be the first video in the playlist, it helps YouTube identify your video if you organize it in a playlist. As you accumulate more content, having videos in playlists makes content easier to find and keeps relevant videos together.
When viewers searches, having your videos in playlists increases the chance of it being discovered.
So if your first video is about scrambled eggs, maybe you next video can be about the awesome butter toasts.
I guess, you are on your way to making a pretty badass breakfast playlist. I personally can’t wait to see it!
If you treat SEO as an afterthought, only after your video is created, you are not using it to its full potential. If you follow these 12 steps during the course of your production, you will find that SEO doesn’t simply help your video perform at the end, but contributes in all the other phases of creating your video as well.
Besides considering YouTube SEO, you should make a good YouTube video as well. Filmora is a powerful video editing software that features lots of templates and effects. Get the free trial version below and have a try today.
Do you have any questions about SEO? Please leave us a comment below.
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
The joy of creating on YouTube is often dampened by the disappointment of underperforming videos. You have published your content and it’s not getting the views you had hoped.
Well, let’s change that!
In this guide, I’m going to walk you through YouTube SEO from the very start to the very end.
Nothing complicated. No paid programs or expensive apps needed. We are going back to basics and get your videos discovered.
Ready?
Let’s Go!
Part 1: Research Your Topic and Competitors
Come up with a video idea . Can’t come up with one? Let me help. I heard you can make a mean scrambled egg, why don’t you show the world how you do it?
Excellent! Let’s go with that idea.
Wait, don’t go making the video yet. First, we have to do some research. We need to know what videos already exist out there.
Step 1: Find Related Videos
Do a quick search on YouTube to see what videos already exist on your topic.
Uh oh… your video will be competing against celebrities like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.
Okay, don’t panic! There is a fantastic quote, credited to bestselling author, Jon Acuff , that goes:
While researching your competition, you will feel overwhelmed, but remember, you are at the beginning, and Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver are not even at their middle, they are way passed the finish line. You still have a long journey to go, so don’t get discouraged, get inspired!
Watch those videos and understand what they are all about.
Understand that people watch YouTube for 3 key reasons:
- To be entertained
- To learn something new
- To be inspired
A video that can hit all 3 marks is going to be positioned for success. Don’t fret too much about the competition, as long as your content is good, you will see improvement.
So if you think this scrambled egg idea can hit those 3 marks, then I encourage you to go to the next step. If you don’t, let’s regroup and brainstorm some more YouTube video ideas .
Step 2: Find Keywords
Now that we’ve decided that we are sticking with the video idea, we are ready to do some keyword research. Keywords are the words and phrases people type in the YouTube search bar to discover videos.
Come up with as many relevant keywords as you can. Start by entering a keyword into the YouTube search bar. This will tell you what are the most popular searches associated with that keyword:
Once you have an idea of what people are searching for related to your topic, you’ll want to find more relevant keywords. I like to use the free app, Ubersuggest to do that.
This app gives you a whole list of long-tail keywords, which are 3-4-word phrases which is specific to what your video is about.
Some you will use to dig deeper in and other you will deem irrelevant to your videos. A good way of determining the value of a keyword is by the stats the application shows.
How to Read Keyword Suggestions
Once you have a list of keywords, you will see some numbers on the right-hand side. Here is what each one is about:
- Search volume is the number used to identify the popularity of the keyword. The higher the number the more people are searching for it.
- CPC is the value accredited by YouTube, determining how much advertisers are paying to target audiences who search for that keyword and click on the link.
- Competition is the number used to qualify how many other content are using that keyword.
The two categories that matter most to us right now is Search Volume and Competition. We want keywords with high search volume and low competition rate.
In the example above, you can see that the keyword “avocado scrambled eggs” has a Search Volume of 1,000 and a competition rate of 0.0. This is a good keyword to target, if you can incorporate an avocado to your dish… which of course you can!
Step 3: Write Title
I know you might want to deal with the Title, Description, and Tags after you’ve filmed and edited your video. But if you want to apply a YouTube SEO-focused strategy, then these should be addressed before you even pick up a camera as it can greatly dictate the content you end up creating.
A good YouTube title sparks curiosity, evokes emotional reaction, and promises value to your viewers.
Of course you can title your video simply: Making Scrambled Eggs
But does it spark curiosity? Not really… most people can make scrambled eggs.
Does it evoke any emotion? Maybe hunger… but even then, not really…
Finally, does it promise value? Well, assuming that most people can at least crack an egg into a pan, then hardly.
Your scrambled egg is special! Your video is special! We need to evoke that in the title — and as long as you are not writing any clickbait and deliver on what the title suggest, you can do this.
So, how about this: Are My Amazing Scrambled Eggs Better Than Gordon Ramsay’s?
Hmmm… Well, is it? We know that the Gordon Ramsay’s video has almost 30M views. Many people have already tried cooking it, I’m sure. There is only one way to find out, by encouraging others to try it over Gordon’s.
You don’t need to go for a somewhat contentious title like this, but that’s the idea, you want something that gets people curious, make them feel a certain way, and in the end, make them better for having watched your video.
See how a good title can guide the rest of your video?
Step 4: Write Description
You aren’t going to be writing the description for the viewers necessarily, you are going to be writing it for YouTube’s algorithms. The better YouTube understands what your video is about, the better they can show it to people searching for it.
This means you need to include the keywords you were researching at the beginning of your description, as YouTube will be using them to identify the content of your video. 1 or 2 keywords that best represent your video is enough. Don’t stuff the title with too many keywords or you’ll risk sounding like a robot.
But also use the description for practical uses too, if you have additional information such as supportive links, outline of the video’s content, a list of materials, step-by-step guide, or a recipe that you think your human viewers will find useful, you should input that in the description as well.
Step 5: Write Tags
Thank goodness we did the keyword research in Step 2, because coming up with tags is not as easy as it looks.
Pull 15 keywords from the list and keep it somewhere safe.
Note: The keywords you used in the title should be found in your tags, and since they are the most important ones, you should place them first.
Organize your keywords in the tag as such:
Have the specific keywords at the top, followed by more general keywords, and then branded ones:
Specific: How to make scrambled eggs
General: Scrambled eggs
Branded: Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs
Part 2: Make The Best Darn Video Possible
It doesn’t matter how relevant your keywords are or how epic your title is, if you video sucks (i.e. your viewers click in and leave right away), YouTube will not show it in search.
Even if you haven’t created any videos yet, you can follow these next steps to ensure you are following the best practices to structure your video.
Step 6: Plan and Film the Hook
The first few seconds is where the largest percentage of your earned viewership will drop off. Odds are 20% of your viewers won’t even get past the first 10 seconds .
What you need is a hook, an intro that ensures this video is what they want to watch and let’s them know what they can expect.
Step 7: Film B-Roll
One static camera shot of you talking or cooking or giving a tutorial can cause your viewers to lose attention.
In order to keep your viewers interest, you will need b-roll, or supplemental footage you can cut to give you video more life.
While jump cuts (cuts made on a sequential clip of the same subject or in the same camera position) are fine, having additional footage to cut to will make your video feel more fluid.
So when you are filming your scrambled egg video, make sure you get some footage of you cracking the egg, scrambling it, and serving it on the plate.
Step 8: Encourage Viewers to Engage in Video
Liking, disliking, subscribing, and commenting on your video will all help your performance indirectly.
While YouTube wouldn’t rank your video higher simply because you have more likes subscribers, or comments, engagement from viewers help your video get discovered. If you get a like or comment from a YouTuber with a lot of subscribers, your video may be visible to those who are following that YouTuber for a while.
The best way to get engagement from your audience is to encourage them to like and subscribe or ask them a question or start a dialogue.
For example, in this scrambled egg video you are making, at the end you can ask, “So what do you think, is this better than Gordon Ramsay?”
Who knows, who will respond.
Step 9: Design a Thumbnail
You could have made a brilliant video, but if you have a poor quality thumbnail that is unattractive, then the overall performance of your video will suffer — and good SEO can only do so much after that.
Your viewers will absolutely judge your video by its cover so it’s important to put some thought into it and not solely rely on the three random thumbnail choices that YouTube picks for you.
Take a look at your competition. If they all look the same, do something different. Add text or a human face (preferably yours) to evoke emotion, as viewers are more likely to click into a video if they see an expressive image.
Don’t want to pay money for a photo editing software such as Photoshop?
You can use an online service called Canva or download GIMP , an open-source photo editor much like Photoshop, but far less powerful. These will help you get the job done as you are starting out.
Want to know more thumbnail maker? Check our picks of the best free YouTube thumbnail makers .
Part 3: Publishing With Attention to Optimization
Well done finishing the video! You are almost there… but not there yet.
Come on, keep going!
Step 10: Fill Out Your Videos Assets
The video is done, the thumbnail is designed, and you have all your title, description, and tags ready to go. This step is easy, upload the video, and fill out the assets, and give yourself a pat on the back.
Step 11: Add Transcripts
In addition to making your content accessible for people who don’t want to or can’t listen to the audio in your video, adding subtitles and closed captions will help YouTube understand the spoken content in your video.
While YouTube does have an automatic subtitle generator, it’s not reliable enough to be used for identifying the keywords you use in your video.
You can choose to write out the whole transcript of your video yourself, but if you are press on time, which of course you are, you can simply go and edit the automatic transcript already available in your video. By the way, you can also use some automatic transcription software.
Step 12: Add Video to Playlist
Finally the last thing you need to do for your video is to add it to a playlist. Even though it might be the first video in the playlist, it helps YouTube identify your video if you organize it in a playlist. As you accumulate more content, having videos in playlists makes content easier to find and keeps relevant videos together.
When viewers searches, having your videos in playlists increases the chance of it being discovered.
So if your first video is about scrambled eggs, maybe you next video can be about the awesome butter toasts.
I guess, you are on your way to making a pretty badass breakfast playlist. I personally can’t wait to see it!
If you treat SEO as an afterthought, only after your video is created, you are not using it to its full potential. If you follow these 12 steps during the course of your production, you will find that SEO doesn’t simply help your video perform at the end, but contributes in all the other phases of creating your video as well.
Besides considering YouTube SEO, you should make a good YouTube video as well. Filmora is a powerful video editing software that features lots of templates and effects. Get the free trial version below and have a try today.
Do you have any questions about SEO? Please leave us a comment below.
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox
Oct 26, 2023• Proven solutions
The joy of creating on YouTube is often dampened by the disappointment of underperforming videos. You have published your content and it’s not getting the views you had hoped.
Well, let’s change that!
In this guide, I’m going to walk you through YouTube SEO from the very start to the very end.
Nothing complicated. No paid programs or expensive apps needed. We are going back to basics and get your videos discovered.
Ready?
Let’s Go!
Part 1: Research Your Topic and Competitors
Come up with a video idea . Can’t come up with one? Let me help. I heard you can make a mean scrambled egg, why don’t you show the world how you do it?
Excellent! Let’s go with that idea.
Wait, don’t go making the video yet. First, we have to do some research. We need to know what videos already exist out there.
Step 1: Find Related Videos
Do a quick search on YouTube to see what videos already exist on your topic.
Uh oh… your video will be competing against celebrities like Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver.
Okay, don’t panic! There is a fantastic quote, credited to bestselling author, Jon Acuff , that goes:
While researching your competition, you will feel overwhelmed, but remember, you are at the beginning, and Gordon Ramsay and Jamie Oliver are not even at their middle, they are way passed the finish line. You still have a long journey to go, so don’t get discouraged, get inspired!
Watch those videos and understand what they are all about.
Understand that people watch YouTube for 3 key reasons:
- To be entertained
- To learn something new
- To be inspired
A video that can hit all 3 marks is going to be positioned for success. Don’t fret too much about the competition, as long as your content is good, you will see improvement.
So if you think this scrambled egg idea can hit those 3 marks, then I encourage you to go to the next step. If you don’t, let’s regroup and brainstorm some more YouTube video ideas .
Step 2: Find Keywords
Now that we’ve decided that we are sticking with the video idea, we are ready to do some keyword research. Keywords are the words and phrases people type in the YouTube search bar to discover videos.
Come up with as many relevant keywords as you can. Start by entering a keyword into the YouTube search bar. This will tell you what are the most popular searches associated with that keyword:
Once you have an idea of what people are searching for related to your topic, you’ll want to find more relevant keywords. I like to use the free app, Ubersuggest to do that.
This app gives you a whole list of long-tail keywords, which are 3-4-word phrases which is specific to what your video is about.
Some you will use to dig deeper in and other you will deem irrelevant to your videos. A good way of determining the value of a keyword is by the stats the application shows.
How to Read Keyword Suggestions
Once you have a list of keywords, you will see some numbers on the right-hand side. Here is what each one is about:
- Search volume is the number used to identify the popularity of the keyword. The higher the number the more people are searching for it.
- CPC is the value accredited by YouTube, determining how much advertisers are paying to target audiences who search for that keyword and click on the link.
- Competition is the number used to qualify how many other content are using that keyword.
The two categories that matter most to us right now is Search Volume and Competition. We want keywords with high search volume and low competition rate.
In the example above, you can see that the keyword “avocado scrambled eggs” has a Search Volume of 1,000 and a competition rate of 0.0. This is a good keyword to target, if you can incorporate an avocado to your dish… which of course you can!
Step 3: Write Title
I know you might want to deal with the Title, Description, and Tags after you’ve filmed and edited your video. But if you want to apply a YouTube SEO-focused strategy, then these should be addressed before you even pick up a camera as it can greatly dictate the content you end up creating.
A good YouTube title sparks curiosity, evokes emotional reaction, and promises value to your viewers.
Of course you can title your video simply: Making Scrambled Eggs
But does it spark curiosity? Not really… most people can make scrambled eggs.
Does it evoke any emotion? Maybe hunger… but even then, not really…
Finally, does it promise value? Well, assuming that most people can at least crack an egg into a pan, then hardly.
Your scrambled egg is special! Your video is special! We need to evoke that in the title — and as long as you are not writing any clickbait and deliver on what the title suggest, you can do this.
So, how about this: Are My Amazing Scrambled Eggs Better Than Gordon Ramsay’s?
Hmmm… Well, is it? We know that the Gordon Ramsay’s video has almost 30M views. Many people have already tried cooking it, I’m sure. There is only one way to find out, by encouraging others to try it over Gordon’s.
You don’t need to go for a somewhat contentious title like this, but that’s the idea, you want something that gets people curious, make them feel a certain way, and in the end, make them better for having watched your video.
See how a good title can guide the rest of your video?
Step 4: Write Description
You aren’t going to be writing the description for the viewers necessarily, you are going to be writing it for YouTube’s algorithms. The better YouTube understands what your video is about, the better they can show it to people searching for it.
This means you need to include the keywords you were researching at the beginning of your description, as YouTube will be using them to identify the content of your video. 1 or 2 keywords that best represent your video is enough. Don’t stuff the title with too many keywords or you’ll risk sounding like a robot.
But also use the description for practical uses too, if you have additional information such as supportive links, outline of the video’s content, a list of materials, step-by-step guide, or a recipe that you think your human viewers will find useful, you should input that in the description as well.
Step 5: Write Tags
Thank goodness we did the keyword research in Step 2, because coming up with tags is not as easy as it looks.
Pull 15 keywords from the list and keep it somewhere safe.
Note: The keywords you used in the title should be found in your tags, and since they are the most important ones, you should place them first.
Organize your keywords in the tag as such:
Have the specific keywords at the top, followed by more general keywords, and then branded ones:
Specific: How to make scrambled eggs
General: Scrambled eggs
Branded: Gordon Ramsay scrambled eggs
Part 2: Make The Best Darn Video Possible
It doesn’t matter how relevant your keywords are or how epic your title is, if you video sucks (i.e. your viewers click in and leave right away), YouTube will not show it in search.
Even if you haven’t created any videos yet, you can follow these next steps to ensure you are following the best practices to structure your video.
Step 6: Plan and Film the Hook
The first few seconds is where the largest percentage of your earned viewership will drop off. Odds are 20% of your viewers won’t even get past the first 10 seconds .
What you need is a hook, an intro that ensures this video is what they want to watch and let’s them know what they can expect.
Step 7: Film B-Roll
One static camera shot of you talking or cooking or giving a tutorial can cause your viewers to lose attention.
In order to keep your viewers interest, you will need b-roll, or supplemental footage you can cut to give you video more life.
While jump cuts (cuts made on a sequential clip of the same subject or in the same camera position) are fine, having additional footage to cut to will make your video feel more fluid.
So when you are filming your scrambled egg video, make sure you get some footage of you cracking the egg, scrambling it, and serving it on the plate.
Step 8: Encourage Viewers to Engage in Video
Liking, disliking, subscribing, and commenting on your video will all help your performance indirectly.
While YouTube wouldn’t rank your video higher simply because you have more likes subscribers, or comments, engagement from viewers help your video get discovered. If you get a like or comment from a YouTuber with a lot of subscribers, your video may be visible to those who are following that YouTuber for a while.
The best way to get engagement from your audience is to encourage them to like and subscribe or ask them a question or start a dialogue.
For example, in this scrambled egg video you are making, at the end you can ask, “So what do you think, is this better than Gordon Ramsay?”
Who knows, who will respond.
Step 9: Design a Thumbnail
You could have made a brilliant video, but if you have a poor quality thumbnail that is unattractive, then the overall performance of your video will suffer — and good SEO can only do so much after that.
Your viewers will absolutely judge your video by its cover so it’s important to put some thought into it and not solely rely on the three random thumbnail choices that YouTube picks for you.
Take a look at your competition. If they all look the same, do something different. Add text or a human face (preferably yours) to evoke emotion, as viewers are more likely to click into a video if they see an expressive image.
Don’t want to pay money for a photo editing software such as Photoshop?
You can use an online service called Canva or download GIMP , an open-source photo editor much like Photoshop, but far less powerful. These will help you get the job done as you are starting out.
Want to know more thumbnail maker? Check our picks of the best free YouTube thumbnail makers .
Part 3: Publishing With Attention to Optimization
Well done finishing the video! You are almost there… but not there yet.
Come on, keep going!
Step 10: Fill Out Your Videos Assets
The video is done, the thumbnail is designed, and you have all your title, description, and tags ready to go. This step is easy, upload the video, and fill out the assets, and give yourself a pat on the back.
Step 11: Add Transcripts
In addition to making your content accessible for people who don’t want to or can’t listen to the audio in your video, adding subtitles and closed captions will help YouTube understand the spoken content in your video.
While YouTube does have an automatic subtitle generator, it’s not reliable enough to be used for identifying the keywords you use in your video.
You can choose to write out the whole transcript of your video yourself, but if you are press on time, which of course you are, you can simply go and edit the automatic transcript already available in your video. By the way, you can also use some automatic transcription software.
Step 12: Add Video to Playlist
Finally the last thing you need to do for your video is to add it to a playlist. Even though it might be the first video in the playlist, it helps YouTube identify your video if you organize it in a playlist. As you accumulate more content, having videos in playlists makes content easier to find and keeps relevant videos together.
When viewers searches, having your videos in playlists increases the chance of it being discovered.
So if your first video is about scrambled eggs, maybe you next video can be about the awesome butter toasts.
I guess, you are on your way to making a pretty badass breakfast playlist. I personally can’t wait to see it!
If you treat SEO as an afterthought, only after your video is created, you are not using it to its full potential. If you follow these 12 steps during the course of your production, you will find that SEO doesn’t simply help your video perform at the end, but contributes in all the other phases of creating your video as well.
Besides considering YouTube SEO, you should make a good YouTube video as well. Filmora is a powerful video editing software that features lots of templates and effects. Get the free trial version below and have a try today.
Do you have any questions about SEO? Please leave us a comment below.
Shanoon Cox
Shanoon Cox is a writer and a lover of all things video.
Follow @Shanoon Cox
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- Title: "Perfecting YouTube Shorts Step-by-Step Video Production Tips"
- Author: Brian
- Created at : 2024-05-25 12:44:19
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- Link: https://youtube-video-recordings.techidaily.com/perfecting-youtube-shorts-step-by-step-video-production-tips/
- License: This work is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
