YouTube Shorts are the hottest new format on the world’s largest video platform. With the rise in popularity of TikTok and Instagram Reels, YouTube is clearly invested in bringing more quality short-form video content to its site, and there are incentives in place for creators to upload more short videos.

However, creators have had many questions on how the algorithm works, exactly, when it comes to promoting and optimizing short-form videos on the platform. Luckily, in a recent interview, representatives from YouTube have provided some insight to help creators achieve greater success with their content.

Here’s what you need to know:

1. Mixing YouTube Shorts with Long-Form Content on Your Channel?

One common question from YouTube creators regards publishing both long and short videos on the same channel. Several creators have started separate channels just for their short-form content, while others wonder if it’s best to keep everything on one channel (perhaps with distinct special playlists).

Does it hurt your established channel to mix YouTube Shorts with long-form videos?

According to YouTube, it can actually help your channel growth to make both long and short videos.

After conducting a series of analyses on audience growth for channels that feature only long videos in comparison with channels that include both long videos and Shorts, YouTube has determined that the channels that mix the format types show faster growth rates.

According to YouTube, the “trend” for short-form content seems to be here to stay, and capitalizing on this popular form is helping established creators. In fact, YouTube claims this is “the very reason we’ve been testing so much in more mobile-first creation tools and Shorts discovery.”

Check out this video for more on the latest creation tools for YouTube Shorts that make it easy to create and post Shorts straight from your smartphone.

2. Creating a Distinct YouTube Shorts Channel?

So, is it a good idea to start a separate channel just for Shorts?

As with so many things in life, the answer is, “it depends”.

YouTube recommends that you create channels around specific audiences that will all enjoy similar kinds of content. So, if your current channel focuses on movie reviews and you now want to create YouTube Shorts around dance challenges, it’s probably a good idea to run two separate channels. 

However, if you’ll be producing content on the same topics only in both long and short form, then it probably will appeal to the same audience and will do well all on one channel.

You can check out this site to find continuously updated data on the top viewed YouTube channels to see their practices for mixing / separating types of content.

3. YouTube’s Recommendation Algorithm?

There’s a widespread growing belief among YouTube creators that engagement and views with Shorts is impacting YouTube’s recommendation algorithm for longer videos.

According to YouTube, however, there are separate recommendation algorithms for Shorts and for long-form video, so engagement with one format won’t affect recommendations for the other.

This is because there are some viewers who only watch Shorts, so when someone discovers a channel via Shorts, YouTube is (currently) not using that viewing to inform recommendations for longer videos. That said, the viewer will be made aware of your channel, so Shorts can be a way of boosting views to long-form content that already exists on the same channel.

4. How Many YouTube Shorts to Create?

Another frequent question among YouTube creators is whether there’s a minimum number of Shorts you need to have on your channel before they get recommended and distributed by the YouTube algorithm.

According to YouTube, every Shorts video is eligible to be recommended (even if it’s the first one you’ve ever created). However, having a built-in audience can help.

This is because the recommendation will be determined by whether people watch and engage with the video, not skip it when it appears in their feed. Thus, if you already have an established audience that will watch, like, and share your Short, the video will likely perform better for the algorithm.

For more information, be sure to check out this “Shorts and the Algorithm” video on YouTube’s Creator Insider channel.

Are you creating Shorts on YouTube? Let us know what questions you want answered to improve your content development!