How to Grow Your Channel with YouTube Short Videos
A practical guide to strategically utilizing vertical video formats up to 60 seconds to gain new viewers and increase subscribers.
"Effective Use" and "Notes on Production" of YouTube Short Videos
YouTube Short Video is a vertical video format of up to 60 seconds and is a very powerful tool for reaching younger generations and expanding exposure to non-subscribers.
1. Effective Use: Make Short Videos a Strategic Gateway
The biggest role of short videos is to "attract customers to the channel and increase awareness" and * * "enhance engagement with fans" * *.
Purpose of use
Specific content
Benefits:
Acquisition of new users
Create highlights and trailers of existing long videos and use them as hooks to attract interest.
It is easy to be displayed randomly with YouTube's recommendation function, reaching even non-subscribers and encouraging channel registration.
Guidance to long video
At the end of the short video, call out "Continue with the main story!" and put a link to the long video in the video explanation column and comment column.
To extend viewing time by guiding a viewer who is instantaneously interested to a long moving picture capable of monetization and providing detailed information.
Fan engagement
Post Q & A, behind the scenes, employee introduction, trending sound sources and projects using hashtags.
Cultivate a sense of familiarity and trust, and strengthen the brand image. Deepen two-way communication with the comment function.
Reuse of content.
Cut out and re-edit * * "the most exciting moment" * * from popular long videos and live streams in the past.
It can reduce the number of steps required to create new videos from scratch and efficiently increase the number of contents.
💡 point: Short videos have a lower rate of return than long videos, so the most important thing is to design a line that attracts customers with short videos and guides them to long videos and memberships.
2. Notes on production: "Three walls" measures to prevent viewers from leaving
Since viewers swipe on videos they don't like, it is necessary to devise ways to overcome the following three "walls" during production.
1. Grab wall at the beginning (the first 3 seconds are the game)
⚡ Impact Focus: In the first 1-3 seconds, the theme of the video, the funniest scene, part of the conclusion, etc., * * give the viewer a reason to keep watching * *.
🎯 Call to the target audience: At the beginning, include a catchphrase that speaks to the specific target audience, such as "Are you worried about XX?" or "Tricks that few people know."
Easy-to-read text: Understand the limitations of the mobile screen, which accounts for about half of the video, and use concise and large telops to enable viewers to instantly understand the content.
ここからは「ショート動画 ガイド」として、私が運用していて特に効いた“迷わない作り方”を補足します。ショートは伸びても収益が直結しにくいので、最初から「誰に・何を・次に何をしてほしいか」を決めておくとブレません。 まず投稿前に決めるのは目的です。①新規認知（おすすめで偶然見られる）②長尺への誘導（視聴時間を伸ばす）③ファン化（コメントが増える）のどれか1つに絞るのがコツ。目的が混ざると、言いたいことが多くなって60秒で薄くなりがちでした。 次に台本。私の型は「結論→理由→具体例→次の行動」の順です。例えば冒頭1〜3秒で結論を先出しして、視聴者の“スワイプする指”を止めます。「ショートで伸びない原因、9割これ」「登録者が増えた導線はこれ」みたいに、悩み直球の一言が強いです。テロップは短く大きく、1画面に詰め込みすぎないのが正解でした。 編集面では、音量とテンポが超重要です。無音の間があると離脱されやすいので、不要な間はカット。BGMを入れるなら声を邪魔しない音量にして、最初の0.5秒で映像が動くようにすると視線が止まりやすい印象です。 そして“導線設計”。ショートの最後は「続きは本編で」で終わらせるだけだと弱いので、私は「本編では〇〇を3ステップで解説してます」と具体的に言います。リンクは動画説明欄＋固定コメントの両方に置くと迷子が減りました。 ネタ作りに困ったら、長尺・ライブからの切り抜きが最短です。特にコメントが盛り上がった瞬間、結論だけ先に言った場面、失敗談は強いです。切り抜き→反応が良いテーマを長尺に増やす、の順で回すとチャンネル全体が育ちやすかったです。 最後にチェックリスト：①最初3秒でテーマが伝わる②テロップが読みやすい③1本1メッセージ④最後に“次の行動”が明確⑤説明欄/コメントにリンク。この5つを揃えるだけでも、ショート動画の伸び方が安定しやすくなりました。