YouTube Shorts is a vertical and short video format created to cater to the need for concise content. Are YouTube Shorts worth it? This post has a detailed explanation of the pros and cons of creating YouTube Shorts to assist you in making decisions.
What is YouTube Shorts
In the age of quick-scrolling content, short-form videos are becoming more and more popular, and content creators all want a piece of the pie. YouTube developed and released a new feature called YouTube Shorts.
YouTube Shorts is the short-form video platform of YouTube, which reached our screens in 2020 to compete head-on with platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. Unlike traditional YouTube videos, Shorts are vertical (9:16 aspect ratio) clips capped at 180 seconds long. But just like long YouTube videos, YouTube Shorts has a monetization policy.
Since then, creators create and upload short-form videos to YouTube when using the YouTube app. But for creators, businesses, and even casual users, the question lingers: Is investing time and effort into YouTube Shorts truly worthwhile? To answer their question, the part below will explain the pros and cons of creating YouTube Shorts.
Are YouTube Shorts Worth It
Are YouTube Shorts still worth it? Here, we have listed the pros and cons of using YouTube Shorts for content creators, which can give you some references for the options of YouTube Shorts.
Benefits of Creating YouTube Shorts
Why are YouTube Shorts so popular? Shorts offers advantages that make it hard to ignore, especially for those looking to grow quickly or tap into new audiences.
1. Get More Visibility
Research suggests traditional YouTube growth often takes months of consistent long-form content. Shorts, however, break this long period of time. YouTube Shorts can also able to be found in the search results, like common YouTube videos.
For each audience member who is searching for relevant keywords and queries, YouTube Shorts will be recommended if it is related to the keywords. Shorts viewers are more likely to subscribe to a creator after watching a Short video, so YouTube Shorts is a great feature for those who lack the resources to produce hour-long videos.
2. Easy Repurposing
For creators who have created a large number of short videos on TikTok and Instagram, it’s relatively easy to repurpose those videos and turn them into Shorts, or you can directly share them to your Shorts. Plus, if you often make videos for YouTube, you can repurpose these long videos into short forms and increase the subscribers for your channel.
3. Multiple Monetization Pathways
Just as we mentioned above, YouTube Shorts are more likely to increase subscribers. Once you’ve reached 1,000 followers, you may be eligible for the YouTube Partner Program, which allows you to monetize YouTube Shorts.
As a YouTube creator, you can make money on YouTube videos by replacing ads. For YouTube Shorts, you can allow ads to appear alongside your content. Plus, creators can also link to merchandise directly in Shorts captions.
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Drawbacks of Creating YouTube Shorts
Despite YouTube Shorts offering a huge convenience for video creators, it can also frustrate creators, especially for those who share in-depth analysis videos and manage YouTube channels in the long term.
1. Require Consistent Production
Long-form YouTube videos can continue to be discovered through search and recommendations over time. However, YouTube Shorts are short-lived, requiring you to constantly create new content to stay relevant.
2. Not Friendly for Long-Term Development
YouTube Shorts do not rank well in search results compared to traditional YouTube video content, limiting their long-term discoverability. For example, when you want to find a solution on YouTube, long videos will be listed in the top positions under the All tab automatically. Then, the short video will be listed under the Shorts.
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After learning the pros and cons of making YouTube Shorts, the question “Is making YouTube Shorts worth it?” will get an answer. If you are eager to increase the subscription number rapidly, posting short videos is really a great strategy. However, if you prioritize depth, Shorts might not be for you.
Bottom Line
Now that we have unveiled all about YouTube Shorts. Are YouTube Shorts worth it? It’s totally up to your goals. For me, it’s absolutely yes. However, compared to other more amateur platforms, like TikTok, YouTube Shorts seem less worthwhile.

