How to Get More Views on YouTube Shorts in 25+ Simple Ways

It's no surprise that YouTube Shorts have taken off. But jumping on the bandwagon as a creator can feel daunting. You might have tons of great ideas for YouTube Shorts, but when you finally hit record, you freeze. Or worse, you upload your first short only to find that no one is watching. You don't want your content to feel like it’s disappeared into a black hole. 

Instead, you want to uncover the secrets to making YouTube Shorts that go viral. This guide YouTube Shorts ideas will offer insights on how to get more views on YouTube Shorts by identifying viral trends and equipping you to boost your content.

One way to uncover these trends is with Virlo’s virality analysis tool. This tool helps you quickly identify what’s currently trending on YouTube Shorts. Use it to boost your chance of going viral by pinpointing what’s working in your niche and creating your own short to capitalize on the trend before it’s over.

Table of Content

• Importance of YouTube Shorts Views

• How to Get More Views on YouTube Shorts in 25+ Simple Ways

• 10 Examples of Viral YouTube Shorts

• Benefits of Making YouTube Shorts

• Go Viral with Virlo's Virality Analysis Tool

Importance of YouTube Shorts Views

How Views on YouTube Shorts Accelerate Channel Growth

Views on YouTube Shorts help you grow your channel. Think of it this way: The more views your Shorts get, the more people see and engage with your content. Many of those viewers will be total strangers, which is great because that’s precisely what you want. You want folks who aren’t already subscribed to your channel to discover your content, enjoy it, and want to see more of your videos. This can lead to more subscribers and long-term engagement. 

How Views on YouTube Shorts Boost Monetization Efforts

YouTube Shorts monetization is based on views. The more views your Shorts get, the more revenue you can earn through the Creator Pool, ad revenue, and other monetization options. YouTube is looking at your overall performance, so having high view counts on your Shorts will positively impact your earnings potential for both Shorts and long-form content. 

How Views on YouTube Shorts Improve Audience Engagement

Views indicate how many people are choosing to watch your content. Higher view counts signal that your content is engaging and valuable to a broader audience.  Getting many views on your YouTube Shorts will help you grow your channel, boost your confidence, and motivate you to create even more content. 

How Views on YouTube Shorts Help You Get Discovered

The YouTube algorithm prioritizes average view duration, so longer watch times on your Shorts can lead to greater visibility and more views. In short, the more views your YouTube Shorts get, the more likely they appear on the platform’s coveted recommendation shelf, which countless users see. 

How Views on YouTube Shorts Help Promote Your Long-Form Content

YouTube Shorts can attract viewers to your central channel and long-form videos, acting as a lead magnet. If you include engaging hooks in your Shorts and clear calls to action to watch your other content, you can convert casual viewers into loyal subscribers. 

How Views on YouTube Shorts Help You Qualify for the YouTube Partner Program

The YouTube Partner Program eligibility requires a certain number of subscribers and views, including Shorts views, so high view counts can help you reach this threshold.

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How to Get More Views on YouTube Shorts in 25+ Simple Ways

1. Use Virlo for Finding Trends

Virlo helps short-form content creators crack the code of virality through AI-powered trend analysis. Our platform combines creator insights with advanced analytics to identify winning content patterns, optimal posting times, and successful audio/video combinations that help your content stand out in today's fast-moving social environment. 

Perfect for independent creators looking to build a sustainable side business, Virlo takes the guesswork out of content strategy. We analyze the latest viral trends and help you understand when to post and what combinations of elements drive engagement. Whether you're just starting or looking to optimize your existing content, Virlo enables you to navigate the ever-changing algorithms to increase your chances of going viral. Go viral with Virlo's virality analysis tool.

2. Ride the Latest Trending Topics

Jumping on trending topics can get you noticed quickly on YouTube Shorts. Find out what’s hot and create engaging videos that nod to popular themes, challenges, or viral moments. The YouTube algorithm favors content related to rising trends so that you could be exposed to many new viewers. Alan Chikin Chow consistently has his finger on the pulse of pop culture and regularly includes the latest viral challenges in his uploads. It’s no wonder his clips constantly appear on the YouTube Trending page.

3. Use Eye-Catching Short Thumbnail

The thumbnail is the first thing viewers see while they browse your YouTube Channel, and it plays a crucial role in grabbing their attention. Creating a compelling and visually appealing thumbnail on YouTube Shorts can make the difference between someone scrolling past your video or clicking to watch.

4. Hook Your Audience Right From the Get-Go

The opening seconds of your video are by far the most important. Start your video with a strong, attention-grabbing hook that gives viewers a reason to keep watching. How Ridiculous knows how to get straight into the action. Their face-off between a bowling ball cannon and 20 trampolines sets the scene in seconds, and you can’t help wanting to watch the outcome! This is why the first few seconds of your video are so critical. Make sure to jump into the meat of your content as soon as possible and stop viewers from scrolling past.

5. Respond to Mentions

Engagement is key on any social platform. Responding to mentions shows that you are active and engaged with your audience. Plus, it increases the visibility of your content. Mentions can be positive, negative, or neutral, and tracking them is essential for managing your brand’s image. I use social media monitoring tools to track YouTube mentions (both tagged and untagged). Engaging with mentions (no matter their sentiment) can significantly boost your profile visits and video views. Active responding makes the algorithm push those videos to more users, which can dramatically increase your online visibility!

6. Aim for All Killer, No Filler

The second viewers lose interest in your video, they’ll scroll away. Be brutal with your editing and remove any part that isn’t gripping. The best way to keep someone hooked is to build to a crescendo. Capture their attention and make a promise of what they can expect. Then use the rest of your clip to drum up anticipation before delivering the pay-off at the end. Plan your content like this, and you’ll find people sticking around for longer.

7. Incorporate User-Generated Content

Encourage your audience to create content related to your brand or niche, and feature it in your YouTube Shorts. User-generated content increases engagement and broadens your reach as users share their own videos with their networks. Sometimes UGC content can go beyond YouTube and give you visibility also on other social media platforms!

8. Be Direct and Ask People to Interact

Getting many likes, comments, and shares can land more views, but how? Video engagement is one of the most significant signs the YouTube Shorts algorithm looks for when recommending content. Don’t be afraid to ask your audience to hit the like button or drop a comment if they like what they see. Mrwhosetheboss appealed for his viewers to hit subscribe so he could try to overtake Apple on YouTube. A simple, direct message like this on every upload should increase your videos' engagement. And the algorithm will share your content with more people as a result.

9. Use Trending Hashtags

Hashtags serve to categorize the content on YouTube. They are a powerful way to get your short videos discovered by a broader audience. When looking for specific content, people type in the hashtag in the search console to find it. If you use relevant hashtags, the chances are high that they’ll discover you!

10. Collaborate and Open Up New Audiences

Finding new audiences is a fast track to getting more views. Collaborating with another creator is one of the easiest ways to reach new viewers. After all, with two YouTubers on board, you get twice the promotion of a normal video. Zach King convinced Gordon Ramsay to feature in his burger-inspired magic trick. Off the back of a single piece of content, they appeared on each other’s feeds and got many new subscribers. See if you can contact someone in your niche and film a mutually beneficial video together.

11. Focus on Quality Over Quantity

While posting regularly, you must ensure that each video you upload is high quality. Clear visuals, good sound, and valuable content will keep viewers returning, ultimately increasing your views. And here’s a trick: more than 70% of YouTube watch time is on mobile. So, vertical videos for Shorts must align smoothly with mobile user experiences. It enhances viewers’ understanding and encourages engagement.

12. Loop Content to Take Viewers Back to the Start

This tip is sneaky, but could double your views overnight. Edit the end of your video to loop with the start of your clip and make the most of the infinite loop on Shorts. If it’s tricky for viewers to know when your content ends, they’ll watch and watch, driving your views up. Check out Nick DiGiovanni, who shows his audience how to make a pan pizza. You might not even notice the video is looped, meaning Nick has racked up an extra view. Now think about the possibility of that happening every time someone watches your video, and the view count would soon increase.

13. Experiment with Video Length

While YouTube Shorts are designed to be brief… You should experiment with different lengths. How long are YouTube Shorts? The limit is 60 s. Trying different lengths can help you find the sweet spot that resonates most with your audience. Some content might perform better at 15 seconds, while other topics might benefit from the full minute.

14. Signpost Your Content with Relevant Hashtags

Did you know that featuring hashtags can significantly boost your views? The YouTube Shorts algorithm uses hashtags to group pieces of content. So if your video contains a hashtag and starts popping off, the algorithm can show it to people who enjoyed similar clips. Lifestyle creator Katie Feeney tagged her flight video with #travel and opened up a new audience, getting 26 million views. The key here is that #travel was relevant to her video, even though it wasn’t her typical type of content. So, research the most appropriate hashtags to include in your video’s title and description, and open up new audiences.

15. Increase Positive Mentions

Positive mentions are a key factor in your brand’s reputation. They can significantly enhance your online reputation. How do positive mentions impact your digital reputation? People will likely trust and subscribe to your channel if you are mentioned positively on YouTube. So, the more positively mentioned you are online, the higher your chance of getting more YouTube Shorts views.

16. Unlock Bigger Audiences with Keywords

Telling YouTube what your video is about helps massively when it comes to boosting your views. Without relevant keywords in your title and description, YouTube’s algorithm won’t know who to recommend it to! Remedy this by researching pertinent keywords that sum up your video. Use the most popular keyword in your title and pepper the rest throughout your description. The algorithm will group your content with similar videos and recommend it to viewers who enjoy content in your niche.

17. Add Captions and Subtitles

Not all viewers watch videos with sound, especially on mobile devices. Captions or subtitles can help you reach a broader audience, including non-native speakers and those who prefer to watch without sound. But don’t ever resign from the sound in your YouTube Shorts content! Subtitles are nice while utilizing the YouTube audio library, and adding music is a must. Pro tip: Some tools can simplify the process and add your subtitles automatically.

18. Self-Promote Your Videos Across Social Media

Remember to tell them about your latest upload if you have a large audience on other social media platforms. After all, spreading the word can help you rack up precious early views. Don’t be afraid to be your channel’s biggest champion. By posting teasers of your content, you’ll entice people to click through to YouTube Shorts to watch the whole clip. Just remember, you’ll want to customize snippets for each platform. And you’ll want to save the best bits for the main video on Shorts.

19. Use Relevant Emojis

Emojis add a visual element to your content, making it more engaging and easier to consume. Using relevant emojis can help your YouTube Shorts stand out, making them more likely to be viewed and shared. These also serve to create a “vibe” you want to join. For example, different emojis would be used in tech-related content and completely different ones for aesthetic girly routines.

20. Leverage YouTube Shorts Trends and Challenges

Participating in challenges or trends related to your niche can boost your content’s visibility. This type of short video content often goes viral, and by jumping on a trend or starting your own, you can attract a large audience.

21. Arouse Emotions

You want to avoid crossing the line? I get it. But there’s no need to fear some emotions in your content. Arousing emotions can be an effective strategy to increase your views on YouTube Shorts. If your video arouses viewers’ emotions, they are more likely to comment, like, share, and repost it! And these are the leading YouTube algorithm indicators. And here’s the fun part – you can monitor the emotions your content generates!

22. Save Uploads for When Your Audience Is Online

Posting when your audience is online will help boost your view count early. Build up views quickly, and you’re more likely to catch the algorithm’s attention. It’s constantly searching for highly engaging videos to reach broader audiences. If you time your upload right, your audience could help your Shorts explode. Not sure how to find out when your viewers are most active? The Audience tab in YouTube Analytics shows all the times your audience is most likely to watch your content. Pick one of the busiest and make that your go-to upload time.

23. Create a Consistent Posting Schedule

Consistency is key to building an engaged audience. Posting regularly creates anticipation among your subscribers, leading to higher engagement and more views over time. I use scheduling tools to maintain consistency, as sometimes I can’t post manually. Additionally, scheduling YouTube Shorts allows you to plan your content and have it automatically published, enhancing efficiency and ensuring a consistent posting schedule.

24. Aim for High Quality Videos With Every Upload

The better your videos are, the more people will return to your channel. It’s easy enough to say, but maintaining high production standards across every video can be challenging. Just know your viewers will appreciate high-quality footage with clear audio. You know when Daniel LaBelle uploads, you’re guaranteed fast-paced action with his home-based comedy skits. In the eyes of his viewers, he’s a reliable creator who will deliver the goods with every upload. This is why they habitually return to watch his other videos.

25. Make YouTube Shorts About Relevant Topics

Content that resonates with your target audience is more likely to go viral. Posting about relevant topics ensures that your content is engaging and shareable. I have an excellent tip for finding new YouTube Shorts ideas – AI tools can help analyze your channel mentions and suggest trending topics for you.

26. Turn a Good Idea Into a Binge-Worthy Series

Repeatable content ideas are worth their weight in gold on YouTube Shorts. You guarantee extra views by finding a way to keep people coming back to your channel. Creating a series is one of the most effective ways to get viewers to watch more content. Make something as addictive as a Netflix series, and people will be invested in watching the next episode. Like Rebecca Rogers, who has her popular Real Things Said in Classrooms series. It’s built so that if someone discovers a video they like, they can dive straight into her channel for more of the same.

27. Engage with Comments

Engagement doesn’t stop with mentions. Actively responding to comments on your YouTube Shorts fosters community and signals to YouTube’s algorithm that your content is engaging, potentially boosting its visibility. Plus, some creators admit to having fantastic results by adding their first comment. It can even be a simple “subscribe for more” like below:

28. Improve Your Content with Every Single Upload

Each upload is an opportunity to learn how to get more views. Check out your YouTube Analytics to see which videos are flying and which have missed the mark. To help, we’ve put together a guide for making the most of your YouTube analytics so you can learn more about essential stats and how to use them. Keep an eye on audience retention and watch time for your Shorts to see when people drop out of your videos. See what you would change with every upload to try and improve each time. The best creators find themselves in this constant cycle of self-improvement.

10 Examples of Viral YouTube Shorts

1.  Capturing Daily Traditions in Stunning Detail

Beautiful Nature Life FN60 – Mountain Tribal Kid Makes Breakfast

• Creator: Fruits & Nature

• Views: 1.9 billion (as of October 2024)

• Description: This short showcases a young boy from a mountain tribe skillfully preparing an egg sandwich over a fire pit. Its authentic portrayal of traditional cooking methods resonated globally, earning it the Guinness World Record for the most viewed YouTube Short. 

2.  Exploring the Magic of Transformation

Real Life Transforming Cinderella Dress

• Creator: Justin Flom

• Views: 1.58 billion

• Description: Magician Justin Flom transforms a regular dress into a Cinderella-style gown, blending magic with fashion in a visually stunning display.

3.  Making Cleaning Look Like a Competitive Sport

If Cleaning Was a Timed Sport – Part 2

• Creator: Daniel LaBelle

• Views: 1.56 billion

• Description: Daniel humorously portrays cleaning as a competitive sport, showcasing exaggerated speed and agility in household chores, which struck a chord with viewers worldwide.

4.  Racing Potential Tools? How Ridiculous!

Potential Tools Racing Is INTENSE!!

• Creator: How Ridiculous

• Views: 1.38 billion

• Description: The How Ridiculous team races various potential tools down tracks, turning everyday equipment into high-speed entertainment, captivating audiences with their creativity.

5.  My First Photography Experience

اول تجربة لي بالتصوير !

• Creator: GK8 VLOGS

• Views: 1.31 billion

• Description: This Arabic-titled video, translating to "My First Photography Experience," features GK8 VLOGS sharing his initial foray into photography, resonating with viewers through its relatable content.

6.  Would You Fly to Paris for a Baguette?

Would You Fly To Paris For A Baguette?

• Creator: MrBeast

• Views: 1.28 billion

• Description: MrBeast challenges a participant to fly to Paris to fetch a baguette for $300. The video's global appeal was amplified by its availability in 28 languages, making it one of the most liked Shorts with over 51 million likes.

7.  Zach King's Magic Tricks are a Work of Art

How Zach King Gets Away With Doing Graffiti

• Creator: dollarbill

• Views: 1.23 billion

• Description: Illusionist Zach King demonstrates a clever trick to evade getting caught while doing graffiti, blending magic and street art in a captivating short.

8.  MrBeast's Latest Philanthropic Giveaway

Giving iPhones Instead of Candy on Halloween

• Creator: MrBeast

• Views: 1.23 billion

• Description: In a generous twist on Halloween traditions, MrBeast surprises trick-or-treaters by handing out iPhones instead of candy, delighting viewers with his philanthropy.

9.  When Pranks Go Wrong

World’s Best Prank Gone Wrong! How To Win Every Prank Wars Challenge

• Creator: Collins Key Shorts

• Views: 1.22 billion

• Description: Collins Key executes a prank that hilariously backfires, offering a comedic take on prank culture that resonated with a broad audience.

10.  Balloon Popping Races Are More Intense Than You Think

Our MOST INTENSE Balloon Popping Race!!

• Creator: How Ridiculous

• Views: 1.20 billion

• Description: The team engages in a high-energy balloon popping race, combining competition and fun in a format that appeals to viewers of all ages. 

Virlo helps short-form content creators crack the code of virality through AI-powered trend analysis. Our platform combines creator insights with advanced analytics to identify winning content patterns, optimal posting times, and successful audio/video combinations that help your content stand out in today's fast-moving social environment. 

Perfect for independent creators looking to build a sustainable side business, Virlo takes the guesswork out of content strategy. We analyze the latest viral trends and help you understand when to post and what combinations of elements drive engagement. Whether you're just starting or looking to optimize your existing content, Virlo enables you to navigate the ever-changing algorithms to increase your chances of going viral. Go viral with Virlo's virality analysis tool.

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Benefits of Making YouTube Shorts

1. Capture the Attention of an Emerging Short-Form Video Platform 

YouTube has been around for a while, and the competition is intense. With 2.6 billion monthly users and over 114 million active channels, standing out on the platform is increasingly complex. 

The same goes for TikTok and Instagram, which have 1.4 billion and 1 billion monthly users, respectively. 

In contrast, YouTube Shorts hit over 2 billion monthly active users in July 2023. This is an impressive 33% increase from last year's month, and the numbers keep climbing. 

If you're a small business, this is your chance to tap into the short-form video trend before it gets saturated like its longer-form counterparts. By getting on YouTube Shorts now, you can attract new audiences and grow your channel to boost your visibility. Get creative with your Shorts, using them to demo products, launch new product lines, or take your audience behind the scenes of your business operations. 

2. Combine Your Short- and Long-Form Video Strategies

Short—and long-form videos live on the same YouTube page and appear in users' feeds, subscriptions, and notifications, making it easy to strengthen your YouTube presence. 

Because of this integration, YouTube has found that channels incorporating both Shorts and long-form videos perform better overall than those solely focused on long-form content. As product manager Pierce Vollucci explains, "The channels that made Shorts actually seem to be growing faster. We anticipate that audience demand for short-form content is here to stay." 

For small businesses, this means offering audiences a mix of content types. If you already have a strong audience from long-form videos, think of Shorts as an ad for your main channel—one that can be placed in front of more viewers before directing them to your longer videos. 

3. Improve Your SEO Visibility

With YouTube owned by Google, its long-form videos and YouTube Shorts can dominate the video search results. This is excellent news for small businesses looking to boost their search engine visibility and reach relevant audiences searching for keywords and queries related to their brand. 

Just like long-form videos, SEO rules also apply to YouTube Shorts. Be sure to add relevant keywords to the title and video description to ensure your short-form content appears when your target audience searches for similar videos and is specific and appropriate to the keywords used. 

4. Repurpose Your Existing Short-Form Video Content

The beauty of YouTube Shorts is that it allows you to repurpose existing short-form vertical videos from Reels and TikTok, saving you valuable time that can be used to create more video content. 

By repurposing these vertical videos as YouTube Shorts, you can continue to consistently appear on social media, maximizing the value of your videos and boosting your brand’s reach. 

5. Gain Access to YouTube Shorts Monetization Programs

Though YouTube Shorts initially weren’t part of the YouTube Partner Program (YPP), monetization options were announced in late 2022 to allow creators to earn money from their short-form content. 

To be eligible for YouTube Shorts monetization, you must have a minimum of 1,000 subscribers. In addition, you need either 10 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days that are valid or 4,000 public watch hours of long-form videos over the previous 12 months. 

The former is recommended for those looking to focus primarily on the growth of YouTube Shorts, as watch hours from Shorts in the Shorts Feed don’t count towards the watch hour threshold. 

YouTube has also introduced an expanded program for new creators and those with smaller followings, allowing you to monetize through fan funding and YouTube Shopping. You can apply for the program if you have 500 subscribers, three public uploads in the last 90 days, and three million public Shorts views in the previous 90 days.

Virlo helps short-form content creators crack the code of virality through AI-powered trend analysis. Our platform combines creator insights with advanced analytics to identify winning content patterns, optimal posting times, and successful audio/video combinations that help your content stand out in today's fast-moving social environment. 

Perfect for independent creators looking to build a sustainable side business, Virlo takes the guesswork out of content strategy. We analyze the latest viral trends and help you understand when to post and what combinations of elements drive engagement. Whether you're just starting or looking to optimize your existing content, Virlo enables you to navigate the ever-changing algorithms to increase your chances of going viral. Go viral with Virlo's virality analysis tool.

Go Viral with Virlo's Virality Analysis Tool

Shorts attract new audiences to your channel. If you want to get more views on your YouTube videos, creating YouTube Shorts is a great way to start. YouTube Shorts allow creators to make content that is 60 seconds or less. When you create a Short, they have its own dedicated space on your channel. YouTube also features them prominently on the YouTube mobile app. Viewers can quickly scroll through Shorts, and the videos that appear are based on their interests, so they are likely to view content from creators they’ve never heard of before. 

This means that, as a creator, you have a good chance of attracting a new audience when you make YouTube Shorts.  The other great thing about YouTube Shorts is that they can help you go viral. Much like TikTok, YouTube Shorts have the potential to reach a large audience almost immediately after you upload them. There have been countless stories of creators who posted a Short only to have it go viral within days, racking up millions of views. This rapid exposure to a new audience can also help you get more views on your longer YouTube videos.  

Virlo helps short-form content creators crack the code of virality through AI-powered trend analysis. Our platform combines creator insights with advanced analytics to identify winning content patterns, optimal posting times, and successful audio/video combinations that help your content stand out in today's fast-moving social environment. 

Perfect for independent creators looking to build a sustainable side business, Virlo takes the guesswork out of content strategy. We analyze the latest viral trends and help you understand when to post and what combinations of elements drive engagement. Whether you're just starting or looking to optimize your existing content, Virlo helps you navigate the ever-changing algorithms to increase your chances of going viral. Go viral with Virlo's virality analysis tool.

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