- As a YouTube creator, you're probably familiar
with the struggle of reaching 4,000 hours
of watch time within 12 months to get monetized.
Many creators spend years grinding
without seeing a penny for their hard work
while others simply give up before they reach that goal.
I don't want that to be you.
In this video, we're going to share a clever tactic
that can help you achieve that milestone much faster.
It won't happen overnight, but this is a game-changer.
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Let's talk about YouTube Shorts,
YouTube's controversial challenger to TikTok.
These bite-sized pieces of content
have the potential to get a massive amount of views.
I mean massive, but unfortunately, those views don't count
towards the 4,000 hours of watch time required
to monetize using your long-form content,
which is a huge bummer.
So how can you use Shorts
to your advantage if you're needing 4,000 hours
of watch time for your long-form videos?
Well, some various smart creators
have found a loophole around this.
I call it the shortcut strategy,
and it is very, very simple.
Step one, you create a Short that incorporates a key idea
or engaging moment from one of your long-form videos.
Step two 10, pin a comment
under that Short directing traffic to the full-length video.
Step three, relax and watch that additional traffic
boost the watch time on that long-form video.
Hold up.
Let's unpack this just a little bit more.
Look at creator Johnny Harris as an example.
He made a Short explaining inflation in just 60 seconds,
which got over 841,000 views.
He then pinned a comment saying, "Of course,
this is a very simplified explanation.
I made a longer explainer on inflation here."
Now, I know that's a terrible impression
but here's what that did.
He links it and he pushed a meaningful amount
of traffic from that Short over to his long-form upload
and Johnny uses this tactic on many of his Shorts,
effectively using Shorts to increase watch time
on his long-form content.
And my friends, it works.
The daily views on that long-form video linked
in the example increased by 40% during the first week
after that Short went live compared to the previous week
and continues to see additional traffic today.
I looked into other channels and found similar results.
When a YouTube Short got an increase in views,
the long-form video linked the comments
usually experienced a boost in traffic as well.
More views, more watch time.
But of course, this won't work
if the Short doesn't take off in the first place.
So let me help you with that.
One way is to do what Johnny did.
Take the core idea of one of your long-form videos,
then deliver it as a Short.
Then the viewers who are thirsty
for more can go watch the in-depth video.
Another option is to look
at your comments, retention graph and most replayed moments.
This will give you a solid idea of what part
of your long-form video viewers found most interesting.
I recommend that you use the insights that you find here
to create an original Short that revisits the same concept.
If you need more help, you can just let AI do it for you.
Use TubeBuddy's suggested Shorts tool to analyze several
of your uploads at once and find the moments
that generated the highest engagement in seconds.
Use these insights to craft the idea
behind your companion Shorts.
I will link more information about this tool
in the description if you wanna try it out.
The shortcut strategy is not just a great way
to squeeze out more watch time
or revive a video that's losing steam
but the traffic that you send over
to that long-form video are more likely to watch longer.
Hop into the advanced mode
of YouTube analytics for one of your past uploads.
You'll notice that traffic sources
have a big influence over watch time.
For example, the average view duration
on your videos might be higher
from YouTube suggested than search.
That's because YouTube's recommendation algorithm
is super clever
and can predict which viewers are more likely to engage
with your content.
While search is more of a guessing game,
and comes down to which result comes first or sticks out
to the viewer the most.
It is way less personalized.
But if a viewer watches youe Short,
goes to the comments
and decides that based on what they saw,
they want to leave the Shorts feed to see the full video,
it's fair to assume that they'll be more invested
in your long-form content
than someone who simply stumbled upon it.
And the longer each viewer watches your long-form video,
the better it is for your watch time.
Friends, let me know
if you're willing to try this in the comments below.
Smash the Subscribe button, then check out this video
on how to create a viral YouTube Short from start to finish.
I love you all and keep creating.