YouTube will improve its Shorts function on October 15. A recent update to the platform raised the allowed video duration for Shorts from 60 seconds to three minutes. It does so by shifting attention to what the creators in fact want which is more flexibility in content. With Longer Shorts, creators will easily be able to cross-post their content to other platforms with ease.
TikTok first expanded user video length from one minute to three minutes in 2021. It eventually became open to 10 minutes in total, while Instagram Reels still only allow for 90 seconds. It means that, by expanding Shorts further, YouTube positions itself more in line with TikTok. These are due to the competition that exists among these platforms which forces them to emulate similar solutions.
YouTube Shorts Introduces New Tools for Creators
Next to longer Shorts, YouTube also unveiled new tools for creators. These include “templates” for people to follow, thus making it easier for them to recreate the trends. They recently announced that the creators could now employ the “Remix” feature to copy existing Shorts that are most popular. They can also directly include other Shorts or YouTube videos within them.
Moreover, YouTube is launching a trends page on mobile. By using this page, it is easy for individuals to find popular items such as articles that interest them. It can also have the option of the choice ‘show fewer Shorts’. These changes are intended to improve overall satisfaction among users of the platform as well as increase their activity.
Allowing creators longer length content, and new tools, shows that YouTube is dedicated to supporting content creators. Said pursuit predominantly serves the interest of viewers who seek varied and interesting programming. This development of Shorts is set to bring YouTube as a social media platform to a different and more competitive level.
