This has been a long time coming, YouTube!

And it's reminded me of something...

We’ve been investing a lot of time in short-form video content recently, and it’s really starting to pay off.

We’ve just surpassed 40,000 followers on TikTok and have doubled our Instagram following in a little over two months. This results from a more concerted effort on vertical video; we’re no longer just chopping up long-form YouTube videos and reframing them for shorts - we’re shooting stuff specifically for the platforms and audience.

I was therefore very interested to read about a big update coming to YouTube Shorts this month, which has also reminded me of the golden rule of content creation.

From 15th October, we’ll be able to upload YouTube Shorts that are up to three minutes long. For comparison, the maximum allowed by TikTok and Instagram at the time of writing is 10 minutes and 90 seconds, respectively.

I think this is a smart move by YouTube. It not only brings the platform more in line with the competition but should also encourage more creators to dive into YouTube Shorts. The additional thirty seconds currently offered by Instagram for Reels and the bordering-on-bonkers headroom delivered by TikTok, provides far more room for creativity and monetisation strategies to be deployed. There’s nothing wrong with a sub one-minute short (some of the best sit comfortably within that time frame) but the more time in the spotlight we’re given as creators, the more likely we are to invest time in that platform.

YouTube hasn’t stopped there, either. Along with the duration extension, we’re getting enhanced editing tools that include templates and AI-powered backgrounds. Users are also getting new stuff, including a Shorts Trends Page, comment previews, and feed customisation built specifically for Shorts.

If you think the additional two minutes that YouTube is adding to the maximum duration of Shorts is blurring the line between that style of content and regular videos, that’s missing the point. These are still vertical videos - they can just be a bit longer.

I welcome these changes. There have been way too many times when we’ve had to edit down a vertical video just to fit within that one-minute duration for YouTube Shorts, and it’s never a particularly satisfying endeavour. Sometimes, just a couple more seconds is all we need. I’d also love to explore more ways to monetise our short-form videos, because it is, essentially, a loss leader within the business at the moment. More time on screen offers more potential ways to turn a few seconds into a sponsor spot for brands, for instance - if we get the approach right for the audience.

However, this big update to YouTube Shorts also reminds me of the golden rule of content creation: a video is finished when it’s finished. If it’s 20 seconds long or an hour long, that’s irrelevant. If you’ve hooked the viewer and kept them hooked for as long as possible to tell the story, you’ve done the job intended. This applies, obviously, to short- and long-form videos. When it comes to the former, just because we get a few extra minutes to play with doesn’t mean we have to use them.

Mark my words, though - we’ll be using them regularly on the newly updated YouTube Shorts!