Why are my short YouTube videos not getting viewed?

By Celine Casell

A lot of YouTubers were used to creating long videos on YouTube before the introduction of Shorts. YouTube Shorts is a new video format on the platform that was introduced for viewers’ enjoyment. 

However, getting views for one’s Shorts is difficult and different from gaining views on longer videos. This is why a lot of creators usually ask this question, why are my Shorts not getting views? Some reasons exist which result in a low number of views. 

Read on to find out these reasons and the way you can avoid them to start getting more views.

What are YouTube Shorts?

It is a short, vertical video that’s below 60 seconds. Though shorter videos on YouTube are additionally in landscape mode, YouTube limits Shorts to vertical mode. This is because the platform wants Shorts viewed mainly with mobile devices. 

Additionally, this short format enables the video type to be perfect for users to view during breaks at work, on the road, etc. It’s a new format introduced by the YouTube platform.

Reasons Why Your YouTube Shorts Don’t Get Views

When one’s Shorts are not performing well, it is essential to deliberate on the reasons for this. We’ve listed the reasons behind one’s YouTube Shorts not getting views and they are;

1. Your Shorts Don’t Trigger YouTube’s Algorithm

The YouTube algorithm will follow the response of one’s audience when they test it with various audience. In a case where one’s Short is not receiving views, it can be because his audience is not responding adequately to his Short. This signifies that your Shorts are not getting adequate engagement.

Among the most important factors of YouTube’s algorithm is the tracking of engagements and views. Most times, to get the first content views isn’t easy, especially when one has a small channel that isn’t really established. When one’s channel isn’t defined well, YouTube mightn’t really comprehend his target audience. This factor can make winning the YouTube algorithm hard.

2. You Use Wrong Hashtags

When one uses inappropriate hashtags, it will throw his Short into oblivion. Therefore, ensure that your hashtag is relevant, and your spellings aren’t wrong. Definitely, you’ll love to utilize branded hashtags that you’re advertising because that’ll aid in fostering business recognition. Still, just as a lot of other social media sites, Google does not encourage keyword stuffing. 

So, don’t overuse keywords. Whenever viewers search for specific video types, they will most probably utilize keywords and hashtags. Therefore, you should utilize the right hashtags and keywords in order to start getting more views. 

3. Limited Audience Reach

This is another reason why your YouTube Shorts are not getting views. One’s Shorts’ visibility might be limited to just his subscribers and people who search for videos similar to his own. Getting views on one’s Shorts, increasing one’s reach, and building one’s audience may definitely take time.

4. You Make Horizontal Videos

YouTube Shorts should remain vertical. So, if one is publishing horizontal Shorts by chance, it isn’t helping him. One is free to upload a video that isn’t vertical only when parts of his footage are removed. The options available to you are square images or vertical rectangles. However, a square image mightn’t perform so well in videos. 

The worst part is that in a lot of situations, creating a square video can make you crop an enormous part of your original photo. That will make one sacrifice many of his footage’s artistic value and his video does not engage well. Sharing low-quality videos will surely lead to low views on your YouTube Shorts.

5. You Don’t Exercise Patience

At times, YouTube can use some time for testing one’s Shorts with various audiences. This time varies from days to weeks. Therefore, you must exercise patience in this case and wait. With time, the platform will comprehend the audiences that engage with one’s videos the most. 

They can be similar audiences to one’s existing audience or they can vary a little. Don’t forget that YouTube gets money whenever a user’s Short views generate ad revenue. So, YouTube will be an incentive to bring views to one’s channel, then make them keep on viewing his videos.

Tips to Get Views on Your Shorts

We’ve listed the best tips for your YouTube Shorts to start getting views. These include;

1. Be Aware of Your Audience

This is the first tip to try out. You must know your target audience whenever you’re trying to brainstorm ideas for YouTube Shorts. What usually interests them? Which content types do your audience respond to? When one has a presence on YouTube already, finding this information wouldn’t be difficult for him.

He just must check his existing analytics for long-form videos. Also, you can deliberate on what is working adequately for Instagram Reels and TikTok. These kinds of content resemble YouTube Shorts; therefore, a lot of their patterns are applicable on multiple platforms. 

2. Make a Powerful Hook

The first 3 seconds of one’s Shorts are so crucial. If one can’t captivate the attention of his audience under 3 seconds, he’ll lose them. Therefore, one should ensure that his hook captivates so well. 

At times, this hook can be clever, and then at times, it can be a statement that grabs attention. Either way, it’ll invite users to finish viewing one’s Shorts. Additionally, ensure that your YouTube channel engages well.

3. Keep Your Video Short

People’s attention span has limit, so it is essential to pass your point fast. It’s recommended by the YouTube platform that Shorts has to be about 15 seconds. This length is very okay for a video. It was even TikTok’s original length for a video prior to them accommodating 60 seconds. So, just as TikTok, you’re free to make videos of 60 seconds in length. 

When you create videos that are too long, viewers may not finish them, and this is a bad signal to the YouTube algorithm. A trick is finding ways of telling one’s story well while it stays short. You should go through this blog post by Views4You on how long your YouTube Shorts should be. 

With this article, you will know why YouTube Shorts have a time limit, the necessities you should follow for your YouTube Shorts, the advantages to gain from creating Shorts, the right length for YouTube Shorts, and many more.

4. Ensure Your Titles and Thumbnails Are Compelling

Videos’ titles and thumbnails are their first elements that people see. Whether one’s video is in the Shorts tab, feed, or his channel, people will first see its title and thumbnail. When one’s potential viewers aren’t viewing in a way that play every Short in an automatic manner, he must convince viewers to click on play. 

Then, on the part of autoplay Shorts, one wants to view everything. When one’s title and thumbnail grabs attention, that will create full interest for people to continue to watch his video to the end, thereby increasing watch time. 

5. Ensure Creativity

YouTube is an enormous platform and there is space for creativity. Start thinking outside the box. Start developing concepts to enable your video to stand out amongst others. If one considers the huge competition for views, he will do everything he can to make himself have a greater advantage over others.

Just a little improvement will result in an enormous difference. Immediately YouTube’s algorithm starts to pick up one’s video as one that viewers love watching and they know the audience that want to view it, his views will be increased so fast.

6. Balance Quality and Quantity

Balancing quality and quantity are very crucial in YouTube Shorts. When you’re producing a lot of videos, they may be of low quality. This is because, in many situations, you will not dedicate enough time to work on each video. 

It’ll be like production lines and users do not like spending valuable time on that. However, when you’re not producing enough content, users will start losing interest. For a lot of YouTubers, getting videos from favorite creators that come up in their feeds constantly is essential.

Final Thoughts

When I first started to create Shorts, it wasn’t easy for me to know the reason why my YouTube Shorts weren’t getting views. This is because many factors are to be considered to perform well on YouTube’s algorithm. Among the reasons for fewer views on YouTube Shorts is the fact that YouTube only suggests Shorts under a different tab instead of the everyday feed of users. Shorts usually have separate sections. Also, YouTube grades Shorts somewhat differently, and it has multiple competitors in YouTube’s algorithm. 

However, I was able to learn a lot about how to maximize my Shorts for YouTube’s algorithm in order to stand out from other content creators so that my channel can get the best results. When you go through this guide and follow the tips mentioned above, you will start getting more views on your YouTube Shorts and your channel will grow fast.