Shorts
Shorts bring you people
Shorts are great for reach, but Shorts feed views don't count toward YPP watch hours. How to give Shorts and long videos each their own job.
Shorts are one of the best ways to get in front of new people. They just don't do the same job as your long videos, and it helps to know the difference before you plan your month.
Feed views aren't watch hours
Views from the Shorts feed don't count toward the 4,000 public watch hours you need for the YouTube Partner Program. That bar rises to 8,000 hours for new applicants on February 1, 2027.
Shorts views count toward the other route instead: 1,000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views in 90 days, rising to 20 million on February 1, 2027.
Nobody is banned from doing Shorts… It's just, if we want watch hours, we have to do the other way.
Marielou, on a Video Creator Club call
Connect them
The people a Short brings in need somewhere to go next. Link each Short to a long video, either your latest one or one that already gets found in search.
You do this with the Related video field on the Short in YouTube Studio (Content, then the Short, then Related video). It needs advanced features turned on for your channel, and the video you link has to be one of your own.
Give each one its job
- Shorts get you in front of new people.
- Long videos and live streams build the watch hours, as long as they stay public.
Make both, and know which one you're making.
Sources
By Marielou Mandl, founder of Video Creator Club. This post started as a carousel on @videocreator.club.