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As someone running a YouTube channel, one question I often ask is, “Should I have both long-form and Shorts on the same channel?”
And you’d be surprised by the number of opinions around this question.
In this guide, I’ve explored the various sides of this argument to arrive at the most practical solutions.
But the best solution may depend on your situation and what you’re trying to achieve on YouTube.
Let’s dive into the details.
Should you combine long-form and short-form on the same YouTube channel?
While having both long-form videos and Shorts sounds like what everyone should do, it hasn’t worked for most YouTubers.
Some people have noticed worse performance on their long-form videos after publishing Shorts on their channels, especially if a Short goes viral.
But this experience has not affected everyone. Some people have successfully maintained good performance for both long-form and Shorts on the same channel.
In the next sections, we’ll explore the main differences between long-form videos and Shorts, how to determine which content format to focus on, and whether to have both formats on a single channel.
Long- form content
Critical metrics
Click-through rates (CTR)
This is the number of times people click your video, divided by the number of times they saw it. For example, if YouTube users see your video 100 times and they click it four times, that’s a 4% CTR.
YouTube uses this to determine how catchy your video topic and thumbnail are to users. A higher CTR means more people are interested in your video topic.
Having a higher CTR will encourage the algorithm to show your video to more people. This is a foundational metric for long-form videos, as it affects your video performance.
Average view duration (AVD)
This is the average amount of time viewers spend on your video. This is the first way to know if viewers got value from the video.
If people are jumping off a video after watching for 30 seconds, there may be a mismatch between the video title and content. In this case, YouTube may recommend the video less.
There’s no single best AVD as it depends on the length of your video. For a short video, you may need people to view a high percentage of your video to increase its chances of going viral.
Viewer satisfaction
YouTube uses surveys, session duration (if a viewer watched another video on your channel), and other engagement signals to determine viewer satisfaction.
Viewer satisfaction is YouTube’s ultimate goal, as this keeps viewers coming back to the platform.
Advantages of long-form videos
Lets you explain a topic in detail
Whether you’re explaining a concept or creating a product tutorial, long-form gives you the time to explain in detail. For some topics, 60 seconds is insufficient to provide value or help people make a decision.
Makes more money
A long-form video can have an RPM (revenue per mille/1000 views) ranging from $1 to $15, depending on video length, niche, audience, and other factors.
In terms of monetization, long-form videos make far more than Shorts for the same number of views.
Have a long shelf life
A long-form video can be relevant for years, as long as people are still interested in the topic. Even if you create a video about a seasonal topic, YouTube will recommend it during those seasons.
In some cases, your videos can get new views if the topic goes viral due to events.
Easier to accumulate watch hours
It’s much easier to accumulate watch hours with a 15-minute video than a 60-second short.
Builds better audience loyalty
If people get value from your long-form videos, they’re more likely to watch more videos from your channel.
Disadvantages of long-form videos
Takes a lot of time to create
A lot of time goes into scripting a long-form YouTube video. But beyond that, you have to create a catchy title and thumbnail, shoot video, and edit it.
This could range from a few hours to tens of hours for a single video.
Doesn’t get as many views as shorts
Because long-form videos take longer to watch, they don’t get as many views. For example, you can watch 20 Shorts in the same amount of time you’d watch a 15-minute video.
Short-form content (YouTube Shorts)
Critical metrics
Viewed vs swiped away
This is the percentage of people who viewed or swiped away from your Short. People who swipe away from your video within 3 to 4 seconds will be counted as swiped away.
In this case, YouTube uses this metric to determine if your hook is keeping viewers. If your viewed percentage falls below 50%, YouTube may recommend your Shorts less.
Average percentage viewed
This is the average amount of your Shorts that people view. This tells YouTube how engaging your Short is.
To go viral, you want an APV higher than 80%. Your APV can be higher than 100% if people watch your Short more than once on average.
Advantages of YouTube Shorts
Easier to make
Because they are so short, YouTube Shorts can be created in a few minutes to a few hours. You can also cut clips from your long-form video to create Shorts.
Get a lot of views
Because most Shorts are under a minute and are heavily promoted by the YouTube algorithm, they can rack up millions of views.
Good for discovering a new audience
Since new shorts are recommended automatically after watching one, new audiences can find your content and become subscribers.
Can be used to test an idea
If you want to create a long-form video about a topic but are unsure of how your audience will receive it, you can test the idea with a short. If people engage with the Short, you can then move on to create the long-form version.
Disadvantages of YouTube Shorts
Doesn’t make much money
If you’re trying to make money on YouTube, Shorts is the hardest way to achieve that goal. You can have millions of Shorts views with poor revenues.
For example, Shorts RPM (revenue per 1,000 views) typically ranges from $0.05 to $0.2. That’s much less than a tenth of what you get on long-form.
For a real-life example, Oscar Owen made $1,760 from a YouTube Short with 58 million views.
Has a short shelf life
A Short often gets its best engagement within its first few days or weeks. After that, it may struggle to get substantial views.
Requires more views to get watch hours
Because of how short a Short is, you’ll need millions of views to get good watch hours. For example, 15 views of a 60-second Short is equal to 1 view of a 15-minute long-form video in terms of watch hours.
Factors to consider when planning YouTube content
Monetization goals
How much money do you want to make?
If you create YouTube videos to reach and attract more customers for your business, Shorts can get you in front of a large audience quickly.
However, if you want to make money with your YouTube videos, creating long-form videos offers a better path to achieving your goal.
Engagement target
What type of engagement are you looking for?
If you want to get more views for your channel, Shorts will offer you the best path.
However, if you want to build trust and watch hours, long-form videos let you explore deep topics.
Amount of time to invest
Shorts take less time to create compared to long-form videos. If you only have a few hours weekly and you’d like to create YouTube content, you can go for shorts.
However, if you have more time, go for long-form.
Personal preference
Which type of content do you like creating? If you like a particular content format, you’re more likely to keep going even if you get only a few views at the beginning.
My recommendation
There are two major schools of thought on what to do on your channel in terms of the long-form vs short-form content debate.
Some recommend never combining Shorts and long-form on the same channel, as Shorts are likely to destroy your long-form content performance.
And the reasoning is simple.
People who love Shorts are unlikely to sit through an 18-minute long-form video. It’s like asking a TikTok addict to watch a 20-minute video. Good luck with that.
For the same reason, using Shorts to promote long-form videos may not work as expected.
If they watch a few minutes of your video and bounce, the algorithm can see your video as not engaging enough and stop recommending it to YouTube users.
In fact, Trey, a YouTuber, suggests that having Shorts and long-form on the same channel can destroy the channel once the Shorts go viral. He advises having separate channels for each format.
One great example of this is SB Mowing. The YouTube creator has different channels for long-form videos and Shorts.
And he has been successful with both, with millions of subscribers on each channel.
However, opponents of this idea have argued that having long-form and Shorts on the same channel can work.
Their rationale is that YouTube can recommend the right videos to each viewer and is smart enough to know people interested in Shorts and long-form.
Then some have argued that you can use shorts to promote long-form videos.
To be honest, I’ve watched a long-form video after watching a Short about it. But that’s because I watch more long-form content on YouTube.
YouTube itself says you can use Shorts to grow your long-form videos.
One successful YouTuber who publishes both Shorts and long-form videos is Johnny Harris.
Although there’s a caveat here. He already had an established audience before uploading shorts.
He already had millions of subscribers interested in his long-form videos, so Shorts subscribers may not have a big impact on his long videos.
For a new YouTube creator, the dynamics will be totally different.
That said, if you’re trying to build trust with your audience, you need more long-form videos. However, if you’re trying to attract a big audience, put more effort into Shorts.
My personal recommendation is to focus on one format first, especially if you run a new channel.
Then, after the channel has a consistent performance level, slowly introduce the other format. This way, you can easily track if both formats will work on your channel.
If both formats don’t work together on your channel, the best option is to create a separate channel for each format.
Then, you can link between your channels for people who may be interested in both.
On my own channel, I currently upload long-form videos and plan to introduce Shorts gradually to track the channel’s overall performance.
Conclusion
Whether you want to promote your business or make some money, YouTube is a great platform to achieve those goals.
However, navigating the long-form vs Shorts posting strategy can have a big impact on your goal.
Rather than blindly posting both formats on the same channel, I’d advise you to have a strategy and track how each format affects your channel.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Should I upload Shorts and long-form videos on the same YouTube channel or create separate channels?
It’s best to focus on a single format and introduce the other format slowly. If Shorts hurt your long-form performance, your best option may be to create another channel for Shorts.
Will Shorts hurt the performance of my long-form videos?
It’s not guaranteed, but it’s likely. Based on the experience of many YouTubers, Shorts viewers rarely watch long-form content. If YouTube recommends your long-form content to them, it can lead to lower CTR or AVD, which may prevent YouTube from recommending it to more people.
Does the YouTube algorithm treat Shorts and long-form videos separately?
Yes, it does. YouTube has different recommendation engines for Shorts and long-form videos.
Can Shorts help grow my long-form channel?
It’s possible, but it’s unlikely. People who love Shorts rarely love long-form content. It’s tough to convert even half of Shorts subscribers into long-term long-form viewers.
When should I create a separate Shorts channel instead of using one channel?
First of all, think of the likelihood of a Shorts viewer viewing a long-form video in your niche. Then, track your long-form performance after introducing Shorts. If long-form performance drops, create a separate Shorts channel.
Do successful YouTubers keep Shorts and long-form videos on the same channel?
Yes, many successful YouTubers keep Shorts and long-form videos on the same channel. But many of them already had established long-form audiences before uploading Shorts.
If I post both formats on one channel, what’s the best publishing strategy?
If you already have long-form content, you have to introduce Shorts slowly. Then, ensure that your Shorts align with your long-form videos. YouTube allows you to link a Short to a long-form video if you want to promote the long-form video. After that, track your video performance.
If I already mix Shorts and long-form videos, is it worth separating them now?
If Shorts have hurt your long-form content performance, slow down on uploading Shorts. You can also create a new Shorts channel. However, if Shorts have no negative impact on your long-form content, keep both in the same channel.
Should new creators start with Shorts, long-form, or both?
New creators should start with one of the formats, whichever is comfortable for you. After establishing an audience in this format, introduce the other format slowly. Another option is to create another channel for the other format.
Does niche matter when deciding whether to combine Shorts and long-form content?
Yes, niche does matter. In some niches, Shorts viewers are more likely to view long-form content. For example, history and food. However, Shorts viewers in niches like entertainment are unlikely to convert to long-form viewers. So, consider your niche before deciding.
Samuel is a freelance SaaS writer. He has written for top SaaS websites like GetResponse, SweepWidget, and Hopper HQ to raise awareness, attract users, and drive monthly recurring revenue (MRR). Get in touch with him to rev up your content engine.