YouTube Shorts for Musicians

Short-form video is becoming the new standard in a rapidly evolving digital media landscape. YouTube Shorts are the latest innovation from the platform that first brought streaming internet video to the mainstream.

YouTube Shorts are a powerful new tool for any artist trying to capture eyeballs, build a brand, and grow audiences. Shorts give artists yet another opportunity to bypass industry gatekeepers and engage audiences directly.

In this article, we'll break down what YouTube Shorts are, why you would use them, and how to get started creating Shorts that will halt endlessly scrolling thumbs and put eyes on your content. Let’s dive in.

What Are YouTube Shorts?

Shorts are YouTube’s answer to Instagram Reels, TikTok, and other short-form video platforms. Specifically, these are videos that can be scrolled endlessly, unlike YouTube's more traditional "scroll and choose" format. The main challenge of short-form video is to capture audience attention just long enough to convey a message and hopefully make their day just a tiny bit better — no easy task.

Technically, YouTube Shorts are vertical videos designed to be viewed on smartphones. Shorts appear in a dedicated section of the YouTube app, allowing users to seek out a specific experience. While Shorts can be up to 60 seconds long, they're often much shorter for maximum impact. Quick and engaging is the name of the game.

Like TikTok, YouTube gives you access to their music library when creating Shorts. As a musician, you probably want to use your own songs, but there might be situations where you would use other music. Remember, the goal here is creating a brand, not necessarily relentlessly plugging your work. Modern audiences and distributors are savvy, and they want authenticity over shallow hard-sells.

Shorts can be created within the YouTube mobile app, but you can also upload existing content, including specifically made short-form videos or snippets of longer works.

Why You Should Create YouTube Shorts

As competition for eyeballs increases, and attention spans grow shorter, artists must become more efficient and effective at rapidly connecting with audiences. Here are some reasons why YouTube Shorts might help you grow your audience:

• Massive audience. With 120+ million daily active users, YouTube is still the premiere video platform on the planet. Accessing and connecting with even a tiny fraction of that audience could change your career. What do you have to lose?
• Showcase your talent. Thumbs move fast these days. Even if you're the next musical genius, audiences may never know it. They need to see your talent — and see it quickly. Shorts are the best way to do this.
• Low time commitment. You’re essentially giving someone a snippet of what you're about, rather than asking someone to sit through a longer video. If they like the appetizer, they might be curious about what else is on the menu.
• Reach a new audience. Shorts are a great way to get your content in front of new people as the YouTube algorithm seeks out those who might like your work. Because Shorts are short, a user can see many in a sitting, increasing the odds of stumbling on something new they might like.
• Easy engagement. Like any social media platform, Shorts facilitate direct two-way communication between you and your audience, possibly the most important innovation of the modern streaming music model.
• Simple to create. Making Shorts is easy, especially if you already have content that can be chopped up into bite-sized pieces. You can also record Shorts with the YouTube app. Either way, you can have a Short ready to go in minutes. And if you're already making short-form videos, cross-posting to YouTube is a no-brainer.

What Makes a Great YouTube Short?

Competition is fierce. If you're creating Shorts, they need to be good. Here are some tips to remember:

• Thumbnail is key. No matter how great your content is, your thumbnail is the first thing anyone is going to see. Don’t just use the random frame YouTube picks! Choose an image that best conveys what you and the video are about.
• Focus on metadata. This includes titles, keywords, and hashtags. If the algorithm is going to find your audience, it needs to know what to look for. You need to fine-tune your metadata to target the audience that might react to your content.
• Test and adjust. The low barrier of entry means you can create several versions of your video to beta test and figure out which approach works best. Track view statistics, reactions, and comments and adjust as you go.
• Engage with your audience. Read all the comments and answer where appropriate. As an aspiring musician, accessibility to you is a huge advantage. Fans want to connect with you like a real human being.
• Be new and original. You're competing against thousands of dedicated and creative aspiring artists. To stand out, you need to be fresh and original. Copying the status quo won’t cut it — be creative!

Make Your First YouTube Short

If you're ready to get started, here is the step-by-step process to create a YouTube Short. The process is pretty intuitive, but we'll explain it anyway:

1. Start. Open your YouTube app and tap the circular plus icon at the bottom.
2. Setup. Adjust your record settings including frame rate, filters, and more using the icons along the right side of the screen. To upload an existing video, tap the icon in the bottom left corner.
3. Record. Hit the red circle to record. Hit the red square to stop. Pretty simple. If you like what you have, tap the checkmark in the bottom right corner. If you want to take another crack at it, hit the X icon in the top left to start over.
4. Edit. Using the icons along the right side, you can trim your clip, add filters, adjust colors, and more. You can also add sound and music by tapping the icon in the top center. If you like your result, tap next.
5. Publish. Choose a thumbnail by tapping the pencil icon, then add a description, hashtags, and other metadata. Finally, adjust the other administrative settings, and you’re ready to go. Save your video as a draft or go ahead and publish.

That's the basic process. The only way to really get good at it is to play around with the app and settings. You can't break it, so be creative and test your limits. Of course, additional info can be found on YouTube.

Takeaways

We hope you have a better grasp of what YouTube Shorts are, how they can help you promote your work, and what good Shorts need to connect with audiences. If you’re ready to get started, just do it and adjust as you go. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain. Give it a shot!

If you have a growing audience and are ready to take your music to the next level, it’s important to partner with an experienced distributor you can trust. Sugo Music Group has been helping artists distribute and publish their musical works worldwide for over 30 years. By working with one of the industry’s top leaders, you can get your music the exposure it deserves and become the musician you’ve always wanted to be.