Leveraging YouTube Shorts to Increase Your Reach, Establish Trust, and Build Community
Short-form content is here to stay. As we dive deeper into the attention economy, providing highly valuable bite-sized chunks of content will become more and more important. According to the book "Hooked" by Nir Eyal, “In the age of distraction, businesses that thrive are those that can create habits.” The challenge lies in carving out a space in a competitive landscape and creating regular content. However, the opportunity lies in repurposing content you are already producing. For example, a podcast can be broken down into bite-sized chunks that capture key moments and then drive listeners to watch or listen to full episodes.
The Power of YouTube
YouTube is the second largest search engine in the world. It has more search volume than Bing, Yahoo, AOL, and Ask.com combined. With over 3 billion searches per month, YouTube is only behind Google in terms of search volume. This massive audience provides a unique opportunity for content creators to reach a wider audience and engage more effectively.
Daily Search Volume Comparison
Google: 3.5 billion searches per day
YouTube: 3 billion searches per month
Bing: 900 million searches per month
Yahoo: 300 million searches per month
Ask.com: 100 million searches per month
AOL: 30 million searches per month
The Power of Short-Form Content
Short-form content allows you to produce or reproduce smaller pieces of valuable information about your product, service, brand message, etc., and deliver more value in a shorter period of time. While long-form content is still essential, short-form content helps funnel people to long-form content. If I'm searching for something on YouTube and have the choice of watching a 25-minute video or a short clip that immediately addresses my need, I'm going for the short content first. You probably will too.
According to Yaguara, short-form videos receive 2.5 times more engagement than long-form videos. So, if you could take your already valuable long-form content and repackage it into smaller chunks that garner 2.5 times more engagement per piece and point people back to your long-form content, what would you do?
A Real World Example
Let’s break down the math to show the increased watch time, reach, and engagement. My podcast generates roughly 10K total monthly downloads with 4 episodes a month. If I only share 4 YouTube Shorts, each less than 30 seconds, they generally produce 2.5-4K views within the first 24 hours each.
Podcast Downloads per Month: 10,000
YouTube Shorts Views per Month: 3 Shorts x 2,500-4,000 views each = 10,000-16,000 views
By repurposing your podcast into YouTube Shorts, you can potentially double your reach with minimal extra effort. These bite-sized pieces of content not only engage viewers quickly but also drive them to your full episodes, increasing overall engagement and watch time.
A Word Of Caution
While the numbers look great, it's important to understand that starting from scratch doesn't mean you'll see overnight success. There's no silver bullet in content marketing. It takes time, effort, and consistency. The process isn't hard, but it does require a commitment to regular content creation and engagement.
Many marketers promise quick results with new strategies, but the reality is that building a loyal audience and seeing significant growth takes time. The data shared here from my own experience is meant to illustrate the benefits of short-form content, but it's essential to lean into this form of marketing with realistic expectations. Success will come, but it's a marathon, not a sprint.
The Benefits of Short-Form Content
Increased Engagement: Short-form videos receive 2.5 times more engagement than long-form videos.
Higher Reach: Quick, easily digestible content can be shared more widely, increasing your reach.
Trust and Community Building: Consistent, valuable content builds trust with your audience and fosters a sense of community.
Content Funnel: Short-form content serves as an entry point, funneling viewers to your long-form content.
Increased Efficiency: Producing or repurposing short-form content is often quicker and requires less effort than creating long-form content.
Automation Tools: There are tools available that can help you create and repurpose short-form content, making the process even more efficient.
Here’s the deal, this doesn’t just work for podcasts. You can and should consider how you can take your Video trainings, Courses, Sermons, even blogs and emails can be reverse engineered into highly effective pieces of short-form content that point people to your brand. Want to know how? Reach out and let us show you.
Conclusion
In the competitive landscape of content creation, the ability to repurpose and maximize your content’s reach is invaluable. By breaking down your long-form content into engaging, bite-sized chunks, you can significantly increase your reach, establish trust, and build a thriving community. Short-form content isn't just a trend; it's a powerful tool in the attention economy. Embrace it, and watch your engagement soar.
