YouTube shorts are getting even longer—you can now create Shorts lasting 3 minutes long.
YouTube Shorts all started as an idea to replace TikTok which was banned in India, back in September 2020.
Following its traction since then, YouTube decided to launch Shorts to the United States and the whole world in 2021 for creators to showcase their creations in a portrait format lasting a maximum of 60 seconds. Perhaps it was also a response to competitors like TikTok and Instagram Reels. Since then, Shorts have gained massive traction and currently drive over 164 million viewers to the platform in 2024 alone.
With its userbase on the rise, more and more features have been requested by Shorts creators and viewers alike on the platform of which the most popular request was to increase the length of shorts.
YouTube gave a listening ear to this shoutout and took a huge step to increase the maximum length of shorts from 60 seconds to 3 minutes.
This makes storytelling on Shorts even more immersive, said Todd Sherman, the director of product management, at YouTube Shorts.
Longer Shorts, more of you. Starting on October 15, you can upload Shorts up to 3 minutes long. This was a top requested feature by creators, so we’re excited to give you more flexibility to tell your story. This change applies to videos that are square or taller in aspect ratio, and won't affect any videos you uploaded before October 15.
This update will be a big bummer in the market, as YouTube short-form videos can now compete with those of the leading Shorts giants like TikTok and Instagram Reels.
Let's see how this update will affect creators.
What This Means for Creators
If you're a YouTube creator, you should see this as a big advantage for earning more from your Shorts, but don't be too excited just yet. Here's how this update will affect you.
Increased Storytelling Timeframe
For sure, one of the major advantages of this update on shorts is you'll have enough time to showcase your creation. No need to squeeze your creations and make everything show up within 60 seconds. You'll have enough time to plan, create, and share within a single short.
Leverage the Power of Templates and AI
This is another massive feature you can implement into your shorts. If you're fun of remixing content on YouTube, then you'll find YouTube templates even more creative for remixing clips.
Remix on YouTube lets you recreate content while keeping the spin of the original content that inspired your creation. Now, you can remix content in a short while maintaining its original template in your creation. All you need to do is click on the "Remix" button on a video and select "Use this template" to create your content in an even easier way. With the length of Shorts now extended to 3 minutes, creating content with templates will be even more fun.
Also, YouTube recently announced the introduction of its most capable model for generation videos, Veo to YouTube Shorts. This will be a huge advantage for YouTube creators as they won't always need to go through creations from scratch. And now that Shorts length has been extended to 3 minutes, creators would be able to leverage the power of Veo for creating Shorts.
Earn More from Shorts
If you're in the YouTube Partner Program, there's no doubt that 3-minute Shorts will earn you more money than 60-second Shorts. The longer the Short, the more ads viewers come across and the more money you make right?
Well, that would only apply to new Shorts you upload on the platform as of October 15.
Square-like or vertical videos uploaded on and after October 15 of 3 minutes long will be categorized as Shorts videos and you'll be able to earn from these Shorts through the Shorts revenue sharing model from the Shorts feed.
However, any videos already uploaded on YouTube (I mean the Shorts you've already uploaded to the platform) won't be eligible for a three-minute extension and will remain the same.
Should I Make YouTube Shorts of 3 Minutes?
With YouTube Shorts going beyond 60 seconds, they don't really respect the real motive of "Shorts" on the platform. They'll now compare the length with most long-form videos lasting 3 minutes on the platform and will be longer than long-form videos lesser than 3 minutes long.
For sure, 3 minutes will make Shorts even more entertaining, but they won't be captivative.
Think of it, would you prefer getting the information you need from a Short within 30 to 60 seconds or within 2 to 3 minutes? 30 to 60 seconds will always be preferable because it is straight to the point, which respects the logic behind "Shorts."
Nevertheless, this increase in length will be ideal for most niches, especially for how-to guides, which in most cases can require a much longer time than just 60 seconds.
So depending on your niche, I recommend pinching out the best length your YouTube Shorts should have, they must not be up to 3 minutes as it can annoy your audience even more.
What is the Best Length for YouTube Shorts?
The best length for YouTube Shorts typically depends on your audience engagement and what time within your content they get engaged.
The best way to find this is through YouTube Studio.
To do so:
- Open your YouTube Studio app.
- Tap on the "Analytics" tab and select "Content."
- Scroll down and you'll see a section named "Key moments for audience retention."
- From there, tap "Top moments."
- This section should provide you with the exact time your audience gets engaged with your content.
Nevertheless, captivative Shorts typically range between 25 and 30 seconds. So, you should make sure you provide the information your audience needs within this timeframe.
Final Thoughts
YouTube's step to increasing the length of short-form videos on the platform has significant importance not only for creators but for viewers alike.
For creators, it means more storytelling, leverage of AI tools, and more revenue, meanwhile for viewers, it means more information to be gotten from a single Short.
While this update offers more advantages to content creators, you should be mindful of your audience retention because only this metric will best orientate you with the exact length your Shorts are to have.