Long-form vs. Short-form YouTube Videos: An Exclusive Guide

YouTube has become a game-changer platform for digital video content. With more than 114 million active YouTube channels and nearly 100 million paying subscribers, YouTube has become a dominant platform for video creators. People are spending more time on YouTube, with an average daily watch time of 48.7 minutes in 2024. In India alone, there are more than 462 million active YouTube users.

Do you know what’s the best part? YouTube creators are earning around 55% of the revenue generated on their channels. This is encouraging more and more people to become creators and earn money by posting videos on YouTube. However, a common question that often arises is: Should you focus on long-form or short-form videos on YouTube?

You can post videos ranging from a few videos to plenty of hours on YouTube. Want to know which side wins the battle between long-form vs. short-form videos on YouTube? Let’s explore below!

What is a Long-form YouTube Video?

The length of the long-form YouTube videos typically ranges from 10 minutes to an hour or more. These videos provide detailed explanations of a topic, offering in-depth information, tutorials, storytelling, or reviews.

Long-form videos are often known for their length and the depth of content they deliver. Long-form video content has always been popular, and the average length of a YouTube video will be 11.7 minutes in 2024.

Benefits of Long-form YouTube Videos

Here are some of the primary benefits of long-form YouTube videos:

• Better ad revenue: For long-format videos, the watch time is relatively higher. This means higher ad revenue due to increased ad impressions compared to short videos. This can be a significant income source for creators.

• Viewer connection: With longer videos, you can build a strong relationship with the viewers and build loyalty. Longer videos make it easy for in-depth storytelling, character development, and relationship building with viewers.

• Enhanced SEO ranking: Search engines are likely to favor longer videos as they provide more value, quality content, and relevant information to the viewers. As a result, your content will get higher organic search visibility.

• Repurposing content: You can edit and repurpose long-form content into shorter clips, blog posts, or social media content, extending its reach.

• Potential for lead generation: You can add more backlinks and calls to action, such as signing up for email lists or purchasing products for long-form videos. This increases the chances of direct conversions.

Drawbacks of Long-form YouTube Videos

Similar to the benefits, there are some cons to long-form YouTube videos, which include:

• Time-consuming: You need to spend a significant amount of time to produce high-quality, long-form content. Besides the time, plenty of resources and effort for research, scripting, filming, editing, and post-production are required.

• Lower initial engagement: Viewers may be less likely to watch a longer video initially. This is because long-form videos typically attract niche-based audiences only.

• Viewers might lose interest: If the videos are too long, viewers might be bored, which reduces watch time and engagement.

• Requires consistent production: Maintaining a regular schedule for long-form content can be challenging and demanding.

• High production expenses: It is expensive to produce long-form videos as they require additional equipment, props, locations, etc.

Best Niches for Long-form Videos

• Education and Learning: Tutorials, courses, and documentaries.
• Technology and Software: In-depth reviews, comparisons, and how-to guides.
• Health and Fitness: Detailed workout routines, nutrition advice, and health conditions.
• Cooking: Recipe tutorials, cooking techniques, and food reviews.
• Travel and Adventure: Documentary-style travel vlogs, destination guides, and adventure stories.
• Interviews and Podcasts: Long-form discussions and guest interviews.
• Finance and Investing: Educational content, market analysis, and financial planning.

What is a short-form YouTube video?

Short-form YouTube content are videos that are typically under 10 minutes (often much shorter). These videos capture the attention of the viewers with engaging visuals, catchy titles, and rapid-fire content. The perfect example of short-form content is YouTube Shorts.

Benefits of Short-form YouTube Videos

Let’s see the top benefits of short-form YouTube videos, which will help you understand why short-form content is getting popular.

• Higher engagement rates: Short-form videos are made to grab viewer’s attention quickly, leading to higher click-through rates and watch time.

• Best YouTube algorithm: Short-form content is often prioritized by recommendation algorithms, which increases visibility.

• Viral: Short, snappy content is more likely to be shared and go viral. These are perfect for trends and challenges that require fast turnaround.

• Quick content creation: You can produce short-form videos quickly and efficiently, allowing for frequent posting and increased output.

• Fast growth: Quick, engaging content can attract a large audience, and you can grow your subscriber base rapidly.

• Versatility: Short-form videos can be used for multiple purposes, including tutorials, challenges, comedy sketches, etc.

• Less production costs: Short-form videos generally need only a few resources and can be created with minimal equipment.

Drawbacks of Short-form YouTube Videos

Check out the common cons of short-form YouTube videos:

• Less watch time: Shorter videos mean less overall watch time per viewer. This will potentially limit your ad revenue

• Limited monetization: Ad revenue from short-form videos is often lower compared to longer video content.

• Too many competitors: The short-form video market is highly competitive, making it challenging to stand out and get subscribers.

• Less in-depth content: Due to time constraints, short videos can not be used to offer detailed information or complex storytelling.

• Dependency on trends: Short-form content often relies on current trends, which can be short-lived and unpredictable.

Best Niches for Short-form Videos

• Beauty: Make-up tips, daily make-up, challenges, etc
• Fashion: Quick tips, product demos, and trends.
• Gaming: Gameplay clips, tutorials, and challenges.
• Entertainment: Short skits, challenges, and funny bts moments.
• Dance and Music: Short performances, tutorials, and challenges.
• Pets and Animals: Cute animal videos, funny pet moments, and pet care tips.
• Lifestyle and DIY: Quick tips, hacks, and inspiration.
• News and Updates: Short, timely updates and breaking news.

Everything about YouTube Shorts

YouTube shorts have become the talk of the town in recent years. These videos are up to 60 seconds long and are ideal for quick, engaging content. YouTube shorts are designed to compete with TikTok and Instagram reels.

According to TechCrunch 2023 report, it was revealed that more people watch YouTube shorts every month than TikTok or Instagram reels. Since 2022, the number of people watching YouTube shorts has jumped by a huge number – about 500 million people.

Here are some of the key features and benefits that enhanced the popularity of YouTube Shorts:

• Massive reach: Every day, the total views of YouTube shorts is around 70 billion. YouTube Shorts attracts 29.2 subscribers for every 10,000 views compared to long-form content.

• Vertical format: YouTube Shorts are optimized for mobile viewing, which aligns with user behavior.

• Music library: You can get access to an extensive collection of music to create engaging videos and get more views.

• Shortcuts: YouTube offers in-app editing tools for quick video creation, making it easy for users to create content.

• Discoverability: YouTube is actively promoting Shorts as they are prominently featured on the YouTube homepage and in the Shorts feed, increasing visibility.

• Creator Fund: YouTube offers decent monetization opportunities for top-performing shorts creators.

• Interactive features: For producing shorts, there are various interactive options such as adding music, text, and filters.

• High engagement: Shorts have the potential to go viral quickly, making them ideal for trends and challenges.

However, Shorts also come with some drawbacks:

• Monetization limitations: Shorts may not generate as much ad revenue as longer videos because of their length.

• Content depth: You can not produce in-depth content due to short duration.

6 Factors to Consider When Selecting the Video Format

If you want to grow and monetize your channel, choosing the proper video format is relatively essential. Here are some of the vital factors that help you decide which format works best for you:

1. Target audience preferences

   Of course, the first factor you should consider is the preferences of your target audience.

   • Demographics: Age, gender, location, and income can influence preference. Younger audiences are often highly interested in short-form content, while older demographics tend to prefer long-form.
   • Attention Span: Get to know the average attention span of your target audience.

2. Content type and complexity

   You need to consider the type of content you want to produce, the niche, and the complexity. For instance, highly complex subjects like documentaries should be longer in length. On the other hand, simple topics or challenges can be made into short-form content.

3. Content objectives

   Think about what your content goals are. Do you want to increase brand awareness, participate in trends, and reach more viewers? If yes, short-form videos are the perfect choice. On the other hand, if you prioritize lead generation, in-depth engagement, or want to provide quality information to the viewers, go for long-form content.

4. Production resources

   One of the most underrated factors is production resources, which is a common reason why many creators are not able to have a proper posting schedule. To produce long-form content, you need more time and resources. On the flip side, shorter videos can be created quickly and frequently.

5. Monetization goals

   Consider your monetization strategy. For long-form content, there are numerous ad breaks, which means more ad revenue. Also, you are likely to get more brand deals and sponsorships. For short-form content, the ad revenue will be comparatively less. However, if you post regularly, you can earn well.

6. Your opinion

   Last but not least, your opinion and expertise matter as well. Ask yourself whether you are comfortable with long-form or short-form content. Consider your experience and think if you can arrange the required resources as well.

Which video format works best for different content types?

We understand that it can be difficult to decide which video format will work best for your channel. Do you want a heads-up about which types of video content are perfect for long-form and short-form content? Read on to find out our recommendations.

Content Types Suitable for Long-form Videos

Here are some of the different content types that can benefit from long-form videos on YouTube:

• Tutorials
• Educational content
• Daily or travel vlogs
• Documentaries
• Interviews
• Product reviews
• Crime stories
• Reaction videos
• Listicles and roundups
• Behind-the-scenes content
• Podcasts

Content Types Suitable for Short-form Videos

Here are some of the different content types that can benefit from short-form videos on YouTube:

• Trends and challenges
• Quick tips and tricks
• Timelapse videos
• Product demos and highlights
• Announcements
• Teasers for long-form content
• GRWM make-up

Bottom Line

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to knowing whether short-form or long-form content is the best on YouTube. Both formats have their own set of advantages and disadvantages. So, the final call is in your hands. Make sure to consider your target audience, your niche, content goals, availability of resources, monetization strategy, and your experience to determine which format works best for your YouTube channel.

Choose long-form content if:

• Your content is complex
• You want to provide a detailed explanation
• You aim to generate more leads or conversions
• You want higher ad revenue

Choose short-form content if:

• You watch to capture the viewer’s attention quickly
• You wish to produce trends and challenges
• You want to gain subscribers promptly
• You aim for rapid engagement and more shares

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