YouTube adds new tools to shorts

Illustration: Francis Scialabba, Photo: YouTube

· less than 3 min read

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YouTube Shorts announced new content creation tools this week.

One of the main additions to the short-form video platform is a “Collab” feature, which lets users “record a Short in a side-by-side format” next to a YouTube video or other Short. It’s also introducing a feature that’ll place previews of live videos into the Shorts feed.

Users will also soon be able to add Q&A stickers to Shorts. The platform said it will begin testing “recomposition tools” over the next few weeks that aim to make it easier for users to turn YouTube videos into Shorts.

“I think it’s extremely smart on their part to start evolving their Shorts offering because a lot of the time, most of the creators actually repurpose their content…across multiple platforms,” Marina Chilingaryan, senior brand and community strategist at marketing agency NoGood, told us.

YouTube has been beefing up its Shorts offerings for some time now. During its Q2 earnings call, the company announced that 2 billion logged-in users watch YouTube Shorts every month, up from 1.5 billion in 2022.

Last month, YouTube relaxed the eligibility requirements to join its Partner Program, providing more creators access to monetization tools like tipping. In February, YouTube began sharing Shorts ad revenue with creators.

The latest tools come as TikTok and Meta continue to bolster their short-form video offerings. TikTok rolled out text posts last month, with features similar to its videos. Last month also saw Facebook’s “Watch” tab rebrand to “Video.” The tab now houses all video content in one place.

Despite a slew of other short-form video platforms, Chilingaryan said the competition might not be as stiff as it may seem.

“TikTok has become very saturated, and while initially it was the unicorn for fast growth and easy virality, that’s not the case anymore,” she said. “So it’s only natural that creators start diversifying their audiences and equally create on Reels, on Shorts, and on TikTok, which gives Shorts an opportunity to come and catch up with TikTok, which has pretty much has been the dominant force in the short-form video space.”

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