How to get more views on YouTube Shorts

A lot of creators sleep on YouTube Shorts — and it's a mistake. Shorts is one of the biggest untapped discovery engines right now, and it feeds the one platform where views turn into a real long-term business. Here's how to get more of them.

Understand what Shorts rewards

Like TikTok, Shorts is a watch-time machine: it cares about viewed vs. swiped-away and rewatches. But it has a superpower the others don't — Shorts can funnel viewers into your long-form videos and subscriptions, which is where durable creator income lives.

Hook fast, loop clean

Same rules as any short-form: grab attention in the first second, cut the intro, and design the ending to loop. If people watch to the end (and again), Shorts pushes it wider.

Keep them tight

Shorter Shorts (under ~30 seconds) tend to get higher completion rates, which is the metric that matters most. If your idea fits in 20 seconds, don't stretch it to 50.

Use Shorts to feed your channel

The strategic move: use Shorts for discovery, then convert those viewers into subscribers and long-form watchers. Mention or pin a related long-form video. A Short that sends 2% of viewers to a 10-minute video is worth far more than one that just racks up vanity views.

Post consistently — 3 to 7 a week

Volume matters here too. A steady stream of Shorts trains the algorithm and keeps you in rotation. Batch-film them so it's sustainable.

Repurpose what already works

Your TikToks and Reels are Shorts. The clip that popped on TikTok will often do great on Shorts with zero extra work — the audiences barely overlap. If you're already making vertical video, not putting it on Shorts is leaving free views on the table.

The easiest way to do that without a second upload chore is to publish everywhere at once — which is exactly what Vantr handles. Make the Short once; let it work on every platform that'll have it.