This is the first time in the history of Western social media that one form of content can go super viral on every single platform. Now you can make sub one minute vertical content and go viral on TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, Facebook, Reddit, and Twitter (X).[1]
You don't have to film a video for Facebook, a 12 minute video for YouTube, a sub 60 second video for TikTok, write a post on Reddit, and write a tweet for Twitter. You can do the same thing on every platform.[1]
As people's attention spans get lower and lower, all of social media is prioritizing short-form content.[57]
By mastering this one craft, you can grow across all platforms. This has never happened in the history of social media.[18]
Q: Are your TikToks just clips from your YouTube videos?[3]
No. I never post clips, only unique shorts. We make short videos and do the trends. For example, the corn kid was a funny trend, so we made a video with him. We also flew Jimmy Darts out. Then we asked people in Walmart if they wanted a thousand dollars or to give someone random 10 grand. That video got ~ 50 million views in a couple days.[3]
Shorts-only channels don’t make much money, but that’s not why I’m doing it. They’re perfect for expanding your audience.[16]
The TikTokers who don't post on YouTube, should post their shorts on YouTube. They'll make a bag off it and boost their long-form content, which in returns makes them even more money.[3]
I think there's a world where you could remain relevant on YouTube by just doing shorts. I know a lot of YouTubers who are tired of making 10 minute videos. They'll probably just switch over to shorts because it's easier.[3]
You shouldn't complain about making short form content. It's infinitely easier. You can film a mega-banger short in 5 minutes. With long-form content, you aren't filming any super viral YouTube video in under a week now.[3]
For shorts, you can be purely content based. Just hook them in the first 3 seconds and make a banger video.[65]
Shorts don’t have titles, but they do have thumbnails—just not on the homepage. I treat the first frame as the thumbnail.[65]+[18]
Getting someone to watch a 15-minute video is a much bigger investment. You have to convince them it’s worth their time, and a bad title or thumbnail can kill the video before it even gets a chance.[65]
YouTube recommends videos based on what you usually watch. If you only click on five-minute videos, YouTube won’t recommend hour-long videos. If you make a 40 minute video you're usually competing with different people than if you make a shorter video.[3]
What long form videos you watch doesn't affect what shorts you get. YouTube's doing this intentionally so a lot of new, smaller creators can come up on shorts.[3]
On TikTok, big creators don’t just go viral—they become the trend. If you watch a video or two of Addison Rae, suddenly your feed is full of people dancing like her and making jokes about her. That’s what makes mega stars so big. It’s their platform and the millions of other accounts making content about them. At some point, they don’t have to do anything. They just go viral.[9]
Filming TikToks is a lot of fun, because the main channel videos take multiple days to film, there's hundreds of people on set, and if I mess up, it's millions of dollars gone. Whereas on TikTok, it’s low-pressure. It's nice to get that weird creative energy out because my main channel is so serious. It's a good outlet for that.[36]
I eventually want to post one short a day on the main channel.[3]