How to Get More Views on YouTube Shorts

I kid you not; learning how to get more views on YouTube Shorts isn’t rocket science. At this point, you must have already read or seen somewhere online how other users are raking in tons of views and winning new subscribers using simple yet tried-and-tested YouTube marketing strategies.

And if you’re being honest, I’m sure you’re itching to learn the framework they’re using to achieve nauseous heights of success through YouTube Shorts.

Don’t worry… We’ve got you covered.

In this guide, we’ll share proven strategies you can implement immediately to get more views on YouTube Shorts.

Like what you’re reading so far? Then continue reading mi amigo!

What is YouTube Shorts, anyway?

YouTube Shorts are, well, short, vertical YT videos. 🙂 The video’s maximum length is 60 seconds, and they’re meant to compete against TikTok’s short videos. YouTube Shorts stay on your channel unless you delete them, which makes them a long-term discovery asset rather than a temporary format.

Is YouTube Shorts worth it?

According to YouTube leadership, Shorts now generate around 200 billion daily views globally, making it one of the largest content distribution surfaces on the internet. The figure is a dead giveaway of why you should push your clients to pursue the YouTube platform as a marketing channel, especially YouTube Shorts.

If your clients aren’t creating YouTube Shorts, they miss out on tapping into one of the largest daily attention pools on the internet today.  Your client doesn’t want that, of course.

And you should not let your clients miss out on potential views while their competitors continue to pull attention and convert that momentum into real business through YouTube Shorts.

In fact, according to Stuart Dredge, Musically.com’s Head of Insight…

“…artists who were ‘active’ on Shorts – defined as posting weekly – saw more than 50% of their new channel subscribers coming from Shorts on average.”

So the question becomes… Do you want more subscribers to your clients’ YouTube channels? Do you want your clients’ view counts to skyrocket? And do you want more people to know about your clients?

You answered “Yes,” didn’t you? 🙂

TL;DR: Publishing high-quality YouTube Shorts is absolutely worth it. Shorts drive massive daily global reach and algorithmic discovery at a scale few channels can match. This makes them one of the largest active attention pools on the internet today. Your clients’ competitors are already capturing that distribution. Once clients understand the reach and compounding visibility Shorts provide, opting out stops feeling like a real strategic choice. 

The importance of getting more views on your YouTube Short videos

As a social media marketer, you know the importance of getting more views on YouTube Shorts. However, your clients, people who run businesses (and do not necessarily spend more time on YouTube marketing), might not readily understand the importance of getting more YT Shorts views.

Here’s a list of benefits you can share with them about getting more views on YouTube Shorts:

1. Grow your subscriber base.

The more views your clients get from their YouTube Shorts, the more chances they get to convert audiences into actual subscribers, not just casual viewers. Of course, as your clients’  subscriber base grows, it becomes easier to nurture a community interested in watching your clients’ videos and, potentially, buying from them down the line.

2. Increase your engagement rate while investing less.

Despite the cost-effectiveness of creating YouTube Shorts videos compared to long-form videos, your clients still get a lot of oomph! as far as increasing their engagement rates. Because YouTube Shorts are only 60 seconds tops, most viewers aren’t reluctant to watch them.

Short videos are great foot-in-the-door content since they’re cheaper to make and pack a lot of punch when generating more views.

“Longer videos and higher production values naturally lead to increased costs. Streamlining your production workflow can certainly help decrease expenses. But you’re likely to find that the minimum cost of a long-form video that fits your brand standards can only go so low.”

– Anna Sonnenberg, Author at Social Media Examiner

3. Attract the desired audience.

Not all views are created equal. Some YouTube views come from people within your clients’ target markets, while some come from random people who don’t intend to pay for your client’s services.

You want to attract the former, of course.

Since YT Shorts content is much cheaper, it increases your wiggle room to experiment and uncover the perfect video content that will attract the right audience.

How to get more views on YouTube Shorts to grow your YouTube channel

There is a framework or list of things you can look into when creating shorts that arouse viewers’ curiosity, which get viewers hooked. Before you apply any of the tactics below, it helps to understand how the YouTube Shorts algorithm works, since every optimization you make ultimately feeds into how YouTube decides who sees your content.

Below are tips to make your clients’ YouTube Shorts performance reach exhilarating heights.

1. Loop ‘em

Sandy Beeson, Writer at Uppbeat.io, wrote…

“Loop your video: One clever way to keep viewers watching is to take advantage of the fact that YouTube Shorts videos automatically loop. You can find inventive ways of making your videos go back to the beginning from the end to keep your audience hooked!”

Sandy’s advice is golden for improving viewer experience and increasing the view duration of your clients’ videos. Looping the videos makes it much easier for your clients’ viewers to rewatch them since they don’t need to click the play button.

A lot of people enjoy rewatching content that pulls them in emotionally. Looping removes friction and lets that replay happen naturally. 

2. Use relevant hashtags

Adding relevant hashtags to your clients’ YouTube shorts makes them more visible to your audience.

YouTube Shorts hashtags are still searchable, but in 2025 most views come from the recommendation feed, not search. Hashtags now serve mainly as contextual signals to help the algorithm understand content, rather than acting as primary traffic drivers. This means that if YT users search using a certain hashtag, the YT Shorts that contain that hashtag will be displayed on the search results.

3. Insert the relevant keywords

Inserting relevant keywords into your clients’ Shorts tells YouTube what your videos are about. It helps YouTube’s algorithm to deliver your clients’ videos to users who may find them relevant.

For instance, if your client’s video teaches people how to temporarily deactivate Instagram, include the phrase “temporarily deactivate Instagram” in the video description. Doing so increases the chances of your video appearing in the search results.

4. Add trending music

Do you want to make your clients’ Shorts more engaging? Add trending music. Imagine watching two YT Shorts. The first has entertaining trending music, while the other has no background music. Which do you think is more engaging? Which do you think will have a better view duration time?

In many cases, music helps set the tone. Pacing clarity replayability matter far more than audio alone. When your clients’ videos perform well, YouTube’s algorithm will show them to more users, boosting opportunities to get more views and engagement.

5. Leave comments

Encourage others to engage and leave comments on your clients’ Shorts by adding your own comments. Staying on top of replies matters too, and knowing where to find your YouTube comment history makes it easier to respond quickly and keep engagement moving.

Whether you add a new comment or reply to an existing comment made by one of your clients’ viewers, it helps improve the YouTube Short’s performance. Comments act as social validation of sorts. Those hesitant to watch your client’s video could be swayed to watch if they see it’s gotten TONS of comments and engagements.

6. Use an eye-catching thumbnail

Thumbnails matter for long-form. In Shorts, attention is won or lost before the viewer even realizes they’re watching.  Think of the opening frame the same way you think about a headline. In Shorts, that first visual moment determines whether someone keeps watching or swipes away. 

If your clients’ thumbnails are eye-catching and intriguing, it can influence YT users to click and watch the Shorts content instead of scrolling through it.

7. Learn from other high-performing Shorts

Viral Shorts videos are popular for a reason. If you ever feel stuck figuring out what to model or adapt, browsing proven YouTube channel ideas can spark angles that already resonate with real audiences. Study what makes popular videos explode with views and engagement, then naturally blend those elements into your clients’ Shorts content by using trending audio or tapping into current challenges. 

Start by studying multiple high-performing Shorts in your niche and identify repeating patterns in hooks, pacing, and structure instead of chasing a fixed number. The rule is to emulate and not copy competitor content, or your clients run the risk of violating the community guidelines and getting their accounts banned.

If a client ever runs into trouble from a takedown or mistake, knowing how the Instagram appeal form works can help resolve issues faster, especially when content is being repurposed across platforms.

8. Err toward the fun and exciting side

Adam Hayes, Head of Content at Wyzowl, couldn’t have said it better…

“Get creative! Inject some personality into your titles and descriptions to keep viewers hooked — think of them as a witty elevator pitch for your video. Remember YouTube’ algorithm doesn’t rely solely on crawlers – it also uses human signals.”

While YouTube Shorts are micro-videos, and people are less resistant to watching them than investing countless minutes or hours watching long-form videos, it’s still worth pointing out that you’re competing with other publishers.

If your videos don’t feel fun or exciting while your competitors put in the time to make theirs engaging, they will capture the clicks and attention while your content is met with silence. 

Why your YouTube Shorts video isn’t getting more views

If you’re wondering why your clients’ YouTube Shorts don’t attract more viewers, it could be due to the following reasons.

1. Not enough content

There are millions of Shorts videos on YouTube. You can’t just create a handful of Shorts for your clients and expect them to blow up. Your clients stand a better chance of getting more views and engagement when they regularly publish Shorts that are enjoyable to watch and instantly grab attention. 

The more Shorts videos you can push out, the higher the chances of your clients’ content landing on the YouTube Shorts’ top shelf. Upload high-quality Shorts content to help your clients’ videos gain momentum and increase engagement and views.

Need inspiration for your clients’ YT content? Check out these YouTube Shorts ideas. 

2. The YouTube Shorts need more time to take off

In a perfect world, your clients’ YouTube Shorts will go viral once uploaded, becoming an overnight sensation. However, in reality, it can take some time for your clients’ Shorts to gain traction and take off. The Shorts algorithm now tests videos across multiple small audience groups almost immediately.

Distribution scales based on early retention and swipe behavior rather than a slow, staged rollout. If the videos perform well with a specific audience, the algorithm keeps pushing your clients’ Shorts to more people who behave the same way. That steady expansion is where real momentum begins. 

If you’ve done everything you can to optimize your clients’ Shorts, but it hasn’t gotten more views in a few days or weeks, give the algorithm more time to work its magic. 

3. The Shorts videos are too long

Believe it or not, a 60-second Short is often too long. Many of today’s top-performing Shorts land closer to 7–15 seconds, where retention and replays are strongest. Here’s the general idea: If your client’s Shorts take up the entire 60 seconds, chances are high that the video has unnecessary fluff that doesn’t engage viewers.

It can increase your client’s video drop-off rates while lowering audience retention, which makes the algorithm less likely to push the content to additional viewers. The trick is to keep your clients’ Shorts videos compact and concise.

For instance, create Shorts that can convey the main value or message within the first ten seconds to help reel in viewers quickly and make them stay. Avoid adding unnecessary elements and content to stretch out the Shorts.

If it isn’t crucial or doesn’t add to the video’s value, scrap it and keep everything short (see what I did there?) and sweet. 

4. The YouTube Shorts are not engaging enough

If your clients’ YouTube Shorts can’t capture and hold the viewers’ attention, chances are your videos won’t get more views. Instant gratification is the name of the game. So, if you want your clients’ Shorts to hold their viewers’ attention, you have to make the content worth their while right from the get-go.

The real goal is stopping the scroll in the first one to two seconds. If viewers swipe away immediately, the algorithm sharply limits testing. While a video can still recover later, weak early attention makes sustained distribution far less likely. 

Ensure the Shorts video gets right to the point. If the video tells a story, add a hook to keep audiences engaged from the start, then deliver on the video’s promise. Another way to capture the audience’s attention is to show and not tell.

Explaining something can take a lot of time, but showing it through actions, animations, etc., helps get the point across faster while making the viewing experience more fun and interesting. This way, viewers are enticed to click, watch your clients’ Shorts to the end, and even convert into subscribers.

5. Tagging Shorts videos incorrectly

Adding the #Shorts tag doesn’t guarantee explosive numbers of views for your clients’ videos. But throwing in #Shorts in the video description can prompt YouTube’s algorithm to pick up your clients’ video and show it to more viewers.

Besides, there’s no harm in correctly tagging your clients’ YouTube Shorts videos, so you’re better off including #Shorts in the description.

Hashtag capitalization no longer affects how Shorts are categorized. Instead of worrying about formatting tags focus on how viewers respond. Pay attention to watch time rewatches and whether people stay instead of swiping away. 

6. Using the wrong Shorts format

YouTube Shorts are intended to “compete” with TikTok videos, with the same short-form format designed for mobile displays. Viewers will likely see less of the video if your clients’ Shorts are in horizontal format. Or, the video can look too small with plenty of wide open screen space.

Use the correct video size for YouTube Shorts in a vertical 9:16 format. If you want a quick reference to get this right every time, this breakdown of YouTube video size covers the specs that matter most for Shorts and long-form videos alike. 

Using the correct YouTube Shorts size and format specifications, such as shooting vertical videos, helps ensure your clients’ videos display at their best when viewed on the YouTube app.

7. Lacking promotion

Even the most amazing YouTube Shorts videos can struggle to get more views if not promoted correctly.

Aggressively promote and share your clients’ Shorts across other social media platforms. When you cross-promote on Instagram, understanding signals like Instagram following list order can give you insight into engagement patterns and who’s actually interacting with your content.

For instance, you could share a YouTube video on Instagram Story. It can widen the content’s reach, boosting your clients’ opportunities to engage more people. Your clients can also collaborate with other content creators on TikTok and Instagram to cross-promote content on various social media channels and tap into each other’s following.

The one SMM tool that can get you more views on YouTube Shorts

Planning and creating client YouTube Shorts takes real effort. Managing regular YouTube videos and promoting social media content adds another layer of work that makes the process far from easy. After all, there’s a myriad of things you need to consider to run a successful marketing campaign, such as optimal publishing times, scheduling, analytics, etc.

That’s why you need a reliable Social Media Management (SMM) platform to streamline and supercharge your workflows and ultimately get your clients’ YouTube Shorts more views and engagement.

One such tool is Vista Social. 

The modern SMM platform makes publishing your clients’ YouTube Shorts uber-easy with its sophisticated post-scheduling feature.Upload your client’s 60-second or less video through their linked profile in Vista Social, add the details and the #Shorts in the title and description, and set your preferred posting date and time.

While you can’t change the Shorts’ thumbnail due to YouTube limitations, Vista Social ensures the right YouTube Shorts thumbnail size displays when publishing the video. Vista Social also lets you schedule your clients’ YouTube channel videos for auto-publishing.  You can schedule single posts or bulk posts or add a post to a queue of scheduled posts for auto-publishing.

It helps you save time and effort, especially when clients have limited YouTube Shorts fun. Select the linked client profile where you want to publish the YouTube post. Add a description or caption with hashtags mentions emojis links plus any additional details you want included.

No time to come up with engaging descriptions for YouTube videos? Vista Social has you covered with its AI assistant. Provide details, and the AI assistant can instantly generate fun and compelling captions for your client’s post. The AI tool makes creating anything from taglines to Instagram photo dump captions quick and easy.

You can enable link shortening with default UTM settings, add customer parameters, then save everything for future use. Next, customize your client’s post by selecting whether to save it as a draft, add it to a queue, schedule for auto-publishing, or publish it now.

You can also set your preferred settings, such as making the post viewable publicly and enabling the embeddable and notify subscriber options (among others).

You can set up auto posting for content beyond YouTube so your posts publish automatically across social platforms without extra manual work.  Scheduling still supports consistency, but Shorts performance is far less dependent on posting time. Strong hooks and viewer retention now outweigh timing in most cases. 

The feature saves you from using other tools or manually looking for the best times to post on YouTube Shorts. If the post needs client review and approval before going live, save it as a draft. Your saved drafts, including the previously published and scheduled posts, are in the content calendar.

Vista Social’s other handy YouTube management tools include:

• A social inbox to help you manage subscriber conversations and nurture relationships: This way, your clients won’t miss comments, messages, or audience engagement opportunities.
• Track and benchmark your clients’ YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram content performance through analytics insights:  These can help measure your clients’ audience engagement and fan growth. You can leverage this and your YouTube Studio data to get actionable insights to improve content performance.  

Dominate YT now. Get bajillions more views on YT Shorts

A viral Shorts video can catapult your client’s YouTube channel and brand to fame. While this can be challenging, your clients can achieve it with the tips and tricks in this guide. Boost your client’s chances of getting more YouTube Shorts views using a modern SMM platform like Vista Social.

Try Vista Social now to see the platform in action.

FAQs about getting more views on YouTube Shorts

Get answers to the commonly asked questions about raking in more YouTube Shorts views.

Do YouTube Shorts rewatches increase views?

For YouTube Shorts, views are counted almost instantly unlike the 30 second requirement for long form videos. What matters more is how viewers behave after the video starts especially whether they stay swipe away rewatch or loop the clip. 

Rewatches still help, but not on their own. Their real value is what they signal. When viewers replay a Short, it boosts retention and watch time, which the algorithm reads as strong satisfaction and rewards with more distribution.

Does deleting YouTube Shorts impact views?

Yes. Deleting a video removes all engagement tied to it such as likes, comments,  views plus any remaining signals.

How many Shorts should you post to get more views?

There is no longer a need to post multiple times a day. One strong, high-retention Short posted consistently will outperform high-volume, low-quality content over time as YouTube prioritizes viewer satisfaction over sheer output.  It can be intimidating for small creators, but a robust SMM tool can help.