The Ultimate Hack to Use YouTube Shorts

YouTube shorts are a great tool for content creators. With billions of views happening each day, shorts give you the chance to grow your channel faster than ever.

However, YouTube Shorts aren’t just about posting any random video under 60 seconds from your camera roll. It’s about capturing attention and keeping viewers engaged using techniques like the ones we’ll cover in this article, ending with a tip that’ll change how you make shorts forever.

Let's get to it!

1 - A Powerful Hook

What This Means

In YouTube Shorts, the first two seconds are incredibly important. If you don’t catch your viewer's attention immediately, they'll more than likely scroll right to the next video without a second thought.

One strategy is to start with a question that creates some sort of curiosity gap, for example, "Did you know you’ve been brushing your teeth wrong your whole life?" This creates a curiosity gap, meaning you're leaving a question in the audience's mind that hooks them and keeps them watching until they get their question answered.

Another way to hook viewers is by starting with an unexpected action. For example, smashing a watermelon can instantly grab their attention, making them curious to see why you did it.

You can also create a sense of urgency with a phrase like, "Watch until the end to see what happens next." This keeps viewers invested in watching the whole video. If you don’t grab the veiwers attention right from the start, you'll more than likely see a retention graph that looks something like this:

To avoid losing viewers early on, ensure that your YouTube Shorts grab attention from the very beginning. A weak start can lead to immediate drop-offs, negatively impacting your video's performance in the algorithm. Even a great Short can be overlooked if viewers aren't hooked from the start. Prioritize strong opening hooks and concise storytelling to maximize engagement and boost your channel's visibility.

To create a strong hook, consider using a surprising fact, a thought-provoking question, or a visually striking image. You can also use humour, suspense or a personal anecdote to draw viewers in. Once you've hooked your audience, maintain their interest by keeping your content concise and to the point. Use quick cuts, dynamic visuals and engaging music to keep the pace moving.

2 - Re-hook Your Viewers Every 3-5 Seconds

What This Means

Think we’re done talking about hooking? Not yet! With YouTube Shorts, you need to be constantly grabbing and re-grabbing your audience’s attention. Ideally, you should engage viewers every 3 to 5 seconds to keep them from getting bored and swiping away.

I call this the investment scale. When you invest your time and money into buying a ticket, driving to the theater, and getting popcorn, you're more likely to stay and watch the movie even if the intro isn’t great—because you’ve already committed so much. But with YouTube Shorts, the investment is almost nothing, right? Since they’re only 60 seconds, it doesn’t take much for viewers to get distracted or click away. A small mistake or a slow start can make them move on to another video almost instantly.

Again, it’s all about the visuals, words, and actions you use. Simple video editing tricks like pop-up captions or even explosive visuals, depending on your type of content, can make a big difference in keeping viewers engaged in your Short.

3 - Learn from the Competition

What This Means

One of the best ways to level up your YouTube Shorts is by learning from content that is already successful. This doesn’t mean copying it, all that means is to study what's worked and figure out how to apply similar strategies to your own Shorts.

Now, instead of searching through popular Shorts one by one on YouTube without any way of filtering, you can head to 1of10.com. Just click to search through Shorts, set your filter, and scroll through the best videos in your niche.

Once you've identified successful strategies and trends, it's time to implement them in your own Shorts. Experiment with different formats, editing styles, and music to find what resonates best with your audience. Remember, consistency is key. Regularly posting engaging Shorts will help you build a loyal following and increase your visibility on the platform.

Additionally, consider using YouTube Analytics to track the performance of your Shorts. Analyze metrics like views, watch time, and audience retention to identify what works and what doesn’t. Use these insights to refine your strategy and create even more engaging content.

4 - Use Shorts to Grow Views of Your Longer Videos

What This Means

Recently, YouTube introduced a feature allowing creators to link Shorts to longer-form content. This feature offers a powerful way to increase viewer engagement and drive traffic to your full-length videos.

By adding a link to a related video in your Short's description, you can seamlessly guide viewers to more of your content. This not only extends their viewing session but also provides a valuable opportunity to deepen their understanding of the topic.

To maximize the effectiveness of this feature, carefully select the video you link to. Ideally, choose a video that directly relates to the Short's content, such as a longer version or a more in-depth exploration of the same topic.

5 - The Endless Loop

What This Means

Want to know how to get an average view duration of over 100% on your Shorts (how long viewers watched)?

It’s a simple but powerful method: perfecting the loop. The loop is when the beginning and end of a Short flow smoothly into each other, making the video feel like it never really ends. When you nail this, viewers are more likely to rewatch the video, sometimes without even noticing, which helps increase your average view duration and overall engagement.

Just like how a low AVD can tell the algorithm is good, a good AVD tells the algorithm your video is really good and recommends it to more people.

The hard part, though, is getting viewers to stay hooked until the end to see the loop. That’s why all these tips fit together so well. On their own, they might not be as effective, but when combined, they work perfectly to keep viewers engaged.

And if you're looking to get an even greater edge on the competition, use 1of10 to find inspiration for high-quality ideas!