Shorts
How shorter videos are driving massive growth
👋🏽 Hey It’s Samir. Our first story today is written by Colin and I. The other two are written by the amazing Alice Ophelia, who, after this issue, will be embarking on a new adventure through Europe. Alice has been with the Press since day one and we can’t say thank you enough for her help pressing publish and bringing this vision to life.
Follow Alice on Twitter for some of the best takes in our industry.
In Today’s Issue 💬
→ The Truth about YouTube Shorts
→ How MrBeast is recreating Squid Game on YouTube
→ Why Victoria Paris has partnered with GoFundMe
Under the Hood: Colin and Samir’s YouTube Shorts
There’s debate over whether Shorts are actually valuable to creators or if the views are just a vanity metric to draw attention to YouTube’s TikTok competitor. We’ve seen creators like Isaiah Photo and Dylan Lemay build audiences in the millions with Shorts and then parlay those audiences into new ventures and content formats. With them as an example, we decided to jump in head first.
By the numbers (past 28 days)
13.6 Million → The amount of views our channel has received
62% → The percentage of channel traffic coming from the YouTube Shorts Feed
3,600 → The amount of subscribers we’ve gained from Shorts
50,145 → The total number of subscribers gained
Are we making money from Shorts? Not really, but we don’t care. The overall increase in traffic to the channel has led to increased exposure as well as our biggest monthly AdSense check yet.
While YouTube does have a Shorts Fund of $100 million, we have yet to see any direct payments. Canadian creator Jensen Tung posted a short last week showcasing how he made $86.77 for 34 million views. Like all platforms, YouTube has work to do when it comes to monetizing shorter videos.
This month we released our longest video ever (almost 2 hours) and our shortest video (7 seconds), and both became some of the most-viewed on the channel. So clearly, Shorts aren’t hurting us, that’s for sure.
Our Take
Shorts have provided us with a lower lift format to create content quickly and with more consistency. Although the direct monetization isn’t there yet, the distribution is, and in the attention economy, distribution is hard to come by.
MrBeast Is Creating His Most Expensive Video Yet
By now we all know what a hit Squid Game has been, breaking Netflix’s record for most-watched show by reaching 132 million accounts, plus a valuation of $900 million for the show. Since imitation is the highest form of flattery, it should come as no surprise that MrBeast is recreating the series on YouTube.
MrBeast introduced the idea on TikTok last week, promising his very own YouTube Squid Game if his video could hit 10 million likes. The TikTok smashed its original target and now boasts 17.2 million likes and 73 million views. In an update posted 4 days ago, MrBeast encouraged his TikTok fans to comment if they wanted to participate – which drew more than 1 million replies. Good luck sifting through those for potential contestants...
After crowdsourcing participants from his own community, MrBeast took to crowdfunding the project, which he claims is “easily our most expensive video” – estimated at $2 million. Funds were raised via a 48 hour Squid Game themed merch sale. MrBeast also took to Twitter to ask his audience how the tug of war game should work.
Our Take
When it comes to outrageous stunts of a gargantuan scale (and budget), no one is doing it like MrBeast. But his Squid Game series also shines light on the power of multiplayer content, where audiences have direct input on their fave creator’s content. Transforming your fans from passive consumers to active participants is the golden ticket for engagement and stickiness.
Victoria Paris Adds Philanthropy To Her Creator Resume
Victoria Paris, TikTok aficionado and “the only living girl in nyc”, has turned her attention to philanthropy in partnership with GoFundMe and production studio 368. In a video shared with her YouTube subscribers last week, Victoria announced that she was launching a fundraiser for NYC based small business Choeying Garments.
The fundraiser seeks to help the family business recover from losses incurred during the pandemic, and set up an online shop. It has already surpassed its $10,000 target within its first 4 days. The fundraiser is a full circle moment for Victoria who first posted about Choeying Garments back in May, which resulted in their skirts selling out within hours.
Our Take
As a creator, your community is one of the most valuable – and transferable – assets to have in your back pocket. A fundraiser partnership like this demonstrates the potential for creators to monetize their audiences in creating impactful change, translating a global fanbase into localized community initiatives.
🔥 In Other News
Michelle Khare has launched a fitness app
Curtis Roach’s “Bored In The House” NFT has sold for more than $100k
YouTube is hiring a head of shopping partnerships
Yes Theory dropped a merch collaboration with Lululemon
Sidemen are launching their own Vodka
