YouTube is making changes to how YouTube Shorts views are counted
The numbers behind those quick clips are about to change.
If you've been keeping an eye on YouTube Shorts, you know how crucial those view counts are for gauging success. Well, get ready for a change that could shake up how you measure your reach.
Starting March 31, YouTube Shorts views will now count the number of times a creator’s Short starts to play or replay, similar to TikTok and Instagram Reels. This means that regardless of watch time, anytime your Short is on screen, it will be counted as a view.
In the past, a view used to be counted after a Short was viewed for a certain number of seconds. As a result of this change, view counts will likely be higher moving forward
However, YouTube notes that the change won't impact creators' earnings or eligibility for the YouTube Partner Program, as these will continue to be based on "engaged views," which measure how many viewers choose to continue watching their Shorts.
Speaking of creators, this move by YouTube is a response to creator feedback. Many creators have expressed a desire to better understand how often their Shorts are actually seen, allowing them to showcase their full reach and inform their content strategy. So, by aligning with industry standards, YouTube is giving creators a clearer picture of their performance across multiple platforms.
Creators who still want to explore the original Shorts metric more can still do so by navigating to “Advanced Mode” within YouTube Analytics. This flexibility allows creators to balance their understanding of overall reach with more detailed engagement metrics.
So, what does this mean for you? If you're a creator, use this new metric to your advantage by showcasing your reach to potential brand partners. And if you're a viewer, expect to see more engaging and diverse content as creators optimize their strategies based on these new insights.
Louis Eriakha
