YouTube Shorts in 2026: what works to get views (and subscribers)
YouTube Shorts tops 200 billion daily views, according to YouTube CEO Neal Mohan. It’s the platform’s most powerful discovery format, and the most misunderstood: a view barely means anything anymore, and what grows a channel is moving viewers from Shorts to long-form. Here’s how it works in 2026.
Key takeaways
- 200 billion daily Shorts views (Neal Mohan, Cannes Lions).
- Shorts up to 3 minutes since October 2024, for square or vertical formats.
- Since March 31, 2025, a view counts as soon as a Short starts or replays: watch average view duration and retention, not views.
- Monetisation: 1,000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views in 90 days for ad revenue sharing.
- The real strategy: use Shorts as an entry point to your long videos.
What changed recently
- Length: since October 15, 2024, a Short can run up to 3 minutes (square or vertical).
- View counting: since March 31, 2025, every start or replay counts as a view, with no minimum duration. Numbers inflated; the old metric remains in YouTube Studio as “engaged views”.
- Scale: over 200 billion daily views, nearly tripling in a year.
Metrics to track
Since views no longer measure attention, focus on average view duration and the share of viewers who keep watching past the first seconds. Those are the signals the algorithm uses to push a Short further. Also track subscribers gained per Short: it’s the only number measuring lasting impact.
What works in 2026
YouTube Shorts
Do
- A clear promise in the first second
- A title using the words people search for on YouTube
- Shorts cut from your long videos, linking to the full video
- A natural loop (the ending restarts the beginning)
- Post consistently, 3–5 Shorts a week
Avoid
- Reposting a TikTok with the watermark
- Judging a Short on views alone
- Shorts unrelated to the channel’s topic
- Intros, logos, “hey everyone”
Shorts + long-form: the winning combo
Shorts mostly attract viewers who don’t know you. On their own, they build little loyalty. Their real value is sending people to your long videos, where the relationship is built (and where pay is far better). Use the related video link under each Short, and cut your best long videos into three or four Shorts.
Monetising Shorts
To access ad revenue sharing through Shorts, a channel needs 1,000 subscribers and 10 million public Shorts views in the last 90 days (or 4,000 long-form watch hours over 12 months). Revenue per Shorts view stays far below long-form: for a brand, the point is visibility, not ad revenue.
Publishing without spending your days on it
Perroly schedules your YouTube videos from the same calendar as your other networks, and its YouTube analytics track your channel day after day. The same vertical video can go to YouTube, TikTok and Instagram, with copy adapted to each. See also what works on TikTok and on Instagram.
Frequently asked questions
How many daily views do YouTube Shorts get?
Over 200 billion a day, according to YouTube.
What is the maximum YouTube Short length?
3 minutes since October 15, 2024, for square or vertical videos.
How is a Shorts view counted?
Since March 31, 2025, every start or replay counts as a view, with no minimum duration. YouTube Studio’s “engaged views” reflect the old method.
How many views do you need to monetise Shorts?
1,000 subscribers and 10 million public Shorts views in 90 days, or 4,000 long-form watch hours in 12 months.
Does Perroly publish to YouTube?
Yes: Perroly schedules and publishes your YouTube videos, lets you reply to YouTube comments from the inbox and shows your channel analytics.