YouTube has evolved dramatically since its inception, morphing from a simple video-sharing platform into a global entertainment and educational powerhouse. A key component of this evolution is the introduction of YouTube Shorts, the platform’s answer to the short-form video craze pioneered by TikTok and Instagram Reels.
For creators aiming to grow their channels in 2025, the question looms large: which format—YouTube Shorts or long-form videos—offers the best path to success? The answer isn’t one-size-fits-all. Each format offers unique advantages and challenges, as both formats possess unique strengths and weaknesses, making them suitable for different purposes and stages of channel development.
In this article, we’ll explore the pros and cons of YouTube Shorts and long-form videos, their impact on audience growth, monetization, and how to effectively use both for optimal success.
The Rise of YouTube Shorts
Launched in 2020, YouTube Shorts is the platform’s answer to the explosive popularity of short-form video content, pioneered by TikTok. These vertical, 60-second-or-less clips are designed for quick consumption, often paired with catchy music or trends. By March 2025, Shorts have solidified their place, racking up billions of daily views and becoming a go-to discovery tool for new audiences.
The appeal of Shorts lies in their accessibility. They’re easy to produce—requiring minimal editing and equipment—and they cater to the shrinking attention spans of modern viewers.
YouTube’s algorithm heavily promotes Shorts through its dedicated Shorts feed, giving creators a shot at viral fame without needing an established subscriber base. For example, a quirky dance clip or a clever life hack can explode overnight, pulling in thousands (or even millions) of views from people who wouldn’t otherwise find your channel.
This discoverability is a game-changer for growth. Shorts act like a funnel, introducing viewers to your content and encouraging them to check out your longer videos or subscribe. Data from YouTube’s Creator Insider suggests that channels incorporating Shorts often see a spike in overall watch time and subscriber growth, especially in the early stages. For new creators or those stuck in a plateau, Shorts can be the spark that ignites momentum.
However, Shorts aren’t a golden ticket. Their short length limits storytelling depth, and the audience they attract may not stick around for more substantial content. Plus, monetization is trickier—Shorts revenue comes from a shared Creator Fund rather than traditional ads, often yielding lower earnings per view compared to long-form videos.
Pros of YouTube Shorts
Faster Audience Growth: Shorts have a higher chance of going viral due to their quick consumption format and placement in the Shorts feed, exposing creators to a broader audience. The viral nature of short-form content can lead to significant spikes in views and subscribers in a short period.
Higher Engagement: Due to their short nature, Shorts tend to have higher retention rates, which positively impacts engagement metrics.
Repurposing Content: Creators can repurpose content from TikTok, Instagram Reels, or previous long-form videos, maximizing content reach.
Mobile-First Audience Appeal: Shorts cater to the growing mobile-first audience, aligning with how most people consume content today.
Experimentation and Testing with Lower Production Effort: Shorts provide a low-barrier entry point for experimenting with different content styles and identifying what resonates with your audience. Compared to long-form videos, Shorts require less time, editing, and resources, making it easier to create and upload consistently.
Building a top-of-funnel audience with Increased Discoverability: Shorts are fantastic for introducing new people to your channel. The YouTube algorithm pushes Shorts to viewers who may not already be subscribed, helping creators attract new followers.
Cons of YouTube Shorts
Lower Watch Time: Since Shorts are under 60 seconds, they don’t contribute significantly to a channel’s overall watch hours, making it harder to qualify for the YouTube Partner Program.
Limited Monetization: While YouTube is actively developing monetization options for Shorts, they currently offer less robust revenue streams compared to long-form videos. Unlike long-form content, Shorts rely on the YouTube Shorts Fund and ad revenue is significantly lower.
Less Retention and Connection with Audience Due to Insufficient Engagement: While engagement rates may be high, the engagement itself can be superficial, lacking the depth of interaction found with long-form content. Thus, short videos are hard to allow creators to dive deep into topics, limiting audience connection and loyalty. While you can build a large audience, it can be hard to build a quality audience that cares about your specific niche and this post a challenge on audience retention.
The Enduring Power of Long-Form Videos
Long-form videos—typically 10 minutes or longer—have been YouTube’s bread and butter since its inception. Think in-depth tutorials, documentaries, vlogs, or gaming walkthroughs. These videos allow creators to dive deep into a topic, build a narrative, and foster a connection with viewers over time. As of March 2025, long-form content remains a cornerstone of YouTube, especially for established creators and niche audiences.
The growth potential of long-form videos lies in their ability to retain viewers and build loyalty. YouTube’s algorithm rewards watch time, and a 15-minute video that keeps viewers engaged will often outperform a 60-second Short in terms of ranking in search results and recommendations. This extended engagement translates to stronger community-building—viewers who invest time in your content are more likely to comment, like, and subscribe.
Monetization is another advantage. Long-form videos can include multiple mid-roll ads, sponsorships, and product placements, making them more lucrative for creators who’ve hit the 1,000-subscriber and 4,000-watch-hour thresholds for the YouTube Partner Program. For example, a tech reviewer breaking down the latest gadget in a 20-minute video can weave in affiliate links and ads, turning a single upload into a revenue powerhouse.
The downside? Long-form videos demand more effort. Scripting, filming, and editing take time, and the competition is fierce—your video needs to stand out among millions of others. For new creators, breaking into the long-form space can feel like shouting into a void without an initial audience to amplify it.
Pros of Long-Form Videos for Growth:
- Stronger Monetization Potential: Longer videos allow creators to place multiple ads, increasing revenue potential, thus offering a more robust monetization options through ads, sponsorships, and channel memberships.
- Higher Watch Time and Audience Retention: Long-form videos provide extended viewing sessions, boosting watch time and improving audience retention metrics. This contributes significantly to the watch hours required for monetization.
- Deeper Audience Connection: Long-form videos allow creators to build trust and deeper relationships with their viewers via a sense of community.
- Authority Building: Long-form content allows creators to showcase their expertise and establish themselves as thought leaders in their fields.
- Better for SEO and Discoverability: Long form videos allow for more keywords, and better indexing in the search engine of youtube. Well-optimized long-form videos can rank on YouTube and Google search, driving consistent traffic over time.
- Evergreen Content Potential: Many long-form videos remain relevant for years, continuously attracting new viewers.
Cons of Long-Form Videos for Growth:
- Higher Production Costs and Time Commitment: Creating high-quality long-form videos requires significant time, effort, and resources for scripting, filming, and editing.
- Requires more skill: Long form content requires more skill to produce, and edit, than short form content.
- Lower Virality & Discoverability (Initially): Long-form videos can be harder to discover, especially for new channels, as the algorithm prioritizes content based on watch time and engagement. Unlike Shorts, long-form videos don’t spread as quickly in the algorithm, making growth slower.
- Higher Audience Drop-Off – Longer videos tend to have lower retention rates as viewers may not watch them fully.
- Slower Growth Potential: Building a substantial audience through long-form content can be a slower process compared to the rapid growth potential of Shorts.
Audience and Algorithm: Who Wins?
To decide which format fuels growth, we need to peek under the hood of YouTube’s algorithm and audience behavior. Shorts thrive in the Shorts feed, a slot-machine-like experience where viewers swipe through endless clips. The algorithm prioritizes engagement metrics like replays, likes, and shares, meaning a Short that hooks viewers in the first three seconds has a strong chance of going viral. This makes Shorts ideal for broad, trend-driven appeal—think memes, quick tips, or eye-catching stunts.
Long-form videos, meanwhile, dominate search results and the Suggested Videos sidebar. They’re favored by viewers seeking specific answers or entertainment, like “how to bake sourdough” or “true crime mysteries.” The algorithm boosts videos with high retention rates and session time (how long viewers stay on YouTube after watching), so a well-crafted long-form video can keep your channel in circulation longer.
Audience intent matters too. Shorts attract casual scrollers—often younger demographics like Gen Z—who may not commit to a 20-minute video. Long-form viewers, on the other hand, are more deliberate, seeking value or entertainment worth their time. If your niche caters to quick laughs or visual flair (e.g., cooking hacks, fitness challenges), Shorts might be your growth engine. If you’re in a field requiring expertise or narrative (e.g., education, storytelling), long-form could be your strength.
Growth Metrics: A Head-to-Head Comparison
Let’s talk numbers. Shorts can skyrocket your view count fast. A single viral Short might hit 500,000 views in a week, but only a fraction of those viewers—say, 1-2%—might subscribe. That’s still 5,000 to 10,000 new subscribers, a huge win for a small channel. However, those subscribers might not engage with your long-form content, diluting your active audience.
A long-form video, by contrast, might pull 10,000 views over a month but convert 5-10% into subscribers (500-1,000). These fans are more likely to return, boosting your watch time and creating a stable growth curve. Over time, consistent long-form uploads can compound, turning casual viewers into a dedicated community.
Monetization swings the pendulum toward long-form. A creator with 100,000 views on Shorts might earn $100-$300 from the Shorts Fund, while the same views on a long-form video with ads could net $500-$1,000, depending on niche and CPM (cost per mille). For growth-focused creators, this revenue can fund better equipment or marketing, accelerating progress.
Which One is Better for Growth?
The best format depends on your goals, niche, and content strategy. Here’s a comparison based on different growth factors:
- Gaining Subscribers
- Shorts: Best for rapid subscriber growth as they reach new audiences quickly.
- Long-Form: Helps retain subscribers by providing valuable content.
- Monetization
- Shorts: Limited ad revenue but offers potential brand partnerships and fund rewards.
- Long-Form: Higher ad revenue, sponsorships, and membership opportunities.
- Engagement & Community Building
- Shorts: High engagement but weaker community connection.
- Long-Form: Stronger audience relationships and deeper engagement.
- Algorithm Favorability
- Shorts: Pushed in the Shorts feed for quick exposure.
- Long-Form: Consistently recommended based on watch history and SEO.
The Hybrid Approach: Best of Both Worlds?
Why choose when you can blend? Instead of viewing Shorts and long-form videos as mutually exclusive options, creators can leverage both formats to achieve optimal growth. The key lies in creating a synergistic content strategy that utilizes the strengths of each format. Many successful creators hook viewers with Shorts—teasers, highlights, or standalone snippets—then funnel them to long-form content for deeper engagement.
For instance, a travel vlogger might post a 30-second Short of a stunning sunset, captioned “Full adventure in my latest video!” linking to a 15-minute journey. This leverages Shorts’ reach and long-form’s retention power.
Case Studies in Success
Data backs this up. The key is consistency and cross-promotion—ensure your Shorts and long-form videos feel cohesive, so viewers recognize your brand across formats. Several creators have demonstrated the power of the hybrid approach:
- MrBeast: While known for elaborate long-form productions, Jimmy Donaldson strategically uses Shorts to highlight dramatic moments from his main videos, driving millions of new viewers to his channel.
- Zach King: Successfully transitioned from longer vlogs to a mix of formats, using Shorts to maintain visibility while focusing creative energy on higher-quality long-form content.
- Ali Abdaal: The productivity creator uses Shorts to share quick tips that serve as entry points to his more comprehensive long-form educational content.
Practical Recommendations for Creators
Based on current platform performance and creator results, here are strategic recommendations for growth-focused content creators:
- Use Shorts to Drive Traffic to Long-Form Videos: Create short, engaging clips from your long-form videos and use them as Shorts to attract viewers to the full-length content.
- Don’t abandon long-form for Shorts: Maintain a consistent schedule of traditional videos that allow for deeper audience connection and better monetization.
- Develop format-specific skills: Recognize that each format requires different storytelling approaches. Shorts demand immediate hooks and rapid pacing, while long-form allows for narrative development.
- Track cross-format analytics: Pay close attention to how Shorts viewers interact with your channel. Identify which Short topics successfully drive traffic to longer videos.
- Adapt to audience feedback: Some niches respond better to certain formats. Educational content, for example, often performs well in both formats but requires different approaches for each.
- Repurpose Long-Form Content into Shorts: Break down longer videos into shorter, digestible segments for Shorts. Identify powerful moments that stand alone while enticing viewers to seek out the full video.
- Build a community: Use shorts to interact with your community, and long form to provide them with the content they crave.
- Tease Upcoming Long-Form Videos with Shorts: Generate excitement and anticipation for upcoming long-form videos by releasing short teasers or behind-the-scenes clips.
- Use Shorts to Answer Quick Questions or Provide Snippets of Information: Address common questions or provide bite-sized pieces of information in Shorts, directing viewers to more comprehensive long-form videos for in-depth explanations.
So, Which is Better?
There’s no universal “better” option—it’s about your goals. Short-form content excels at discovery and first impressions, while long-form builds the deep engagement that translates to sustainable channel growth.
If you’re starting out, craving rapid visibility, or targeting a trend-savvy audience, Shorts are your launchpad. They’re low-risk, high-reward, and perfect for testing ideas. If you’re aiming for sustainable growth, deeper connections, and stronger monetization, long-form videos are the long game worth playing.
For most creators, the sweet spot is balance, how effectively can they integrate both formats into a cohesive content strategy. Use Shorts to cast a wide net and long-form to reel in the keepers. Experiment, track your analytics, and adapt—because on YouTube in 2025, growth isn’t about picking a side. The most successful creators will likely be those who master both formats, leveraging their unique strengths to create a comprehensive and engaging content ecosystem.
It’s about mastering the platform’s dual nature and making it work for you. By understanding the strengths and limitations of each format, creators can develop a balanced approach that maximizes reach while building a loyal, engaged audience.
