Ever wondered why some YouTube Shorts rack up millions of views while yours barely hit double digits? It's not just luck; it's a smart strategy. The Shorts feed is a fast-paced battlefield where the algorithm is king, and viewers have zero patience. Many creators fail because they treat Shorts like a quick afterthought. They miss the crucial first three-second window, use the wrong audio, or post content that just doesn't feel right on a phone screen.

This guide isn't just another list of vague tips. We’re breaking down 10 proven 

 that top creators use to fuel explosive growth. You'll learn exactly how to craft hooks that stop the scroll, design visuals that pop, and use your own analytics to give the algorithm exactly what it wants. These ideas often mirror what works on other platforms; understanding the bigger picture of 

Forget generic advice. This is your playbook. Each point gives you actionable steps, real-world examples, and templates you can use right away. Let's build a content engine that doesn't just get views but turns those viewers into loyal subscribers and drives your channel's growth in 2025.

In the world of vertical video, the first three seconds are your entire sales pitch. Shorts viewers make split-second decisions, and if you don't instantly spark curiosity, they'll swipe away without a second thought. This tiny window is your only shot to stop the scroll. Mastering the hook is a fundamental YouTube Shorts best practice, as data shows that Shorts with a strong start have a significantly higher average view duration—a metric the algorithm loves.

Your hook needs to create an immediate "curiosity gap" or a "pattern interrupt"—something that jolts the viewer out of their mindless scrolling. It’s not about clickbait; it's about making a clear promise of value or entertainment that your video will deliver on.

Creators like MrBeast are masters of the hook. He opens with shocking statements like, "I just bought a private island," which immediately sets the stakes impossibly high. Similarly, Tana Mongeau uses bold, dramatic text overlays to ask a question or make a controversial claim that the rest of the video is dedicated to answering.

2. Maintain Vertical 9:16 Aspect Ratio and Full Screen Format

YouTube Shorts are made for phones, plain and simple. Sticking to the 9:16 vertical aspect ratio isn't just a suggestion—it's a requirement for success. This format fills the entire screen, creating an immersive experience that viewers now expect from platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. If your video has black bars on the sides, it looks unprofessional and screams "I didn't make this for you," which is an instant reason for viewers to swipe away.

The goal is to make your content feel seamless in the Shorts feed. A full-screen video holds attention better because there are no distractions. The algorithm favors content that provides a great user experience, and proper formatting is the first step.

Creators who dominate the Shorts feed, like Charli D'Amelio, always shoot their content vertically. It makes the viewer feel like they are right there in the room with her. Illusionist Zach King uses the entire vertical frame to pull off his mind-bending edits, which makes the magic even more effective. Even educational channels like Kurzgesagt have brilliantly adapted their complex animations to a vertical format, proving it works for any niche.

On YouTube Shorts, audio isn't just background noise—it's a discovery tool. Using trending songs and viral audio clips can give your video a massive boost in reach. The algorithm often pushes content that uses popular audio, showing your Short to a much bigger audience than just your subscribers. This is a key YouTube Shorts best practice because it lets you tap into what's already popular, making your content instantly more relevant and shareable.

Sound works as a shortcut for viewers and the algorithm. A familiar sound tells viewers what to expect—a funny skit, a dance, or a satisfying DIY clip. For the algorithm, it helps categorize your content and group it with other popular Shorts using the same audio, increasing its chances of going viral.

Creators who get this right, from dance influencers like Addison Rae to comedy stars like Zach King, know that the right sound can make or break a Short. They constantly check the trending audio library to find sounds that are just starting to take off, so they can ride the wave up. The trick is to pair the audio with a unique idea that fits your niche.

For example, a finance creator could use a trending lo-fi track to make a video about budgeting feel more relaxed and modern. A prank channel could use a dramatic, recognizable movie score to build comedic tension.

4. Create Consistent, Series-Based Content

A single viral Short is great, but it won't build a channel. To get people to subscribe, you need to give them a reason to come back. Creating a consistent series does exactly that. It establishes a reliable format that turns casual viewers into dedicated fans. This is a critical YouTube Shorts best practice because it teaches the algorithm what your channel is about, leading to better recommendations and more repeat viewers.

A series creates a powerful viewing loop. When someone enjoys "Part 3" of your series, they'll immediately look for Parts 1, 2, and 4. This predictability builds a sense of community around your content and turns your channel into a destination.

The key is to develop a repeatable format that’s flexible enough for new ideas but consistent enough that people instantly recognize it. Comedians often use recurring characters or "Types of People" formats that audiences love. Educational channels can create a "Myth vs. Fact" or "30-Second Tip" series that delivers value in a predictable package. These formats make content creation easier for you and set clear expectations for your audience.

5. Optimize for YouTube Shorts Algorithm Using Analytics

Flying blind with your Shorts strategy is a surefire way to fail. To make content that consistently performs well, you have to look at the data. Your YouTube Analytics dashboard is the key to understanding what the Shorts algorithm wants to see. By regularly checking metrics like "Average percentage viewed," you can turn your creative instincts into a data-driven strategy—a non-negotiable step in any list of YouTube Shorts best practices.

This isn't about getting lost in numbers. It's about finding patterns that show you what your audience actually wants to watch. Understanding this data lets you double down on what’s working and stop wasting time on what isn't.

Top creators don't just upload and pray. They track their performance obsessively. For example, a creator might notice that their Shorts between 45-55 seconds consistently get a higher average view duration. With that insight, they can focus on making more videos in that optimal length range, dramatically increasing their chances of getting picked up by the algorithm.

Or, they might see that Shorts starting with a person talking to the camera have a 10% higher retention rate in the first three seconds than videos starting with generic footage. That's a clear, actionable signal to adjust their hooks.

6. Use Strategic Text Overlays and On-Screen Graphics

In a feed where many people watch with the sound off, text on the screen isn't just a nice-to-have; it's essential. Text overlays and graphics guide the viewer's attention, highlight key points, and provide context that would otherwise be missed. This is a core YouTube Shorts best practice because it makes your content accessible and engaging for everyone, which directly boosts watch time.

Well-placed text keeps the viewer locked in. Whether you're highlighting a surprising fact, emphasizing a punchline, or simply providing captions, text ensures your message gets across, even in silence. It acts as a visual anchor, keeping the viewer’s thumb from swiping away.

Creators like Alex Hormozi have built their entire brand around a specific style of dynamic, value-packed text. He uses bold, colorful text to break down complex business ideas, making sure every key point is impossible to miss. Comedians use timed text to visually deliver a punchline, which often makes the joke even funnier than just hearing it. The text becomes part of the entertainment.

7. Post Consistently and Strategically Time Uploads

Consistency is a huge signal to both your audience and the algorithm. Posting Shorts regularly teaches your subscribers when to expect new content and shows YouTube that your channel is an active, reliable source of entertainment. When you combine a consistent schedule with strategic timing, you can dramatically boost the initial engagement on your videos—a key factor the algorithm uses to decide if a Short is worth showing to more people.

The goal is to find a posting rhythm that matches when your audience is most active. It’s not about posting 10 times a day; it’s about understanding 

 your viewers are scrolling and making sure your content is there waiting for them.

How to Create a Powerful Posting Schedule

High-growth channels often post multiple Shorts per day to maximize their chances of one taking off. For example, some top creators upload 3-5 times daily, treating each Short as a new chance to hit the jackpot with the algorithm. They analyze their data to find the "golden hours" when their audience is most active and schedule their uploads to hit those windows perfectly.

This approach turns posting from a guessing game into a data-driven strategy. By aligning your schedule with audience behavior, you build momentum that can have a huge impact on your channel's growth.

8. Encourage Interaction Through Calls-to-Action and Community Engagement

The YouTube Shorts algorithm cares about more than just views. It pays close attention to engagement signals like likes, shares, and especially comments. These actions tell YouTube that your content is sparking a conversation, which can directly increase its reach. A smart YouTube Shorts best practice is to deliberately build engagement prompts into your content, turning passive viewers into active participants.

This isn't about just saying "like and subscribe" at the end. It's about designing your Short in a way that makes commenting feel like a natural next step. When you get this right, you not only boost your video's performance but also build a loyal community around your channel.

The key is to give people a specific reason to interact. Creators who are great at this often build their entire video around a call-to-action (CTA). For instance, a Short might present a debatable opinion about a trending topic and end with, "What do you think? Let me know in the comments." This gives viewers an easy way to share their own opinion.

Challenge-based content also works wonders. A creator might perform a difficult trick and ask, "Think you can beat my score? Let me know below!" This gamifies the experience and creates a fun sense of competition in the comments, driving up interaction.

9. Cross-Promote Between Shorts and Other Content Platforms

Your YouTube Shorts shouldn't live on an island. Treating them as a standalone part of your strategy is a huge missed opportunity. A powerful YouTube Shorts best practice is to cross-promote your content on other vertical video platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels. This tactic expands your reach, helps you find new audiences, and creates a funnel that drives traffic back to your main YouTube channel.

The goal is to create a content ecosystem where each platform helps the others grow. A video that goes viral on TikTok can send thousands of new subscribers to your YouTube channel. Streamers do this all the time by clipping highlights from their Twitch streams and posting them as Shorts, Reels, and TikToks. One long broadcast becomes dozens of pieces of content that all point back to their main channel.

The idea is to take advantage of the unique audiences on each platform. An educational creator can slice up a detailed YouTube tutorial into bite-sized Shorts that act as teasers for the full-length video, attracting viewers who prefer quick tips.

This works both ways. You can use your established YouTube channel to promote your new TikTok profile, creating a feedback loop of growth.

10. Create Micro-Stories and Narrative-Driven Content

Humans are wired to love stories. The best YouTube Shorts take advantage of this by telling a complete, compelling story in under 60 seconds. Instead of just showing something, they use a classic story structure with a beginning, a middle, and an end (setup, conflict, and resolution). This creates an emotional connection that makes your content more memorable and shareable—a core tenet of any good YouTube Shorts best practice. A Short with a story keeps people watching because they need to know how it ends.

This turns a simple clip into an experience. It’s the difference between showing a messy room and showing the satisfying transformation from chaos to order. The journey, not just the result, is what holds attention and pushes up your completion rate—a huge signal to the YouTube algorithm that your content is high-quality.

Creators like Zach King are masters of this. They build a quick narrative that sets up an expectation and then shatters it with a clever twist, all in just a few seconds. A simple DIY Short can follow a story, too: the "setup" is the problem (a boring wall), the "conflict" is the creative process of painting, and the "resolution" is the stunning final reveal. This structure works for almost any niche.

10 YouTube Shorts Best Practices to Go Viral in 2025

Short-form video has become the dominant language of social media, with platforms like TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts rewarding a constant stream of fresh content. For creators with extensive long-form videos, such as podcasters, YouTubers, and marketers, this presents a significant bottleneck. Manually identifying, cutting, and captioning compelling moments from an hour-long podcast can easily consume an entire day. This is the precise problem an 

 is designed to solve. These platforms act as intelligent video editors, automatically analyzing your long-form content to pinpoint viral-worthy segments.

An effective AI clip maker doesn't just slice your video; it identifies moments with the highest engagement potential, applies dynamic captions, and reframes the shot for vertical viewing. This isn't just about saving time; it's a strategic move to maximize your content's return on investment (ROI). Repurposing existing assets is a proven growth strategy, with some studies showing it can boost audience reach by over 150%. The same logic applies to other formats, with specialized tools now able to automate the process of 

This guide takes the guesswork out of choosing the right tool by breaking down the top 12 AI clip makers available today. We’ll dive into each option, comparing core features like hook detection, speaker tracking, and caption styling. For each tool, you'll find direct links, screenshots, pricing, and an honest assessment of its strengths and weaknesses. My goal is to give you the actionable insights needed to select the perfect AI clip maker for your workflow and turn your content library into a powerful engine for social media growth.

 Repurposing long-form spoken content into a high-volume social media pipeline. 

 Free plan (one video); Klap Pro at $29/month for expanded use.

 by offering a highly efficient, end-to-end solution for transforming extensive video archives into engaging short-form content. Purpose-built for creators and marketers with a library of podcasts, interviews, or webinars, Klap automates the most time-consuming aspects of video repurposing. You just provide a YouTube link or upload a file, and the platform’s AI gets to work. It identifies compelling topics, isolates key moments, and generates a series of ready-to-publish vertical clips in minutes.

The platform’s real power lies in its intelligent automation features that go beyond simple trimming. This robust system is trusted by over 1.5 million users and has generated more than 9.3 million clips, demonstrating its reliability and effectiveness at scale.

Klap is the ideal tool for YouTubers, podcasters, and social media managers who need to consistently produce short-form content but lack the time or resources for manual editing. If your primary content is dialogue-driven, such as interviews, educational videos, or commentary, Klap’s speech-based detection will deliver high-quality results with minimal effort.

 Turns a single long video into multiple ready-to-post clips in minutes, with users reporting 5x speed gains.

 Performance may be less effective for videos without clear dialogue, like music montages or cinematic B-roll.

 The AI Reframe 2 feature ensures subjects remain perfectly centered in vertical formats.

 The free plan is for trial purposes (one video); consistent use requires a subscription to the Pro plan.

 Includes captioning, editing, branding customization, and direct social media scheduling.

 While powerful, the AI-generated clips and captions often require a quick human review for accuracy and context.

OpusClip is a specialized AI clip generator that scans long-form video across podcasts, interviews, gaming streams, sports events, and vlogs to spot the most engaging moments. It automatically adds animated captions, smartly reframes for 9:16, 1:1, or 16:9 outputs, and supports built-in scheduling and auto-posting to major social networks. Its enterprise API and team workspace options make it an ideal choice for agencies and in-house content teams.

OpusClip’s dashboard offers drag-and-drop organization, live clip previews, and bulk style edits. Customers report a 40% drop in manual editing time and reducing their upload-to-post workflow from two hours to under 15 minutes.

Klap is a browser-based AI clip maker designed to repurpose long-form videos into engaging short-form content. By simply pasting a YouTube link or uploading a file, Klap's AI identifies compelling topics and viral hooks, automatically generating captioned clips. It offers advanced features like AI-powered reframing to focus on speakers, multi-language dubbing, and high-resolution exports, making it a powerful tool for global content teams and individual creators.

Klap excels with its multilingual support, making it a standout AI clip maker for creators targeting international audiences. The AI dubbing feature automatically translates and generates new voiceovers, a capability not commonly found in competing tools. This allows teams to localize content with minimal effort, transforming a single video into multiple assets for different regions.

Quso is an all-in-one social AI platform that builds on the core capabilities of its predecessor, Vidyo.ai. This AI clip maker specializes in auto-clip generation, captioning, resizing, and integrated scheduling with analytics. It offers a familiar workflow for users migrating from Vidyo.ai while expanding into a broader social media management tool, making it a solid choice for creators who need both clipping and distribution features.

Quso's strength lies in its integration of an AI clip maker with a full social media scheduler. This combination allows creators to go from long-form video to a fully scheduled content calendar within a single platform, streamlining the entire content repurposing and distribution process.

Learn more about Quso (formerly Vidyo.ai) on klap.app (

Munch is an AI video repurposing platform designed for creators, brands, and agencies who need to create short-form content at scale. The platform excels at extracting engaging highlights from long videos and packaging them into social-ready clips complete with captions, distribution suggestions, and performance analytics. Its workflow is heavily geared towards marketers who manage large volumes of content and require data-driven insights to guide their strategy.

Munch's core differentiator is its focus on the entire social workflow, not just clip creation. It provides data on what topics are trending and suggests the best platforms for distribution, acting as both an editor and a strategist. This makes it a powerful 

 for teams aiming to maximize reach and engagement.

Riverside is an end-to-end platform that combines high-quality remote recording (up to 4K) with its AI-powered Magic Clips. This tool uses AI to find the most engaging highlights in your recordings and generates social-ready short videos with just one click. It's an ideal solution for podcasters and teams needing a single service that handles everything from recording to automated clipping.

12 Best AI Clip Maker Tools in 2025 (Klap vs. Alternatives)

Making an Instagram Reel is a pretty straightforward process once you get the hang of it. You come up with a concept, film a few short clips (or upload existing ones), toss in some music and effects, write a caption, and hit publish. Simple, right? But mastering this format is hands-down your fastest path to meaningful growth on the platform.

Why Reels Are Essential for Instagram Growth

 you should even be making Reels. This isn't just another fun feature; it's the engine driving discovery on Instagram. The algorithm heavily favors Reels, pushing them to people who don't even follow you. This gives you a shot at organic reach that’s tough to get with other formats.

What this means in practice is that even new accounts can catch fire. Unlike a standard post or a Story that mostly gets seen by your existing followers, a great Reel can land on the Explore page, putting your brand in front of thousands of potential new fans. It's a direct response to how people consume content now—they want it fast, engaging, and entertaining.

Since launching in 2020, Reels have become so dominant that they now account for over 

50% of the total time users spend on Instagram

. That’s a massive chunk of attention, proving just how central they are to the user experience.

For creators and marketers, this is a golden opportunity. The audience is huge—over 

 can be reached through Instagram Reels ads alone. That's more than half of Instagram’s total ad audience, making Reels a direct line to a global user base. You can dig into more 

 if you want to see just how big this is.

Getting into a consistent rhythm with Reels pays off in tangible ways. Making them a core part of your strategy can lead to some serious, measurable results:

Ultimately, learning how to make Instagram Reels isn't just about chasing a trend. It's about getting good at using the platform's most powerful tool for growth and building a real community around your work.

Let's be honest: the most successful Reels rarely happen by accident. Behind that seemingly effortless 15-second clip is usually a smart plan designed to grab attention fast. Before you even think about recording, mapping out your concept is the single best thing you can do to make content that actually performs.

This doesn't mean you need a full Hollywood script. It's just about having a clear direction. Start by asking yourself: What's the one thing I want someone to take away from this? And who am I even making this for? Nailing those down will help you avoid that rambling, confusing vibe that makes people swipe away.

A great place to kick things off is by seeing what’s already working on the platform. Spending just 

 scrolling the Reels feed is some of the most valuable research you can do. Keep an eye out for audio clips with that little upward-trending arrow next to them—that's a clear signal that the algorithm is pushing that sound right now.

When a trend clicks with your brand, save that audio immediately. The next step is to figure out how to put your own spin on it. For example, a trending sound from a pet video could be flipped by a real estate agent to show a killer "before and after" of a home renovation. The key is to 

borrow the format, but make the content uniquely yours

With short-form video, the clock is ticking. You have literally seconds to stop the scroll. Some studies say it's less than three. That means your Reel needs a solid structure that hooks people instantly and keeps them watching until the end.

A simple framework that consistently works is:

This structure provides a repeatable workflow. When you plan your Reel around this simple three-act narrative, you ensure your message lands cleanly, which dramatically boosts your chances of people watching all the way through—a huge win for the algorithm.

Creating Your Reel Inside the Instagram App

This is where the magic happens. The Instagram Reels editor is packed with creative tools for adding audio, text, and stickers right inside the app. Getting comfortable with these features is what separates a basic clip from a Reel that people actually stop and watch.

Once you tap the Reels icon and hit that camera button, you're looking at a blank canvas. This is where your big idea starts coming to life, one clip at a time. But before you just hit record, take a moment to get familiar with the tools on the left side of your screen. These are your secret weapons.

 is an absolute lifesaver if you’re creating content by yourself. It gives you a 3-2-1 countdown, so you can prop up your phone and get into position without fumbling. Then there's the 

 tool, which is critical for pulling off those super-smooth transitions you see everywhere. It overlays a transparent image of your last frame, letting you line up your next shot perfectly.

Think of it like building with Legos. You film a short clip, stop, then film the next one. This approach gives you full control, letting you piece together a dynamic video with different angles and scenes that will keep your viewers hooked.

After you've shot all your little clips, tapping "Next" takes you into the editing timeline. This is where you stitch everything together into a single, compelling story. For a mobile app, the editor is surprisingly robust.

You can tap "Edit clips" to trim the start or end of each segment, get rid of any takes you don't like, or even reorder the clips entirely to get the narrative just right.

This is also the perfect time to sync your video to the music you picked out. A well-timed cut that lands right on the beat is incredibly satisfying to watch. In fact, 

Reels with music can see up to 25% more engagement

 than those without, so don't treat audio as an afterthought.

If you're looking for a more detailed walkthrough of the shooting and editing process, this guide on 

 does a great job of breaking down each step visually.

With your video timeline locked in, it’s time for the final layers that make your Reel pop. These aren't just decorative extras; they're essential for making your content accessible and engaging.

These features are vital for getting the most reach out of your content. Of course, if this whole in-app editing process sounds a bit too time-consuming, there are other ways to work. An 

 can do a lot of the heavy lifting by automatically creating short, captioned clips from longer videos, saving you a ton of time.

Making a great Reel is just the first step. Getting people to actually see it? That's the real challenge. This is where you have to learn to work 

 the Instagram algorithm, not against it. Your job is to send clear signals that your content is valuable, engaging, and worth showing to more people.

The good news is the algorithm is already on your side. From a pure content strategy standpoint, Instagram Reels consistently deliver far better reach than other formats, especially if you're trying to grow a smaller account.

To give you an idea of how much of a difference this makes, we've pulled together some recent data comparing post formats.

Instagram Post Format Performance Comparison

Recent analysis shows a clear winner when it comes to getting eyes on your content. Reels don't just perform a little better; they blow other formats out of the water, especially when you're looking for organic reach.

Post FormatAverage Reach vs. Single Image PostAverage Engagement Rate (Influencers)

Source: Buffer's analysis of 4+ million posts

As you can see, the numbers don't lie. Instagram is actively pushing this format, giving creators a massive opportunity to connect with new audiences. Now, let's make sure your Reels are ready for the spotlight.

Your hook is the one-two punch of your opening visual and the on-screen text that flashes in the first few moments. It has to make a clear, compelling promise to the viewer about what they'll get out of watching.

For example, a caption like "Skincare tips" is fine, but it’s not a hook. A hook is: "

3 skincare mistakes that are ruining your skin.

" See the difference? One is generic, the other sparks immediate curiosity and promises a solution to a pain point.

And remember, many people watch with the sound off. That's why clear, well-timed on-screen text is non-negotiable. Using a dedicated tool to add subtitles makes your content instantly more accessible and easier to consume. A good 

 by making sure your message lands, whether the audio is on or off.

Hashtags are how Instagram categorizes your content and shows it to the right people. One of the biggest mistakes creators make is loading up on massive, generic tags like 

. It feels like a shortcut, but it rarely works.

A much smarter approach is to use a balanced mix. Here's a practical formula:

Every single Reel you post should have a purpose. What do you want someone to do after they finish watching?

Likes are nice, but they're a low-value signal to the algorithm. 

 are pure gold. They tell Instagram that your content is so valuable people are taking extra steps to interact with it. Your Call-to-Action (CTA) is how you guide them to do just that.

Don't be shy about it. A simple "Save this for later!" or "Comment your favorite tip below" can increase engagement by over 

. Put your CTA in both your on-screen text and in your caption to make sure it can't be missed.

Finally, you want to make sure all your hard work looks incredible when you upload it. To avoid Instagram's notorious compression issues, it's worth learning 

 so they look crisp without being too large.

Let's be real: the pressure to churn out fresh, high-quality Reels every single day is enough to burn out even the most dedicated creators. You're constantly fighting the algorithm's hunger for new content. But what if you could fill your content calendar without filming something new every time?

The secret is working smarter, not harder. It's all about repurposing content you've already created.

This is where AI tools have completely changed the game. Instead of manually scrubbing through a 45-minute webinar to find a few golden nuggets, an AI platform can do all that heavy lifting in minutes. This approach doesn't just save a massive amount of time; it squeezes every last drop of value out of your best long-form content.

 were built for this exact problem. You just drop in a link to a YouTube video, and the AI gets to work. It analyzes the entire transcript and visual cues to pinpoint the most engaging, share-worthy, and potentially viral segments.

Think of it as having an expert editor who instantly knows which parts of your video are going to pop on social media.

This is what you see inside Klap after it's worked its magic on a longer video, presenting you with a bunch of ready-made clips.

The platform automatically reframes the horizontal video into a vertical 

 format, slaps on some dynamic captions, and even uses facial recognition to make sure the speaker is always perfectly centered. Suddenly, one long video becomes a week's worth of Reels, ready to post.

Once the AI has done its thing and generated your clips, it's time for you to add that final human polish. The tech is incredible, but a quick review is what makes the content feel truly native to Instagram and stand out from the noise.

Here’s a quick checklist for your final review:

By building this workflow into your process, you can learn 

 and finally keep up a consistent posting schedule without sacrificing quality—or your sanity. It completely shifts your focus from constant creation to smart, strategic distribution.

Got Questions About Instagram Reels? We’ve Got Answers.

Even with the best game plan, you're going to hit a few snags when you start making Reels. It happens to everyone. From weird technical glitches to just not being sure what to do next, let's clear up some of the most common questions creators run into.

A big one I hear all the time is, "Is it even worth the effort?" With so many platforms out there, it's a fair question. But the numbers don't lie: Instagram Reels are crushing it. Median views for short Reels are around 

, which is more than double TikTok’s 2,800. For longer clips, Reels pull in about 

 median views compared to TikTok’s 3,500. If you want to dive deeper, you can check out more 

 post Reels up to 90 seconds long, but that doesn't mean you 

The real sweet spot for grabbing—and holding—someone's attention is somewhere between 

. This tight window forces you to get straight to the point and deliver your message with impact, which is exactly how people scroll through their feeds.

There's nothing more frustrating than your audio suddenly disappearing. If your sound isn't working or got removed, it's usually one of two culprits:

How to Make Instagram Reels Go Viral This Year

You don’t always need new footage to create great YouTube Shorts; your existing long-form videos can work just fine. This guide walks you through how to find those clips, format them for Shorts, and share them in a way that drives engagement. Visit the 

 to learn more about repurposing long-form videos into shorts.

Struggling to Get Views on Your Long Videos?

YouTube Shorts are one of the fastest ways to grab attention. With over 

 watched every day, this format offers one of the biggest opportunities for visibility and engagement online.

But cutting down long videos into engaging clips can feel like a lot of work. Many creators and brands skip it, leaving their best content unseen.

 article, we’ll show you how to turn your existing videos into YouTube Shorts that get results. You’ll also see how to speed up editing with AI tools like Klap and extend the reach of your videos. 

 to transform long-form content into short-form videos that drive results. Our AI has processed millions of hours of video, giving us unique insight into what makes clips perform on platforms like YouTube Shorts, TikTok, and Reels. This gives us insights into what works on YouTube Shorts and what doesn’t. 

YouTube Shorts are vertical videos of up to 60 seconds, designed for quick, mobile viewing. They capture attention fast and fit perfectly into YouTube’s scroll-heavy feeds. Like TikTok and Instagram Reels, Shorts make it easy to share engaging moments and reach new audiences through short-form video.

How to Create YouTube Shorts From Existing Videos

At Klap, we’ve made it incredibly easy to 

 into YouTube Shorts with our AI-powered Shorts maker. With just a few clicks, you can transform your long-form content into the perfect vertical format for YouTube Shorts

Step 1: Visit the Klap AI Shorts Maker Page

To start creating your YouTube Short, go to the 

This page provides all the features you need to create a YouTube Short, from uploading the video to exporting the final result. 

Step 2: Input or Upload Your Original Video

The next step is to upload the video you want to convert into a YouTube Short. There are two options for adding your video:

, simply copy the URL from your browser and paste it into Klap’s input field.

This option is perfect if you want to create a YouTube Short from a video that’s already online.

Option 2: Upload a File Directly from Your Device

Alternatively, if you have a video file on your computer or cloud storage, you can upload it directly to Klap.

Supported video formats include MP4, MOV, and AVI. This option works well for videos that are stored locally, such as 

, webinars, or interviews that haven't been uploaded to YouTube yet.

Once your video is added, you'll be prompted to log in or create a new Klap account.

If you already have an account, simply enter your credentials and proceed. If you’re new to Klap, you’ll be prompted to 

Logging in or creating an account ensures that your work is saved and allows you to access the full set of Klap’s features. Without logging in, you won’t be able to export or 

Klap’s free account offers all the essential features you need to get started, and you can start generating Shorts immediately after signing up.

Step 4: Set Your YouTube Shorts Preferences

Once you’re logged in, you’ll be prompted to customize your video settings. This step makes sure your video is formatted properly for YouTube Shorts, which has specific guidelines.

Klap allows you to fine-tune your video preferences so that it meets YouTube’s standards and best practices for Shorts.

Once your preferences are set, click the 

 button, and Klap’s AI will automatically start processing the video. The system analyzes your video, extracts the most engaging segments, and formats them into a vertical (9:16) clip suitable for YouTube Shorts.

Once the AI has generated your Short, you have the option to refine it further. Click 

Here, you can fine-tune the video and make any adjustments to improve the overall flow and engagement of your Short.

Klap’s editing interface includes several powerful tools to help you enhance your video:

After making adjustments, you’ll have a professionally styled YouTube Short, ready for download or sharing.

Method 1: Download and Publish on YouTube:

Once you’re satisfied with the final edit, you can export your video. Click 

You can then manually upload it to YouTube as a Short.

 directly to Klap and upload the Short directly from the platform. This integration saves time and eliminates the need for extra steps in the uploading process.

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