YouTube Shorts or Long Videos and Where Should New Creators Focus First
Published on 24.12.2025 by Chizoba T
The first big question every new creator eventually asks feels a bit like a tug of war: Between YouTube Shorts or long videos, which one helps you grow faster, and which one helps you stick around?
It is weird how something that sounds simple ends up feeling like a whole identity crisis. I remember thinking, If I pick the wrong one, will I ruin my whole channel?” Dramatic, I know, but when you are new, everything feels high stakes!
Shorts blow up fast. You blink, and suddenly you have views. Sometimes, thousands. Sometimes, zero. It is like a lottery machine with personality, but long videos build relationships. They teach people what you are about, give you room to breathe, and room to show your craft. They take more work, more planning, and more emotional energy, though.
New creators usually want quick wins. I get it. Honestly, seeing the first 1,000 views on a Short feels like rocket fuel. But you also want staying power. Something that lasts longer than eight seconds on a screen.
So the real question is not which format is “better,” it is which one helps you build momentum without burning out! Let us break it down piece by piece. No pressure. No algorithms looming over your head. Just clear, human advice you can use.
Why Shorts Give You Fast Visibility (But Not Always Loyalty)
Shorts work almost like a spark. Quick. Bright. Gone before you even process what happened. They get pushed to a massive audience because YouTube wants to compete with TikTok and Instagram Reels. So the moment you post, people see it, even if you are brand new.
That fast visibility feels amazing. You might see 500 views in the first hour and think, Wow, I am onto something, but here is the tricky part. Shorts viewers do not always stick around. They swipe fast. They forget fast. They might like your clip but not your channel.
I once posted a Short that got 50k views in a single afternoon. It felt incredible. The next day? My long videos still sat at 12 views as nothing happened. That is when it hit me. Shorts give exposure, but not depth.
This does not make Shorts bad. It just means you use them for discovery. You use them to plant seeds. But you still need something else for people to actually stay!
How Long Videos Build Trust and Real Fans
Long videos are where people decide if they like you—your voice, style, and personality. You get space to explain things without rushing. You show the full picture, not just a highlight.
Think about the creators you watch for 10, 20, 30 minutes at a time. You feel like you know them, right? You remember their jokes. Their weird habits. Their editing quirks. That is loyalty. And it happens in long-form, not Shorts!
Yes, long videos take more effort. More planning. More time to shoot and edit. But the payoff is bigger. One strong long video can pull in someone who watches your whole channel, who comments, who shares, and who sticks around for years.
Whenever I think about long-term YouTube growth, long videos feel like home base. They build the foundation that keeps your channel alive long after the initial hype fades.
Why Starting With Shorts Helps New Creators Fight The “Silence Stage”
Every creator goes through that uncomfortable stage at the beginning. No views. No comments. No signs of life. It is the “silence stage.” And it sucks. You feel like shouting into a canyon.
Shorts help break that silence. They give your channel early motion, early numbers, and early proof that people are seeing your stuff. That feeling matters more than people admit, as momentum keeps you from quitting.
For new creators, Shorts can act like an engine starter. They wake up the algorithm, give YouTube something to work with, and help you test ideas fast. You can post three Shorts in a day and instantly see which topics resonate!
Starting with Shorts is like warming up before a long run. You loosen up. You get the blood moving. Then, once you feel steady, long videos become easier to tackle.
Why Some Creators Burn Out When They Only Make Shorts
Shorts look easy, but they are a grind when you rely on them too much. You have to keep posting constantly to stay visible. Sometimes daily. Sometimes, multiple times a day. After a while, the pressure to “go viral again” gets real.
Because Shorts are so quick to create, they trick you into chasing a pace that is not sustainable. A lot of creators hit a wall after two months of nonstop Shorts because the creative spark fades. The ideas dry up, and the joy leaks out.
I tried making nothing but Shorts for about six weeks once. Never again. I felt like I was running on snack food. Quick bursts of energy. No real fuel.
Long videos give you space to breathe creatively. You can tell a story. Teach something. Share personality. Shorts alone cannot carry that weight! When you mix both, you avoid burnout. You get the energy of Shorts and the stability of long videos.
How Long Videos Build Trust in a Way Shorts Can’t
Long videos feel different. You know when someone talks for more than two minutes, and you suddenly feel like you know them a little? That is pretty much the magic of long-form content on YouTube. You get room to ramble. You breathe. You make mistakes. You correct yourself on camera. People weirdly love that. I think it is because long videos feel like hanging out with someone instead of just watching a clip!
So when you post longer content, you show more sides of yourself. You explain how you think. You walk viewers through your process. You let them sit with you for a bit. That kind of time builds trust in a way Shorts simply cannot. Shorts give people a spark.
Long videos give people a story, and long content keeps people on your channel. Watch time is still one of the strongest signals for the YouTube recommendation system. I know that sounds obvious. Still worth saying out loud!
If you are a new creator trying to build a real connection, long videos help people remember you. They give your early audience a reason to return and click again tomorrow. Think of Shorts as appetizers. Long videos are the actual meal. Both are good, but they do different jobs.
Why Shorts Feel Like a Shortcut (But Not Always a Smart One)
Shorts blow up fast. Like… absurdly fast. You post one, refresh the page, and suddenly you have views from five countries you have never even visited. This speed makes Shorts look like the shortcut every beginner dreams of.
Honestly, I fell for that at first. I thought, Oh, cool. I will just make ten-second clips and get famous. Yeah. No.
Shorts help you get discovered, but they do not guarantee that people stay. It is the digital version of someone speed-walking past your booth at a market. They might glance at your stuff. They might smile. They might even follow you. But will they come back later for a full chat? Maybe. Maybe not.
So yes. Shorts give you reach. They push you into new feeds. They help your channel grow in raw numbers. That is the shortcut part.
But if you rely only on Shorts, you might end up with an audience that does not really know you or care that much, which can be frustrating when you start posting longer stuff, and nobody clicks. Mixed signals. Not fun!
How Long Videos Turn Random Viewers Into Loyal Fans
If Shorts are how people find you, long videos are how they stay. It is kind of like dating. Someone might be attracted to your profile picture, sure. But the actual date—the conversation, the stories, the awkward jokes—that is where connection happens. Same thing with YouTube!
Long videos give viewers time to feel comfortable with you. They hear your voice, notice your personality, and pick up on your little quirks. I think those small things matter more than we realize.
They slowly turn strangers into fans who root for you. People love following creators they feel emotionally connected to. They may not say it out loud, but attention is a form of affection online.
Plus, long videos help YouTube understand your niche. Watch time signals consistency. If someone sits through eight minutes of your content, the platform goes, “OK. This viewer likes this. Let’s find more like them.”
That is when the algorithm starts working for you, not against you. That is when your growth feels stable instead of chaotic. Honestly, if I had to pick the “loyalty builder” between Shorts and long videos, long-form wins every time!
Shorts Give You Data Fast… Which Helps You Improve Faster
One underrated thing about Shorts is how they basically slap you with instant feedback. You post a Short and within an hour, you know if people are into it or not. That speed matters if you are still figuring out your style.
As a new creator, you need reps, volume, and experiments. Shorts help with that. You can test hooks, topics, visuals, your voice, and even pacing. You can post five different approaches in one week and see what sticks. I remember posting a dumb Short that I made in the notes app. It got more attention than the video I spent three days editing. That hurt a little, not going to lie, but it also taught me what people were actually curious about.
Shorts give you patterns quickly. Maybe viewers like you when you rant, or when you teach, or when you do something silly. That information is gold. It saves you months of guessing, and once you know what works, you can take that same energy into your long videos. Suddenly, your long content performs better because you have dialed in your vibe.
Shorts are like tiny, low-stakes experiments. They help you sharpen your instincts and make you better, faster!
Why Long Videos Still Win for Monetization
Money changes the conversation. It always does. If you want your YouTube channel to eventually pay some bills or at least buy you good coffee, long videos matter a lot.
YouTube pays creators through the YouTube Partner Program. The ads are worth more on long videos because people watch longer, which means more room for mid-roll ads and higher earnings!
Shorts do earn money now through Shorts ads, but the payouts still vary a lot. Sometimes wildly. I think most creators silently know that Shorts money feels like pocket change compared to long-form revenue. Long videos have depth. They have watch time. They have multiple ad slots. It all adds up!
Plus, long videos are easier to repurpose into digital products, tutorials, paid courses, and all that extra stuff creators eventually branch into. You cannot do that with a 12-second clip. Long videos turn your creativity into an actual asset instead of just a burst of views.
So if you care about the business side of YouTube, long videos help you build something steady. Something that behaves like an income stream. Shorts just do not have that same structure yet.
When Shorts Are the Best First Step (Especially If You Feel Stuck)
Some people freeze completely when they think about making a long video. It is like staring at a huge blank canvas and suddenly forgetting how to hold a pencil. If that is you, then starting with Shorts is the best move. There is no pressure. You film a quick idea. You post it. You see what happens. You learn. Then, you try again!
Shorts feel lighter. They take less time. They help you gain confidence without that heavy voice whispering in your ear, telling you the video “has to be perfect.”
I think a lot of new creators do not talk about the fear part enough. The fear of talking on camera. The fear of sounding weird. The fear of being boring. Shorts help you break that fear into tiny steps.
Shorts also force you to focus on the hook. That first second. That tiny moment where viewers decide if they stay or swipe. If you master that skill early, your long videos will get way stronger. I kind of wish I started that way.
Maybe I would have avoided all those painfully slow intros I made early on. I still cringe when I think about them!
How to Blend Shorts and Long Videos for the Best Growth
The real magic happens when you use both—Shorts and long videos. Discovery plus depth. It is like catching someone’s attention across the room and then actually having a conversation with them later. That combination feels natural, human, and balanced.
Shorts bring people in, and long videos keep them around. When the two work together, your channel grows more steadily. You do not get stuck on one format. You do not rely on luck. You do not live and die by one viral clip. You build a library of content that works from different angles!
A smart approach is something like this. Use Shorts to test topics. Look at the ones people like. Then turn those topics into long videos. The Short becomes the tease, and the long video becomes the value. I think creators who do this build the strongest communities because everything feels connected instead of random.
This blended strategy keeps you from burning out. When long videos feel too heavy, you post a Short. When Shorts feel too chaotic, you settle into a deeper video. It creates a rhythm you can actually sustain.
The One Question New Creators Should Ask Themselves First
Before you choose Shorts or long videos, it helps to pause for a second. Ask yourself one simple question: What kind of creator do you want to be long-term? Not tomorrow. Not next week. Long term.
If you want fast exposure, Shorts make sense. If you want to teach, entertain deeply, share stories, or build a community, long videos fit better. If you want a mix of both, that is totally normal, too.
You do not have to lock yourself into one category. YouTube has space for mixed creators. People who test things. People who try new formats. People who change their minds!
What matters is consistency. Not perfection. Not a rigid strategy. Just a steady habit of posting and learning. Creators who know themselves early grow faster because their audience can feel that clarity. I think viewers pick up on authenticity more than anything else.
So start with the format that feels doable, honest, and sustainable for you. That is the real key.
What I’d Do If I Were Starting From Zero Today
If I had to start over today with a brand-new channel, I would probably mix things right from the beginning. I would use Shorts to get initial attention and figure out what topics people respond to. Then, I would turn the winners into long videos that dive deeper. That feels like the smoothest path. The most human path. The least stressful one.
I would also keep everything ridiculously simple at first. Basic editing. Quick setups. Short intros. No overthinking. Not trying to look like a “big” creator.
You grow into those skills over time. You do not need them on day one. I think a lot of people talk themselves out of creating because they imagine some perfect standard that nobody actually meets in real life.
And honestly, I would treat long videos like story time. Not lectures. Not fancy presentations. Just me talking. Maybe making mistakes. Maybe rambling a bit. That is what people connect with. That realness. That slightly unpolished energy.
If I had done that earlier, maybe I would have avoided about twenty abandoned video drafts. But hey, learning curve!
Conclusion – Start Where You Feel Strongest, Then Build Out Slowly
YouTube Shorts and long videos are not enemies. They are more like different tools in the same toolbox. Shorts help you get seen. Long videos help you get remembered. You do not have to choose one forever. You just have to choose one for right now.
If you crave quick wins or you feel scared to talk for ten minutes on camera, start with Shorts. They will teach you fast. They will sharpen your instincts. They will make you braver. If you want a deeper connection, stronger storytelling, or real monetization, long videos will carry you further!
You can blend both. You can switch later. You can change your style. You can evolve. What matters is that you begin.
Post something. Learn. Adjust. Repeat. Every creator you admire started with one shaky video and zero certainty. You are already ahead because you are thinking about “strategy” before you even upload!