Posting a YouTube Short is genuinely one of the fastest ways to get more eyes on your channel, and thankfully, getting started is dead simple. On your phone, it's just a matter of tapping the '+' icon in the YouTube app and hitting 'Create a Short'. If you're on a desktop, you just upload a vertical video that's under 60 seconds and make sure to include #Shorts in the title or description.
Your Quick Guide to Posting a YouTube Short
Jumping into the world of Shorts can feel like a game-changer for channel growth, but you have to play by the rules. To get your content properly picked up by the algorithm and shown to viewers, you need to nail the technical specs. The two most critical things to get right are the video's length and its shape—the aspect ratio.
This diagram breaks down the two main ways to get your video uploaded.
As you can see, both mobile and desktop are pretty straightforward. The key difference is that the desktop workflow relies on you manually adding the #Shorts hashtag so YouTube knows how to categorize your video.
Getting the Specs Right
Before you even think about hitting that upload button, give your video file a quick check. These details are non-negotiable if you want your video to actually show up in the Shorts feed.
Here’s a quick reference table to keep handy.
YouTube Shorts Technical Specifications at a Glance
| Specification | Requirement |
|---|---|
| Duration | 60 seconds or less |
| Aspect Ratio | Vertical (e.g., 9:16) or Square (1:1) |
| Resolution | Minimum 1080x1920 pixels (for 9:16) |
| File Format | Standard video formats like .MOV or .MP4 |
Think of these specs as the ticket to entry for the Shorts shelf.
Getting the format right from the very beginning is crucial. If you want to dive deeper, we have a complete guide to vertical video dimensions that will ensure every upload is perfectly optimized. Mastering these basics saves you from frustrating upload errors and gives your content the best possible shot at performing well.
Creating and Uploading Shorts on Your Mobile Device
Given that Shorts are made to be watched on phones, it’s no surprise that the YouTube app is the best place to start creating them. The whole mobile process is built to be fast and intuitive, letting you shoot, edit, and post a Short right from your phone. This is a massive advantage for creators who want to jump on trends the moment they happen.
This phone-first approach has paid off. As of 2025, Shorts are pulling in over 90 billion views every single day. With a built-in audience of more than 2 billion monthly active users scrolling through Shorts, getting your mobile upload process down is a must.
Using the Built-in Shorts Camera
The most straightforward way to get started is by using the camera right inside the YouTube app. Just tap the big plus icon (+) at the bottom of your screen and hit "Create a Short." This will launch a whole creation suite made for quick, punchy videos.
Pro Tip: Before you even start recording, tap "Add sound" at the top. Grabbing a trending audio clip from YouTube's library is one of the fastest ways to get your Short noticed and pushed onto the Shorts shelf.
After you record, you'll find a handful of simple but effective editing tools ready to go:
- Text Overlays: Slap on some text to make a point or add a hook.
- Filters: Change the vibe with a quick visual filter.
- Timeline Editor: Trim your clips or stitch a few together for a cleaner narrative.
Uploading Pre-Made Videos
Of course, plenty of creators like to edit their videos in other apps to get more control over the final product. The great thing is, you can upload a finished video right from your phone’s gallery. Sometimes you might need to make a few tweaks first; if you need help, you can learn how to adjust videos on your iPhone.
When your video is ready, just tap the plus icon (+) in the YouTube app and select your vertical video file. As long as it’s under 60 seconds and filmed in a vertical format, YouTube will automatically flag it as a Short.
If you're looking to get more serious about your editing game, we have a complete guide on https://www.tryhooked.ai/blog/how-to-edit-youtube-shorts that covers more advanced techniques.
Uploading Shorts from Your Desktop
While creating Shorts on your phone is great for capturing something on the fly, editing and uploading from a desktop gives you way more power. If you're using professional editing software like Adobe Premiere Pro or DaVinci Resolve, the desktop workflow is your best friend. The process is pretty much the same as uploading a regular video, but with a couple of crucial tweaks to tell YouTube, "Hey, this is a Short!"
You won’t find a big "Create a Short" button on the desktop site. Instead, you'll just head to your YouTube Studio, click the "Create" button in the top right, and choose "Upload videos."
Once you select your file, YouTube needs two specific signals to categorize it as a Short. This part is non-negotiable.
The Two Golden Rules for Desktop Uploads
First, your video file itself must meet the core Shorts requirements: it has to be under 60 seconds and use a vertical aspect ratio (like 9:16).
Second—and this is the part everyone forgets—you must include the hashtag #Shorts in either the video's title or its description. It isn't case-sensitive, so #shorts works just fine, too. If you skip this step, YouTube will probably just process your upload as a regular, awkwardly-shaped video, and it will never hit the Shorts feed.
Pro Tip: That #Shorts hashtag is the magic key. It's the trigger that tells the YouTube algorithm, "Send this to the Shorts shelf!" Forgetting it is the most common reason a perfectly good vertical video gets zero traction.So, a title could be something as simple as, "My 30-Second Sourdough Hack #Shorts" or "You Won't Believe This Gaming Glitch! #Shorts". That's all it takes.
Gaining More Control with Advanced Options
Here's where the desktop process really shines. Uploading through YouTube Studio unlocks all the features that are either clunky or completely missing on the mobile app.
After your file is uploaded and you've added your title (with the hashtag!), you can dive into the details.
- Schedule with Precision: You can set your Short to publish at the exact day and time your audience is most likely to be scrolling. This is a game-changer for consistency.
- Add to Playlists: Keep your channel tidy by adding your Short to a relevant playlist right away. This encourages viewers to watch more of your content.
- Fine-Tune Monetization: If you’re in the YouTube Partner Program, you can easily toggle monetization settings for each Short during the upload process.
This level of control makes the desktop workflow the go-to method for any creator who has a content calendar and wants to batch-produce their videos for a polished, consistent publishing schedule.
Optimizing Your Shorts for Maximum Reach
Knowing how to post a Short is just the first step. Getting it to actually perform and catch the algorithm's eye? That’s a whole different game. You need to think about every element—from the title to the very last frame—as a piece of a larger strategy to maximize engagement.
It all starts with a title that can stop someone mid-scroll.
Forget boring, descriptive titles like "How I Cooked a Steak." You need something punchy that sparks curiosity, like "This Steak Trick Changes Everything." Your goal is to make people pause and give your video a chance. Those first few seconds are everything.
The Power of Hashtags and Loops
Hashtags are basically signposts for the YouTube algorithm. They tell it exactly what your video is about and who should see it. A big mistake I see people make is just throwing in one or two generic tags.
The trick is to use a layered approach. Mix broad tags with more specific ones to cover all your bases.
- The Must-Have: Always include #Shorts. This is non-negotiable, especially when you upload from a desktop.
- The Topic: Add a tag that describes the content, like #cookinghacks.
- The Niche: Get super specific with a tag like #airfryerrecipes to attract a highly targeted audience.
This strategy gives YouTube a crystal-clear picture of your content. If you want to get really deep into tag research, we have a whole guide on the best hashtags for YouTube Shorts: https://www.tryhooked.ai/blog/best-hashtags-for-youtube-shorts
Another pro-level trick is creating a seamless loop. This is where your video ends exactly where it began, making viewers re-watch it a few times before they even notice. This can do wonders for your average view duration, which is a massive signal to the algorithm.
A great loop doesn't just entertain; it tells YouTube that your content is super engaging. When people watch longer (or multiple times), the algorithm rewards you by pushing your Short to a much wider audience. More watch time literally equals more reach.
Tapping Into What Works
If you look at the data, you’ll see patterns in what makes a Short successful. Shorts actually have the highest engagement rates for short-form video, hitting an impressive 5.91%. The sweet spot for length tends to be between 20-40 seconds, and entertainment content pulls in a huge 17% of all views.
And since a staggering 96% of Shorts views come from mobile devices, you absolutely have to create with a vertical screen in mind.
To really get the most out of every video you produce, think about how it can fit into your larger content repurposing strategies. This helps you squeeze more value and reach from the hard work you’re already putting in.
Common Mistakes That Hurt Your Shorts Performance
Hitting "publish" is just the start. So many creators I've seen trip up over small, easy-to-fix mistakes that completely tank their video's potential. Let's walk through the most common pitfalls so you can steer clear of them.
One of the most jarring mistakes is getting the aspect ratio wrong. If your video isn't vertical (9:16), YouTube slaps on those clunky black bars to force it into the Shorts player. It immediately screams "amateur" and is a surefire way to get viewers to swipe away.
Forgetting The Non-Negotiables
This one is especially for those of us uploading from a desktop: forgetting to add the #Shorts hashtag. If you miss this tiny detail in your title or description, YouTube’s algorithm has no idea it's a Short. Your video just becomes a standard, oddly-proportioned upload that will almost certainly never find its way onto the Shorts shelf.
And then there's the hook. Or, more often, the lack of one. You have maybe two seconds—three if you're lucky—to stop someone's thumb from moving. If your opening is slow, confusing, or just plain boring, you've lost the battle before it even began.
The Shorts feed is an infinite firehose of content. If you don't give someone a reason to pause right now, they'll keep scrolling without a second thought. That first frame is everything.
Ignoring The Bigger Picture
It’s easy to forget just how massive the Shorts ecosystem is. We're talking about a platform projected to hit 90 billion daily views in 2025, with over 2 billion people watching every month. Ignoring the data on what works here is like flying blind.
For instance, the sweet spot for length is usually between 20-40 seconds. And remember, a whopping 96% of views happen on mobile. Pushing out a full 59-second video that doesn't look great on a vertical screen means you're not playing to your audience. You can dive deeper into these powerful YouTube Shorts statistics to really understand the landscape.
Finally, don't play fast and loose with music. Using copyrighted audio that isn't from YouTube's official library is asking for trouble. It can lead to copyright claims, demonetization, or even get your video pulled down entirely. Just stick to the built-in library—it's the only way to be 100% safe.
Common Questions Answered: Nailing Your YouTube Shorts Upload
Even after you've got the hang of creating Shorts, a few specific questions always seem to pop up. Let's clear up some of the most common points of confusion so you can post without any guesswork.
Can I Pick My Own Thumbnail for a Short?
This is probably the number one question I get. The answer is yes... but with a catch. You can only select a custom thumbnail frame when you upload a Short directly from your mobile device.
Right before you hit "Upload Short" in the YouTube app, you'll see an option to edit your video's details. Tap the little pencil icon on your video preview, and you can slide through the entire clip to pick the perfect frame. This feature is a game-changer for grabbing attention.
Unfortunately, for some reason, this option is not available for desktop uploads yet. It's a bit of an odd limitation, but for now, if you want a custom frame, you have to upload from your phone.
How Does YouTube Actually Know It's a Short?
Another common sticking point is what officially makes a video a "Short" in YouTube's eyes. It’s not just about the length; the rules change slightly depending on how you upload.
- Uploading from Mobile: If you create a vertical video under 60 seconds using the YouTube app's Shorts camera or upload it from your phone's gallery, YouTube automatically classifies it as a Short. No special hashtag needed.
- Uploading from Desktop: Here’s where people get tripped up. You still need a vertical video under 60 seconds, but you must also include #Shorts in either the video's title or its description.
Forgetting that hashtag on a desktop upload is the most common reason a video doesn't get picked up by the Shorts algorithm and pushed to the feed.
Think of it this way: on mobile, the creation process itself tells YouTube it's a Short. On desktop, you have to give it that direct signal with the #Shorts hashtag.Can I Actually Make Money From Shorts?
Yes, you absolutely can! If you're part of the YouTube Partner Program, your Shorts are eligible for revenue sharing. You'll earn a portion of the ad revenue from the ads that play between videos in the Shorts feed.
This makes Shorts a powerful tool. They aren't just for growing your audience and channel visibility; they're also a direct path to monetizing your content.
Ready to stop guessing and start growing? Hooked helps you create viral Shorts in minutes with AI-powered trend analysis and a simple video builder. Ditch the complex editing and start scaling your content at https://tryhooked.ai.