YouTube Shorts
Vertical videos up to three minutes: a fast hook, a loopable ending and a title people search for.
Shorts appear in a swipeable feed on YouTube, and they can bring new subscribers to your channel. YouTube treats square or vertical videos up to three minutes as Shorts.
At a glance
| Spec | Recommended |
|---|---|
| Size | 1,080 × 1,920 px (9:16) |
| Safe zone (approx.) | 830×1480 px |
| Length | Up to 3 min |
| Aspect ratio | Square or vertical |
| Title | 100 characters |
| Text length | 5,000 characters |
Safe zone
YouTube places its buttons on the right and the title, channel name and subscribe button at the bottom. Keep text and faces inside the dashed area.
Platforms don’t publish exact overlay sizes, and their apps move buttons between versions. These insets are deliberately conservative: preview on a phone before you post.
Hook
- Start with the most interesting moment. Viewers decide in a second whether to swipe away.
- Put a headline on screen. It tells people what they’ll get.
- Keep it moving. Fast cuts and no filler.
- Loop it. An ending that leads back into the beginning earns rewatches.
Design and edit
- Vertical 9:16 at 1080 × 1920. Square works too, but vertical fills the screen.
- Add captions. They help silent viewers and make the video easier to follow.
- Point to your long videos. Shorts are a good trailer for your main channel content.
Caption and copy
- Write a searchable title. Up to 100 characters; put the topic first.
- Use the description for context. A sentence or two plus relevant links.
- Add one or two hashtags. #Shorts is optional: YouTube decides from the shape and length.
Timing and cadence
- Stay well under three minutes. Shorter Shorts are easier to watch to the end.
- Post regularly. A steady flow of Shorts keeps your channel in the Shorts feed.
What to measure
Video views show reach; likes and comments show response. Watch how many viewers later subscribe or watch your long videos.
How Octapost reports these metrics
Do it in Octapost
- Choose Reels / Shorts in the composer with the Reels / Story preset.
- Set visibility, made for kids, category and license in the YouTube panel. Octapost never chooses them for you.
- The composer checks that the video is square or vertical and at most three minutes long.
Creating posts in the composer
Checklist
- The video is vertical or square and at most three minutes.
- The hook lands in the first second.
- Text avoids the right-hand buttons and bottom title.
- The title is searchable and under 100 characters.
- YouTube settings are chosen.
Sources
Platform guidance changes often. These are the official pages we check this guide against.