Nigel Braun has been creating YouTube videos since 2014. His subscriber growth was even more impressive when he began experimenting with Shorts.
Braun revealed to Insider that he had created a separate YouTube channel in March for short-form videos.
Braun’s videos are short in content, which makes them more popular. He has created experiments that include touching mercury (15 million views), creating bromine (45,000,000 views), and liquid air (5,000,000 views).
His second channel has 988,000 subscribers, and his Shorts get around 4 million views per month.
It has also allowed his main channel to grow. His main channel received between 8 million and 10 million views per month before he launched his second channel. He would normally gain between 60,000 to 80,000 subscribers each month. However, his main channel saw a surge in engagement in May, thanks to his Shorts. (Braun includes a link to his main channels in the description for each Short). As a result, his main channel attracted 400,000 subscribers in May and garnered 34 million views.
Braun stated that TikTok was what started his experimentation in the short-form video. “But we knew that the ultimate goal was YouTube Shorts because it is the same platform. So we just leapt from TikTok into YouTube Shorts the moment it was released.”
YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat are all vying for short-form video. YouTube wants to be seen as a platform that creators can make money, reach new people, and build a sustainable company. As a result, shorts have seen a rise in viewership and a rapid increase in subscribers since its launch.
Samir Chaudry, a co-founder of the Colin and Samir YouTube channel (268 000 subscribers), said that YouTube is the platform with the highest barriers to entry. My opinion is that it’s the most difficult thing to make a YouTube video that attracts viewers. Shorts can help lower this barrier and make YouTube more accessible to everyone.
Chaudry said, “If we have an idea, we can start it in a Short, get the reaction and feedback and then make it into a longer-form Video if it hits.” Many creators felt that Shorts was still not monetizable. Jake Fellman has 3 YouTube subscribers.
Screenshot by Jake Fellman/YouTube”The impact of short-form content is greater even though it does not make more money.”
YouTube is currently launching a $100 Million Fund for top Shorts creators. The company stated that it would be available “in the next months.”
Braun stated that his Shorts make money via ads when videos are viewed beyond the Shorts shelf, a designated area on the app for short videos. Braun said that a Shorts video with 30 million views and 700,000 views earned him around $700. However, this makes the revenue model for him unpredictable.
Jake Fellman is a Shorts creator who has 5 million subscribers. He said that about 10% of his views come from outside the shelf. This has allowed him to make some money from the platform directly (just enough to pay his rent).
Braun stated that short-form content could have a greater impact even though it does not make more money. Because the views are higher, you can get more recognition and help to get your name out there. Even though you don’t get paid, more people are viewing your content.
