Increasing your Shorts views is predicated on three factors:
1. Watch time
2. Swipe-Through Rate
3. Traffic at the Time of Publish
Your primary focus should be on engaging the viewers and maintaining their interest throughout the video. It's not just about the initial watchtime; you want to encourage them to rewatch your content. For a one-minute Shorts video, I recommend aiming for at least 150% retention, while for a 15-second Shorts video, aim for over 300% retention.
The swipe-through rate is equally crucial; it measures the number of people who continue watching your video versus those who swipe to the next one. To achieve success, you must hook the viewer within the first 3 seconds of your video. This initial period is critical to capturing their attention. For a video to go viral, I suggest aiming for an 85% swipe-through rate.
Another crucial factor to consider is the traffic at the time of publishing. Unfortunately, there's little you can do about this as it often depends on the volume of content being posted. Your video might get drowned out amidst the competition if many others are posting simultaneously, or there might be fewer people actively watching videos at that moment. As a result, even a successful video can sometimes fail to gain traction.
However, don't lose heart, because there's always a chance that your video can make a comeback, even months after you initially published it. In fact, it's worth optimizing your Shorts videos for this very reason. Videos that are discoverable through YouTube/Google search often continue to generate revenue for an extended period compared to those that only experience a brief surge and then fade away. If a video is worth publishing, it's undoubtedly worth optimizing for long-term success.
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