What Is YouTube Shorts & How It Compares to TikTok & Reels

Although YouTube today doesn’t exactly resemble the user-generated video platform it was designed to be when the company launched in 2005, Shorts seems to mark a return to form. Scrappy, short-form mobile videos currently drive social media engagement. That same strategy, years ago, made YouTube what it is today. Well, that and lots of piracy. 

But after Google stepped in to purchase the company in 2006, the grand piracy cleanup began and original content was repositioned as the focus. The YouTube golden era would quickly ensue. Viewers were watching over 3 billion hours of video a month in 2011. Later that year YouTube hit a milestone tallying a trillion views. Creators cashed in on that engagement with revenue many thought to be impossible. 

According to Google AdSense, creators like Jenna Marbles were making six figures from YouTube that same year. In 2012, Felix Kjellberg–who goes by PewDiePie to his fans–made waves when he dropped out of school to pursue his growing YouTube fame full-time. Needless to say, it worked out, as Kjellberg is reported to have earned an estimated $30-$50 million during his time on the platform. 

YouTube can also claim a stake in breaking global stars like Issa Rae through her Awkward Black Girl web series. There’s also creative Tyler Oakley who surged following YouTube stardom. And you can’t forget musical acts like Justin Bieber, Shawn Mendes, Tori Kelly, and many others who in one way or another were discovered on YouTube. But what does this all mean as it relates to Shorts? Simply, YouTube Shorts will be at its best if it identifies and amplifies new talent, budding stars, and carves out new ways to create and consume content. 

First of their kind web series like those from Issa Rae and culturally trending comedic shorts like Smosh created by Anthony Padilla and Ian Hecox can all thank YouTube for backing their ideas and providing a platform for beckoning creative talent. The same goes for the aforementioned artists who uploaded scrappy videos of acoustic tunes that eventually went viral and grew into platinum albums, Grammy nominations, and worldwide fame. Shorts, in one way or another, will be tasked with creating new stars, figuring out what comes after web shorts and podcasts, and identifying the voices and personalities that will drive those new verticals.

Shorts will be a springboard to launch new creators and emerging creative outlets while pivoting back to what made mid-2000’s YouTube so revolutionary. But to say that Shorts isn’t to some degree a reaction to TikTok would be largely inaccurate. TikTok’s emergence all but neutralized its competitors by tapping into what’s important to Gen Z and leaning on those ideals. They’ve also sharply maneuvered the finer points of brand advertising and, in a roundabout way, became a major player in music by breaking new artists and hit songs through some of their most popular creators. 

Adjacent to TikTok is Instagram Reels –Facebook’s very obvious approach at leveling the playing field. Albeit a bit clunky in its earliest moments, in the blink of an eye Reels feels much more organic and exciting. And while that excitement does translate to more usage, views, and engagement, TikTok is still well out in front of the short-form video race. Yet, with shopping features coming to Reels in the near future, e-commerce could be the leg-up Reels needs to keep pace. Shorts will almost undoubtedly need to host a similar feature if they hope to pull attention from its contemporaries.

When forecasting how Shorts will compete against TikTok and Reels, the primary issue always comes back to engagement and communication, both of which are at their height on traditional social media platforms. Zoom out and sure, YouTube as a whole has more active eyes than TikTok or Reels. Unfortunately for YouTube, they aren’t where people go to send a Direct Message, share something funny with their group chat, or upload Stories from their day-to-day. It’s that level of digital normalcy and social media intimacy that YouTube is competing with.

The challenge begins and ends with convincing Gen Z and Millennials time on their platform offers the same or more value as being on TikTok, on Instagram, or watching a TikTok on Instagram. That’s the unshakeable reality for YouTube. But over time, with the right marketing and consumer buy-in, it may not prove insurmountable. 

Everyday, people watch more than 1 billion hours of video on YouTube. For nearly 15 years, the company has been a cultural touchstone for entertainment and by far the most popular video consumption platform on the planet. Launching Shorts isn’t a risky move for YouTube; it’s actually an extension of what they do best. 

Staying power is also on their side. They’ve outlasted other promising streaming services like Vine, OnLive, Aereo and now the most recent to falter, Quibi. Although YouTube isn’t nearly as cool or punk-rock as TikTok, there's power and consistency in being the establishment. Google, for all intents and purposes, is as established as it gets.

With hundreds of thousands of creators and artists already on YouTube creating daily, a backlog of millions of videos with 500 hours of new content being uploaded by the minute, there’s plenty of reason to believe Shorts has the headstart its competitors never did. Alongside the promise of industry experience and a built-in fanbase, Shorts should ultimately help achieve YouTube’s primary goal: keep viewers on the platform longer and inspire them to upload what they create.

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