YouTube Shorts gets posts — what it means for Creators

Short videos on YouTube can now be combined with text and image posts: the service adds posts directly to the Shorts feed, increasing the reach of authors and audience engagement. The innovation has already been launched and allows users to interact with posts without interrupting the video.

SearchEngine Journal writes about it.

How does the new feature work?

As users scroll through the Shorts feed, they'll notice posts — text updates, polls, GIFs, or images — that previously appeared only in the Community tab and in subscription feeds. The video is reduced to about half the screen, and the rest of the space is taken up by the post. You can like or comment on a post immediately without pausing the video.

Posts have existed on YouTube for several years and give creators the opportunity to share content without editing a video. Now, they get an additional platform in the most popular section of the platform, which is especially useful for channels that produce mostly long videos: to "enter" the Shorts feed, it is enough to post text or a picture.

The company does not specify the algorithm used to select posts and how often they will appear. Authors should test the new format on their own to see how it will affect their views. The experiment with combining content formats brings YouTube closer to the approach of TikTok and Instagram, where videos and posts are mixed, extending the time users spend on the app. For authors, it's another free distribution channel: a simple text post can now appear next to a polished vertical video.

As a reminder, YouTube continues to fight ad blockers, having recently closed another loophole in Firefox. The platform clearly signals to users that you either watch ads or subscribe to YouTube Premium.

We also wrote that although YouTube remains the most popular streaming platform, its algorithms do not always lead in the desired direction. Recommendations can lead to unpredictable or toxic topics. However, a few simple tweaks can help you tailor your feed to your interests and regain control of your viewing experience.