How to Get More Views on YouTube Shorts in 2026 (13 Proven Ways)

Getting more views on YouTube Shorts comes down to two numbers YouTube already shows you in analytics:

• Viewed vs. Swiped Away
• Average View Duration

To find these numbers, open YouTube Studio, select a Short, and head to Analytics. The Reach tab shows "Viewed vs. swiped away" (how many people chose to watch), and the Engagement tab shows average view duration. Check both before you change anything else.

Why Are My YouTube Shorts Not Getting Views?

Most underperforming Shorts fail at one of these three things:

1. A weak hook in the first 3 seconds. If nothing interesting happens immediately, viewers swipe. The first frame and first sentence carry the whole video.
2. Off-niche content. YouTube matches Shorts to viewers based on watch history. If your Shorts bounce between unrelated topics, the algorithm struggles to find your audience.
3. Reposted or watermarked content. Shorts with TikTok watermarks or recycled clips get limited reach under YouTube's reuse policies.

In the video above, Travis and Jenn break down why your Shorts might not be getting views, and what to fix first.

If your whole channel is stalled, not just your Shorts, start with why your YouTube videos are not getting views and work back from there.

The good news: all of these problems are fixable, and the 13 tactics below show you how.

How Does the YouTube Shorts Algorithm Decide Which Shorts Get Views?

When you publish a Short, YouTube tests it with a small audience and watches two signals: how many people watched instead of swiping away, and how long they stuck around. Strong numbers get the Short pushed to a bigger audience; weak numbers stall it. Here's a full breakdown of how the YouTube Shorts algorithm works.

1. Entertain Viewers in the First 3 Seconds

Tactic one is the most important: if you can show something interesting, funny, or action-packed right off the bat in the first three seconds, there's a chance viewers will stick around for the next 30 (give or take).

Stuck on openings? Steal a few viral video hooks for Shorts that are proven to stop the scroll.

If you don't know what entertains your viewers, start by asking some basic questions. Which videos have the most views on your channel right now? What are they about, and what makes them so intriguing? And finally, How can you pack those elements into a YouTube Short?

For example, look at this Short from Jesse Heffels called "How Many Flips Was That?"

This video is incredibly entertaining because there's no intro, the stakes keep building, and the music matches the action.

But how did Jesse know that turning flips would make the video go viral with 24 million views? Our guess: He noticed what worked on his channel versus what didn't.

Here are some of Jesse's most popular videos:

And here are some of the least popular:

It's clear that viewers show up to see multiple flips in the sky, especially on a trampoline. That's what they find entertaining and choose to watch on Jesse's channel.

2. Show Viewers Something New

Revealing something shocking or unexpected is another way to get YouTube Shorts views. This works because sometimes, as humans, we're exposed to the same things every day. That could be our jobs, where we live, the restaurants in our neighborhood, etc.

I'll admit that before I watched a Short about 3D billboards, I had no idea they existed. So I was amazed to see what they look like in Dylan Anderson's video, "These 3D Billboards Stop Everyone on the Street." The Short has 87 million views and counting, so I know I'm not alone in my amazement.

3. Make Viewers Feel Something

You may have noticed that with emotional videos, people don't just watch them and leave. They take the time to leave comments, like the content, or share it with friends and family because the videos make them feel something.

Here's a great example from LeoNata Family. In "Dad Will Do Everything for His Daughter to Win," a father lets his daughter win at every game. It's a heartwarming experience because you get to see her dad cheat (in the best way possible) as the daughter giggles after each "win."

If you want to make emotional content, create a psychological profile of your viewers. You can start by answering these questions:

• What kind of humor do they appreciate?
• What problems do they talk about?
• What frustrates them?
• What pleases them?
• What angers them?

With this information, you can make Shorts that resonate with people and encourage them to engage. All of those engagements (likes, comments, and shares) let the YouTube algorithm know the video is worth recommending to more people.

4. Use Hashtags the Right Way

Add 2 or 3 related to your video's subject, like the name of a trending game, movie, or challenge, so YouTube can categorize your content.

When viewers tap a hashtag (like the one above), YouTube takes them to the official hashtag page for that topic. There, they can explore dozens of videos covering the same subject. This is where you want your video featured, just in case viewers are searching for Shorts similar to yours.

Two or three is plenty. Beyond that, hashtags stop helping, so put the extra energy into your title, your hook, and retention instead.

5. Loop Your Shorts

A YouTube Short that "loops" doesn't have a recognizable beginning or end. Because viewers have no idea where the story concludes or starts, they watch the video several times before realizing it's on repeat. This works because YouTube replays the same Short until you swipe to the next one.

As such, it's the perfect way to get YouTube Shorts views.

Here's an example of a looped YouTube Short from Jake Fellman, 3D animator:

Want to loop your Shorts? Read this post to learn how it's done.

6. Write an Engaging Video Title

With YouTube Shorts, one of the first things viewers see is the title.

That means your video title should:

• Accurately summarize the video.
• Make viewers curious.
• Have relevant keywords (by using a keyword research tool) both for viewers and YouTube's algorithm.

For more tips, read this guide about writing better video titles.

7. Make Your YouTube Shorts the Right Length

YouTube Shorts can run up to 3 minutes. But just because you have the time doesn't mean you should use it: 15 to 35 seconds tends to maximize completion rate, and completion (plus rewatches from looping) is what the algorithm rewards. Use the full length only when the story truly needs it.

So once you have the whole story packed into your Short, try not to add anything else. People will have fewer chances to get bored and swipe away.

8. Add Captions and Text Overlays

A large share of Shorts viewers watch with the sound off or in public, and captions keep them from swiping. Burned-in captions or YouTube's auto captions both work, but on-screen text that punches up the key moment ("wait for it", the payoff number, the reveal) does double duty: it hooks silent viewers and reinforces the story for everyone else.

Most editors, including YouTube's own Shorts editor, auto-generate captions in one tap, so there is no excuse to skip them.

9. Post Consistently

The Shorts feed rewards channels that give it a steady stream of content to test. A predictable cadence (daily, or 3 to 4 Shorts a week) beats posting five Shorts in one day and going quiet for two weeks.

10. Repurpose Long-Form Videos into Shorts

Your long-form library is a Shorts goldmine. Clip the single best moment from a video (one idea, one payoff, under 60 seconds) and give it a fresh hook.

11. Link Your Shorts to a Related Long-Form Video

YouTube lets you attach a related video link to every Short, and most creators ignore it. Use it on every upload: viewers who enjoyed the Short are one tap away from your long-form video, which earns far more valuable watch time. It is the most direct bridge between Shorts reach and long-form channel growth.

12. Keep Your CTAs to a Second or Two

A 10-second "like and subscribe" speech tanks completion rate, and completion is everything in the Shorts feed. Keep calls to action to a quick one-or-two-second end card, a line of on-screen text, or a pinned comment instead. Protect the watch experience first; the subscribers follow.

13. Pick Shorts Topics with Proven Demand

Don't guess what to make next. vidIQ's Daily Ideas show you which topics your audience is already searching for, and a channel audit reveals which of your existing videos are worth mining for Shorts.

Every tactic here comes back to the same two numbers: swiped-away rate and average view duration. Improve those, and the algorithm does the rest.