YouTube is rolling out an experimental feature to boost trend participation among YouTube Shorts creators.
The new “Add Yours” sticker, currently being tested with select channels, provides a way to initiate and join trending topics.
YouTube announced the feature in its weekly news update for video creators.
The experiment introduces a novel way to prompt responses from your audience, potentially catalyzing viral trends and challenges.
How It Works
- Creators in the test group will find an “Add yours” option in the sticker picker when creating a Short.
- After recording a Short, tap “Next,” then the sticker icon, and select “Add yours.”
- Type a prompt for other users to respond to.
- The sticker will appear as an overlay on the published Short.
Screenshot from: YouTube.com/CreatorInsider, July 2024.Viewer Interaction
Viewers watching Shorts with the “Add yours” sticker can participate by clicking on the sticker and creating a response video.
Channels can track engagement by tapping on the sticker. This lets you see all the Shorts created responding to your prompt, providing potential feedback and insights.
Screenshot from: YouTube.com/CreatorInsider, July 2024.What Does This Mean For You?
To illustrate the potential of YouTube’s new “Add Yours” sticker for Shorts, let’s consider how a creator in the SEO community might use this feature.
Example: “30-Second SEO Tip”
- Initial Short: Demonstrates a quick SEO trick, like using Google Trends for keyword research.
- Sticker: “Share your best 30-second SEO tip!”
- Caption: “Boost your SEO game! What’s your quickest optimization hack? #30SecSEOTip”
- Result: Other creators contribute their SEO tips.
- Caption: “Boost your SEO game! What’s your quickest optimization hack? #30SecSEOTip”
- Sticker: “Share your best 30-second SEO tip!”
This concise format encourages participation, provides quick value, and can potentially grow your YouTube audience.
Limited Rollout
YouTube is making the feature available only to a small number of Shorts creators on mobile devices.
This limited release allows YouTube to gather feedback and refine the feature before a potential wider launch.
Looking Ahead
The introduction of the “Add yours” sticker aligns with YouTube’s efforts to compete in the short-form video market, dominated by platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels.
By facilitating easier trend creation and participation, YouTube aims to amplify the creation of short videos.
Featured Image: photosince/shutterstock
