In 2025, the real question is not Shorts vs long videos. It is how effectively you use both.
Let’s unpack real use cases. What works today. And how you can adjust your YouTube video strategy to grow faster.
Multi-Format is Now a Baseline for Growth
From what we see at ScaleLab working with thousands of creators, the biggest success stories right now come from multi-format strategies. That means Shorts, long videos, and livestreams working together.
Pikameo Gameplay added 35,000 subscribers in two months by running 24/7 streams. MacDannyGun gained 670,000 new subs by focusing on Shorts.
In other words: do not choose one format. Shorts grow reach. Long-form builds depth. Used together, they multiply your growth.
What YouTube Shorts are Actually Good At
You want to promote your channel with Shorts? Good decision, as long as you understand their role. Shorts are a reach engine. Their function is not to replace long-form content. They are designed to attract new viewers into your ecosystem.
The YouTube Shorts algorithm in 2025 promotes well-edited, vertical-first content quickly. One strong Short can generate thousands or even millions of views within days. But what matters more is what comes next. Are those viewers staying? Subscribing? Watching your long-form content?
The most effective Shorts funnel new viewers into your deeper content. You can:
- Clip highlights from your long videos.
- End Shorts with a teaser that directs to a longer episode.
- Use the "related video" feature to link directly to a long-form piece.
Creators using this method see Shorts view counts and long-form watch time rise together.
Shorts and Revenue
If you expect Shorts to produce strong ad revenue, you will likely be disappointed.
The most profitable video length remains long-form. Shorts RPMs are lower, often between $0.01-$0.30 per 1,000 views. In countries like India or the Philippines, it can be even lower. Meanwhile, long-form content with mid-rolls can generate $5, $10, even $25+ per 1,000 views in premium markets.
If your goal is income, Shorts are not the product. They are the advertisement for the product. They draw people in. But the content you want them to watch is your long-form video.
Shorts = discovery. Long = retention and revenue.
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Reach out to us today, and we’ll develop a high-performance YouTube strategy for you!
Long-Form is Where Revenue Scales
While Shorts may win the race for quick impressions, long-form content still holds the crown for depth, monetization, and algorithmic trust, and YouTube is signaling that clearly. In its 2025 trend roundups, YouTube places podcast-style long videos and TV-optimized formats at the top of emerging priorities. Especially videos over 8-10 minutes that qualify for multiple ad breaks.
Because long videos:
- Drive more watch hours, a core ranking metric.
- Allow multiple mid-roll ad placements.
- Fit perfectly with the growing TV viewership trend.
Creators who ignore long-form in favor of Shorts-only strategies risk missing out on the win. There’s a reason YouTube still rewards consistent, engaging 10-30 minute videos, they work better on every level of the algorithm.
The TV Screen Is Becoming Your Most Valuable Format
Here’s a shift that most creators haven’t fully adapted to yet: YouTube isn’t just a mobile-first platform anymore. TV screens now play a central role in how long-form content performs.
- In the UK, YouTube officially became the #1 TV destination for ages 4-15, overtaking traditional broadcasters as the first screen of choice.
- The average viewer now spends 39+ minutes per day on YouTube, much of that on TVs.
- Longer content benefits from this environment: users don’t scroll, they watch passively, which boosts retention and mid-roll opportunities.
This means long videos thrive, especially when optimized for lean-back viewing. Horizontal, 4K content with strong storytelling is what works on the big screen.
The Case Study: How One Format Shift Drove +52% in Revenue
This music channel made one key move: they switched to long-form 4K uploads optimized for TV viewing. Same content, new format. What happened? +52% in revenue growth, tied directly to longer retention and higher ad rates from TV devices.
We’ve seen this repeated across niches: channels that prioritize long-form, horizontal formats and consider how their content plays on the living room screen unlock better viewer experience and more revenue.
So, before you go all-in on Shorts, consider this: Shorts are your hook. Long-form is your foundation. If your goal is long-term growth and monetization, long videos, especially TV-optimized, are your must-have.
Streams are an Underused Strategy
But if you rely only on Shorts and long-form, you are missing the third leg of 2025's YouTube triangle: livestreaming. More than 30% of daily logged-in users are watching live content.
Streaming has changed. You can now stream vertically and horizontally at the same time. YouTube also introduced AI tools that auto-generate Shorts from streams.
You do not have to go live in person. You can:
- Loop highlight reels into 24/7 streams.
- Host countdowns, lo-fi background music, or game replays.
- Premiere long videos with a livestream lead-in to build anticipation.
Executed well, streams deliver high watch time, strong engagement, and monetization via gifts, memberships, and shopping tools.
We have helped creators like Dona test stream-based channel splits and increase total views significantly.
Lesnoy ran a single 24/7 stream that reached 1.15M views and 2,000 new subs in two months. The format works.
So, Shorts VS Long Videos: Which is Better for Promotion?
Both, on purpose. And streaming too.
Use Shorts to grab attention and shuttle people into your anchor videos. Use long form to deepen trust, drive YouTube video engagement, and earn. Use streaming to keep the room warm, surface your back catalog, and feed both Shorts and longs with highlights.
That’s the system's answer to which videos perform. That’s how you build a YouTube video strategy that’s simple, strong, and compounding.
This is what YouTube promotes now. And it is what audiences expect.
Build Your YouTube Video Strategy
What we have seen with our partners is that the most successful creators in 2025 do. They repurpose long content into Shorts. They link every Short to a playlist or series. They optimize for TV. They stream their backlog 24/7. And they test everything.
There is no universal best video length. The right video duration on YouTube depends on your niche, your objectives, and your audience behavior. So, test multiple formats. Monitor what fuels your funnel. Adjust based on real data, not trends.
If you lack the time or experience to manage all of this alone, ScaleLab can help you. We build systems that deliver measurable growth..
From channel audits to strategy blueprints, from Shorts funnel setup to TV optimization and multi-language growth, our team is here to accelerate your progress.
Want to know which format will actually move your channel forward this year? Contact us, and we will help you build the right content system for your goals.
