How to upload YouTube Shorts
How to upload your own YouTube Shorts to the huge video-sharing site
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Quick steps
How to upload a YouTube short
YouTubeShorts are YouTube’s answer to Instagram Reels and TikTok, and you’ll be glad to know that it’s easy to upload your own shorts to the internet’s largest video-sharing platform.
These quick videos are less than a minute long, and serve as a quick and easy opportunity to capture a new audience’s attention.
However, there are a few tips and tricks to making the most of your YouTube short uploads, which we’ve explained here. Whether you’re uploading from your Android or iOS device, or on desktop, here’s how to upload YouTube shorts.
In this guide, we’ll take you through the process of uploading your YouTube Shorts on desktop and mobile step by step, as well as a few useful tips for how to make the most of your upload. So, grab one of thebest YouTube camerasand start shooting your Shorts now.
Tools and requirements
Steps for uploading Shorts on YouTube desktop
Steps for uploading on iPhone and Android
How to monetize YouTube shorts
Once you’ve nailed down uploading your YouTube shorts, the natural next question for creators is how to monetize them.
Unlike long-form content like YouTube videos, short clips like Shorts, Instagram Reels and TikToks are much harder to profit from.
There are, however, a few avenues one can explore to monetize Shorts.
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The first, and easiest, is through YouTube advertising revenue. If your channel is approved for monetization, which can be done by joining the YouTube Partner Program, uploading videos and turning on monetization in the YouTube Studio, you can make passive income over time on YouTube Shorts.
However, there are a few caveats. The revenue you’ll make is pretty minuscule, added to by the fact that adverts only currently run on YouTube shorts when users view them on desktop. While YouTube is reportedly working on adding advertisements to the Shorts player, as of writing this isn’t in effect.
Your second option is to profit through brand deals, which have rapidly become the easiest and most reliable way of making money from online content. With short-form content becoming more and more popular in the advertising space, once you’ve developed an audience, sponsorships make for a great revenue stream.
Finally, there’s the most lucrative - but also competitive - option: the $100 million YouTube Shorts Fund. This is a monthly bonus of $100-$10,000 depending on your Shorts performance from the previous month.
To monetize your Shorts through this method, you’ll need to:
Final thoughts
While uploading YouTube Shorts is an easy process, there are a few ways you can easily maximize your efforts to increase your reach and video quality.
Shorts are designed to quickly and effectively grab attention to expand your audience, so think carefully about the length of your content as well as its relevance to your wider channel.
Making the content eye-catching, quick and tempting for prospective new audience members is key, especially if you want to become one of the top YouTube creators.
Josephine Watson (@JosieWatson) is TechRadar’s Managing Editor - Lifestyle. Josephine is an award-winning journalist (PPA 30 under 30 2024), having previously written on a variety of topics, from pop culture to gaming and even the energy industry, joining TechRadar to support general site management. She is a smart home nerd, champion of TechRadar’s sustainability efforts as well and an advocate for internet safety and education. She has used her position to fight for progressive approaches towards diversity and inclusion, mental health, and neurodiversity in corporate settings. Generally, you’ll find her fiddling with her smart home setup, watching Disney movies, playing on her Switch, or rewatching the extended edition of Lord of the Rings… again.
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