H1: What are the best YouTube Shorts formats right now? Intro: Most youtube creators treat Shorts like mini versions of long videos. That misses how the feed actually decides who sees you. The best youtube shorts formats are those that hook in the first frame, deliver one clean payoff, and are easy to repeat. H2: What creators think is happening (debunk common myths) - “It’s random; post more and one will pop.” Volume helps, but outliers come from repeatable format mechanics, not luck. - “Thumbnails and titles drive Shorts.” In the Shorts feed, viewers auto-play. Thumbnail CTR matters only on Home, Search, and channel surfaces. - “Shorter is always better.” Ultra-short clips often under-deliver if the payoff is weak or unclear. - “Hashtags and post time are the lever.” They’re marginal compared to hook clarity and structure. - “High edit speed = high retention.” Speed without a clear throughline still loses swipes. H2: What the data actually shows (observations without fake numbers) - Most outliers share a predictable format: a visible hook in frame 1, escalating tension, single payoff, clean loop or button. - Intros, branding stings, or greetings in the first second correlate with early swipes. - First-frame text that states the stakes or outcome keeps viewers longer than vague teases. - Face-forward delivery or a clear subject in the first frame beats scenery B-roll. - Rewatchable loops (ending calls back to the start) lift total watch time without padding length. - Titles have low impact in the Shorts feed; they matter more for Search/Home. Captions on-screen often do the real work. - For many channels, two length clusters tend to work: a snappy “single insight” window and a “mini-story” window. The winner depends on topic and tension density. H2: Why this happens (packaging / format reasons) - Shorts are swipe-first. The system favors videos that stop the thumb immediately. Packaging diagnosis usually flags first-frame issues, not mid-video ones. - Clear, named formats help the platform and viewers “get it” fast. Consistency aids format detection, which makes distribution more predictable. - Thumbnails and titles contribute when Shorts are shown outside the feed, so thumbnail CTR still matters for secondary traffic, but it rarely rescues weak hooks. H2: What to try instead (3–5 actionable ideas) - Build a format roster and test head-to-head: - Micro-tutorial (problem → fix in 3 beats) - Before/after reveal (start with the “after” in frame 1) - Binary challenge (Will X beat Y?) - Green-screen react (face + receipt/evidence on screen) - Myth-bust (claim → test → verdict) - Storyboard the first second: subject in frame, readable text, stakes stated. No greetings, no logos. - Create 3 hook variants per idea and publish as separate Shorts. Track swipe-through rate, average view duration, and completion, not just views. - Package for the feed first, then adjust title/thumbnail for secondary surfaces. Use a bold, literal title; design a thumbnail only for videos that earn Home/Search traffic. - Do outlier analysis weekly: group by format, hook type, length band, and topic. Keep what spikes; cut what’s middling even if it’s on-brand. H2: How GrowIt analyzes this automatically GrowIt clusters your Shorts by format using on-screen text, structure, and pacing, then runs outlier analysis to surface which hooks, lengths, and topics overperform for your channel. It provides packaging diagnosis on first/last frames, detects repeated patterns that correlate with higher hold and rewatch, and separates Shorts-feed results from Search/Home so you can see where thumbnail CTR and titles actually matter. CTA: Drop a link to one Short, and I’ll run a quick format and packaging read with next steps.