In a recent announcement, YouTube confirms the discontinuation of its Stories feature, a tool similar to how messages disappear on Snapchat and Instagram.

The feature, which allowed creators to post updates that stayed active for seven days, will be officially retired on June 26, 2023.

The Rise and Fall of YouTube Stories

Stories launched in 2018 and were initially available to creators with over 10,000 subscribers.

The tool is designed for sharing behind-the-scenes updates, vlogs, previews of upcoming videos, and quick updates.

The decision to remove the feature follows mixed reactions from users and creators. Some find them “weird” and lack certain key features like swipe up and video linking capabilities.

Additionally, YouTube states that the Stories feature has had limited adoption compared to other engagement tools such as community posts, which result in more comments and likes.

Community Posts and YouTube Shorts: The New Frontier

As YouTube puts an end to Stories, the focus shifts to community posts and YouTube Shorts.

YouTube recently expanded access to community posts to millions of creators and added popular aspects of Stories like: B. Editing tools and the ability to expire posts after 24 hours.

Community posts consistently generate “many times more comments and likes” than Stories, according to the company.

On the other hand, YouTube Shorts has emerged as a strong competitor for TikTok’s short video content.

Despite challenges like technical issues and an initial lack of monetization, YouTube Shorts is now a well-established tool for increasing engagement and attracting new subscribers.

Shorts monetization and the competitive landscape

YouTube has made strides in improving shorts monetization. On February 1, 2023, a new process was announced whereby revenue from ads shown between shorts clips would be split among eligible creators.

This revenue sharing model replaces the YouTube Shorts Fund and is seen as a potentially more sustainable and equitable way to reward creators for their work.

Despite these advances, YouTube faces stiff competition in the short video space. TikTok, Meta, and YouTube are the heavyweights right now, with consumers preferring TikTok for short content.

Still, marketers are beginning to see the long-term return-on-investment potential in Instagram’s reels and YouTube’s shorts, leading to a shift in the industry.

looking ahead

Following the closure of Stories, YouTube assures everyone that it remains committed to investing in new and innovative tools to help creators grow.

With more shorts and community posting features on the way, YouTube’s vision for the future focuses on the tools that promise the greatest potential for user engagement.

source: Youtube

Featured image created by the author using Midjourney.