8 million views from 25-second videos: the shorts business
8 million views in a month and a half with 25-second videos: how the attention economy works on YouTube and how much it actually pays.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Shorts as a business: 8 million views at zero cost
Producing a 25-second video costs nothing. Getting eight million views in a month and a half is another matter. The case of this German creator, who peine a channel with simple walking videos, has peine the question of how much YouTube pays for that traffic. The answer is: less than it seems.
The CPM for Shorts is significantly lower than that of long-form video, according to the analysis circulating in economics circles. But with nearly 8 million plays, the estimated income already covers the average rent in Spain. The algorithm rewards retention, not depth: a single shot keeps viewers hooked longer than many elaborate scripts.
Some see the triumph of the superficial and banal as a symptom of the decline of substantive content. Others read it as pure supply and demand: there is an audience demanding exactly that, and a creator offering it without a script, without editing and without any technical equipment. Brands pay for engagement, and the comments section has shown the debate is not about quality, but about visibility.
As long as the algorithm keeps rewarding retention, there will be those betting on this low-cost model. The risk of saturation exists, but for now the venture pays the bills. The future will depend on whether brands keep their appetite for engagement and whether the platform decides to change the rules of the game.
Producing a 25-second video costs nothing. Getting eight million views in a month and a half is another matter. The case of this German creator, who peine a channel with simple walking videos, has peine the question of how much YouTube pays for that traffic. The answer is: less than it seems.
The CPM for Shorts is significantly lower than that of long-form video, according to the analysis circulating in economics circles. But with nearly 8 million plays, the estimated income already covers the average rent in Spain. The algorithm rewards retention, not depth: a single shot keeps viewers hooked longer than many elaborate scripts.
Some see the triumph of the superficial and banal as a symptom of the decline of substantive content. Others read it as pure supply and demand: there is an audience demanding exactly that, and a creator offering it without a script, without editing and without any technical equipment. Brands pay for engagement, and the comments section has shown the debate is not about quality, but about visibility.
As long as the algorithm keeps rewarding retention, there will be those betting on this low-cost model. The risk of saturation exists, but for now the venture pays the bills. The future will depend on whether brands keep their appetite for engagement and whether the platform decides to change the rules of the game.
Also available in: Deutsch
Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (48 replies).
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