YouTube Shorts related video strategies that turn Shorts views into channel growth

YouTube Shorts are a great way to get exposure but are they actually growing your audience and revenue?

Before we introduce you to our newest tool—YouTube Shorts Related Video Manager—let’s talk about how YouTube Shorts can help you as a creator… and how they can’t.

Racking up Shorts views may feel great but it doesn’t take long to arrive at the unpleasant truth: YouTube Shorts don’t pay much. Converting YouTube Shorts viewers into a subscriber within the YouTube Shorts interface is also a challenge.

Does that mean creators shouldn’t bother with short form content? Absolutely not. While Shorts don’t pay well, they’re an amazing promotional vehicle. Look at successful YouTubers: they’re making Shorts work for their business and driving traffic to their long form content.

The trick to making YouTube Shorts pay is to be strategic.

In this blog post, we’ll talk through a few of the tried and tested ways creators can turn YouTube Shorts into a powerful traffic engine, driving Shorts views to long form videos. We’ll talk through three proven strategies that big creators use to push Shorts views to their long form content. 

We’ll also introduce you to the latest TubeBuddy tool: our YouTube Related Video Manager, and explore how it can help you monetize YouTube Shorts.

Related Video Manager makes it easy to push views from Shorts to long form videos. Related Video Manager also empowers creators to experiment with the top three strategies for driving viewers from Shorts to long form: the flood method, promotional linking, and A/B testing.

Why driving Shorts views to long form videos matters

YouTube monetization system heavily favors long-form content. YouTube pays more—a lot more—for ad views in and around long form content. Long form also offers way more opportunities for creators to earn said ad revenue. So while YouTube Shorts are directly monetized, no one—not even Jenny Hoyos who is an absolute YouTube Shorts boss—got rich on Shorts alone. 

So if YouTube Shorts views don’t make creators money, why bother? 

Well, the smart play is to treat YouTube Shorts as a gateway to your long-form content and your channel. 

Using Shorts to drive viewers to your long form videos has several benefits to you as a creator. The first few that spring to mind:

• Higher earnings potential – While YouTube Shorts monetization is limited, long-form videos allow for multiple ad placements, better CPMs, and more effective sponsorship integrations.
• Stronger audience connection – Short-form content grabs attention, but long-form content builds relationships and loyal subscribers.
• Improved algorithm signals – Pushing Shorts viewers toward your other content increases session watch time, signaling to YouTube that your content is valuable and should be recommended more often.

In effect, you want to think of Shorts like an ad; a little taste of what your content is about. You want to pique the viewer’s interest and then make it easy for them to engage more deeply via your long form content. 

Three proven strategies to convert Shorts views into long form engagement

So, treat Shorts like a free ad for your channel. Sounds good. How?

YouTube removed the option to add URLs to Shorts descriptions and comments. At the same time, it introduced the Related Video feature in YouTube Shorts. Related Video lets you add a direct—and prominent—link from a Short to a long form video. But you can only direct to one “related video” in a Short. So where should you send Shorts viewers? And how? 

The Related Video feature gave rise to some new strategies for cross-pollinating between YouTube Shorts and long form videos. Here are the top three, along with how the new TubeBuddy Related Video Manager tool can help.

1. The Flood Method: Drive all Shorts traffic to a single video

Big-name creators like MrBeast and Jon Youshaei emphasize the importance of flooding a specific long-form video with traffic. The idea is simple: instead of choosing where to send viewers on a Short-by-Short basis, you set every Short to point to the same long-form video.

You can (and should) change up which video you’re flooding with views, though it’s time consuming as you have to go into every Short and update the related video link. 

That’s where the TubeBuddy YouTube Related Video Manager comes in. In a few clicks, you can change the related video across all, or a selection of, your Shorts.

Example: Using the flood method with Related Video Manager

A fitness creator posts daily workout tips via Shorts. They use Related Video Manager to bulk-update the related video across all their Shorts, directing viewers to the latest 20-minute workout video from their channel. This ensures Shorts viewers don’t just scroll away—they’re funneled into content that boosts watch time and monetization.

Without a tool like Related Video Manager, updating hundreds of Shorts manually would take hours. With it, the process takes seconds.

2. Seasonal and promotional linking: Maximizing engagement for brand deals or special events

Another powerful tactic is temporarily redirecting Shorts traffic to capitalize on trending topics, product launches, or limited-time promotions. With Related Video Manager, it’s easy to accomplish. Without Related Video Manager, you can pick your top 10 (or so) Shorts and update them manually. 

Example: Seasonal and promotional linking with Related Video Manager

A tech reviewer is running a sponsored giveaway for a new smartphone. To maximize participation, they update all Shorts to point to this giveaway announcement video. Once the promotion period ends, they update Shorts to direct traffic to an evergreen review video.

This timely redirection of traffic ensures that Shorts views are always working toward an immediate goal—whether that’s more views, more subscribers, or higher engagement on a brand deal or giveaway video.

3. A/B testing to find your “stickiest” long form videos

Not sure whether a new long-form video will resonate with your audience? Use A/B testing to send Shorts traffic to different videos and measure the results.

The goal of directing traffic from Shorts to long form video is to get viewers to engage with your content as opposed to watching a Short then swiping away. You’re looking for your “stickiest” long form video. 

A/B testing—flooding different videos to gather data and find a winner—is the best way to figure it out. Related Video Manager makes it easy. 

Example: A/B testing with Related Video Manager

A travel vlogger isn’t sure whether their audience prefers in-depth travel documentaries or quick destination round-ups. Using Related Video Manager, they split Shorts traffic with half going to a long-form documentary and the other half to a highlight reel. 

This information doesn’t just inform the Shorts linking strategy. This understanding of what viewers respond to best can also influence overall content strategy.

Automate and optimize your Shorts strategy

Manually updating the related video on every Short is impractical—especially for creators with hundreds or thousands of Shorts. That’s why we created Related Video Manager. It allows you to:

• Bulk-edit Shorts instantly to redirect traffic strategically.
• Optimize for trends and promotions without tedious manual updates.
• Continuously improve performance by testing different linking strategies.

With Related Video Manager, you’re no longer leaving Shorts traffic to chance. You’re taking full control, ensuring that every view is strategically moving your audience where you want them to go.

The future of Shorts monetization: You need a funnel

As YouTube’s ecosystem evolves, Shorts will continue to be a valuable tool—but only for creators who use them strategically. If you’re serious about growing your channel and increasing revenue, the key is turning Shorts into a powerful traffic driver for long-form content.

By implementing smart linking strategies with Related Video Manager, you can maximize your Shorts traffic, increase watch time, and build a stronger, more profitable YouTube channel.

So, the question is: Are your Shorts working for you, or are they just collecting views? With the right approach, you can turn every Short into an opportunity for growth.

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