YouTube Shorts a real treasure trove for employer branding and recruitment marketing for those organisations whose target audience spends time on YouTube.
When I first heard about YouTube Shorts, I started exploring these short-form videos on YouTube and decided to give it a shot. Only to realise how easy it was to repurpose the short video content I was already creating for Instagram and TikTok.
In this episode of Building a Modern Employer Brand podcast, we will demystify the ease and effectiveness of embedding YouTube Shorts into your employer brand strategy. In addition, I will share some examples of creating or repurposing your Instagram Reels and TikTok videos for YouTube Shorts.
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If you want to use YouTube Shorts for employer branding, you better know first what YouTube Shorts are
YouTube Shorts is YouTube’s homage to the short-form video content trend, a domain championed by platforms like TikTok and Instagram.
With a time cap of 60 seconds, these snappy videos are not only easy to digest. Still, they are superb for flaunting your company culture, employee testimonials, and other recruitment-centric content in a lively, engaging manner.
And the charm lies in the simplicity. A high-end production setup is not a prerequisite. Your smartphone is your magic wand, and as said, simply download your existing Reels, TikToks and Stories and post them on YouTube as a short video.
This is also easy on the YouTube App for those who want to make Shorts from scratch. You can record, edit, add clips and music, and publish these short videos using the Shorts feature on your app.
Who uses YouTube Shorts – Who can you reach with YouTube Shorts
I googled “Who uses YouTube Shorts”, and apparently it’s the younger audiences, aged 16-24, according to Statista. I strongly disagree.
Based on my experience, regardless of your age, if you watch short-form videos on any platform, you are bound to pay attention to short form on YouTube.
Oops, I read the source further, and it did say: “YouTube also pulls in older (thanks a lot) demographics such as ages 25-34 and 35-44 at a large percentage.”
And to spice this up, according to the Social Pilot blog, 50 billion Shorts are already viewed daily!
Getting it on with YouTube Shorts
Short-form video is going strong, and that’s why YouTube also stepped on this wave.
When you open YouTube on your mobile device or desktop, Shorts has its dedicated tab on the platform and your own YouTube profile
Remember that YouTube Shorts max 60 seconds. So, if your Reels are up to 90 seconds and your TikToks even up to 10 minutes, you’ll need some clipping to share them as Shorts.
However, you don’t even have to [clip] anything because videos longer than 60 seconds are published as regular YouTube content. You just need to add a Thumbnail (cover image) to them. If you use Canva, it has plenty of YouTube Thumbnail templates for you to use.
How to upload your videos on YouTube Shorts
Which of your existing content can be successfully repurposed as YouTube Shorts for employer branding?
You’re ahead of the curve if you’ve dipped your toes in the Instagram Reels or TikTok waters. Let’s discuss which of your existing content makes an ideal YouTube Shorts.
Repurposing your existing content across platforms makes sense because you can get more mileage from your efforts. A bit of re-editing to suit the YouTube Shorts format; voila, your content is prepped and primed. Although, I don’t often do even that!
Next,
I share ten examples of employer branding content that you can pack in 60-second videos and share as YouTube Shorts. And if you don’t yet have videos like these being shared as Reels or TikToks, why not create them as new videos and share them on all your platforms that allow video content?
The great benefit of short videos is that they are more likely to be watched from start to end than longer videos.
If any of the following ideas require a longer video than 60 seconds, why not turn it into a series of videos with each lasting that max 60 seconds? Trust me, these short videos are so much easier to make in ways that engage the audience.
8 Examples of Employer Branding Content that works well also as YouTube Shorts
1. A Day in the Life
One great example of content fitting YouTube Shorts perfectly would be ‘A Day in the Life’ stories featuring different team members that many organisations have already been sharing on Instagram for ages.
These videos are a window into your company culture and the diverse roles within your ecosystem; all encapsulated in a 60-second video. It’s real, engaging, and a perfect example of a 60-second video fitting the YouTube world perfectly!
Here are a couple of examples:
2. Employee Testimonials
Did you know employee testimonials are as crucial for attraction and retention as customer testimonials are for sales and customer experience?
Ask a simple question from an employee and record their response. Then, share on video.
3. Showcasing the Ins and Outs of Your Offices
Job candidates are forever curious about finding out what your working spaces are like, and these make lovely short videos to share on YouTube!
If your organisation operates on a hybrid working model support it by sharing clips from the working spaces of your employees at home. This makes for great employee-generated content for short video forms!
4. Employee Appreciation Clips
These are shoutouts from employees to other employees or from team leaders to team members.
This is a great example of a short video because you pick a person or the entire team and explain in a few words or a couple of sentences why they are so great. And that’s a maximum of 60 seconds!
5. Prepping tips for the most important job interview questions you ask
What makes these excellent content as YouTube Shorts for employer branding and recruitment marketing is that you can make these tips a series of short videos in which you share one tip in each video.
And by the way, you don’t even have to show your face on camera. Simply create the content as images and record a voice-over! What a great evergreen content these are!
Watch these curated examples from YouTube Shorts:
The following video is a great example of sharing six impressive questions about what to ask in a job interview. This video has 43 000 likes, so this type of content really works!
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/-izApmY9giE
6. “Based on true story” snippets from internal meetings that can be shared publicly
Often times we may not have the video recording when something cool, nice or funny happens at the office.
This video is an excellent example of creating that moment on video, using a trending template or not. And explaining it is based on a true story.
7. Talent Acquisition sharing tips to job candidates and new employees
Job candidates and new employees are hungry for tips and advice regarding success in changing jobs. There are tons of tips you could share on short videos that help build your reach and audience as an employer or a recruiting professional.
Again, I picked up a few inspirational examples for you.
The first video I chose is a video with a TA sharing tips on how to introduce yourself and make a good impression on your first day. The tone of voice is fun and engaging, but the tips are real. It doesn’t have to be so serious!
Another video inspiration comes from a career coach Erin, who shares tips on how to ace the first 24 hours in a new job.
What I want you to pick from this example are the style of the video and the tips she shares. Can you repurpose this example and make it your own?
My third example in this category is from Jeff Su, who shares LinkedIn tips for Job seekers in 2023.
If you fancy more tips like these, search the YouTube platform for “recruiter sharing tips” to get more ideas for you to repurpose.
8. Interviewing a new employee about their experience or introducing a new employee
I love introducing new employees on video!
We’ve made Instagram Lives on introducing and sharing newcomer experiences, but you can also turn this content idea into short videos.
It was difficult to find Shorts examples of this content idea. So, there is room for you to take over this domain on YouTube Shorts!
I found one video example on this topic, but this is not exactly a new employee introduction. However, you could also create a video like this guy did, in which he shares seven steps to onboard a new employee in a law firm.
Going through your onboarding process like he does is not interesting just to other HR looking for tips, but also explains your job candidates and how your organisation onboards new employees.
Repurposing content across platforms extends the life of your creative efforts
Repurposing content across platforms is a smart strategy to extend the life of your creative efforts. A bit of re-editing to match the YouTube Shorts format, and your content is reborn, ready to engage a new audience. You might even add a teaser at the end to guide viewers to your YouTube channel for more in-depth narratives.
The key to unlocking a wider audience is optimising your Shorts with the right keywords in the title and description to boost discoverability.
YouTube, being the second-largest search engine, is fertile ground for garnering visibility. Ensuring your Shorts are SEO optimised will channel more viewers to your content, propelling your employer branding narrative far and wide.
What do you think? Will you going to give it a try?
Check out this Complete Guide on YouTube Shorts by Primal video.