YouTube Shorts and long videos: what to set, and what changed in October 2026

Current YouTube Shorts best practice is straightforward. Shoot in a 9:16 shape. Keep the Short between 20 and 170 seconds, and aim for 30 to 45 seconds. Put the keyword first in the title, and add 3 to 5 hashtags in the description. Long videos are a separate format with their own settings: 16:9, 300 to 900 seconds, a title that leads with the viewer's question, and no more than 3 hashtags.

The news sits alongside those settings, and for some channels it matters more. Since 1 October 2026, YouTube cuts recommendation reach for channels that mainly re-upload other creators' clips. If your channel, or a client's, fills its Shorts feed with other people's material, read the next two sections before you change any format setting.

Everything here is current good practice as of October 2026. It isn't a permanent rule.

What changed on 1 October 2026, and does it affect you?

The change itself is easy to state. YouTube now reduces how widely it recommends channels whose output is mainly re-uploads of other creators' clips.

Much of the detail is missing, and it's better to say so than to guess. There's no definition of "mainly". There's no threshold, so you can't tell what share of re-uploads tips a channel over the line. There's no figure for how much reach is cut. And there's no information on who announced the change or when the announcement was made: only that it applies from 1 October 2026.

One gap affects many business channels directly. Shorts cut from your own long-form videos aren't addressed in the announcement. That's a common way to keep a Shorts feed going: take a longer explainer and clip the most useful 40 seconds. The announcement doesn't say those clips are safe. It doesn't say they're caught either. Treat it as an open question, and watch for clearer guidance.

So does it affect you? If most of what your channel posts is other people's footage, shared as it is or lightly changed, assume it does. If you manage several clients' channels, check each one separately. One client's channel can be almost all original footage while another's is mostly reposts, and the rule is about the channel's overall mix.

How to use someone else's material without losing reach

Act on this section first. The fix is to add something of your own to any Short that uses another creator's material: your commentary, your analysis or your storytelling. The other creator's clip then supports a point you're making. It stops being the whole Short.

Some changes look like effort but don't count as adding something:

• A voice-over that just describes what's on screen.
• Minor edits.
• Template-based bulk changes applied across many clips.

If you simply want to share someone else's video as it is, don't re-upload it. Use the Posts tab instead.

Here's how that works in practice. Say a trade body's channel would normally re-upload a short clip from another creator showing a new piece of equipment in use, with a caption added. That's the pattern to move away from. Instead:

1. Decide what you have to say about the clip. That's your angle: what it means for your members, or whether the method shown holds up.
2. Write your commentary first, then use only the part of the clip that supports it.
3. Record your voice-over as analysis. "Here's a machine cutting timber" describes the screen, so it doesn't count. Explaining what the method means for your members does.
4. Keep the finished Short to 30 to 45 seconds, in 9:16.
5. Title it keyword first, put 3 to 5 hashtags in the description, and end on the shot you opened with so it loops.

If step 1 leaves you with nothing to add, you have your answer. Share the original through the Posts tab.

What shape and length should a Short be?

A Short should be 9:16, the shape of a phone screen held upright. It can run from 20 to 170 seconds. The sweet spot is 30 to 45 seconds.

There's also a 3-minute cap for square or vertical video. That figure sits alongside the 20 to 170 second range, and there's no explanation of how the two differ. We won't try to reconcile them for you. The advice doesn't change: aim for 30 to 45 seconds and you're well inside both.

For a small business or member organisation, 30 to 45 seconds is room for one point, made once. If a Short is running towards two minutes, you probably have two Shorts, or the start of a long video.

How to title, tag and end a Short

Put the keyword first in the title. Whatever someone would type to find this Short, start with it.

Use 3 to 5 hashtags, and no more than 5. Place them in the description.

End the Short where it began. A Short that loops back to its opening earns replays, so plan the last shot when you plan the first. One way is to open and close on the same image. Another is to end on a line that leads straight back into the first one.

The most common mistake is carrying long-video habits over to Shorts. A question-led title suits a long video. On a Short, the keyword goes first. Hashtags work the other way: a Short takes more, a long video takes fewer. If you set up both formats for clients, keep a separate checklist for each so the habits don't cross over.

How should a long video be set up?

A long video should be 16:9, the widescreen shape of a laptop or television. It should run 300 to 900 seconds, which is 5 to 15 minutes.

The title starts differently. Lead with the viewer's question. Keep the whole title under 100 characters, and aim for 65 to 80. "How long should a YouTube Short be for a UK small business channel?" is 67 characters: the question comes first, with enough context to tell the viewer who it's for.

Use at most 3 hashtags. Set that directly against the Short: 3 to 5 on a Short, up to 3 on a long video. There's no guidance on where long-video hashtags should go, so we won't specify a place.

What goes in the description, thumbnail and comments

Open the description with a summary of the video, so the most useful lines come first. After that, add chapters with timestamps, then your contact details, then any disclaimer the video needs. For a business or member organisation, the contact details are how a viewer gets in touch, so they belong in every description.

Chapters do two jobs for you. They let a viewer skip to the part they need. They also make you plan the video in sections before you film it, which helps keep it inside 300 to 900 seconds.

Use a custom thumbnail on every long video. Pin a comment that asks a question. Pick one your viewers can answer from their own experience, so replying is easy.

All of this is current good practice as of October 2026. There's no date for how long it will hold, so check the settings again before you build them into a template you plan to use for a year.

Before you post the next clip, look at your own channel. Count how much of it is other creators' material shared as it is. If that's most of it, add your own commentary to the next one, or share it through the Posts tab. That decision is yours to make, and it's the one to make first.