YouTube Shorts: ideas, songs & captions

Before you post

• Shoot and export vertically (9:16, 1080×1920) so nothing gets cropped.
• Say your hook in the first seconds and show it as on-screen text.
• Add captions — many people watch with the sound off.
• Keep text away from the edges, where buttons and descriptions cover the video.

Length limits and features change often — check YouTube Shorts’s own help pages for current limits.

Hooks, scripts & captions

Opening lines that stop the scroll, a four-part script structure and caption tips.