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The advice show for creators that tells it like it is. Host Stephanie Woodin takes calls from web creators grappling with the big questions: burnout, branding, revenue, and keeping up with AI and SEO changes. Each episode, an expert guest or fellow creator joins Stephanie to answer your questions with research-backed, practical advice you can put to work in your own business.
Brought to you by Raptive, the full-service creator media company that empowers creators to turn their passions into thriving, profitable brands.
Do you have a question? Record yourself on video or audio, or write it up and email it to ctrlaltask@raptive.com. Anonymous questions are welcome!
Aimee Page:
I feel like YouTube is a jealous boyfriend and they want you to publish frequently. I can't upload every day. I can maybe upload twice a month, and I don't feel like that's what YouTube wants from me. I think they want more and I just don't know how to make YouTube happy.
Stephanie Woodin:
The YouTube algorithm is often called a black box. It's hard to know what will take off and go viral or barely get noticed, but there's one thing we know for sure right now. YouTube is prioritizing Shorts. For creators who made the reputation, not to mention their revenue, on longer content, this change has been really hard to navigate. This week, our creator is asking that and more. So I've brought in our very own queen of YouTube, Linda Petta, to help. Linda is the VP of YouTube Creator Growth and Strategy here at Raptive, so she can help us unpack it better than anybody. And I was lucky enough to grab some of Linda's time right after Made on YouTube 2025 where they made some really exciting announcements.
Linda Petta, welcome to Ctrl Alt Ask. We're so happy you're here.
Linda Petta:
I'm so happy to be here. Thank you for inviting me.
Stephanie Woodin:
Thank you for joining. It's a big topic today and you are an expert in it. That is for sure. We were just talking about how you could talk about YouTube all day, every day, but after this we'll give you a break. So each episode I like to start with just a little fun, tangentially related question. And for you, Linda, today is about YouTube. So have to ask, what is your favorite classic YouTube video from the early days of YouTube?
Linda Petta:
That's really hard. YouTube just celebrated 20 years so there's much content to think about.
Stephanie Woodin:
Wow, that's crazy.
Linda Petta:
I know. Isn't that wild? Happy birthday, YouTube. But my all time favorite is this series called Where the Hell is Matt? And it was a creator that traveled all around the world to different countries. I think he went to 71 locations, that was the final number, and he danced with locals all around the world. And I love because that is what the original magic of YouTube was, bringing this incredible experience to life and feeling like you were just there dancing alongside of him.
Stephanie Woodin:
Oh, I love that. I remember that now that you say it. I definitely remember the title. What a cool thing. I have to say mine was... The first thing that always comes to mind for me is Charlie Bit My Finger.
Linda Petta:
Classic.
Stephanie Woodin:
What can I say? And I have little kids now so my husband and I will randomly just throw it out there and we know exactly what we're talking about. So go millennials.
Linda Petta:
It's the epicenter of culture. That's what YouTube is all about.
Stephanie Woodin:
Exactly. Okay, so today we are hearing from a creator that is really having a lot of questions around YouTube. So I would love to dive in and get her question. It's Aimee Page of Crazy Craft Lady. So without further ado, let's watch.
Linda Petta:
Wonderful.
Aimee Page:
I start all of my YouTube videos with, "Hey there. I'm Aimee from the crazycraftlady.com." And I have been blogging for over a decade and it's only been in the last few years that I started to take video really seriously. I kind of stumbled into some YouTube success and I found a formula that the YouTube algorithm really seemed to like and that was a compilation of three or four, up to 10 or 12 different crafts that all have something in common. So they're all made with the same type of supply or they're around a certain holiday or season and those, for whatever reason, especially if it's a Dollar Tree craft, the YouTube algorithm pushes it out and I get way more views.
If I create a long form video with 10 different crafts in it, that could take me 30 or 40 hours to make from making the craft, photographing it, editing, voiceover, all of it. That's incredibly labor-intensive so I'm often only able to publish maybe two long form videos a month, and I just want to be able to use my standalone single crafts somehow to maybe publish more frequently, keep the YouTube gods happy. I pour my heart and soul into these videos. I'm on iMovie for hours and hours and hours and I just want to make sure I'm getting the most out of all this content that I'm filming.
I've toyed with... In the past, I'll publish the compilation video and then each individual craft I'll publish as a separate video. But I think it really confuses my audience and I've had people say, "Haven't I seen this craft before?" So I guess my question is, should I make two different channels, one for compilation videos, one for standalone videos? Should I do a compilation video and no standalone videos? Do I make a short out of every single standalone craft and then link it to the long form video? All these things are spinning in my head and I just don't know what the best practice is going to be.
Stephanie Woodin:
So that's a lot of questions that Aimee has. Have you heard these same questions from other creators before, Linda?
Linda Petta:
Yeah, the first thing, I empathize with Aimee and so many creators because there is only so many hours in a day that anyone has and creators are incredibly busy and I love to see her passion for the platform and it's amazing she's seen some initial success and she wants to know... And all creators, how does that success be sustainable? How can I make this work and how can I get the right ROI for my efforts?
So absolutely, we hear these questions all the time. "What is the role of short form? What is the role of long form? How do I play the game and how do I make sure that the YouTube gods shine favorably on me?" So this is definitely a common question we get and she's doing some really great things and I really want to help make sure we answer those questions so she can feel even more empowered on YouTube.
Stephanie Woodin:
Yeah, I think it is. I felt her stream of consciousness because there are so many things that you can do, it sounds like, and you're throwing spaghetti against the wall sometimes, maybe.
Linda Petta:
Absolutely.
Stephanie Woodin:
Kind of not knowing which is right for your brand. So backing up a little, she mentions the idea, I think the through line, which is short form versus long form, and what are the pros and cons? Can you back up and give us a definition of what short form content would look like, what that is?
Linda Petta:
Absolutely. I think traveling back 20 years, which seems wild, YouTube really was the home for long form content. Charlie Bit My Finger was actually a little bit of a unique, almost early short form video in a way. But the reality is it was always based on long form content. It was a really lean in experience as a platform and people wanted to watch a lot of content.
In 2020, the YouTube launched Shorts and that was on the back of competitors like TikTok entering the market. And this short form format just blew up out of nowhere. And suddenly YouTube was playing catch up. And YouTube, I really think, over indexed in this situation. It was playing catch up so aggressively, it pivoted the story very quickly from long form into short form. That sent a lot of creators into a bit of a spiral. For some creators, it was great because they were coming from TikTok and exploring a new platform. And for many creators they were thinking, "I've only done long form. How do I play this game?" And many started to just focus on a short form strategy.
However, the beauty and the pain point of YouTube, it is truly a special place for multi format creators, meaning you can really win if you do a short form and a long form.
Stephanie Woodin:
So interesting.
Linda Petta:
Historically was all long form, really pushed that. Then it was a quick pivot to, "Let's talk about Shorts and let's talk about the power of short form." And those two formats are incredibly different. In lots of ways, I hear creators say, "I don't have time and energy to make a long form." And then from a creator point of view, it's actually very difficult to tell a story in under three minutes. Initially, Shorts were just 30 seconds.
So there is a lot of complications for creators to think about now of, "Where do I put my time? How can I tell my story? When do I do Shorts?" One of the questions she talked about there was, "Should I have two separate channels, two separate homes, one for my long form and one for my short?" And that is a question that we often get and I will say the general answer is if your content is related and you think that the same audience would enjoy it, we do not recommend splitting that up. We actually recommend keeping it on the same channel.
And the reality is, yes, you're going to have some crossover. Yes, you're going to have see people that saw those dollar craft compilations and maybe the Shorts. But the exciting thing about YouTube is you're going to actually reach new audiences using Shorts that are going to get a taste of who you are and then click into your channel and devour your long form content.
Stephanie Woodin:
And I'd love to talk about that a little bit because we're talking about appeasing the YouTube gods a little bit here, and it's just like our funny way of saying it, but it's true. Can we talk about that multi-format creator versus someone who just does Shorts or someone who just does long? Can you give us some examples of maybe where we are at now with that and what is YouTube really rewarding?
Linda Petta:
Yes, great question. I think I look at those two formats in two different ways. Both important. Long form really drives that engagement. Someone is coming to you. They're leaning forward, they're watching eight minutes, 10 minutes, 45 minutes, an hour of content with you. And the benefit of that is you are really telling the platform that you drive high engagement, high watch time, you keep users on the platform, all those things that YouTube love to see. And honestly, you're giving yourself the chance to make the most revenue because you can have more ads playing in your content.
Stephanie Woodin:
And is that because on a one-on-one basis, if someone is literally just starting out with YouTube, long form is going to naturally... The algorithm and the way YouTube is set up, it will reward with watch time?
Linda Petta:
If you have good content, yes. Before you even think about length of content, what is your content? Make it good because that will reign supreme. But then consistency and expanding your reach on YouTube is important. So this long form plays this very lean in, drive that engagement, pull that viewer in for a long time. What Shorts does is it helps you reach new people.
Shorts is a relatively new format and with any new changes that YouTube does, they tend to put a lot of effort into it. So they push Shorts out there. So Shorts is a great way to become like a bite-size snackable piece of you and your story and reach new people that maybe don't know your channel, maybe wouldn't watch an eight-minute video of you, but they're getting a sneak peek and then they're getting pulled into... In fact, Shorts for a while now, had a feature where you could link to another video and we recommend as best practice whenever you upload a short, where you can, link it to a longer form video that is ideally related.
Stephanie Woodin:
Smart.
Linda Petta:
So you can bring that people into that flywheel and keep people on your content for longer.
Stephanie Woodin:
That's so interesting because it's like when I think of that immediately what comes to mind is a TikTok or a Instagram Reel and you're scrolling and you're just getting a quick dopamine hit. And if it's speaking to you, that's great, and maybe you'll engage with it further, but it's really for our very short attention spans, probably a great little advertisement for what you could really bring as a brand.
Linda Petta:
Absolutely. And it's a really good experimentation ground for creators because if you think about it from a production value or time, putting so many hours into a long form video and then it kind of flopping, it's like that sucks. But with Shorts, you could test something out, maybe it's a new series, maybe it's a new idea, maybe it's a new tone and it's a little bit lower barrier to entry and a little bit less risky. So you could just push that out there, see how it feels, see how it lands, and then use that to fuel your content strategy moving forward. So it's a bit of a playground to test out your ideas and ideally not such a heavy lift for a creator.
Stephanie Woodin:
So with Shorts, I know you mentioned this earlier, but I'd love to dive in a little bit deeper on when YouTube really got into this in 2020 you said. Do you feel that the pendulum swung too far towards Shorts and now is there some type of course correction? What is happening now since they introduced them?
Linda Petta:
Yes, I do personally think they went too aggressive without maybe thinking about the repercussions from the creator point of view. So they talked about the power of Shorts, they got people really excited about it and the monetization wasn't there. So creators put a lot of effort and they put a lot of time into creating this content and then were saying, "I'm not getting any money from this. What is happening?" However, I think YouTube has done a ton of amazing work to course correct.
They're listening to creators. They're listening to advertisers. And they're realizing, "We want to help creators monetize this. We want to make sure that they're getting really lucrative brand deals. We want to make sure that they're getting in front of the right eyeballs." So they had their annual YouTube Made On event where they announced 30 updates to the platform and many of them are including for Shorts, using AI tools to help you make Shorts quicker, thinking about how if a creator goes live, we could automatically make a short from that to use that as a promo tool.
So it took a while to get here, and I totally understand some trepidation from creators that have maybe been burned in the past, and I'm like, "Do I need to get back into Shorts?" And the reality is it really does make sense for a creator to think about it as part of their strategy. And if they can be consistent and if the content is good, they really should think about it. They have features like shoppable Shorts, meaning creators can promote and sell their own products. Or they could be using affiliate marketing and being able to make some money from that side. So YouTube is investing a heck of a lot of infrastructure, team, strategy and really making sure that this is going to make sense for creators.
Stephanie Woodin:
That's interesting about the shopping element. I wouldn't have even thought that's another way someone like an Aimee who does crafts, obviously she talks about her dollar store crafts and things like that could be another door opening for her.
Linda Petta:
Absolutely. And on that, she made the comment there about the effort it takes to make her compilations, and I was smiling and nodding because she's already ahead of the curve in a lot of ways. We talked to many creators about if they have multiple short form content in a similar theme. For example, let's say we have a food creator that has her top five chicken recipes and they're Shorts, we definitely recommend putting them as a compilation. That's a super easy and low lift way to make a long form video.
And what we heard from Aimee was she's doing that, but she's spending hours in this. Hopefully with these gen AI tools that have just recently been announced... For example, there is one that you can select a few short form videos on your camera roll and it'll actually make a draft short for you. And then you're just editing, you're not actually putting it together.
Stephanie Woodin:
Oh my gosh.
Linda Petta:
This is huge.
Stephanie Woodin:
That is game changing.
Linda Petta:
It's game changing. And I encourage someone like Aimee to be like, "Maybe I don't need to make it so polished?" That's the beauty of the platform. From Charlie Bit My Finger, which is on a fuzzy camera to some really high production, there is something for everyone. So it doesn't have to be this high quality, super polished piece of content. When you're thinking about, I want to know, give me your top five holiday Dollar Tree crafts, I don't need a be production studio. I just want to feel like I'm sitting across the table from Aimee and learning from her.
Stephanie Woodin:
Yeah. And I think that accessibility is probably a really big factor because that's kind of what people seem to be going to YouTube for is they want to dive deeper on something or they just want that human, trusting element. And someone like Aimee with crafts feels like it would feed into that really well. And when you're talking about the lift, I think that is something that just hearing the stress in Aimee's voice of, "My bandwidth is very limited." I imagine she's going into the holiday season with even less bandwidth. This is probably a dumb question, not knowing the full scope of the YouTube algorithm, but does it reward or punish a creator who would maybe repurpose content from another platform, say like Instagram Reels or something. I've seen that maybe done where they're taking things from other platforms, repurposing it for YouTube. Is that a common practice?
Linda Petta:
Yes. So I would say repurposing your content is a solid B grade. I really recommend... It's a great way for creators to think of, you've put all that effort into your vertical video, put it on YouTube. Is it going to be the best performing? Maybe it won't be, but the reality is you're going to get insights. And with insights, you can determine how you want to do that. So, "Oh, hold on a minute. Is that sort of trending? Is that doing well?"
The A+ top of the grade gold star is if you create content specific for platforms. That goes for TikTok, for Instagram, for YouTube, for your site, for wherever you may be. But getting involved and putting your content up there is fantastic way of testing the waters, learning from your viewers and then thinking about, "Okay, I'm seeing some traction here. How can I then think about how this relates to maybe the YouTube behavior?" So it's a fantastic way to get started and makes a lot of sense. It's something I would recommend to all creators getting started.
Stephanie Woodin:
And with the duplication specifically, tell me about that.
Linda Petta:
Yeah. YouTube will not penalize a creator for repurposing content from another platform. There are best practices, like you don't necessarily want to a watermark on there. You want to make it look and feel YouTubey, even if it's repurposing from TikTok. In regards to the strategy of maybe repurposing existing YouTube content, let's take for example, Aimee doing her compilations as a long form video and then cutting them up into Shorts, that is actually not going to be seen negatively. It's going to seem positively. You're giving more content, multi-format.
Stephanie Woodin:
Oh, good.
Linda Petta:
Because they effectively each transformed. A YouTube Short about one of the crafts will have a different title. It'll have different tags within it. It will have a different initial image and so it will not be any negative effect. In fact, I think it'll just have a positive where it'll reach new audiences and tell YouTube that you are a multi-format creator.
Stephanie Woodin:
And back to multi-format, do you feel like anyone who's a creator right now who maybe has dabbled in YouTube could become that multi-format creator? What would be the barrier to that and how can they overcome it if they're hearing this right now?
Linda Petta:
Yeah, you think about two sides of the coin. You're either maybe a long form creator thinking about, "How do I get into Shorts?" And there are pros and cons to that or you're a short form creator thinking about how you get into long. Now, we kind of talked about if you're a short form, you could stitch them together and make a compilation. Reality is that's not going to be your most top perform video. People aren't going to be like, "This is the best compilation I've ever seen." Maybe they will. I hope they will. But the reality is it's just a simple way to sort of get yourself into the system.
So it's tricky from that because if you're creating bespoke long form, the barrier there is time, energy, and waiting for the ROI just because more ads can show and the revenue potential is there, it's not automatic. Now, I do think on the other side, long form creators getting into the short form game, especially with the tools that YouTube have announced, it is going to be a lot easier to play that, to be able to look at thinking about cutting from a live, for example, or like I mentioned, using these next gen AI tools to compile videos. I think this will be easier.
So I think they're making it easier for both sides of the coin and above all, I say this to every creator, what can you do that is true to who you are that gets your unique value [inaudible 00:19:29] out and that you can do consistently? That is really where I think... Coming back to yourself, a true moment of, "What can I deliver?" And making sure that you get that right and keeping back to that really great content.
Stephanie Woodin:
Staying true in authenticity is a through line through every conversation I have had so far on this podcast. It's a buzzword for a reason because I think that's what audiences want.
Linda Petta:
Yeah, viewers can see through it if it's not authentic. And that's why I mentioned the quality of the production. It almost doesn't matter if your authenticity and someone like Aimee, she is like the authority in her space because she has that authentic connection. It almost doesn't matter if it's this beautiful polished video or something more choppy together. It's more about her and what the value she's bringing to the viewer.
Stephanie Woodin:
And speaking of value, I have to ask about revenue a little bit because we've touched on it, but let's talk about that. The split between short form, long form. Let's say a short form creator wanted to make long form content, started doing that, whether it was compilations or just kind of delving deeper into some of their content. How would that increase revenue, given the algorithm right now?
Linda Petta:
Yeah, so the way this works is YouTube has multiple ad formats. The very standard is sort of like a pre-roll, which happens before your content starts, a mid-roll, maybe halfway through. You can have multiple mid-rolls depending how long your content is. And that's why the long form just gives you more opportunities to have more ad formats show, which means you could make more money. Now, the reality is retention, I talk about, and engagement is so important because if someone drops off before that mid-roll even fires, the story is over.
So again, back to what is your value? Make great content. Now here's what's interesting. The reality is that almost 50% of YouTube viewership is coming from connected devices, which is effectively TVs in the living room. And what's really interesting is we are seeing a ton of YouTube Shorts viewership happening on those connected devices. That means viewers are now watching YouTube Shorts on their big screens.
Stephanie Woodin:
That's wild.
Linda Petta:
It's so wild when you think about it because user behavior is changing.
Stephanie Woodin:
It is.
Linda Petta:
It's like, "I'll watch a 12 minute video and now I'm going to watch a 30 second clip, and now I'm going to a 22 minute video." And so I think what's cool about that is we know that connected devices tend to have a much higher CPM against them because they're a premium environment. So I expect that we're going to see those premium CPMs across Shorts too. So from today when I'm talking to you, I say to you, "The revenue's coming from long form," but I truly believe with the moves that YouTube is doing, the real way to play that game is to be everywhere where you can.
Stephanie Woodin:
Yeah, I think you're breaking it down really well because while it could feel daunting, what you're saying feels actionable. And if someone's listening right now, they could easily do some of those things. In your mind, what would you say is kind of the golden rule though for YouTube? If a creator is listening in, they're saying, "I'm going to get into this. I've only been doing long form. I'm going to dabble in short form," or vice versa, what is that thing they should remember?
Linda Petta:
I would say content is king. It has to be good content. It has to be something true to yourself. Back to that authenticity. Real close second is that consistency. What is realistic for you to be consistent? Maybe that's once a month. Maybe that's three times a week. Maybe that looks like one long form every two weeks and three Shorts in between. So really just thinking about, "What can I maintain?" And then above even all of that is sitting on top of your analytics, going into your YouTube studio and I want you to look at your attention rate and your watch time. Those are the two that you are going to analyze.
There are such great tools out there. We have A/B thumbnail and title testing so you can make sure you are getting someone to click and stick. But really also looking at are they staying for a long time? Where are they dropping off? What are they not loving? What are they loving? And really, the most beautiful thing about YouTube is the community and the connections. So listen to your audience. Ask your audience. Really make sure that you're building for them.
Stephanie Woodin:
That is such a powerful thing. And then they can tweak their content accordingly without straying too far from who they are, but really being able to see, "Okay, I've lost them at this point." Unless you're Ms. Rachel and you're not losing...
Linda Petta:
100% retention all the time.
Stephanie Woodin:
It's 100%.
Linda Petta:
It's so interesting. At Raptive, we worked with a creator who took on some advice that we gave where we said, "Hey, January is a real big month for you. You are going through the roof." She does Mediterranean food, very healthy eating, "New year, new me," viewership was going up. And we came up with that. We're like, "Hey, you've got all this great short form content. Why don't you compile it into healthy chicken recipes, healthy salad recipes?" They were seeing over 30% increase in their watch time and their engagement by doing that strategy. And that is using the insights from analytics.
And I think that is looking at, "What is the data telling me?" And test. Test, test, test. That worked out well for her. All the stars aligned. She's incredible at what she does. She has a wonderful audience. But the great thing about... We mentioned this short form is you could test something new. Does it land? Does it not? Okay. If it doesn't, you pivot. If it does, you dig deeper.
So really those analytics, you can't get any insights unless you put something out there. And YouTube is a forgiving platform. YouTube viewers are forgiving. They want you to make great content. So put it out there, see how it feels don't stress about does it have to be beautiful production quality? No. Go out there and look at content you like and say, "Okay, maybe it isn't like TV network, but it's just seeing from my favorite person, hearing from someone like Aimee that's going to help me make my home feel more holiday or get ready for the season." And it's all about Aimee versus the quality of her camera and her microphone.
Stephanie Woodin:
Right. I love that. So we've got to talk about the future as wrapping this up. What do you see as the future of short and long form content on YouTube?
Linda Petta:
So I will say YouTube is a very large ship. It takes a long time to make any big turns or any big moves. But when it does, it is stable. YouTube is the second-largest search engine after Google, right? It is not going anywhere. So they are steady. They are stable. They are investing. They listen. They truly do. And I can say that as we're a trusted partner with them, where they take our feedback seriously and they listen to creators.
So YouTube is not going anywhere. Shorts are not going anywhere. I think we're going to see even more alternative monetization opportunities such as YouTube shopping. There's YouTube memberships. There's Super Thanks and Super Chat, which are ways that the community can give to their favorite creators so I think we're going to see more product features come in that can help creators reach more people, make content easier, get that insight that they need to make better content and to help them make more money.
Stephanie Woodin:
That's amazing. We love hearing make more money.
Linda Petta:
Absolutely. Yes, please.
Stephanie Woodin:
Yes. Well, Linda, we just so appreciate you coming on here. I think this is really helpful for our creators who are toe dipping into this space or have been there for a while. I think it's applicable to all kinds and there's some really great takeaways.
Linda Petta:
Always happy to talk about YouTube all day every day. But I'm excited to see and hear more about the podcast and see the next episode. Thanks for including me.
Stephanie Woodin:
Thanks again to Linda and Aimee for a terrific conversation. I foresee way more YouTube chats in our future. If you have a question you'd like to ask, email controlaltask@raptive.com. C-T-R-L Alt Ask at raptive.com. For more information on everything we talked about today, check out the show notes or visit our website, raptive.com/controlaltask.