YouTube to shut down Stories on June 26 to prioritize Shorts
Once a popular format replicated by numerous social media apps, Stories have seen a decline in popularity with the rise of short-form vertical video format. This trend has prompted services to embrace vertical videos instead of the more transient and casual Stories format.
YouTube is not the only platform moving away from Stories. Netflix previously tested a Stories-like feature called "Extras" in its mobile app, showcasing videos and photos from popular shows. However, the streaming giant decided to focus on vertical video, introducing features such as the short-form comedy video feed "Fast Laughs" and a vertical video feature for kids. LinkedIn also abandoned its Stories feature in 2021, while Spotify introduced a Stories-like feature for artists but shifted its emphasis to the new style in a recent app redesign.
YouTube Stories initially launched in 2018, exclusively for creators with over 10,000 subscribers. However, it never expanded to all YouTube users, limiting casual and personal sharing. The intention was for creators to utilize Stories to engage with their audience between their more polished videos, offering behind-the-scenes updates, vlogs, quick updates, and more. Unlike Instagram's Story Highlights, Stories on YouTube would disappear after seven days, with no option to save them permanently on a creator's profile.
YouTube Stories initially launched in 2018, exclusively for creators with over 10,000 subscribers. However, it never expanded to all YouTube users, limiting casual and personal sharing. The intention was for creators to utilize Stories to engage with their audience between their more polished videos, offering behind-the-scenes updates, vlogs, quick updates, and more. Unlike Instagram's Story Highlights, Stories on YouTube would disappear after seven days, with no option to save them permanently on a creator's profile.
The adoption of YouTube Stories was relatively limited, especially when compared to other engagement tools like Community posts, which allow creators to share quick updates, promote content, and interact with fans. YouTube acknowledges this disparity, stating that among creators who used both Stories and Community posts, the latter generated significantly more comments and likes. Recently, YouTube expanded access to Community posts to a broader range of creators by removing the previous requirement of 500 subscribers.
Furthermore, creators are more and more focusing on YouTube Shorts, which is a short-form video format offered by the platform. YouTube notes that Shorts has outperformed Stories, with creators who used both formats experiencing significantly more subscribers on Shorts.
A YouTube spokesperson explained that the discontinuation of Stories is driven by the success of Shorts and the platform's dedication to supporting creators in areas that are essential for their success. YouTube will continue investing in assisting creators in growing their audiences across various formats.
To ensure creators are aware of the change, YouTube will notify them about the shutdown via multiple channels, including YouTube Studio, Help Center content, and an upcoming Creator Insider video. Creators who frequently use Stories will also receive a notification directly within the Stories feature if accessed prior to June 26. While it will no longer be possible to create new YouTube Stories after the shutdown date, existing Stories will remain visible for seven days from their original sharing date.
Feel free to contact me via my Facebook page or through the comment section if you have any questions.
Remember to subscribe to the channel and activate the bell to get a notification whenever I upload a new episode.
Now you can also contact me via my Instagram account through the following link:
Computer Tutorials on Facebook:
No comments: