YouTube Shorts passed 70 billion daily views in 2025. And unlike long-form YouTube, you don't need a camera, editing skills, or a recognizable face to grow a Shorts channel. AI video generation handles the production — your job is the strategy.

This guide walks through the full process: choosing the right AI model, writing a hook, generating the clip, optimizing it for the Shorts algorithm, and building a posting cadence that compounds.

Why Shorts Rewards AI Video Differently Than TikTok

Before the how-to, it's worth understanding how YouTube Shorts differs from TikTok:

Longer tolerance for builds. Shorts viewers stay through a 3–5 second setup if the thumbnail frame (first frame of the video) is strong. TikTok needs the hook in the first 1–2 seconds.
Search indexing matters. YouTube is a search engine. A Shorts title with the right keyword can surface in search results — something TikTok videos rarely do. This means consistent AI video series (same format, regular cadence) compound over time.
Revenue sharing. Shorts now participates in YouTube's Partner Program. At 1,000 subscribers and 10 million Shorts views in 90 days, monetization kicks in. This makes the economics of AI-generated Shorts more attractive than other platforms.

Step 1 — Choose Your Content Format

Before writing a prompt or opening any tool, decide on your format. The Shorts channels that grow fastest have a repeatable format that viewers return to:

"What If" Series — Weekly or daily clips exploring a single hypothetical. What if the ocean was transparent? What if gravity worked sideways? Low friction to create, high re-watch value.

Cinematic Moments — 15–30 second atmospheric clips. A foggy train station. A field of bioluminescent jellyfish. Performs well on the Browse and Explore feeds where aesthetic quality drives suggested views.

Transformation Clips — Subject transforms dramatically in 6–10 seconds. Works on Shorts because the transformation creates a natural loop incentive.

Tutorial-Backed Content — Show a finished AI video, then overlay text: "I made this using AI in 5 minutes." Drives Shorts-to-long-form crossover if you have a longer tutorial video.

Pick one format and commit to it for at least 30 clips before evaluating.

Step 2 — Write a Hook-First Prompt

YouTube Shorts plays automatically in the feed. The thumbnail-equivalent is the first frame of your video. Your prompt needs to produce an opening frame that is immediately visually interesting.

Bad prompt structure: A beautiful sunset over a mountain lake, with gentle waves and the camera slowly panning right.

Why it fails: The most interesting element (the sunset) is described as context, not as an immediate visual event. The camera pan takes the whole clip to complete.

Better prompt structure: OPENING FRAME: A mountain lake at sunset. Massive orange storm clouds reflected perfectly in still water. A single drop falls and shatters the reflection. Slow motion.

Why it works: The opening frame instruction forces the model to prioritize the static composition. The drop is the "event" — it happens in the first 2 seconds. Slow motion extends it.

Prompt Formula for Shorts

[Opening frame description] + [The unexpected event] + [Camera direction] + [Mood/lighting].

Example: A quiet library at night [opening frame]. Every book flies off its shelf simultaneously [unexpected event]. Books spiral in slow motion around a reading lamp [camera direction]. Amber warm lighting [mood].

Step 3 — Generate on the Right Model

For YouTube Shorts, visual fidelity matters more than on TikTok because the YouTube interface (especially on TV screens) renders at higher quality. Choose your model based on what your format needs:

Format	Recommended Model	Why
Cinematic atmosphere	Veo 3.1 or Sora 2	Superior environmental detail, lighting fidelity
Transformation	Kling 3	Handles physics-defying motion cleanly
Surreal scenarios	Sora 2	Strong world simulation for unusual scenarios
Fast iterative testing	Seedance 2	Lower latency, good for trying 5–6 prompt variations quickly

aicut provides access to all of these models in one place. You can switch between Veo 3.1, Sora 2, Kling 3, and Seedance 2 without managing separate accounts. For Shorts, it's worth generating 3–4 variations of each prompt across different models before committing to one.

Duration: Target 15–30 seconds for Shorts. Clips under 15 seconds rarely qualify for the full distribution boost. Clips over 60 seconds exit the Shorts format.

Step 4 — Add Text Overlays and Captions

On YouTube Shorts, roughly 40–60% of viewers watch with audio on (higher than TikTok). This means a voiceover or background music adds genuine value — but on-screen text still matters for accessibility and the silent minority.

What to add:

A single line at the top or bottom naming the concept: "What if gravity reversed for 10 seconds?"
An optional end card: "Follow for daily AI clips"
Captions if there's spoken audio

Keep text minimal. The AI video is the main visual event — text should support it, not compete with it.

Step 5 — Optimize the Title and Description

This is where Shorts SEO happens:

Title formula: [What happens] + [Why it's interesting] + #Shorts

Examples:

A Library Where Every Book Flies Off the Shelf at Once #Shorts
What If Gravity Worked Sideways? AI Generated #Shorts
The Ocean Turns to Glass — AI Video #Shorts

Description: Two sentences max. Include the keyword you want to rank for. Add 3–5 hashtags, including #Shorts and your niche.

Thumbnail: YouTube now auto-selects a Shorts thumbnail from your video. Record a 1-second still at the most visually striking frame and make it the opener — this becomes the de facto thumbnail.

Step 6 — Build a Posting Cadence

The Shorts algorithm rewards consistency more than viral spikes. Here's the cadence that works:

Minimum: 3x per week (every other day)
Optimal: Daily (7x per week)
Batch production: Generate 2–3 weeks of content in one session, then schedule.

With AI video generation, producing 21 clips in a single session is realistic. Batch your prompts, generate in parallel across models on aicut, then schedule through YouTube Studio.

Step 7 — Analyze and Iterate

After 30 clips, you have enough data to refine:

Average percentage viewed: Target >70%. Below 60% means your hook isn't strong enough or your clips are too long.
Likes-to-views ratio: >3% is a positive signal. If you're under 1%, the content isn't resonating — experiment with a different format.
Subscriber conversion rate: Which clips gained the most subscribers per 1,000 views? Double down on that format.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mixing formats. Viewers who subscribed for cinematic clips don't want to see surreal humor. Pick your lane and stay in it for the first 90 days.

Ignoring the first frame. 70% of Shorts distribution depends on whether viewers keep watching past frame 1. If your opener is weak, the rest of the clip doesn't matter.

Uploading without text context. AI-generated clips without any text overlay leave viewers confused about what they're watching. Add at least one line of context.

Waiting for perfection. Post consistently even if individual clips feel mediocre. The algorithm rewards volume and cadence more than any single "great" video in the early growth phase.

Key Takeaways

Pick one repeatable format — "What If", cinematic, transformation, or tutorial-backed — and stick with it for 30+ clips.
Structure prompts with an opening frame instruction followed by the unexpected event.
Use Veo 3.1 or Sora 2 for cinematic quality on a platform where fidelity matters (YouTube renders at higher resolution than TikTok).
Target 15–30 second clip length. Daily posting cadence beats sporadic high-quality uploads.
SEO matters on YouTube — write descriptive titles with the keyword you want to rank for.

Start generating Shorts-ready AI video clips on aicut — Sora 2, Veo 3.1, Kling 3, and Seedance 2 all available from one dashboard.