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If you’ve ever posted something on Facebook and thought, “Why isn’t this getting any traction?” you’re not alone. And the answer might be more practical than you think: your post might not be shareable. Literally. If it’s not set to public, it’s like hosting a party...
May 8, 2025
If you’re managing a YouTube channel, you already know the power of YouTube Shorts for growing your audience. But if you want to take full advantage of this type of content, posting when you feel like it won’t cut it. With YouTube videos, posting strategically and consistently is half the battle.
Social media never sleeps, which is why being able to schedule social media posts and plan video details in advance is crucial. So, let’s break down how to schedule YouTube Shorts in the fastest, easiest, and most intuitive way.
PS: With the right tools, like Planable, you can easily schedule social media posts across platforms, including YouTube Shorts. Let’s see how.
Scheduling YouTube Shorts involves planning out when your content will be posted so you can stay consistent without being glued to your screen. This approach to content helps you align with peak engagement times, automate your posts, and free up time to focus on creating.
If you think scheduling YouTube Shorts is only about saving time, think again. Posting regularly on your YouTube account helps maximize your influence with minimal effort. Here’s the real reason you should schedule:
You don’t need to post every day to win, but you do need to post regularly. When you schedule YouTube videos, you don’t stay quiet for too long, which means that the algorithm doesn’t forget you, and neither does your audience.
You want to post when people need you. Scheduling lets you control your timing and optimize for when your audience is most engaged on the YouTube app.
We’ve all been there. That brilliant idea you had? Gone, because you didn’t post the video immediately. When you schedule a video’s publication time in advance, you stop relying on inspiration to show up on cue by building a content bank for when you need it.
The less you’re scrambling to post, the more energy you can put into crafting better content. Scheduling frees you up to focus on what you’re posting, not just when you’re posting.
All in all, when you use a YouTube content calendar, your content becomes intentional, strategic, and aligned with your brand’s goals, instead of a random act.
Imagine cutting down your content planning time by half and still hitting all the right marks across all your social media channels, including your YouTube account. Learning how to schedule YouTube Shorts using Planable will help you do just that.
Link your YouTube channel to Planable in seconds. Add it to your workspace, and you’re ready to go. Simple as that.
Upload videos (make sure that each scheduled video is under 60 seconds). Then, drag it into Planable’s interface.
This is non-negotiable. Type #shorts in your caption so that Planable knows this video belongs in the Shorts category.
Craft the perfect title, description, and tags. Select your privacy settings (Public, Unlisted, or Private) before clicking play. You can also refine the short-form video using Planable’s editor to get the aspect ratio and crop just right.
You’ve got the option to post YouTube Shorts straight from Planable and go live, or schedule your video content for optimal engagement depending on your ideal posting time as per YouTube analytics.
PS: Before you start scheduling YouTube Shorts…
Know that a YouTube content strategy is often part of a broader marketing campaign or content strategy. That means it’s critical to have a bird’s-eye view of all channels where your content lives.
With Planable, you get YouTube scheduling on top of the ability to manage, collaborate on, and plan content across 9 platforms.
The content calendar and drag-and-drop functionality let you adjust content distribution across platforms. From the media library to the image/video editor, Planable keeps your assets in one place, which gives you total control.
Plus, with dedicated workspaces and approval flows, you can manage your stakeholders and broader strategy.
Scheduling YouTube Shorts natively can seem straightforward, but it has limitations. Let’s break down the steps you need to take and see what you could be missing.
Start by creating your YouTube Short. You can do this in the YouTube Studio on the platform. Just remember, the video must be under 60 seconds.
Once the video is ready, upload it to YouTube. Click the “Upload” button and select your file. Then, click “Next”.
Here, you can customize your Shorts. Add a catchy title and description to optimize your video for search and engagement. You can also add any relevant links or tags to improve discoverability. Additionally, YouTube will ask you if your video is made for kids or not.
Next, add any related videos, if relevant, and choose whether to add subtitles. This helps your audience engage better, especially if your content is reaching a global audience.
It’s critical to check for copyright issues. YouTube has strict guidelines about copyrighted music and footage that they’ll measure against every piece of content you upload.
Use royalty-free content to avoid potential issues down the line. If you’re not sure what that means, give YouTube’s community guidelines a thorough read.
To schedule the Short, select the visibility settings. Set it to “Public” and choose your desired scheduled publishing time from the dropdown menu. Click “Schedule”, and your Short is now queued for publishing.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you get started with scheduling YouTube Shorts directly from the YouTube app.
Open the YouTube app and sign in to your channel. Make sure you’re logged in before proceeding to the upload page.
Once logged in, click the button (plus icon) at the bottom of the screen. Select “Add” videos, and choose the Short video file from your gallery, or film yours on the spot by clicking on the camera icon. Make sure your video is less than 60 seconds long and meets YouTube’s resolution requirements of vertical-first.
In YouTube Studio, you’ll be able to trim your video, add filters, write text, record a voiceover, and edit all the details that pertain to your short-form content.
Fill in all necessary video details such as title, description, and tags. Be sure to add relevant keywords to boost searchability in YouTube’s algorithm.
Navigate to the “Visibility” tab. Select “Schedule” to choose a specific date and time for the video to go live. Pick your time zone and confirm the scheduled publication time. Voilà! This is how you can easily schedule YouTube Shorts via your mobile phone.
Once your video details are set, and if you don’t want to schedule or publish it just yet, click “Save Draft” or “Schedule” to finalize. Click “Edit Draft” if you want to alter your content in any way before you upload the video.
If you want your YouTube Shorts to pop and get noticed, this section will explore how to make them work harder and smarter for you.
YouTube’s algorithm relies on your titles, descriptions, captions, and on-screen text to match your content with search queries. The better you optimize these, the higher you rank.
To get noticed on YouTube, use your title and description strategically with long-tail keywords to target specific queries. For example, if you’re posting a “how-to” video on fitness, include these terms in your description:
Hashtags that describe your video, branded hashtags, or even the classic #shorts can help YouTube categorize your content:
One pro tip is to use the YouTube Video Editor to include your keywords directly on-screen. Viewers and YouTube’s algorithm will read those too.
To find the most relevant keywords, use:
A thumbnail’s job is to sell the click. Look at MrBeast, who built his empire on this simple idea: human faces, minimal words, and high emotion. That’s one formula that works.
But if it doesn’t resonate with you, there are plenty of thumbnail styles that get noticed. It all depends on your target audience.
In general, here’s what makes a good thumbnail for creators:
The more intense the expression, the higher the curiosity.
Keep it minimal, with two or three words max, or none at all, depending on your type of content.
Depending on your brand, you can create an attractive thumbnail with your own colors as long as they stand out.
Try different facial expressions, color schemes, and text sizes. YouTube’s algorithm loves clicks, and the more you test, the more you learn what works for your audience.
On social media, including YouTube, channels that post regularly see more views, higher engagement, and better reach. The more consistent you are, the more likely your YouTube content is to appear in front of new audiences and make the algorithm work in your favor.
But to make consistency work, you need the right tools. Content planning tools like Planable help simplify this process.
You can:
It allows you to focus on creating rather than scrambling to post.
It helps disseminate posts in batches across multiple channels.
One pro tip is to always track the best times to post. This can vary based on your audience’s location, so adjust your posting schedule accordingly.
Tools like Planable’s analytics features can help identify these peak times and other valuable insights.
TubeBuddy and VidIQ are two tools that can give you detailed analytics on search volume and competition for specific keywords.
For example, if you’re a fitness creator, the keyword “home workout” might be popular, but what you really want is “beginner home workout with dumbbells”, because it’s a more specific, high-intent search.
The more you align your content with specific search queries, based on real-time data, the more engagement you’ll see. When you check what works for your competitors, look for patterns in comments, like:
One of the most successful trends on YouTube Shorts was the #shortschallenge itself, where creators showcased their best talents within the first 15 seconds in a punchy style.
Trends connect brands to something fresh, timely, and widely recognized. However, please note that this tactic is used to boost engagement and brand awareness, not for community-building or direct sales.
Trends are perfect for jumping on viral waves, but they’re more about visibility than long-term conversion.
However, if you take the example of brands like Duolingo and add a strong touch of community engagement, branded content (e.g. the mascot), a unique tone of voice and style of communication, it can turn into branding and free press. Still, it’s all awareness, engagement, and image-building.
If you’re unsure which challenges are relevant to your brand, look at the creator highlights. Many influencers often share the latest trending challenges they’re participating in.
All in all, scheduling YouTube Shorts helps build consistency. And that matters, because the more consistent you are, the more your audience trusts you. And trust is the highest currency we have online.
The thing is, you can’t juggle all that manually. You need a platform that does the heavy lifting for you. You likely need Planable.
Planable lets you plan, schedule, and collaborate with all your stakeholders from one unified dashboard. It makes staying consistent much easier, so you can focus on what really matters – creating great content.
Maria is a content marketer, SEO copywriter, and social media specialist with experience working for a wide range of B2B businesses. She loves to keep up with the evolution of digital marketing, particularly in areas such as social media management, content, SEO, and PR. She is passionate about her work and loves to add a unique spin to any topic.
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