Starting in June, YouTube is discontinuing its Stories feature, which allows users to share temporary posts. As of June 26th, users will no longer be able to create new Stories, and any existing Stories will automatically expire after a period of seven days.
Originally known as Reels when it was introduced in 2017, Stories were initially accessible to YouTubers with a subscriber count exceeding 10,000.
Similar to platforms like Instagram (which drew inspiration from Snapchat), YouTube Stories provided a means for creators to share updates and behind-the-scenes content to promote their channels.
However, upon observing the current YouTube landscape, it appears that Stories failed to gain traction. The feature had limited accessibility, with only a handful of creators regularly utilizing it, and YouTube itself did not heavily promote or highlight Stories.
With the removal of Stories, YouTube aims to encourage creators to utilize alternative features on the platform, namely Community Posts, and Shorts. In an effort to enhance engagement, YouTube has expanded access to Community Posts, which enable creators to share text-based updates.
Additionally, the platform introduced the option for posts to have an expiration date. Community Posts support various content formats such as polls, quizzes, images, and videos, and are conveniently displayed in a dedicated tab on channels.
YouTube has also been actively capitalizing on the popularity of short-form videos by promoting its TikTok competitor, Shorts. The platform encourages both traditional long-form video creators and newcomers to embrace the creation of shorter content.
As part of a revamped monetization strategy introduced in February, YouTube now shares ad revenue generated from Shorts with creators, further incentivizing their participation in this format.
