Learn short-form video, from your first Short to a growing channel
A free, step-by-step course for YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Instagram Reels. Short lessons in plain language, a practice task in each one, and a quiz so you know it stuck.
Each lesson takes 6–12 minutes and ends with a list of what to remember.
Every lesson has one small task you can finish in under half an hour.
Pass the 4-question quiz to complete the lesson. Finish them all for a certificate.
Start here
Decide what you will make, for whom, and on which platform, then set up the account.
- How to Become a Content Creator: A Realistic Plan for Your First 90 Days What a content creator actually does, the gear you need (a phone), and a step-by-step 90-day plan to go from zero posts to a working routine on Shorts, TikTok or Reels. 9 min
- How to Choose a Niche (With 60 YouTube Channel Ideas) A simple three-question test for picking a niche you can stick with, how to check that people want it, and 60 channel ideas for Shorts, TikTok and Reels. 10 min
- YouTube Shorts, TikTok or Reels: Where Should a Beginner Start? A beginner's decision guide, not a spec sheet. Answer four questions to pick your first short-form platform, then learn when and how to add the other two. 8 min
- How to Start a YouTube Channel: A Beginner's Step-by-Step Guide Create your channel, choose a name and handle, verify it, set up branding and audience settings, and publish your first Short, all in about an hour. 10 min
- How to Start a Faceless YouTube Channel (That Can Actually Get Monetized) Formats that work without showing your face, the gear and workflow for each, and the YouTube rules on reused, mass-produced and AI content that faceless channels most often break. 10 min
Go deeper: YouTube Shorts vs TikTok vs Instagram Reels: Which Platform Should You Prioritize? · Short Form Video Strategy 2026
How the platforms work
What each feed measures, how videos get shown to new people, and the format rules that matter.
- How the YouTube Shorts Algorithm Works (and What You Can Control) What YouTube has actually said about how Shorts get recommended, the signals that matter, the myths that don't, and a checklist for making Shorts the feed keeps showing. 9 min
- How the TikTok Algorithm Works: The For You Feed Explained How TikTok picks videos for each person's For You feed, which signals count most, why follower count isn't a direct factor, and what makes a video ineligible for recommendation. 9 min
- How the Instagram Reels Algorithm Works: How Reels Are Ranked What Instagram has said about how Reels are ranked: the signals that count most, why sends matter for reaching new people, what lowers reach, and how to test ideas with trial reels. 9 min
- Short-Form Video Specs Cheat Sheet: Length, Size, Safe Zones and File Types Every format rule for YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Instagram Reels on one page: how long each can be, the one export size that works everywhere, where to keep captions, and which file settings to use. 7 min
Go deeper: YouTube Shorts Size, Dimensions and Aspect Ratio (2026) · TikTok Video Size, Aspect Ratio and Length (2026) · Instagram Reels Size, Length and Safe Zone (2026) · How Long Can YouTube Shorts Be in 2026?
Ideas, hooks and scripts
Find ideas that people want, open strong, and structure a short so viewers stay to the end.
- 75 Short-Form Video Ideas (and How to Find Your Own) 75 ideas for YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Reels that work in almost any niche, plus six places to find fresh ideas every week and a simple test for which ones are worth filming. 10 min
- How to Structure a Short Video So People Watch to the End The four-part structure behind short videos people finish: hook, setup, payoff and loop. With timings for 30, 45 and 60 seconds, a worked example and how to fix drop-offs. 9 min
- How to Write a Script for a Short Video (30-60 Seconds) A step-by-step way to write a 30-60 second script for Shorts, TikTok or Reels: word counts by length, a two-column format, three fill-in templates and a full example. 10 min
- How to Be Confident on Camera (Without Sounding Read) Practical ways to talk to a camera without freezing: a setup that lowers the pressure, how to use a teleprompter so it sounds natural, delivery tips and a 7-day practice plan. 9 min
Filming and editing
Film good-looking vertical video on a phone, get clean sound, and edit for pace.
- How to Film Good Vertical Video With Just a Phone The phone settings, framing and stabilizing tricks that make vertical video look clean on YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Reels. No extra gear needed, and a 20-minute test shoot to prove it. 9 min
- Lighting and Sound on a Budget: Window Light, Cheap Mics and Quiet Rooms How to light your face and record clear sound for short videos for $0 to $100. Where to put the window, which cheap mic to buy first, and how to kill room echo and background noise. 9 min
- How to Edit Short-Form Video: Pacing, Jump Cuts, Captions and B-Roll A step-by-step editing workflow for YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Reels. Cut dead air, pace with jump cuts, add readable captions and b-roll, balance sound, and export at the right settings. 10 min
- Music, Sounds and Copyright for Creators: What You Can Actually Use How music rules work on YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Instagram Reels: in-app libraries, Content ID, business accounts, the cross-posting trap, fair use myths and what to do about a claim. 11 min
Go deeper: How to Add Captions to Videos Automatically · How to Add a Custom Thumbnail to YouTube Shorts (2026)
One long video, many shorts
Turn podcasts, streams and long videos into a steady supply of clips without filming more.
- A Content Repurposing System: One Long Recording a Week, a Month of Shorts A simple weekly workflow that turns one long recording into 20 to 30 short clips a month for YouTube Shorts, TikTok and Reels, with a schedule, a checklist and the math. 10 min
- How to Find Clip-Worthy Moments in a Long Video How to spot the moments in a podcast, stream or long video that work as shorts on their own: the stand-alone test, a fast transcript scan, your retention data and AI scoring. 10 min
- How to Turn Horizontal Video Into Vertical (Reframe and Crop) How to convert a 16:9 horizontal video into 9:16 vertical for Shorts, TikTok and Reels: the crop math, four layouts, speaker tracking, and free ways to do it. 10 min
- Batch Content Creation: Film Once, Post All Month How to batch create short-form video: plan a month of ideas, film them in one session, edit with templates, write every caption at once and schedule it all ahead. 10 min
Go deeper: How to Make YouTube Shorts from Long Videos · How to Repurpose YouTube Videos · How to Repurpose Podcast Episodes into Short Clips · How Many Shorts Can You Get from One Long Video?
Publishing and growth
Post on a schedule you can keep, write titles and captions, and read your analytics.
- How to Go Viral on TikTok: What You Can Actually Control Nobody can promise you a viral video, but you can control the things TikTok's For You feed rewards: a hook that stops the scroll, a video people finish, and a reason to share. 9 min
- How to Grow on TikTok From Zero Followers A step-by-step plan for your first 90 days on TikTok: set up a profile that converts, pick a lane, post on a rhythm you can keep, and turn one-time viewers into followers. 10 min
- How to Get More Views on YouTube Shorts YouTube ranks Shorts on whether viewers choose to watch, how long they stay and whether they enjoyed it. Here's how to improve each one, and what to do when a Short flops. 10 min
- Titles, Captions and Hashtags for Short Videos What to write in the title, caption and hashtags of a Short, TikTok or Reel, with each platform's current rules, copy-ready templates, and the mistakes that cost you views. 9 min
- How to Read Your Short-Form Analytics: Retention, Swipe-Away and Shares Where to find the numbers that matter in YouTube Studio, TikTok Studio and Instagram Insights, what each one means, and a 20-minute weekly routine to turn them into better videos. 11 min
- How Often to Post Short Videos, and How to Stay Consistent How many Shorts, TikToks and Reels to post per week as a beginner, what YouTube and TikTok say about frequency, and a simple system to keep posting when life gets busy. 9 min
Go deeper: Best Time to Post YouTube Shorts in 2026 · 14 YouTube Thumbnail Ideas That Get Clicks (With Examples)
Making money
The realistic ways short-form creators earn: platform payouts, brand deals, clipping and your own offers.
- How to Monetize YouTube Shorts: Requirements, Revenue Share and the 2027 Changes What you need to earn money from YouTube Shorts, how the Shorts revenue pool and 45% share actually work, what changes on February 1, 2027, and how to earn before you qualify. 10 min
- How to Make Money on TikTok: Every Official Program and What It Takes The real ways TikTok pays creators, with each program's requirements as TikTok states them: Creator Rewards, Subscription, LIVE Gifts, TikTok Shop affiliate and brand deals in TikTok One. 10 min
- How to Get Brand Deals as a Small Creator: Media Kit, Pitch, Rates and Disclosure A step-by-step way for small short-form creators to land paid sponsorships: what brands check, a one-page media kit, a pitch email you can copy, how to price, and the FTC disclosure rules. 11 min
- What Is Clip Farming? And How to Become a Clipper (Honestly) Clip farming means two things: streamers staging moments to get clipped, and the paid job of clipping other creators' videos. How both work, what clippers really earn, and why permission comes first. 10 min
About the course
Yes. Every lesson, quiz and the certificate are free, and you do not need an account to read the lessons. Progress is saved in your browser.
Beginners who want to start posting short videos on YouTube Shorts, TikTok or Instagram Reels, and people who already post but want a system. It also helps podcasters and long-form YouTubers who want to turn their videos into clips.
About 5 hours of reading in total, plus a short practice task in each lesson. Most people do one or two lessons a day and finish in two to three weeks.
Yes. Pass the quiz at the end of every lesson (3 of 4 correct) and you can download a certificate of completion with your name on it.
No. The lessons teach the method with any tools, including free phone apps. Short.now comes up in the repurposing module as a faster way to turn long videos into clips.