Set up a YouTube channel for Shorts
You'll need a Google account that has a YouTube channel — and that's the catch: a Google account on its own can watch and subscribe, but it has no channel until you create one. Any channel works (personal or a business Brand Account). Here's how to get one ready, in about ten minutes.
What you'll need
- A Google account (free) — the account you'll sign in with
- A YouTube channel on that account — a Google account has no channel until you create one (step 2 covers it)
- A vertical video to post — Shorts are vertical and up to 3 minutes long
- Nothing paid: you don't need a Brand Account, a business verification, or the YouTube Partner Program to create a channel
Step by step
- 1
Check whether you already have a channel
Sign in to youtube.com, then select your profile picture in the top-right corner. If the menu shows “Your channel”, you already have one — skip to step 3. If it shows “Create a channel” instead, you don't have a channel yet, so carry on to step 2.
- 2
Create your channel
There are two ways to do this, and both work with ZippityOne — pick whichever suits you:
The quick way (a personal channel): select your profile picture, choose “Create a channel”, confirm the name and photo, and finish. This channel carries your Google account's name and only you can manage it.
Under a business name (a Brand Account): if you'd rather the channel show your business name — and be manageable by more than one person, with no separate password — create a channel with a business or other name instead. YouTube connects it to a Brand Account. This is optional; a personal channel posts Shorts just the same.
YouTube's exact click-by-click for both options is in its official article, Create a YouTube channel.
- 3
Have a vertical video ready
Shorts are vertical videos, up to 3 minutes long. You don't need to upload anything now — just know that when posting ships, the videos you send through ZippityOne should be vertical so they land in the Shorts feed.
- 4
When posting ships, connect it here
That's the setup done. YouTube Shorts posting from ZippityOne is still coming soon — you don't need to connect it today. When it ships, you'll use ZippityOne's Connect Socials page to connect YouTube Shorts. Google shows its own screens: first pick the Google account, then a permission screen naming the connection and the YouTube access it needs — review it and approve.
If that Google account manages more than one channel, Google asks which channel to use — choose the one you want to post to. You can remove the connection any time at myaccount.google.com/permissions.
Common snags
A Google account is not a YouTube channel
This trips up almost everyone. You can sign in to Google and YouTube all day and still have no channel — a Google account lets you watch, like, and subscribe, but you need a channel before you can upload. Go back to step 2 and create one.
You don't need a Brand or business account
A Brand Account is an option, not a requirement. It's handy if you want a business name on the channel or several people managing it — but a plain personal channel works the same way. Individuals are welcome; pick whichever you prefer.
You can only use one channel at a time
If your Google account has more than one channel (say a personal one and a Brand Account), YouTube treats one as active at a time. When posting ships and you connect, make sure you pick the channel you actually want to post to on Google's screen.
Once posting ships: a reconnect that fails
If a reconnect fails and asks you to try again, it's usually because Google is re-using an old approval. Go to myaccount.google.com/permissions, remove ZippityOne's access, then connect again from ZippityOne. Google will issue a fresh approval and the connection sticks.