How to Choose a Category for YouTube Shorts

Choosing a category for your YouTube Shorts is more than a small settings checkbox - it’s a direct signal you send to the algorithm telling it who should see your content. Picking correctly can give your Shorts a serious boost in reach, while the wrong one can leave them stranded. We'll walk through exactly how to pick the right category, break down what each option really means for short-form clips, and show you why this choice is a simple but powerful tool for your channel’s growth.

Why Does the YouTube Shorts Category Even Matter?

In the fast-paced world of short-form video, any edge you can get is worth taking. Assigning a category to your content might feel like a minor detail, but it plays a significant role in how YouTube understands and distributes your Shorts. Think of it as labeling a file folder, it helps the system instantly grasp the context and contents.

Here’s why it deserves your attention:

• It Guides the Algorithm: Your title, description, and hashtags are important, but the category provides a broad, high-level piece of context. Are you here to teach, entertain, or tell a story? The category you choose is the first and clearest answer you can give YouTube, helping it sort your video into the right bucket from the get-go.
• It Connects You to the Right Audience: By telling YouTube your Short is about "Gaming," you're signaling that it should be shown to viewers who regularly watch gaming content. This improves your chances of landing on the Shorts shelf of someone who is likely to watch, like, and subscribe, a factor which in turn fuels the algorithmic flywheel.
• It Improves Findability: Categories can influence where your Shorts surface beyond the main feed. This includes showing up alongside related long-form videos, appearing in genre-specific browse features, and helping your content get discovered by users actively looking for certain types of videos.

While content quality and watch time are still the champions of viral success, selecting the right category is a fundamental step you can take to put your content on the path to the right eyeballs. It’s an easy win that sets a strong foundation for every upload.

The Official YouTube Categories (and What They *Really* Mean for Shorts)

The list of categories on YouTube was created long before Shorts existed, so their meanings aren't always crystal clear for 60-second clips. Let's translate them for the modern creator.

People & Blogs

What it's for: This is the universal destination for personality-driven content. If the primary focus is you - your life, opinions, stories, or daily routine - this is a safe bet. Think mini-vlogs, "get ready with me" (GRWM) videos, personal storytelling, and reaction videos. If it doesn’t neatly fit anywhere else, this category often works.

Comedy

What it's for: Exactly what it sounds like. This is home for sketches, skits, memes, ironic voiceovers, funny edits, and relatable humor. If the sole purpose of your Short is to make someone laugh, choose this category. It targets an audience specifically looking for a quick dose of humor.

Entertainment

What it's for: A broader category than "Comedy." "Entertainment" covers pop culture commentary, street magic, movie hot takes, "Top 5" lists, fascinating facts, and trend breakdowns. If your content is designed to be fun and engaging but isn't necessarily a comedy skit, this is your zone.

Howto & Style

What it's for: The home of tutorials. This category is perfect for makeup tips, skincare routines, fashion hacks, simple DIY projects, OOTD (Outfit of the Day) showcases, and quick recipes. If your Short shows people how to do, make, or achieve something, pick this one.

Education

What it's for: Bite-sized learning. A step more formal than "Howto & Style," this category fits quick history lessons, science explainers, book summaries, business tips, tutorials on coding or software, or language learning hacks. If your main goal is to teach a concept or share knowledge, this gives your content a more authoritative signal.

Gaming

What it's for: All things gaming. From epic gameplay clips and funny fails to new release highlights, game builds, and industry news. Don't use a broader category like "Entertainment", the "Gaming" option directly targets one of the most dedicated audiences on the platform.

Film & Animation

What it's for: This category is for animated stories, short films, cinematic analysis, or edits that mimic movie trailers. This is also where you'd categorize sped-up creations of digital art or animation process videos.

Autos & Vehicles

What it's for: Car reviews, mod showcases, maintenance tips, epic driving clips, and all content centered on cars, motorcycles, bikes, and any other vehicles. Like gaming, it’s a specific niche - use the dedicated category if your content fits.

Music

What it's for: Shorts featuring your original music, acapella performances, finger drumming, instrument tutorials, song covers, or quick music theory lessons belong here. If the video is essentially a micro music video, this is the right place.

Pets & Animals

What it's for: Adorable, funny, or impressive clips of pets and wildlife. If an animal is the main subject of your Short, this category is designed to capture the massive audience of animal lovers on YouTube.

Sports

What it's for: A home-run clip, a gym workout demonstration, fitness advice, sports analysis, or footage from a live event. Any Short centered on athletic activities belongs here.

Travel & Events

What it's for: Montage videos from a vacation, quick travel guides ("3 Places to Visit in Paris"), hotel tours, or content from a concert or festival. It captures the spirit of exploration and experiencing new places.

Science & Technology

What it's for: This category fits Shorts about cool gadgets, programming hacks, interesting experiments, space facts, or tech reviews. It’s for content that feeds curiosity about how the world and the things in it work.

News & Politics / Nonprofit & Activism

What it's for: These are highly specific categories. Use "News & Politics" for straight-to-the-point updates and commentary on current events. "Nonprofit & Activism" should be used for content promoting a cause, sharing volunteering experiences, or raising social awareness. Unless your content explicitly falls into these buckets, you should choose a broader option.

A Step-by-Step Guide to Choosing Your Best Category

Feeling clearer on the options? Awesome. Now let's put it into practice with a simple framework to help you choose the right category every time.

Step 1: Define Your Core Channel Niche

Before you even think about a single video, get laser-focused on your channel's main theme. What is the one thing you want to be known for? What value do you provide, or what kind of feeling do you want to give viewers? Be able to complete this sentence: "My channel is about _______."

Example: "My channel is all about making thrift flipping look easy and fun."

Step 2: Start Broad, Then Get Specific

Looking at your core niche, identify all the possible categories it could fall under. For our thrift flipping example, it could potentially be:

• People & Blogs (if it's very personality-focused)
• Entertainment (if it's about the 'wow' factor of transformations)
• Howto & Style (if it focuses on teaching the sewing skills)

Now ask yourself, "Which one is the most accurate descriptor of my content's purpose?" While your channel has your personality, the primary goal is to show people 'how to do something' in the realm of 'style'. In this case, Howto & Style is the strongest fit.

Step 3: Analyze Similar (and Successful) Channels

You don't have to guess - research what's already working. Find 3-5 popular channels that create Shorts similar to yours. To find their default channel category, you often have to look at one of their long-form videos instead of a short:

1. Go to one of their long-form videos on a desktop.
2. Right-click on the page and select "View Page Source."
3. On the new page that opens, use your browser's find function (Ctrl+F or Cmd+F) and search for the word "category".
4. You should see some text that says something like, ,"category":"Howto & Style",. That's the category of the video (which is usually their channel's default).

Seeing a clear pattern among creators in your niche is a strong signal that you're on the right track.

Step 4: Think About Viewer Intent

Finally, put yourself in your ideal viewer's shoes. Why do they tap on a Shorts view that looks like yours? What emotional payoff or piece of information are they after?

• Are they looking for a quick laugh? → Comedy or Entertainment
• Are they looking for a solution to a problem? → Howto & Style or Education
• Are they looking to be amazed or inspired? → Entertainment or Science & Technology

Matching your chosen category with viewer intent reinforces the signal you're sending to the algorithm that your content satisfies what they're looking for.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Picking a Short's category isn't a final contract, but there are a few common pitfalls to avoid.

1. Choosing "People & Blogs" as a Default Catch-all

While it's a flexible and versatile category, "People & Blogs" can sometimes be too vague. It's the "I don't know" category, which doesn't give the algorithm very specific direction. If your content genuinely has stronger elements of "Howto & Style," "Education," or "Gaming," it's almost always a better choice to pick a more specific option.

2. Setting It Once and Forgetting It

Channels evolve. You might start with lifestyle content but pivot to technical tutorials a few months later. Make sure you review your default category and your upload settings every few months to make sure it still aligns with what you're creating now.

3. Overthinking It Too Much

Yes, choosing the right category can give you an edge, but don't let it hurt your performance. It's not the only factor in play. Quality content still reigns supreme. Don't let paralysis by analysis keep you from uploading. Pick the category that best matches your channel right now and focus your energy on making incredible Shorts that people love. You can always go back and adjust later.

Final Thoughts

Choosing the right YouTube Shorts category is about giving the algorithm a clear roadmap to your ideal audience. By understanding what each category truly means and analyzing your content's core purpose, you can make a strategic choice that supports your channel's growth.

When you're managing dozens of Shorts across different platforms, keeping track of details like categories can be tricky, that's where a tool built for modern creators comes in handy. With our visual calendar, you can plan your YouTube Shorts alongside your Reels and TikToks and see where every piece of content stands and exactly what it needs. Postbase streamlines this entire process, so you can stop wrestling with settings and focus on creating content that connects.