How to Give Credit on YouTube Shorts

Using someone else’s sound, video clip, or idea in your YouTube Short can be a fantastic way to jump on a trend and grow your channel, but it comes with one big question: how do you give credit correctly? Getting it wrong can lead to copyright strikes or muted audio, while getting it right builds community and protects your account. This guide will walk you through exactly how to give credit for music, visual clips, and trends so you can create with confidence.

Why Giving Credit on YouTube Shorts is a Smart Move

Before we get into the "how," let's quickly cover the "why." Proper attribution isn't just about avoiding trouble, it’s a cornerstone of building a sustainable and respected brand on social media. Forgetting to credit someone (or doing it improperly) can have real consequences.

Here’s what you get right when you credit creators properly:

• You Avoid Copyright Headaches: YouTube's automated Content ID system is constantly scanning for copyrighted material. Proper attribution, especially when using YouTube's official tools, is your first line of defense against video takedowns, revenue claims, and channel strikes.
• You Foster Community and Goodwill: Tagging a creator is a digital handshake. It signals that you respect their work and want to support them. This goodwill often leads to returned favors, collaborations, and shoutouts that can help you grow.
• You Help Great Content Get Discovered: When you credit a sound or trend, you create a direct path for your viewers to find the original artist or creator. This is how trends go viral and how smaller creators get the recognition they deserve. You become part of the creator ecosystem, not just a content consumer.
• You Banish ‘Cringe’ Comments: Nothing sinks a comments section faster than a stream of viewers pointing out you used someone else's idea without a shoutout. People notice, and they’ll call you out. Crediting from the start shows you're transparent and part of the conversation.

Crediting Audio: Sound and Music Methods

Audio is the lifeblood of YouTube Shorts, and it's also the category with the most straightforward rules. YouTube has built-in tools to make audio attribution almost effortless, as long as you use them correctly.

The Best Method: Using YouTube’s Official Audio Library

This is the safest, easiest, and most highly recommended way to add music to your Shorts. When you use a sound from YouTube's official library, YouTube automatically handles the attribution and licensing for you.

Here's the step-by-step:

1. Open the YouTube app and tap the + icon to create a Short.
2. At the top of the editing screen, tap "Add sound."
3. Browse or search for a song or sound effect from the library. YouTube’s collection includes both popular commercial tracks and trending original sounds from other creators.
4. Select the sound and trim it to the section you want to use.
5. Record your video.

That's it. Once you publish the Short, YouTube will automatically add a section to your video's description stating what music was used and will display the sound source at the bottom of the Short as viewers watch, allowing them to tap on it and see other videos using the same audio.

Key Takeaway: If you can find the sound you want in YouTube's library, always add it through the Shorts editor. Don't find it on Spotify and add it to your video in an external editor - you’ll lose all of YouTube's built-in protections.

Using Original Audio from Another Creator’s Short

Hopping on a trend often means using an original audio clip created by another user. YouTube makes this simple, too.

1. When you’re watching a Short with audio you want to use, tap the square sound icon in the bottom-right corner.
2. This takes you to the audio's dedicated page, where you'll see other Shorts using that sound.
3. At the bottom of this screen, tap the red "Use this sound" button.
4. The Shorts camera will open with the audio pre-loaded. Record your video, and YouTube will again handle the attribution by linking back to the original sound page.

What About Commercial Music Not in the Library? (The Risky Route)

If you add your own audio track in a third-party video editor (like Adobe Premiere Pro or CapCut) instead of using YouTube’s library, you are personally responsible for having the legal rights to use that music. Simply "crediting the artist" in your description does nothing to protect you here.

If you use commercial music this way, you can expect one of these outcomes:

• The video will be blocked in certain countries or worldwide.
• The audio will be muted.
• The copyright holder will monetize your video, meaning any ad revenue goes to them, not you.
• In the worst-case scenario, you'll receive a copyright strike against your channel. Three strikes and your channel can be deleted.

If you absolutely need a specific track not in the YouTube library, you must get a license. Services like Epidemic Sound, Artlist, or Soundstripe offer huge catalogs of royalty-free music and sound effects that you can legally use in your videos for a subscription fee.

Crediting Visual Content: Remixes, Stitches, Collages, and Inspiration

Properly crediting visual elements is just as important as crediting audio. Viewers have sharp eyes and are quick to spot copied content.

Using YouTube’s Built-in “Remix” Tools

Just like with audio, YouTube’s best features handle the attribution for you. The "Remix" function is your best friend when incorporating another creator's video into your own.

When watching a Short or a VOD (Video On Demand) on YouTube, tap the "Remix" button underneath the video description. You’ll be presented with a few options:

• Sound: Lets you use the audio from that video in your own Short (similar to the process described above).
• Cut: Allows you to take a 1-5 second segment from the video to use in your Short. This is perfect for reaction videos or adding a punchline.
• Green Screen: Places the original video behind you, allowing you to film yourself reacting or commenting in the foreground.
• Collab: This creates a side-by-side format, similar to a TikTok duet, where your video plays next to the original simultaneously.

When you use any of these Remix features, YouTube automatically adds a bold, easy-to-see credit inside your Short's description (e.g., "Cut from [Original Video Title]") that links directly back to the source video. This is the clearest and most official way to give visual credit.

How to Give Manual Credit (The Old-Fashioned Way)

What if you didn't Remix but simply saw a great video format, challenge, or idea that you wanted to recreate with your own unique footage? In this case, you need to add manual credit. Here are the most effective ways to do it, from best to good.

1. In the Pinned Comment

Pinning a comment that credits the original creator is an excellent, highly visible strategy. It's often the first comment people read.

Example: After posting your Short, write a comment like: "Huge shoutout to @CreatorHandle for the original idea! Had so much fun trying this challenge." Then tap the three dots beside your comment and select "Pin".

Using the @ symbol to tag their channel turns the text into a clickable link to their profile. This is the most direct way to drive your audience to them.

2. In the Description

The description is the standard place for credits. Make it clear, concise, and place it at the top so it's impossible to miss.

Good examples:

• Video credit (VC): @CreatorHandle
• Idea inspired by: @CreatorHandle
• Original trend from @CreatorHandle (link to their video)

While descriptions for Shorts aren't immediately visible, they are the 'official' record keepers and are looked at by both savvy users and YouTube itself.

3. On-Screen Text Overlay

Adding a small credit directly on the video with a text overlay ensures everyone sees it, even if they never check the comments or description. This is common for aggregator and curation accounts that constantly repost content.

Example: A small, non-obtrusive text box in a corner for the first few seconds with "credit: @CreatorHandle" or "via @OGCreator".

The downside? This credit isn’t usually clickable, so it’s less effective for driving traffic to the original creator. But it's better than nothing.

Dances, Trends, and Challenge Credits

Some of the most popular Short-form content involves dance trends or challenges. While the "idea" of a dance is harder to legally copyright, it's a huge part of creator culture to credit the choreographer or the person who started the trend.

Find the originator of the trend (often through comment sections of bigger creators) and give them a shoutout in your pinned comment or description. Something as simple as "DC: @OriginalDancer" (Dance Credit) is standard etiquette and shows you respect the community.

Common Crediting Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs

Being a good creator also means knowing what not to do. Avoid these common slip-ups:

• "Credit to the creator": This is the most unhelpful phrase in content creation. It’s the equivalent of saying nothing at all. Either take 30 seconds to find the actual username or don't use the content.
• "I don’t own this music/video": This disclaimer is legally meaningless. It doesn’t protect you from copyright strikes, it only signals to everyone that you knowingly used content without permission.
• Burying the credit: Don't hide the creator tag at the end of a long list of 30 hashtags. Put it upfront and make it visible.
• Mistagging: Double-check the handle! Tagging `@jon.smith` is very different from tagging `@john.smyth`.

Final Thoughts

Giving proper credit on YouTube Shorts protects your channel, supports fellow creatives, and establishes you as a trustworthy brand. Whether you’re using YouTube’s built-in Remix and audio tools or manually tagging inspired-by ideas in your pinned comment, taking an extra moment to acknowledge the source of your content is a fundamental part of being a good digital citizen and a savvy creator.

When you're managing regular Shorts, alongside posts on TikTok, Reels, and other platforms, small details like credit tags are easy to forget. We often use our own tool, Postbase, to stay organized. By prepping all of our short-form video content in its visual calendar, our team can see exactly what's scheduled, and we can add notes and check that descriptions, comments, and attribution are all ready to go before anything is published. It helps us avoid those "I forgot the credit!" moments across all our accounts.