Revive Dead YouTube Shorts With Community Tab Reposts

Why "Dead" Shorts Aren’t Actually Dead

You post a Short.
It gets a small burst of views.
Then everything stops.

No new views. No comments. RPM looks depressing.
You assume the Short is dead and move on to the next idea.

That’s a mistake.

On YouTube, a Short isn’t dead until you stop sending traffic to it. The algorithm can re-test old content when it sees signs of new interest. Your Community tab is one of the simplest ways to trigger that new wave of interest, and it can directly affect your ad revenue and channel growth.

This is where Community tab reposting becomes a quiet superpower for creators who care about monetization.

In this post, you’ll learn exactly how to:

Identify Shorts worth reviving
Use the Community tab to push them back into circulation
Turn those “dead” videos into long-term revenue drivers

How the Community Tab Actually Helps Monetization

The Community tab is not just for memes and announcements. It’s a traffic engine.

Here’s what it does for your earning potential:

Puts old content in front of active subscribers
Even if YouTube stopped pushing your Short in the Shorts feed, your Community post can put it back in front of people who already chose to follow you.
Sends a strong “interest” signal to YouTube
When subscribers click from a Community post to your Short and watch it, the algorithm reads that as fresh engagement. That can restart distribution in the Shorts feed.
Improves viewer quality
Subscribers are more likely to:
- Watch longer
- Comment and like
- Share the Short
  Higher engagement improves performance, which can lead to more ad-filled views and a higher chance of long-term RPM stability.
Connects Shorts to your monetized ecosystem
A revived Short that gets traction again can:
- Push traffic to longer videos
- Drive people to your channel page
- Help convert viewers into loyal subscribers, which helps everything you upload later

If you think about each Short as a small asset that can earn money for months, then the Community tab is your way to keep those assets active instead of buried.

Step 1: Find Shorts That Are Worth Reviving

Not every Short deserves a second push. Some flopped because the idea just wasn’t strong enough.

Focus on “almost winners” that underperformed because of timing, poor click-through from the feed, or weak early engagement.

Look for Shorts that have at least one of these:

Above-average retention
- In YouTube Studio, sort your Shorts by average view duration
- If a Short holds viewers better than others but has low views, it likely just never got enough initial distribution
High engagement but low views
- Strong like rate
- Comments that)))) say things like “underrated” or “this deserved more views”
- That kind of social proof means the content connects with the right people
Good RPM on low volume
- Even with a few thousand views, you might see a higher RPM on certain Shorts
- If the topics in those Shorts attract valuable advertisers, you want more views on them

These are prime candidates for a Community repost because they already show signals of quality. They just need another traffic push.

Step 2: Choose the Right Community Post Format

You’re not just dropping a link and hoping for the best. The format matters.

Here are the main options and when to use them.

1. Direct link post

Best when:

The Short already has a strong hook in the first second
The thumbnail frame is visually clear and eye-catching
You want quick, direct clicks

Format:

Short, curiosity-driven sentence
Direct link to the Short

Example:

This Short got buried, but it might be my most useful tip yet.
Watch it here: [link]

2. Poll + Short link

Best when:

You want more interaction on the Community tab
Your channel has strong engagement but weak Short distribution
You’re testing what your audience likes before creating more similar Shorts

Format:

Poll question related to the Short
Link in the comments or main post

Example:

Which one stresses you out more as a creator?

Views dropping

RPM dropping

Shorts not getting pushed

I made a Short on how I revived a “dead” video here: [link]

Polls increase engagement, which can help YouTube show that post to more subscribers, leading to more clicks.

3. Screenshot + story

Best when:

You want to build a narrative around the “dead” Short
The Short has an interesting result, insight, or transformation

Format:

Screenshot from the Short or analytics
Short story of what happened
Link at the end

Example:

This Short sat at 1,200 views for weeks. I thought it was done.
Then I reposted it through the Community tab and it shot to 40,000+ in 3 days.
Here’s the Short if you missed it: [link]

Step 3: Write Community Posts That Actually Get Clicks

Dropping a link is easy. Getting people to click is the skill.

Use these guidelines:

1. Lead with a hook, not the link

Bad:

New Short: [link]

Better:

This was my worst-performing Short for a month... until it exploded.

Then add the link on the next line.

2. Add a reason to watch now

Give viewers a “why” beyond curiosity.

Examples:

“If your Shorts are stuck under 1,000 views, watch this”
“I used this trick to double my watch time in a week”
“You’ll probably relate to this if your last upload flopped”

3. Keep it tight

People scroll their Community feed quickly. Avoid long paragraphs.

Aim for:

1–3 short lines of text
Then the link
Optional: 1 short line as a P.S.

Example:

Thought this Short was dead.
Reposted it and it pulled 25k views in 48 hours.

Watch how I did it here: [link]

Step 4: Time Your Reposts For Maximum Impact

You don’t want to spam your audience with links. You also don’t want to repost at random.

Use these timing tips:

1. Wait at least 7 days after upload

Give the Short a chance to get natural distribution first. If after a week:

Views have flatlined
Impressions are barely growing
CTR is reasonable but traffic is low

Then it’s a good candidate for a Community boost.

2. Post when your audience is actually online

Check your YouTube Studio analytics:

Go to “Audience”
Look at “When your viewers are on YouTube”

Schedule Community posts during those darker purple windows. You’ll usually see better click rates and faster engagement.

3. Avoid stacking too many promos

If possible:

Don’t promote more than 1 Short per Community post
Don’t do more than 2 heavy promo posts per week

Mix in value posts:

Quick tips
Voting polls
Mini case studies
Questions for your audience

You want your Community feed to feel useful, not like a constant sales pitch.

Step 5: Track Results And Adjust

If you care about monetization, you need to watch the data.

After a Community repost, monitor:

1. Short view spike

Go to that Short in YouTube Studio:

Look at views 24–72 hours after the Community post
Notice if there’s a clear spike that lines up with the post time
If yes, the repost did its job

2. Watch time and retention

Watch time is the engine behind monetization:

If people who come from the Community tab stay and watch the full Short, that’s a strong signal
If retention drops, your hook might not match the promise in the Community post

3. Revenue per 1,000 views (RPM)

For monetized channels:

Compare RPM before and after the spike
Some topics bring higher RPM traffic
If a revived Short with higher RPM starts getting thousands more views, that’s direct extra income

Over time, you’ll see patterns:

Certain topics revive better
Certain styles of Community posts get more clicks
Certain days and times consistently perform

Use that to decide which Shorts you’ll keep pushing and which ones you’ll let stay buried.

Advanced Strategies: Turn Revived Shorts Into Revenue Loops

Once you see that Community reposts can wake up old Shorts, you can start building real systems.

Here are a few advanced strategies.

1. Cluster by topic

If you have several Shorts on similar topics:

Pick the best-performing one
Repost it through the Community tab
In the comments of that Short, link to related Shorts or a long-form video

You’re guiding viewers through a mini content funnel, which increases:

Total watch time
Channel session time
Chances they see more ads and convert to subscribers

2. Tie revived Shorts to offers

If you sell anything:

Courses
Coaching
Digital products
Affiliate tools

Use revived Shorts that already attract the right audience and:

Add a pinned comment with your offer link
Mention your offer briefly in the Short’s description
Use the Community post text to connect the Short to the offer

Example:

If you’re stuck under 1,000 views per Short, this might help.

Short: [link]

P.S. I break this down step-by-step in my free checklist here: [link]

Now every revived Short has a monetization path beyond ads.

3. Run “revival weeks”

Once a quarter, plan a “revival week”:

Choose 3–5 old Shorts worth reviving
Schedule Community posts for each
Track which ones come back to life

During that week, don’t just watch view counts. Look at:

New subscribers gained from those Shorts
Watch time across your whole channel
Revenue shifts during and after the push

You’ll see which Shorts are real long-term assets.

Final Thoughts: Treat Your Shorts Like Long-Term Assets

Most creators treat Shorts like disposable posts. Upload, hope for a spike, move on.

Serious creators treat each Short like a small content asset that can be reactivated again and again.

Your Community tab is not a side feature. It’s a built-in distribution tool that can:

Revive good content that never got a fair shot
Create fresh monetization waves from older uploads
Help your best ideas work for you long after the initial push

If you’re creating Shorts for growth and income, don’t just chase the next upload.
Start reviving the hidden winners you’ve already made, and use the Community tab to bring them back to life.