Another Google product is heading to the graveyard.
In a blog post, the company announced that YouTube Stories is getting killed off. According to the company, users will no longer be able to post a Story on June 26th. The feature will officially shut down seven days after that date. So, if you want to get something ephemeral out on YouTube, now is the time to do it.
The company says that it sunsetting Stories because other features like Shorts, Live, and Community already give creators on the platform the tools they need to engage with their audiences.
Today, there are many ways to create on YouTube – from Community posts to Shorts, to long-form and Live. To prioritize these key features, Stories are going away. Starting on 6/26/2023 the option to create a new YouTube Story will no longer be available. Stories that are already live on that date will expire 7 days after they were originally shared. While Stories are going away, we’ve seen that both Community posts and YouTube Shorts are great alternatives that can deliver valuable audience connections and conversations.
That’s a nice way of saying it, but Stories are likely shutting down because the feature was not gaining traction on the platform. Honestly, I forgot that you could even post a Story to YouTube. While it’s one of those things you expect to see on Instagram, it definitely isn’t as expected on something like YouTube.
In the announcement, the company also teased that it will be releasing new features for both Shorts and Community posts “throughout the year.”
With new features for both Shorts and Community posts to be announced throughout the year, we are committed to investing in new and innovative tools to help you grow your audiences across YouTube. We look forward to seeing what you create with all of these formats – Community posts, Shorts, live streams, and long-form content!
On the same day that YouTube announced it is killing off Stories, a report revealed that TikTok is testing an AI chatbot, following Snapchat into the social media/chatbot game.
