How to make a texting-story video for YouTube Shorts

Try it: start from this sample

Set up for a channel, not just a clip

A Short lives on your channel next to your other videos, so decide what the series is before you open the editor. One recurring pair of characters, one look and one colour scheme make each upload recognisable. The sample uses the WhatsApp-style look, which is on the Free plan; ChatsRat draws its own interface in a similar general style and uses the name only to describe the kind of layout.

Let the typing indicator carry the suspense

This look supports a typing indicator, and the last sample line is built for it: three dots before "Which month did you pick?" gives the viewer one second to guess. Each indicator costs about a second, so use it once or twice in a story, on the bubble that matters, never on every line.

Export and upload

Choose the 9:16 shape and export an MP4; video and the vertical shape are Creator plan features, and the Creator plan limit is 60 seconds. Shorts can run longer, but a chat story rarely needs it. Upload, then write a title that states the situation, such as "He booked the wrong month". Check on your phone that the title does not cover a bubble.

Dates and rules

Shorts can run up to 3 minutes as of November 2026, and the app can be vertical or square, but platforms change these limits, so check the platform's own help page before you publish. Label the story as fiction in the description.

Tips

• Create one reusable template per series so each Short looks consistent.
• Open on the mistake, not on a greeting.
• Watch the first two seconds on mute and ask if you would stay.
• Keep the typing indicator for the single most important bubble.
• Write the title after the script, from the funniest line.

Questions