YouTube is the latest platform to move on from the Stories format, with YouTube Stories set to be depreciated next month.

Originally launched in 2018 in order to latch onto the Stories trend (which had been initially sparked by Snapchat), YouTube Stories aimed to provide a similar, full-screen engagement option, and provide more ways for creators to connect.

But it never really caught on, and never even saw a full launch to all users. And with Shorts and Community Posts now gaining much more traction as engagement options, YouTube’s moving on from the Stories format, in order to enhance its focus on these elements.

As per YouTube:

“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.”

Given the relatively low usage of the option, the announcement is unlikely to have a big impact, though it could alter your YouTube content planning moving forward.

But really, you’d be better off focusing on Shorts and Community Posts instead. Shorts are YouTube’s fastest-growing content format, while YouTube also continues to add new functionalities to Community Posts, which were made available to all channels this week.

YouTube says that Community posts are far better at driving engagement and interaction, and with Shorts offering a similar, full-screen video experience, there are essentially better options than the Stories display.

So, no more YouTube Stories as of June 26th, with the format following the lead of Twitter’s fleets, LinkedIn Stories, and some of the other, lesser-used Stories re-imaginings.

Does that mean that, eventually all social Stories options will be on the way out?

We’ll have to wait and see.