The Complete Guide to Video Length

How long should your video be?

The first thing your viewer will see before they even click the play button is your video’s length. Having a video that is too long or too short can cause a viewer to click out before you even had a chance. You need to know how long your video should engage the right audience on the right platform.

Your video’s length varies from your video’s style to the platform that it is being consumed on. A user interacts with video content differently on Twitter than they do on LinkedIn.

This means tailoring your videos to fit the platforms or delivery method that you are using. Does this mean a bit of extra work? Yes, it does, but it also will increase your chance of success and converting viewers into customers.

Figuring out how long to make your videos takes practice and, more importantly, time. The time that you probably don’t have, as business owners and marketers are already being pulled in multiple directions constantly. To make your life easier and give you an edge on the competition, we created this guide listing our recommended video length for different social media platforms and video styles.

Social Media Videos

Facebook Video Length: 2 – 5+ Minutes

Video is quickly growing on Facebook and in 2018 accounted for 20% of all posts. In subsequent years, the popularity of video has only continued. While it may seem daunting to make a video over 2 minutes, Facebook changed its algorithm in 2017 to boost videos over 2 minutes.

Staying in the 2-minute timeframe is always a nice sweet spot to be in, but on Facebook, if you have a great story to tell, I encourage you to go longer. Always remember, though, that 85% of Facebook users watch videos without sound. Adding burned-in captions or the ability to turn on captions is a must for the platform.

Instagram Video Length Under 60 seconds

Hard posting a video on Instagram is not the best way to deliver lengthy video content. The viewer cannot see the duration of the post and cannot scrub through the video to rewind or fast forward. We reserve this for short promotional videos or quick selfie shout-outs. If you desire to create longer content for Instagram, you need to be looking at IGTV or Instagram TV.

IGTV Video Length 1 to 3 minutes

Anything that has more content or production value can be upgraded into the IGTV category at 1-3 minutes. Instagram puts a heavy emphasis on IGTV, including the awaited feature of teasing your IGTV videos as hard posts. This feature is pushing IGTV into the limelight and making it a much stronger tool.

We recommend using IGTV to share Thought Leadership videos, Culture videos, or a video series that your audience can enjoy while lounging at home or on the go. Much like Facebook content, we recommend burning in captions or having the option to add captions through the use of a .srt file.

Twitter Video Length 0:15 seconds to 1:00 minute

Video has become an important part of the Twittersphere, with, 60 billion video views a day. While that number is impressive, you should note that the average session duration is, 3.39 minutes, shorter than its rival platforms, meaning your audience is spending less time consuming each post.

We recommend using Twitter videos for quick announcements, promotions, or teasers for your longer and more substantial content. Users on Twitter are moving quickly, and if you ask for too much of their time, your video will have a high drop-off rate.

LinkedIn Video Length 30 seconds to 5 minutes

If you are looking to engage business professionals online, then you need to be posting on LinkedIn; after all, 91% of marketing executives list LinkedIn as the top place to find quality content.

Your video content on LinkedIn should be of moderate length, ranging from 30 seconds up to 5 minutes. If you have long-form content such as a Thought Leadership video that is 10+ minutes, I would recommend creating micro-content and break it into a series of 0:30-1:00 videos. These videos will perform better and give you more content to drip out on your social media platform.

Marketing Videos

Landing Page Video Length 1:00 to 2:00 minutes

Typically embedded on your company’s homepage is the popular landing page video, which can also double as the About Us video. This video is short, sweet, and leaves the viewer wanting more. To do this, we need to keep the video under 2 minutes long. This video aims to bring the viewer into your marketing funnel, not make them watch a 5-minute video about how you make paper.

Focus on engaging the viewer and then directing them to your call-to-action by addressing their specific needs. If you can squeeze all of that in under two minutes, you have done a good job.

Product Review 1:00 to 5:00 minutes

Aim to make your product videos at least 1 minute in length with a maximum duration of 5 minutes. We like to give this information-rich video content more time than traditional marketing videos because it isn’t so much marketing as it is informational. The viewer base for this video style is interested in your brand and your products, so a longer and more authentic video can act as a robust selling tool for your business.

Webinar 30-60 minutes

A popular bottom-of-the-funnel sales tool is the webinar. Similar to a PowerPoint presentation in length and style, we recommend 30-60 minutes for webinars. Any longer and you may seem some hesitation or drop-offs during your presentation from your audience.

Culture Videos 2:00-5:00 minutes

With so much work being done online, the popularity of Culture videos has become a hot item. These videos showcase how your company works, how the employees interact, and what it is like at your office. These videos can be simple as highlighting an event such as “Bring Your Kid to Work Day” or interviewing your staff on working there. Culture-themed videos generally have more style and detail, so we recommend making videos in the 2:00-4:00 range.

Be careful of inserting too many inside jokes or things your team thinks is funny when the audience is actually your customers. Always produce your video content for your audience.

Thought Leadership Video 10-15 minutes

This video depends greatly on your stump speech style and what platform you are delivering it on. If you have a well-rehearsed and thought-out presentation similar to a, TED Talk or, Gary Vaynerchuk monologue, you can push your video length into the 10-15 minute range.

Webcam Greetings or Walkthroughs 2-5 minutes

I think it is safe to say that every computer now has webcams and access to the internet. This is a tool your business can use to build a personal connection with your audience. When you land a new client and want to say hello or send a proposal out, consider adding a video with your message. This video can be a quick hello introducing yourself, your company, and the work you are hoping to do with them.

We use webcam greetings with all of our video proposals. We find that videos 2-5 minutes in length are the sweet spot that increases the viewer’s chance of completing the video. Videos that go over 5 minutes tend to have the viewer skipping around and not fully watching the video.

Shorter videos are consumed more.

Did you know the average person is exposed to 5000 ads a day!

You can understand why someone may have a short attention span with so much noise as they quickly jump between ads and media platforms. When engaging users, you need to have your content fit seamlessly into their engagement patterns and needs. Creating a video that is too long or too short, and you will get skipped.

But don’t give up on longer video content.

It isn’t that people hate long-form content. They actually love it but are more selective about what they spend their time on. In a study done by Netflix in 2013, 61% of subscribers preferred bingeing content over traditional watching.

Wistia, one of the name brands in video hosting for businesses, has a saying, “The number of impressions is not the number of people impressed.”Your video content may be getting 10,000 views but are they quality views, or are people just stopping by for 15 seconds and then leaving? Longer content offers a chance for viewers to get immersed in your content and branding.

Finding the right video length for your content can take time and practice. Unfortunately, not all brands have the time and resources to make endless amounts of content to find the secret sauce. If that is the case for your business, I would recommend you consider working with a video producer. A professional in the video marketing industry can work with you to develop a strategy to create better content that targets your audience and stays within your marketing budget.

If you are in the Pennsylvania, New York, or New Jersey area and need video production services, we would be happy to help you. At Chocolate Bar Studios, we work with businesses to develop video marketing strategies and video content that meets your marketing needs. To speak with one of our video producers about your next marketing video, reach out to us.