The ideal duration of an explainer video is two minutes or shorter. But, this advice comes with conditions. Different platforms, messages, and audiences require different video lengths. If aiming to distribute your video for broadcast, cable or OTT, it will have to meet the requirements of the outlet – principally in 15, 30 or 60 second slots. Digital delivery is becoming increasingly popular because of its expansive capabilities, with a shift towards shorter, smaller pieces of content, even on platforms that are designed to accommodate longer videos.
You should obtain optimum results if, rather than adhering to a strict policy, you create specific videos that have only the necessary length. In other words, you should convey one point in a pleasant and engaging manner without any superfluous details or diversions.
For more information on suitable video durations for different kinds of social networking sites and hosting scenarios, read further. We gathered the main data points related to the most suitable duration of a business video and combined them into a helpful infographic.
Best Length for a Business Video By Platform
The size of each platform is determined by its capacity to house certain types of content as well as what its viewers are expecting. Think about what kind of delivery platform you are targeting when deciding on the best length for your video. These are some of the widely used platforms and their associated regulations.
Facebook Ads
Length: 15 seconds
You are allowed to post video ads to Facebook’s feed as long as they are shorter than 241 minutes in length. That’s minutes, not seconds. In theory, you could have an ad on Facebook that is active for four hours. It is not advised to do so, and the platform concurs. Facebook reports that when ads are 15 seconds or shorter, more people tend to stick around to watch the conclusion.
Ads that play when a person is viewing another video should not exceed two minutes in duration and for best results, should typically be even less in order to prevent irritating the viewer. Keep in mind that the person you are targeting with the ad is occupied with another activity. Minimizing the disruption is a smart strategy. When you post videos on your Facebook page, be mindful of the two-minute time limit.
Ads on Instagram must not exceed a duration of 60 seconds. Facebook, which is the proprietary owner of Instagram, often highlights the fact that Facebook videos can conveniently be used to promote ads on Instagram. This will only be successful if your Facebook ads are brief. It is advisable to adhere to Facebook’s 15 second rule when posting on Instagram as well. When you are creating a video for Instagram, bear in mind that it will keep playing on repeat in someone’s feed.
As of October 2021, Instagram is allowing videos that are posted organically to be up to an hour in length, as a part of its rebranding of IGTV. In 2021, Instagram Reels changed the length of its video limits. It is now possible to post videos of up to a minute in length.
TikTok
Length: 16 seconds
TikTok permits users to make videos of a maximum length of 60 seconds. An exploration of TikTok’s top 100 videos of 2019 showed that they generally averaged around 16 seconds each. An exception could be granted if your goal is to create a News Feed Application Series Video Advertisement. It would be wise to strive for a duration of approximately one minute.
Length: 6-15 seconds
Tweets containing videos can contain footage lasting up to two minutes and twenty seconds. Twitter suggests that videos for advertisements should be between 6 and 15 seconds in duration. Remember that Twitter is mainly used for fast content viewing, so it’s best to make posts and ads concise.
The Social Media Exception
Live video: as long as reasonable
Live videos are the exception to the shorter-is-better rule. The objective when using live videos is not to merely offer a concise, pointed statement. Rather than addressing your audience in a detached manner, you want to create a more intimate connection. Extended videos offer more possibilities for your audience to observe that you’re broadcasting, take part in the stream, and even communicate with you directly.
Once the performance is completed, you may select approximately 20 to 60 seconds worth of footage to reuse as a video clip and share with a larger audience. If you have a part of the footage with a distinct and straightforward theme, then you should take advantage of that. Cutting off a piece of your life arbitrarily is not going to bring much success. It is preferable to create a specially prepared video which efficiently communicates your message to those people who were not able to take part in the live broadcast. However, if you possess an efficient clip, it is suggested that you utilize it.
Youtube Videos
Length: 2 minute
A typical YouTube user is able to publish videos that do not exceed 15 minutes in length. Verified accounts can go much longer. It is difficult to generalize concerning the duration of videos which are available on the platform. Many music videos featuring well-known personalities have been among the most watched ever. The rest are videos aimed at children.
It would be erroneous to think that your approach should be the same as theirs. A lot of YouTubers suggest creating a video that is somewhere in between 10 and 15 minutes long. However, these YouTubers are looking to generate an income through sponsorships and advertisement sales. Depending on your objective, decide upon a duration suitable to the position of your audience in the process.
Self-hosted Videos
Length: 2-15 minutes
The two-minute rule also applies to self-hosted videos. It’s safe to assume that a large majority of the viewers will stop watching if the video is more than 7 minutes long; most of them will have stopped by the two-minute mark. If a video is being hosted on a website like Wistia or Vimeo, this statistic will most likely hold true.
The Optimal Length for Social Media Updates and More
The optimal length of a Facebook post – 40 characters
Shorter seems to be better on Facebook.
Engagement reaches its peak when posts contain 40 characters; however, very few posts reach this 40-character mark. And engagement slowly wanes the longer you go.
An 80-character post is better than 100-character post.
A 40-character post is better than 80.
The advantage of a narrow window is that when you share a link on Facebook, it allows you some leeway with the amount of text that you include in your post. Hyperlinks on a page display the heading and a brief overview of the content, accompanied by the title you write.
What makes this length optimal?
Posts of this length generally have a greater level of likes, comments, and a combination of likes and comments. Analyzing the relationship between the total engagement and the number of Facebook followers can also be helpful.
Where’d this data come from?
Two investigations have established that shorter posts on Facebook are likely to be more effective. A 2011 six-month study of the leading 100 retail Facebook pages conducted by Buddy Media is frequently referred to. A 2011 experiment from BlitzLocal monitored 11,000 Facebook pages for seven months.
The optimal length of a Google+ headline – 60 characters maximum
Updates on Google+ have a look similar to that of blogposts, with an eye-catching heading on top and the accompanying text underneath. These uppermost titles are the ones to focus on optimizing. Sixty characters is the recommended length.
What makes this length optimal?
The headline on Google+ cannot exceed a certain length, or else it will split onto two lines.
Where’d this data come from?
Demian Farnworth of Copyblogger experimented with the size of posts on their page. He discovered that it was possible to include up to 60 characters in a headline before further words would need to be carried over to the second line.
The optimal width of a paragraph – 40 to 55 characters
I hadn’t given much thought to the amount of words in my paragraphs prior to investigating this topic. It might not seem like it makes much of an impact to readers, but research in usability and psychology indicate that they are still noticing it.
What makes this width optimal?
The dimensions of the text make it easy to interpret, which allows readers to acquire a basic understanding of the topic.
Where’d this data come from?
Derek Halpern of Social Triggers put together two studies to get to the suggestion of 40-55 characters. The studies he cited include a 2004 meta-analysis by Mary C. Mr. Dyson from the University of Reading and a study from a group of Dutch scholars from 1992 were looking into this.
The optimal length of a domain name – 8 characters
What common features do some of the most successful domain names possess?
- is short
- is easy to remember
- is easy to spell
- is descriptive or brandable
- does not contain hyphens and numbers
- has a .com extension
It can be difficult to determine the length of time a dot-com business will operate before it is acquired. If you have been unsuccessful in acquiring the domain name with the dot-com suffix, opting for a .co or a .io website has become a more popular choice these days.
What makes this length optimal?
The majority of the Internet’s top websites have domain names that are the standard length.
Where’d this data come from?
In 2009, Daily Blog Tips conducted a survey of the most popular 250 pages on the Alexa internet ratings, tabulating how many words and symbols featured within the addressed section of each internet site.
The optimal length of an email subject line – 28 to 39 characters
What is the most effective subject line to use when sending an email? Here’s a sample from my Gmail.
There are numerous methodologies to take into consideration when devising a subject line, and it is essential to try different lengths in addition to other factors. A wise beginning point for your experiments is to focus on having a password length of 28 to 39 characters.
What makes this length optimal?
It is possible to observe a slight rise in response rate and click rate with this size.
Where’d this data come from?
In 2012, Mailer Mailer conducted an investigation by examining 1.2 billion emails to determine the predominant patterns that their subject lines contained.
The optimal length of a blog headline – 6 words
I’m incredibly enthusiastic about receiving helpful advice regarding writing catchy headlines, which is why this experience has been so educational. On the Buffer blog, we prefer to create headlines that are the strongest and most striking. Is it possible that the brief, six-word headlines are the most successful?
What makes this length optimal?
Our vision is prone to spotting the opening three words and the concluding three words of a title.
Where’d this data come from?
Bnonn, a writer for KISSmetrics, has discovered through usability research that people scan headlines. In 2009, Jakob Nielsen conducted an experiment regarding the ability of readers to consume the first 11 characters of a given headline.
The optimal length of a LinkedIn post – 25 words
The level of success of your LinkedIn profile length is contingent upon the group of people you are attempting to reach. Are you looking to connect with companies or consumers?
A Compendium study from 2012 that examined length on LinkedIn revealed data based on different business types such as B2B and B2C. Here’s what they found.
What makes this length optimal?
The Compendium research indicates that clickthroughs should be the determinant in deciding appropriate procedures. One can safely presume that the ideal size of a LinkedIn post should depend on the amount of clicks it generates.
Where’d this data come from?
Compendium released the results of an investigation they conducted in 2012, surveying 200 companies and exploring the most efficient strategies for both business-to-business and business-to-consumer social media approaches.
The optimal length of a blogpost – 1,600 words
We conducted a blog content assessment recently and uncovered some knowledge about the optimal length of posts on the Buffer blog.
A good starting point is around 1,600 words.
Our investigations have revealed that posts of about 2,500 words seem to be most successful for us.
It is essential to compare these figures to your own information. If you are just beginning, you should probably begin by writing 1,600 words in each post and then adjust your number of words based on that.
What makes this length optimal?
The length of your content should be such that your readers will not be rushed while they are reading it. The amount of time spent on a page is greatest when the content consists of 1,600 words.
The Secret to Optimal Video Length: Test and See
It is not possible to pinpoint a precise length that is suitable for all businesses and cases; the trick to identifying the right video length is different for each industry and circumstance. In order to ensure the effectiveness of your video, try multiple durations and review the outcomes. You can make this procedure smoother by teaming up with a video production company that is well-versed in your field. They’ll know what works and what doesn’t.
It should be noted that viewing figures for a video are not necessarily the most accurate representation of success (unless your primary aim is to increase awareness). Choose a video metric that directly correlates to your goal for the video:
- Did the person click the link at the end? That shows engagement.
- Did they actually purchase something or at least sign up for a consultation call? If so, that video is effective, whatever length it is.
There is no concrete answer to how long a business video should be, it’s simply a guideline to begin with. It is possible for your video to exceed the recommended length as long as there is a purpose for doing so. If you’ve added excessive details or branched off into undesired topics, reduce it.
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