The popularity of video is evident from the fact that 68% of consumers spend a quarter or more of their time on social media watching videos.
And that’s not all. Video is also a hit with marketers because they hold a lot of value. According to our survey, 78% of marketers planned to incorporate more videos into their marketing strategy this year.
A video can be a short promotional clip on Instagram, a live stream on Facebook, or a full-fledged online event uploaded on YouTube.
Keeping in mind the types of videos out there, it is crucial to figure out your marketing goal and the ideal video length will be for each social media platform.
Ideal video length on social media
As of 2019 and 2020, the average daily social media usage of internet consumers worldwide amounted to 145 minutes. The daily time spent on social media in the U.S. was two hours and three minutes.
Daily time spent on social networking by internet users worldwide from 2012 to 2020 (in minutes) Statista 2021
This confirms what we all already know: people spend a lot of time on the internet. As a business, you’d be remiss if you didn’t take advantage of this.
But before you bolt off to create content, think about the ideal length for different social media platforms.
Here are the video length best practices for Instagram and Facebook.
Video length on Facebook
Recommendations:
- In-feed video: 24–90 seconds
- Facebook ads: 15–30 seconds
- Facebook Live: At least 20–30 minutes
- Facebook cover video: 20–90 seconds
- Facebook profile video: 7 seconds
Effective in-feed Facebook videos can be anywhere from 24 to 90 seconds long.
You can upload a Facebook video with a duration of up to 4 hours; however, that doesn’t mean you should because a person just scrolling through their feed won’t have the patience to sit through so much content.
To keep the viewers’ attention, the best idea is to keep the feed videos under 2 minutes. It’s plenty of time for your sales videos.
The same goes for Facebook ads which can be as long as 4 hours, but you need to capture the audience’s attention in the first five to ten seconds. Feed ads that are within 30 seconds work best, and for other ads on the platform, they should be preferably under 15 seconds.
To connect with your customers in real-time, Facebook Live is a great option. You can utilize Facebook Live for webinars and impromptu interviews and go live for up to 8 hours.
Just like Instagram Live, the longer you stream, the higher the chances are of more people joining.
Make sure that the broadcast is not less than 10 minutes, as that is the time it takes for the users to get a notification and join.
To make your Facebook business page engaging, you can try replacing your cover photo with a 20- to 90-second video. You can also change your profile photo with an animated GIF or a 7-second profile video.
Video length on Instagram
Recommendations:
- IG story: 30 seconds
- IG feed: 20-30 seconds
- IGTV: 10 minutes
- IG live: 30 minutes
- IG story ads: 15 seconds
For Instagram stories, you can put up a minute long video, but it splits it into 15-second chunks. However, it is ideal if you add a 30-seconds story as it works best. If you want to upload a video on your feed, then that can be 60 seconds long but a video between 20-30 seconds tends to get the most engagement.
For video ads, Instagram story ads should cover the main message in the first 15 seconds. Consider making teasers or anything attention-grabbing.
Your IGTV videos have to be at least a minute long and can go up to 15 minutes when uploaded from a mobile phone. If you upload using a desktop, then the IGTV video can be up to 60 minutes long. The ideal length for IGTV is 10 minutes.
For Instagram Live videos, the video duration can be up to 4 hours max, per stream. This is a recent update from the earlier 60-minute video length allowed.
Try to stream for at least 10 minutes because it takes time for people to tune in. Ideally, make your live stream long. Aim for 30 minutes or more. There’s a lot of potential to engage viewers.
If creating long-form content isn’t something you want to look into right now, then you could always post short videos.
You can share an explainer video to showcase your product or service and increase your engagement.
Read more: Instagram Video Length 2021: Everything You Need to Know
Video length on YouTube
Recommendation:
- For general content: 10 minutes
- For B2B content: 2 minutes or less
- Non-skippable YouTube ads: 6 seconds
- Skippable YouTube ads: 15-20 seconds
As 54% of marketers pick YouTube as their favorite platform for sharing content, it has definitely transformed how we create and see videos. The best part about it is that it caters to all different kinds of video lengths.
It allows a maximum of 12 hours per video. We recommend creating video that are at least 10 minutes long.
Since YouTube works best for longer video content, you can upload interviews, tutorials, vlogs, and detailed how-to videos on your channel.
However, for B2B content, you can upload a video that is less than 5 minutes in duration, but the sweet spot is for 2 minutes or less.
For YouTube video ads, it is best to keep it at 6 seconds for non-skippable ads and 15-20 seconds for skippable ads.
Video length best practices for business marketing
In 2021, in terms of creating high-value content for businesses, 24% of marketers picked training videos, 24% chose promo videos, 14% went with demo/explainer videos, 14% selected live streams, 12% went with personalized videos, 10% opted for how-to videos, and 2% picked customer onboarding videos.
Now each of these videos is bound to be different in length considering its marketing purpose and nature.
The type of video you put up depends on your marketing objectives, which then affects the video’s length as well. Although it is generally considered that the shorter the video, the more effective it is. But for some other kinds of videos, such as webinars, it is not always the case.
To determine the ideal video length for your video, you have to at what your goals is. If you want to create awareness with your video, such as a promo, you can make it short.
If you want your video to create brand loyalty, you can make it a little longer. At this point, as the customers are already aware of your brand, they will be more likely to engage with longer content.
Here, we break down the video length best practices for different kinds of videos.
Explainer video
Explainer videos are created for the purpose of educating the audience about a product or service in a very simple way.
These are short marketing videos and are ideally 60-90 seconds long.
Here’s one we made for a client.
If you liked our video and want one made for your business, then get in touch!
Talk with a video strategist
If you want to learn about our explainer video production process, click on the link.
Teasers and promos
The purpose of promos or teaser videos is to get prospects interested in your product/service or business.
You can find these types of videos on landing pages or social media where they hint at a new product launch or promote a company’s main service/offering.
Keeping in mind the nature of these videos, it’s best to aim for 45 seconds or even less.
Demos
Demos can be product introductions, highlights, or unboxing videos. The purpose of these videos is to show the product in the best light and highlight its usability.
These can be anywhere from 2 to 5 minutes long.
How-to videos and tutorials
How-to videos and tutorials are created to impart information regarding a product. Their length depends on the complexity of the training.
If you can break it down quickly, that’s great, but if you have to make a longer video so your viewers get value from it, then go for it.
If you work with a video production company like ours, we could help you figure out the ideal length of your video and offer recommendations based on your unique case.
Video case studies
An ideal video duration for this type of video can be 2 to 5 minutes. To get the most out of your video case study, you can chop it up into bite-sized clips to promote on your social media channels and via email.
Webinars
Webinars can be 15 to 60 minutes long as the guests and presenter engage in the topic of discussion, generally followed by a Q&A session.
An exception to this rule is a webinine which is a webinar around 9-minutes in duration, introduced by Hall of Fame keynote speaker and founder of Convince & Convert- Jay Baer.
Read more: Webinar Marketing 101 – Your Essential Guide
Landing page videos
Your landing page videos should be short, around 30 seconds to 1 minute in duration.
Use the first 30 seconds wisely, as you have to capture your audience’s attention within this time frame if you want high conversion rates.
That’s all
We hope you found this blog useful. If you need any help video production or video marketing for your business, then hit us up. We’d love to help.