The most common question we get at Storykit is, “how long should my video be?”, and we understand why you ask this question. The format is new and the platform is fast. Naturally, it’s nice to have some guidelines to rely on.
One problem, however, is that there are so many myths about how long a video should be on social media. Some have heard that a video should be no longer than 5-15 seconds while someone else has read that Facebook recommends videos over 3 minutes long. Even Facebook denies this:
– The recommendation we give is that your video should be as long as it needs to be if you just manage to keep it interesting, says Josefine Billström, Creative Strategist at Facebook.
At Storykit, we usually give the same recommendation and have enough data on our own material to be able to conclude that there is no strong correlation between the length of your video and how long the audience watches it.
That being said, we have still gathered a list of "suggested" social media video lengths per platform that you can use to guide you.
Suggested social media video length
These stats were taken from Hootsuite:
- Facebook: Aim for concise and engaging videos with a recommended length of 1-2 minutes for optimal performance.
- Instagram Feed: Keep your videos on the grid within the 1-minute mark, while IGTV allows videos up to 15 minutes long. However, it's best to aim for 2-5 minute videos for maximum impact.
- Instagram Stories: Limit your Instagram Stories to 15 seconds per slide to maintain viewers' engagement.
- Instagram Reels: Optimize your Reels within the first few seconds, regardless of the selected runtime between 15 to 60 seconds.
- TikTok: Aim for brevity with videos around 7-15 seconds to capture and retain viewers' attention.
- Twitter: Keep Twitter videos around 44 seconds to effectively engage users without overstaying your welcome.
- YouTube: Consider a video length of around 2 minutes for optimal engagement, although longer vlog content can be up to 10 minutes or even longer for verified accounts.
- LinkedIn: Videos that are 30 seconds or under have shown a 200% lift in completion rates, while long-form videos can also drive engagement by telling more complex stories.
- Snapchat: Keep normal posts within the 7-second mark, while video ads should ideally stay between 3 and 5 seconds for maximum engagement.
- Pinterest: Aim for a runtime between 6 and 15 seconds for Video Pins to maximize engagement on the platform.
Video length takeaways...
Don't forget to look at these statistics with a grain of salt. These recommendations may vary based on the nature of your content and target audience. It's always beneficial to experiment and analyze the performance of your videos on each platform to determine the optimal length for your specific goals.
