Yes, how long should a video be? This is a difficult question with many answers. It all depends on what you are creating, but there are some guidelines and recommendations.
In recent years, the general advice has been “the shorter, the better” when it comes to videos used for marketing purposes. Studies have shown that people can tolerate watching videos of around 15–30 seconds. Short videos therefore increase the viewing time statistics and naturally perform better when they are shorter. That’s why we recommend having a short version of 15 seconds. TikTok and Reels have helped train our patience to watch ads for only a short time, and since we are flooded with ads on every platform, it becomes easier to just scroll past. Because of this, the advertising industry has adapted and produces ads accordingly. But can you make longer videos?
Focus on relevance
Studies have shown that 65% of viewers skip video ads as soon as they have the chance. We can ask ourselves the question: if a video ad is scrolled past, has it then had zero effect? The answer is probably no. When the marketing is done right, the right people have seen the ad. When the video is done right, the audience has picked up the sender and the message within the first few seconds. If it’s done “extra right,” the video creates curiosity that makes the right viewer want to watch until the end.
Most likely, we skip even a short video because it lacks relevance to us and our lives. If the video shows something we are interested in, we’ll watch it. Even though our patience for content is getting shorter, it’s not hopeless. We still have plenty of patience when, for example, we watch a good series. Then we binge one episode after another. This shows that we have patience when something resonates with us.
But is watch time everything? Of course, it’s great to have many viewers for your ads, but if you could choose between 100 uninterested viewers or 10 who are actually interested, most would choose the 10. Conversions are what matter. So even if a 15-second video might be viewed more often than a 30- or 90-second one, you should see which ones actually convert.
This length performed the best
We contacted one of our clients here in Oslo, for whom we have produced several videos, and got some insight into which videos have performed best in terms of conversions. The one that performed the best was 30 seconds long. Right after that came a 60-second video and hook videos of 15 seconds. This is interesting data that shows that short videos are not a guarantee of top performance.
Explore and experiment
The conclusion to how long a video should be is simply to experiment — no length guarantees high numbers. In addition, you should focus on creating personal content that resonates with people. One strategy we use is to always produce multiple versions when we do productions. Typical lengths are 90, 60, 45, 30, and 15 seconds. This gives the marketer a small content bank that fits seamlessly into most social media platforms, increasing the chances of success.
