What Is The Ideal Video Length For Social Media?

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Did you know that Facebook alone logs over 8 billion videos viewed every 24 hours? Insane, right? Wrong! It shows that there’s high demand for video content. The problem is that most consumers have worse attention spans than a goldfish! This is likely why more than half (56% to be exact) of all online videos published in the last year are less than two minutes long. But, finding the right video length depends on the platform. If you don’t consider the average watch times per platform, you’ll likely lose your audience’s attention before your video even really begins. Here is the ideal video length by platform so you can effectively engage with your audience. Let’s get into it.

Here’s the Ideal Video Length By Platform

Facebook

Short videos reaching a maximum of 120 seconds receive the highest engagement rate. 

  • Make sure they’re fun, engaging, and/or informative while being easily understood even without sound. 
  • Remember, videos will auto-play without sound first, so make sure the first few seconds are visually appealing regardless of audio. 
  • Be sure to upload your video directly to Facebook, not a third-party website (like YouTube) because Facebook’s algorithm prioritizes Facebook-original content. 

Twitter

These videos should be no longer than 30 seconds due to Twitter’s 30-second limit for video content. 

  • Consider using Twitter videos as teasers for upcoming releases on a third-party platform (such as YouTube) or your own personal website.
  • Engaging with comments, replies, and reactions to viewer messages is an incredibly effective way to boost your video’s reach.

Instagram

Instagram is a little more complicated. Reels should reach at most 60 seconds long; IGTV videos must be at least one minute long. If you upload an IGTV from the web, your video can be 60 minutes max. If you upload an IGTV from a mobile device, you only can work with a 15-minute watch time. But, videos averaging at 30 seconds receive the most engagement. 

  • Make sure your videos are visually appealing — give your viewers a reason to watch the whole video. You can do this by creating layers, making it dynamic, or give it suspense with a climax near the end.
  • Use relevant hashtags with medium competition. You want to gain viewers but not lose your content in a sea of other videos in an overcrowded hashtag. 

YouTube

For optimal engagement, aim for your videos to hit a two-minute mark. However, long-form videos can still be very successful — some videos reach over 2 hours with great engagement!

  • Make sure your video provides your audience with fulfilling content. 
  • If your video is long, provide a summary at the beginning of the video or provide timestamps in the description.
  • Use YouTube as a “digital library” catalogue by organizing your videos into playlists by topic or content style. Some examples of content styles include FAQs, how-tos, demonstrations, or vlogs.
  • Remind viewers to like, subscribe, comment, and save for later after your introduction and again at the end to inspire engagement. 
  • You can even ask an opinionated question and have them reply in the comment section to further boost engagement. 


Here are some more important components to consider when uploading your videos to YouTube.

There you have it! Four different platforms with four different watch-times and tips to boost video engagement. But if finding the ideal video length seems like too much to handle, that’s okay! At Siva Creative, we have marketing specialists and social media experts to provide you with tried and true optimized content. Reach out to us today to find out how we can help you succeed in growing your business’ online presence.

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