Short-form vs. Long-form Video Length for Social Media

There are many factors to take into account while producing videos exclusively for social media.

How do you capture a viewer's attention in the opening seconds? How do you craft copy that motivates your audience to take action? 

The most crucial question is how to ensure that the viewer watches the entire video you spent so much time creating.

The key to producing excellent videos of your own is creating advertisements that compel viewers to watch all the way to the end.

Creating videos that are the right length for each social media site is a huge factor in increasing those completion percentages.

Short-Form Video content

Over the past few years, short-form films have gained popularity in the world of content marketing. 

But what exactly is a short video? 

15 to 60 seconds is the typical length of a short video, while six-second micro-videos have gained popularity on websites like YouTube and Snapchat.

These videos are just long enough to tell an interesting story and keep the viewer's interest while still being brief enough to impart useful knowledge. 

Here are some criteria to consider when deciding whether to use short-form videos in your video marketing plan.

Social Media Is The Audience

Short-form video is specially designed for the mobile watching experience; it is condensed, immediately captivating, and platform-specific. 

Because social networking websites already seamlessly interact with mobile user experiences, this makes it ideal for them.

Due to users' fast browsing through content on websites like Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, time is at a premium. 

According to HubSpot, the ideal video length for Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook was 45 seconds for each platform and 26 seconds for Instagram.

Videos under 90 seconds will work best if your main objective is to perform well on social media. Why? 

The average time at which engagement starts to decline is 90 seconds.

This video's duration is appropriate to increase brand recognition, draw potential buyers into the sales funnel, and amuse current viewers while also holding their interest. 

In general, short-form videos are beneficial if you want to engage viewers with limited attention spans. 

People are less inclined to skip past your films on social media, especially Facebook because these shorter movies typically have a higher completion rate.

Easy to Repurpose

The short-form video has many benefits, one of which is that it forces you to improve your branding message. 

Your message might not be memorable enough if you can't convey it in a brief length of time.

Scale is another important advantage of short-form videos. 

You can make brief videos based on your current content or even come up with new content by recording the behind-the-scenes activities of your company.

By converting your textual material into video content, you may increase audience retention from 20% to up to 80% of what they see. 

Short-form videos perform better in terms of video completion rates and help the viewer remember the advertised brand, which is why many content marketers and companies adore them.

Long-Form Video content

While shorter videos have received a lot of positive attention, they are by no means the sole choice. 

Actually, if you want more views and engagement, long-form video material (anything longer than two minutes) would be the superior choice. 

According to Wochit, longer Facebook videos earned 74% more views and 79% more shares in 2017 than shorter videos.

Since the average engagement between a four-minute and a 10-minute video is not all that different, long-form video content can help you stand out from the crowd. 

Since the beginning of 2017, social media outlets like Facebook and Instagram have prioritized long-form videos. 

Additionally, Google has been giving longer films a higher rating in its search engine results. 

You might be able to improve your brand's website's SEO visibility by using long-form videos.

Long-form video can be the greatest option if you're seeking to express your brand's message in more detail. 

It enables you to investigate a more complex tale and go deeper. 

Excellent examples of this genre include documentaries, interviews, how-to videos, product demonstrations, and instructional movies.

Additionally, long-form videos can interest viewers, elicit strong emotions, and assist spread brand recognition. 

Can You Have Both?

It might be challenging to choose between short-form and long-form videos, but there are occasions when both are appropriate. 

Think about cutting long, in-depth videos into manageable chunks that you can publish on social media more readily. 

If you adapt your videos for each platform, you don't have to decide between the two.

Instead of branding, tell a compelling tale. 

Customers expect brands to be genuine. 

While branding is frequently unavoidably impersonal, stories add a human element that makes your brand more appealing to consumers.

Video Length on Different Platforms

It's crucial to remember that the perfect length for a video is however long it takes to promote your business and encourage engagement from your audience. 

Nevertheless, there are some best practices for each platform, so we have collected a list of video-length best practices on social media and recommendations to assist you in realizing how much time you actually have to work with.

What Is the Best Length for a Facebook Video?

The maximum Facebook video length is 240 minutes but the ideal video length is between 15 and 3 minutes.

Facebook's social media platform and ad network both heavily rely on video, hence it allows for some exceptionally long maximum video lengths. 

But that doesn't imply you have an endless amount of time to engage your audience just because the platform allows you to experiment with a runtime that is similar to an afternoon binge on Netflix.

So you have to be aware of which Facebook video length you need to get the best results.

Take into account the type of video you intend to create before opening your Facebook video editor. 

Facebook advises keeping your videos under a minute length for those created for quick conversion and business awareness (and under 20 seconds for Facebook stories). 

However, the website advises 3+ minutes for longer films, such as episodic series and live streams, in order to increase viewing.

When Should You Post Videos on Facebook?

Multiple theories exist. The ideal time to post on Facebook is between the hours of 1-3 PM on Thursdays and Fridays, according to Hubspot. 

Thursday and Friday had 18% greater engagement rates.

On weekdays, posting between 1-4 PM often yields the highest average click-through rates. 

The popularity of Facebook does not decline during the weekend. In a TrackMaven investigation, 1,5 million posts and 5,800 pages on Facebook were examined. 

They discovered that while Facebook posting is most active during the weekdays, users pay greater attention during the weekend with increased engagements (comments and shares) on Sundays with Thursdays closely following.

Be mindful of the various time zones. 

Approximately 50% of Americans reside in the Eastern Time Zone (ET). 

Over 75% of all Americans live in those two time zones alone, along with the Central Time Zone (CT).

The Eastern Time Zone is three hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time (PST), thus you may still start your campaigns in states like California from 1-4 PM. 

You should alter the start of your ads if your target market is on a different continent than the US.

Instagram Video Length

Instagram stories can only be 15 seconds long while grid videos can have a max length of 1 minute. On the other hand, Long Instagram Video Length should not exceed 10 minutes.

Consider carefully how many stories slides you'll need to tell your story while creating Instagram stories. 

Your fully produced tale should have a crystal-clear hook and CTA, and each slide should have a single, distinct message or purpose. 

Aim for 1 to 7 story slides at a time to ensure that your audience sees all of your work.

Keep grid videos to under a minute, and then consider your package carefully. 

Select a thumbnail that stands out in your grid or even on the “explore page”, then add captions or on-screen text to get the attention of the many individuals who are silently browsing through their feed.

With IGTV, you can bypass the 60-second cap and direct viewers to longer, more in-depth video experiences. 

Use that time to move individuals down the funnel by providing them with more information than you can with a straightforward video ad. 

Do your best to avoid overwhelming your audience, though.

To drive the most traffic to your longer-form video, don't forget to promote your most recent IGTV video in your feed and on your stories.

When Should You Post on Instagram?

Monday and Saturday are the busiest days for Instagram. 

For brands aiming to connect with potential customers, posting before and after work is a common technique. 

After all, the kids are out of school and people need a vacation to check their social media accounts.

Fortunately, Instagram also offers simple statistics for business accounts, allowing you to investigate the information for your own account or brand. 

Try different Instagram posting times, especially if you want to reach a global audience.

Twitter Video Length

The maximum length of a Twitter video is 140 seconds while the ideal length is 43 to 45 seconds.

It's not surprising that Twitter's video capabilities encourage conciseness given that each tweet may only include 280 characters. 

According to a recent study, films that lasted 43 to 45 seconds had the highest in-feed interaction rates and were more likely to be featured on Twitter. 

To fit the spirit of the platform, keep your Twitter videos (and copy!) brief and to the point.

When Should You Post on Twitter?

The busiest days for user communication in direct-to-consumer settings are Saturdays and Sundays. 

Compared to the weekend, your clients are less likely to click through and finish a purchase while they are still on Twitter during the workday.

We advise tweeting between 12 and 6 PM, and for new social media consumers who are visiting your Twitter page for the first time, it's always a good idea to put your most significant video content at the top of your Twitter feed. 

On average, click-through rates (CTR) are higher between 1 and 3 PM on Mondays through Thursdays.

YouTube Video Length

While Youtube doesn’t have a maximum length for organic videos on social media, 15 minutes long is considered the sweet spot.

Also, Youtube shorts can have a maximum length of 60 seconds.

When Should You Post on Youtube?

According to Entrepreneur.com, The most popular days to submit video content on YouTube are Thursday through Sunday. 

It is advised that you publish films on weekdays between 12 and 4 p.m. 

However, it's highly recommended that you post your YouTube videos on the weekends early in the day, between 9 and 11 am.

TikTok Video Length

In 2021, TikTok increased the maximum length of a video. 

Videos can now be anything from 5 seconds to 3 minutes in length, as opposed to the previous maximum of 60 seconds. 

However, videos between 9 and 15 seconds long usually do the best.

When Should You Post on TikTok?

Consistency is important with social media in general and with TikTok specifically, and posting frequently is advised while trying to grow a following. 

In fact, 90% of all TikTok users open the app every day, and they spend 52 minutes each day on average browsing the app.

Analysis of more than 10,000 TikToks by Influencer Marketing Hub revealed peak engagement periods on TikTok occurred at various times, such as 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and 5 p.m. on Fridays.

But generally speaking, posting on TikTok is best done in the morning.

Always Be Testing

The trick to determining the ideal video duration is that there isn't one that works for all contexts and industries. 

When you experiment with numerous alternative video lengths and keep track of your findings, you optimize your video for success.

By collaborating with a video production business with expertise in your sector, you can speed up this process. 

They'll be aware of what functions and what doesn't on your social media platforms.

Keep in mind that, unless your goal is awareness, video views are not the best sign of success. 

Select a video measure that is closely related to your video's objective.

Did the user click the final link? This demonstrates interest.

Did they make a purchase or at the very least schedule a consultation call? 

If so, then this video is beneficial regardless of its length.

The ideal length for a video is a guideline rather than a strict law. 

Your video doesn't need to be the optimal length as long as it's there for a cause.

Cut it down if you've bloated it out with unnecessary details or rambled on.

Final Thoughts

Keep in mind that these guidelines on video length are just that: guidelines. 

Different video lengths are required for different audiences, industries, and objectives.

CFClips' video production specialists have assisted companies in a wide range of sectors in making videos that are perfect for their target audiences and business objectives.

To begin producing videos that are just the length you need, get in touch with us right away.