How long should your social videos be?

How long should your social videos be?

I know why you're here. You wanna know how long your social video should be, so let's get into it.

Did you know that a goldfish now has a longer attention span than a human? It's true. You can look it up. So, yeah, it's important to keep your content short, engaging, and to the point, especially on social platforms.

Each social channel is unique, so video length is gonna vary, but before we get too far into it, hit that follow button for more content on video production and video marketing. Here's a quick guide on how long your video should be on the most popular video platforms.

Right now we're talking Instagram, TikTok, YouTube shorts, and of course, LinkedIn.

Instagram gives its users the opportunity to upload reels up to 90 seconds in length. But just because you can doesn't mean you should. Seven to 15 seconds in length is the sweet spot. Short reels tend to loop, which gives your content more views and leaves reviewers wanting more.

TikTok is very similar to Instagram reels in the sense that it's all about short form video, but there is a balance. If the video is too short, your message can be unclear, and if your video is too long, your viewers can lose interest. TikTok recommends a length of 21 to 24 seconds, but the first three to 10 seconds, your hook is the most crucial.

Let's chat YouTube shorts. YouTube shorts has a max video length of 60 seconds, but YouTube itself actually recommends that brands focus on creating videos in the 15-ish seconds range. Noticing a trend here.

Now, LinkedIn is a bit of a different animal. Audience intent, algorithm differences, and platform culture all contribute to the ability to post longer videos. When uploading a video on LinkedIn from the desktop, we're maxed at a duration of 15 minutes, and that duration actually goes down to 10 minutes when you upload a video from the app. However, 30 to 90 seconds is the ideal video length on LinkedIn. As that length fosters more in-depth conversations while still keeping viewers engaged.

Have any other platforms you'd like to learn about? Send us a comment down below.