When creating a video of any kind, there’s a lot to consider. This is especially true when looking to create social media content in an engaging and fun way. How do you grab a viewer within the first few seconds? How do you write copy that actually elicits action from your viewers? And, most importantly, how do you make sure your audience actually watches the full length of the video you worked so hard on?
As a general rule, it’s important to note that the ideal length for a video is however long it takes to showcase your brand and clearly communicate your message. Still, there are some best practices for each platform, so we’ve compiled video length guidelines and recommendations to help you understand how much time you really have to work with.
Because video is a huge part of its platform and ad network, Facebook allows for some very long max video lengths. But just because the platform lets you doesn’t mean you should. Think clear, concise and most importantly, QUICK!
When it comes to videos designed for rapid conversion and business awareness, Facebook suggests keeping your videos less than a minute long (and under 20 seconds for Facebook stories). But for longer videos like episodic series and live streams, the site says 3+ minutes is best to maximize viewership.
When putting together Instagram stories, think about the number of story slides you need to tell your story. Each slide should have a single clear message or goal and your fully assembled story should include a clear hook and call to action.
When it comes to grid video, keep it under a minute, then be smart about your packaging. Pick a thumbnail that makes it stand out in your grid and include on-screen text or captions to capture the interest of the people scrolling through their feed while on mute.
IGTV allows you to break out of that 60-second limit and send users to a longer, more comprehensive video experience. Utilize that time to get your people further down into the funnel: offer them more information than you can in a simple video ad, but make sure not to overload your audience with info, either. There’s some insight that suggests keeping it to 2 – 5 minutes is the best way to maximize completion rates. Pro-tip: don’t forget to plug your latest IGTV video in your feed and on your stories to send max people to your longer-form vid.
Twitter still limits its characters to 280 characters per tweet, so it’s no surprise that its video capabilities also favor brevity. A recent study found that videos that ran between 43 – 45 seconds were more likely to be featured by Twitter and had the highest engagement rates in-feed. Keep your Twitter videos (and copy!) short and sweet to match the spirit of the platform.
The social media platform for business-oriented users, LinkedIn has evolved into a very popular site for all types of video content. LinkedIn suggests users keep videos built for brand awareness under 30 seconds —as videos at that length reported a 200% lift in completion rates in a recent study.
Here is a great example of a short, but effective video Dial-N-Document hired us to produce for their 20th Anniversary. They used it as an eye-catching header on their Facebook page, at the top of their website, as well as on all their social media accounts to let all of their contacts and customers know about their celebration of being in business for 20 years.