Ideal length of videos on each social network

THE video content tends to generate more interactions than text posts -and even those made up of images only- so, although their production generally requires more resources, they are essential in any content strategy for social networks.

However, it is not enough to create good video content and share it on all social networks, but each platform has its own characteristics and requires specific content. There are also differences regarding the ideal length that any video content should have on each social network.

Answering this is not easy, as it will depend on many factors, such as the content of the video itself and its relevance, when it is shared… and many other variables.

Anyway, however generalizing in social media is usually not accurate, Hootsuite shared their findings on the ideal length of video content for each social network and format. According to its Digital Report Card 2022, videos are the fourth reason users access the internet, which is why they should be taken into account. The conclusions would be as follows:

Ideal length of videos on Instagram

On Instagram, there are three predominant video formats and each of them has its ideal length:

-Videos in Instagram feed: 1 minute. Although with the integration of IGTV content into the general feed when converted to reels, the length of videos can be up to 15 minutes (unless you have a verified account, which allows you to download videos up to 60 seconds), which is more advisable that they have a minute, as that is what is displayed in the stream. Those who wish to continue viewing them must click on the screen, and users do not always perform the action.

-Instagram stories: 15 seconds. This is the maximum length of each story. If you need to use multiple slides, Hootsuite recommends no more than 7, noting that 3 would be ideal for maximum reach.

-Instagram Reels: between 15 and 60 seconds. When creating a reel, this can be 15, 30, 45 or 60 seconds. The important thing is to grab the user’s attention in the first seconds of duration.

Ideal length of videos on Facebook

The maximum video length on Facebook is 240 minutes, but you don’t have to go that long. As Facebook recommends, videos under a minute (and Stories under 20 seconds) tend to go viral the most.

However, if you want to post a series of videos that develop a story, or want to go live, the recommendation changes. According to Facebook, it’s best if they last 3 minutes. Thus, in addition, they will be able to broadcast in-stream advertisements and monetize video content.

Ideal length of videos on TikTok

On TikTok, video content can be up to 10 minutes long, after the recently applied extension, which extends content that had already been increased to three minutes in the summer.

Even so, brevity is recommended on the platform to achieve greater impact with videos. Between 7 and 15 seconds would be the ideal measure to attract the attention of users of this social network.

Ideal duration of videos on Twitter

Although Twitter allows you to upload videos up to 140 seconds long, it’s recommended that you don’t exhaust the maximum length. According to the company, 44 seconds is an ideal time to communicate on this platform where brevity and conciseness are on the rise.

Ideal length of videos on YouTube

Verified accounts on YouTube can upload videos up to 12 hours long, but if what you’re after is for the content to go viral, the recommended length would be two minutes.

Ideal length of videos on LinkedIn

Videos up to 10 minutes long can be uploaded natively to LinkedIn, and even video ads can be up to 30 minutes long. However, the company advises very short videos. In fact, they guarantee that content under 30 seconds can achieve 200x greater reach.

Ideal length of videos on Pinterest

On Pinterest, there are mainly two types of videos, Video Pins (which can last from 4 seconds to 15 minutes) and Ideas Pins -Pinterest Stories- which can last up to 60 seconds.

In this platform, the ideal is also brevity and conciseness. Thus, Pinterest specifies that videos between 7 and 15 seconds are the most effective.