One of the first conversations that I have with clients early on in the discovery process has to do with video length. Here’s a general rundown of how long videos typically run:
Web ad/pre-roll: 15-60 seconds
Flagship video: 60-120 seconds
Promo video/product launch: 30-120 seconds
Internal training video: 3-10 minutes
Customer training video: 2-4 minutes
The length of your video should be determined by a lot of factors including message/content, method of delivery, and audience, but in general I tend to favor the “less is more” mantra.
Google recently performed a study indicating similar results. Partnering with Honey Maid, they created three ads at lengths of 15s, 30s, and 2:17. The 30s ad was skipped the least amount of times of the three ads and was the best at lifting brand favorability. While Google is still pushing for the longer-form video, looking at the results and gathering from my own experience, I believe that 30s is the sweet spot for most web ads. At least for now.
Ultimately, it’s important to consider all of the unique qualities of your message. One of the roadblocks I’ve often encountered with clients is that they want to provide too much information in a video. They want to introduce a product, but because they don’t have a flagship video they want to tell their company’s story as well. Or they want to introduce a product, and train viewers on how to use it. Consider the viewer experience. Sticking around for a long video is expecting a lot from viewers with increasingly shorter attention spans. Figure out what the most important message is, and focus on that. Eliminate everything else.
I know that can be hard. We all want the most bang for our buck and why not kill 2 birds with one stone? Unfortunately, if your viewer isn’t watching then you’ve thrown the stone too far.
When it comes to video length, keep in mind that less is often more.
Melanie Moore 