“How long should my video be?” has a frustrating but true answer: as long as it needs to be, and not one second longer. But that doesn’t help when you’re staring at a timeline. So here’s how to find the right length in practice, starting with what each app allows.
The limits on each app
These change often. Here’s where things stood when this was written; the Platform Specs reference keeps the current figures, with links to each app’s help pages.
| App | How long it can be | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| TikTok | Up to 60 minutes uploaded, 10 minutes recorded in the app | If you add a sound first, the sound’s length sets the video’s length |
| Instagram Reels | Up to 20 minutes | Reels over 3 minutes aren’t recommended to people who don’t follow you |
| YouTube Shorts | Up to 3 minutes, square or vertical | Longer, or wider, uploads as a regular video |
| No length limit | Every video posted to Facebook is now a reel | |
| 4 seconds to 5 minutes | Pinterest suggests 15 to 60 seconds for vertical video |
The limits tell you what’s allowed. They don’t tell you what works. Most short videos that do well are far shorter than the maximum.
Length doesn’t win. Holding people does.
Every app watches how much of your video people actually watch. A 20-second video that most people finish usually does better than a 90-second video most people abandon halfway.
But that doesn’t mean “always go shorter.” A 10-second clip that 95% of people finish didn’t necessarily beat a 90-second tutorial people watched halfway through. The longer one might have held far more total attention, and been more useful. The goal is a video where every second earns the next one.
A starting point by type of video
Use these as a first guess, then let your own numbers adjust them:
| Kind of video | Good starting length | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A joke, reaction or trend | 7 to 20 seconds | The payoff is one moment; get there fast and let it loop |
| A single tip or fix | 15 to 35 seconds | Problem, fix, result. Nothing else |
| A quick tutorial | 30 to 60 seconds | Enough for clear steps, one per shot |
| A story or “storytime” | 45 to 90 seconds | Stories need a setup and a turn |
| A review, test or deep explainer | 60 seconds to 3 minutes | Only if every section shows progress |
If you’re new, lean toward the shorter end. Short videos let you practice the whole process (hook, filming, sound, editing) several times a week, and they’re more forgiving while you learn pacing.
How many words fit
Most people speak at around two to three words a second on camera:
| Length | Aim for | Most you can fit |
|---|---|---|
| 15 seconds | About 30 words | About 45 |
| 30 seconds | About 60 to 75 words | About 90 |
| 60 seconds | About 120 to 150 words | About 180 |
Aim for the middle column. Ninety words of nonstop talking in 30 seconds feels rushed, and you need room for pauses and reactions. Your pace is your own, so the Script Timer times your script at your real speaking speed and helps you trim it to the length you want before you film.
How to cut a video to the right length
Most first edits are too long. These cuts almost always help:
- Cut the run-up. Start on the first interesting moment. No greeting, no logo, no “so…”.
- Cut the repeat. If you explain something twice, keep the clearer version.
- Cut the waiting. Speed up or skip anything that’s just time passing, and say so: “Twenty minutes later.”
- End right after the payoff. A big drop at the end of your retention graph often means the video kept going after people got what they came for.
- Tighten every cut. Trim the breath and half-second pause at the start and end of each clip. Across 20 cuts, that’s often five seconds back.
A good test: watch the video once at full speed with fresh eyes. Anywhere you feel the urge to skip ahead, so will viewers.
Cutting to music? The Beat-to-Cut Calculator finds the tempo and shows where each cut lands, so the payoff hits a big beat and the video ends on the beat.
Let your retention graph decide
The best length for your videos is in your analytics.
- Open the retention graph for your last few videos of the same type.
- Find where most people leave. A steady slope is normal; a cliff is a problem.
- If people consistently leave at the same point, that point is either a slow section to cut or the natural end of your video.
- Compare videos of similar length with each other. Percentages flatter short videos and totals flatter long ones, so look at both average watch time and the share still watching at the payoff.
Then try a shorter and a longer version of the same kind of video over a few weeks, and compare like with like.
When longer is worth it
Go longer when the topic needs it: a full tutorial, a review someone will use to decide what to buy, a story with real stakes. Long works when viewers can feel the video moving forward: each section answers one question and opens the next.
If you’re stretching a short idea to hit a length, don’t. A tight 25-second video beats a padded 60-second one every time.
Try it
Take your last video and cut it to 70% of its length without losing the payoff. Watch both versions back to back. Which would you finish? Post the tighter one next time, and check the retention graph a week later.
