Promotional Video
30 Jul 2021
When you are planning to create a promotional video, it is important to consider the ideal length of footage that will most effectively engage your audience. This is a common question, and it is one that does not have a clear answer. The length of the video depends on a number of things, such as where the video is shown and the type of video you are creating. Let’s take a look.
The length of the video depends on where the video is being shown – is it designed for a specific event, or will it be shown through a social media platform? All of this planning is part of the pre-production process.
A video designed for a special promotional event can be as long as you require, as the guests at the event will be there to see your product or ideas.
When it comes to social media videos, no two social media sites are the same. The same video can, however, be edited in length in order to suit the particular platform that a video is being uploaded to. For example, YouTube videos around 4-5 minutes long are easily watchable by viewers, however, Instagram users do not want to see content this long. Instagram videos instead should be around 30 sections long in order to hold the viewer’s attention. Within this 30 second video, attempt to get the key messages out within the first 15 seconds to ensure that it will be delivered.
Facebook videos can last up to 4 hours, however realistically, viewers are not watching content for this long as they do not have the concentration span required for this. This length of a video is also unnecessary for services and products. Studies have found that the best length for Facebook videos is between 24 and 90 seconds long. For adverts on Facebook or YouTube videos, focus on short and snappy content that lasts around 15 to 20 seconds.
If you are looking to create a video on your website homepage, you will want to try and advertise your company, product or brand to grab website visitor’s attention. Treat these videos as being like a TV commercial – meaning they should be around 30 to 60 seconds long.
Marketing videos send within emails to potential clients should be less than 45 seconds. Any longer than this and you will lose the audience’s engagement. To ensure that the email is not simply deleted the minute that it is received, add the word ‘video’ into the title. Adding this phrase can lead to an increase of just under 20% of email opening rates.
In addition to where the video is being shown, the type of video is also important as this can lead to viewers being more or less engaged in the content that they are watching.
Viewers are more likely to engage with explainer videos than other types as they are likely to have played it in order to find out more information. They are willing to learn and are therefore more likely to watch the content until the end. These videos can therefore be longer than other types of content – the best length is between 60 and 90 seconds.
How-to videos fall into a similar category as explainer videos – generally, someone chooses to watch them because they want to learn. How-to videos, however, can be longer than explainer videos as they can include multiple steps and should be clear and easy to understand. The more that you can steam line the process, the more the user will appreciate the videos. When thinking about length, tutorial videos should last between two and ten minutes.
Product demonstration videos are designed to impress viewers but should not be overly complex. Ensuring that the demo videos are between two and five minutes long can help with this. If your demonstration video is likely to last longer than this, consider breaking it up into multiple smaller demonstrations, each focusing on one feature.
Sales videos that are designed for a particular client or to cold prospects should be short, snappy, and to the pointless than 60 seconds long. This should grab the viewers attention while leaving them wanting for more. This can be a great tactic to send to connections that may have gone cold to try and reinvigorate them into connecting with your business.
When deciding how long your promotional video should be, it is important to understand the audience that you are targeting, the purpose of your video and where you are sharing the footage. As a rule of thumb, most videos should be less than 2 minutes long in order to keep the attention of the viewer. If you are planning to share it on social media, the shorter, the better.
