The length of video is a big deal on TikTok
It is a fast-paced platform and most people do not want to spend a lot of time watching the same video as they do on YouTube
But there is no perfect length
Gaming TikToks should be less than 60 seconds long. The longer the video, the harder it is to keep engagement. 18-second videos and 40-second videos both do really well in general. Check your analytics to see what length works well for your audience. And make a point to keep your videos engaging
Video length depends on what your value is for the video
A quick joke would be great as a short video, but probably flop as a long video
That is because it would be hard to keep viewers’ attention for that long
But instructional videos may struggle if they are too short because they will start to lose clarity
Keep your videos as fast as you can without losing a lot of quality
Then check your analytics to see when you are losing a lot of people
Those numbers will help you understand what you need to do in the future
Does video length matter on TikTok?
Video length is talked about a lot on TikTok
Yes, video length matters
But the content matters more
If you are capturing attention, longer videos are great!
If you aren’t capturing attention, even the short videos will struggle
And it also depends on what you are trying to do
Are you trying to go viral?
Or are you trying to build a stable platform?
I have two friends
One made a video and went viral
Overnight she got over 5k followers and over a million views on that video
But her platform died
She didn’t continue to grow after that and her views were very low
Another friend gets between 300 and 1000 views on every video
But she steadily grows her platform
What happened was my first friend went viral on a personality video
So all those followers were not interested in her regular content
Going viral is crazy and it’s fun, but it can destroy your account if you don’t know how to handle it
Focus on what your audience likes
Content is king
Hashtags, video length, and everything else are helpful
But your content will be the number 1 most important factor
What are my options for video length?
There are so many options for video length
Some creators can post videos up to 10 minutes long!
But they don’t do as well if you aren’t a master at keeping attention
TikTok isn’t YouTube
People on YouTube look for something specific that they want to watch or learn about
People on TikTok want to be entertained
Keeping quality entertainment for 10 minutes is hard to do
And many people will swipe just because they saw how long your video is
It is best to avoid going over 60 seconds on TikTok right now
You can have any length under 60 seconds, but make that your maximum
At least when you are starting out
If you can get closer to 40 seconds, that is even better
You will learn what videos do well and what videos don’t
Just remember that length is only one factor
If you had a short video does amazing and a long video flop
Length isn’t the only thing that affected those videos
Hooks and content are going to affect the videos the most
Do A/B testing to see what is working and what isn’t
And remember that not every video will be a hit even if it is amazing
Just keep posting and gaining knowledge and momentum
How do I know if my videos should be faster?
The best way to see what is happening to your videos is to look at your followers and your analytics
Having spam followers can hurt you a lot when you are a small account
The larger you get, the less that matters
But you can give your videos a boost by deleting fake followers
Your analytics will tell you what is happening with your videos
If people are leaving within 5 seconds, you need to work on your hooks and convincing people to stay
If people are leaving any other time throughout your video, then you either need to shorten your videos or work on increasing your engagement
People will swipe when they get bored
Long videos can be great, but they are more likely to get boring
You can try shortening your videos to see if more people watch until the end
But increasing engagement is your best option
People love stories and anticipation
That is why boring game clips that have Reddit threads over them do well
People are mostly listening to the story
Test things
Learn from your analytics
And remember that there are many factors that determine video success
Some of those factors, like length and hooks, are in your control
Others are not in your control
Never delete a video that is not flagged for going against community standards!
TikTok will push out your old content again
If the reason a video didn’t take off was that it didn’t reach the right people
It could take off a month or even a year for a video to take off
Focus on creating and listening to your analytics
Seeing the video views is fun, but that comes with time and practice
Should all my videos be the same length?
No!
You don’t need to make all your videos the same
Actually, please don’t!
People like predictable variety
Things are changing and staying fresh, but they aren’t going too far from what people expect from you
TikTok is not a platform to be super stressed about the technicalities
It is a platform to be free, creative, fun, and authentic
So if you want to post a funny 5-second video
Do it!
Have fun and enjoy yourself
The more you create, the more you learn
You will learn more about what works and you’ll learn more about what you enjoy