How Long Should a Video Be?

People often ask us how long a video should be. Well, some people will watch a two and half hour movie and be glued to their seat the whole time.

Other people will watch a short video and be bored after five seconds. So, the real question is, how compelling should a video be to keep the audience's attention?

Analytics are great because they allow us to see statistics about how long people view a video before they drop off. We can study "where they dropped off" and where they were more engaged. Using this knowledge, we can optimize videos by updating content, or breaking the video into multiple chapters.

But, what actually makes a video compelling? The answer has more to do with the viewer than the video. What do they care about?

And in the case of a marketing or sales video, can they relate to the business scenario you're describing?

If you present a challenge that they're currently facing and say you can solve it, you'll have their attention. So, how long should that be? Our experience tells us one to two minutes is ideal for a video like this.