Video is one of the most powerful marketing tools. It’s easy to digest, accessible, and, if done right, can dynamically deliver a ton of information in a small amount of time. But attention spans among the majority of people are short. The longer a YouTube video is, the greater the chance the viewer will turn it off.

How can you determine the magic length of a YouTube Video?

  • Step 1: Start with What You Know — First, if you have any existing YouTube videos, take a peek at the analytics. Based on the length of these existing videos, which ones receive the greatest amount of attention? Look for the ones that have the largest numbers of views and note their length.
  • Step 2: Dig Deeper — Analytics can tell you how long visitors typically watch your videos. Do they tend to click away after 30 seconds, or are the majority watching until the end? Viewer duration may provide considerable insight.
  • Step 3: Assess Your Viewing Habits — What’s your attention span? Are you generally willing to sit through a YouTube video from start to finish, or do you find yourself checking out at the 90 second mark? How does the subject of the video impact your focus?
  • Step 4: Pull It All Together — Using the information gathered in the first three steps above, you should be able to figure out what your audience is willing to accept. For most industries, anything longer than around 2 minutes — not counting long-form video — risks losing the audience. But, as with all marketing efforts, there are exceptions.

Is your business currently using video as part of its marketing efforts? If so, what has reaction been to the videos available through YouTube. Hansen Multimedia frequently helps clients with their video production needs. View our portfolio of video projects to see some examples.