I’ve heard everything from "under 10 seconds is best" to "make them 60 seconds to maximize watch time"
What length actually performs best? i've been making my tiktoks around 15-20 seconds but wondering if i should go shorter or longer
How long should TikToks and Reels be for best performance?
Re: How long should TikToks and Reels be for best performance?
I'm going to disagree here. my longer videos (40-60 seconds) consistently get more views than my short ones
I make educational content though so that might be different than entertainment content. people actually want to learn something so they'll watch the whole thing
The algorithm is getting smarter about this too. it's not just about completion rate anymore, it's about satisfaction. if people watch your whole 60 second video and then watch it again or share it, that signals high quality content
My average tiktok is 45 seconds and i'm getting 20k-100k views per video consistently. completion rate is around 65% which is solid
don't artificially cut your content short just to boost completion rate. make videos as long as they need to be to deliver value. if you can tell your story in 10 seconds great, if you need 60 seconds that's fine too
The key is keeping every second engaging. No filler, no unnecessary intro, just straight to the value
I make educational content though so that might be different than entertainment content. people actually want to learn something so they'll watch the whole thing
The algorithm is getting smarter about this too. it's not just about completion rate anymore, it's about satisfaction. if people watch your whole 60 second video and then watch it again or share it, that signals high quality content
My average tiktok is 45 seconds and i'm getting 20k-100k views per video consistently. completion rate is around 65% which is solid
don't artificially cut your content short just to boost completion rate. make videos as long as they need to be to deliver value. if you can tell your story in 10 seconds great, if you need 60 seconds that's fine too
The key is keeping every second engaging. No filler, no unnecessary intro, just straight to the value
Re: How long should TikToks and Reels be for best performance?
Shorter is almost always better for initial algorithm performance. here's why:
tiktok and instagram reward completion rate (how many people watch til the end). a 7 second video that 90% of people watch completely will perform better than a 30 second video that only 40% watch completely
My best performing videos are 8-12 seconds. they get rewatched multiple times which really boosts them in the algorithm
BUT longer videos (30-60 seconds) get more total watch time which is better for monetization if you're in the creator fund. so there's a tradeoff
if your goal is virality and growth: make videos 7-15 seconds
if your goal is watch time and revenue: make videos 30-60 seconds
i personally aim for 10-15 seconds on tiktok and 15-25 seconds on reels. that's the sweet spot for high completion rate and decent watch time
tiktok and instagram reward completion rate (how many people watch til the end). a 7 second video that 90% of people watch completely will perform better than a 30 second video that only 40% watch completely
My best performing videos are 8-12 seconds. they get rewatched multiple times which really boosts them in the algorithm
BUT longer videos (30-60 seconds) get more total watch time which is better for monetization if you're in the creator fund. so there's a tradeoff
if your goal is virality and growth: make videos 7-15 seconds
if your goal is watch time and revenue: make videos 30-60 seconds
i personally aim for 10-15 seconds on tiktok and 15-25 seconds on reels. that's the sweet spot for high completion rate and decent watch time