"How long should the video be?" is the question we hear most, and the answer is never a single number. The right length depends on where the video will be watched and how much attention people have there. A video that is perfect for a training module would feel endless in a LinkedIn feed.
This guide gives a length per channel, a method for staying within it, and separates the length of the video from the time it takes to produce, which search engines often mix up.
The starting rule: one message, then a length
Before choosing a length, write the message in one sentence: what people should know, think or do after the video. If you cannot, no length will save the video.
Then the length follows from the script. A calm voice-over runs at roughly 130 to 150 words per minute. A 60-second video therefore holds 130 to 150 words of voice-over, barely a paragraph. It is short, and that is the point.
The right length, channel by channel
| Where the video is watched | Recommended length | What matters |
|---|---|---|
| LinkedIn feed or social media | 30 to 60 s | The hook in the first seconds, silent viewing |
| Home page or product page | 60 to 90 s | A promise, then the proof |
| Sales meeting or email | 60 to 120 s | A buyer's questions |
| Product Hunt | 30 to 60 s | The product at work, fast |
| Trade show or lobby screen | 15 to 30 s, looping | Understandable without sound, at any point of the loop |
| Training in an LMS | 3 to 5 min per module | One objective per sequence |
| Internal communication | 1 to 2 min | One message, the same for everyone |
Social media: 30 to 60 seconds
In a feed, the video starts on its own, without sound, between two posts. Everything happens in the first seconds: a recognisable problem, a readable line on screen, movement from the first frame. Past one minute, many have already moved on. Our article on the SaaS launch video details those first seconds.
Your site: 60 to 90 seconds
Visitors came looking for information: they give you more time. The presentation video runs 60 to 90 seconds: the problem, the solution, the proof, the call to action. Beyond that, the last messages go unseen.
Sales: up to two minutes
Sent after a first conversation, or played in a meeting, the video answers the questions of a buyer who is already interested: how it works, what it changes, how long it takes to set up. Two minutes remains the limit.
Trade shows and lobby screens: a short loop
Nobody watches a trade-show screen from the start. The video must make sense whenever it is seen, without sound: a 15- to 30-second loop, one message per screen, the brand name always visible.
Training: modules of three to five minutes
An e-learning module can run longer, because the viewer is there to learn. But past five minutes, attention drops and completion with it. A twenty-minute topic splits into four or five modules, with one objective per sequence.
Internal communication: one to two minutes
An internal video must be watched by everyone, including those who do not feel concerned. One message, said simply, in one to two minutes. For a sensitive announcement, see our article on announcing a reorganisation on video.
Three signs a video is too long
- The script says "and also". Every "and also" is a second message that weakens the first.
- The video lists features. A video shows what the product changes, not everything it can do.
- The script is over the word count. More than 200 words for a 90-second video means a voice-over chasing the pictures.
What if there is more to say?
Rather than one long video, make several short ones: a presentation video, then one video per use case, or a series of modules for training. Each can target a channel and an audience, and each gets watched to the end.
If a video really must run longer, plan it from the start: our extra 30 seconds add-on costs €450 excl. VAT per block, priced before we start.
Video length and production time: two different things
The two are often confused in searches, but they are not measured the same way. A video's length is counted in seconds. Production time is counted in days, from brief to delivery:
| Format | Video length | Production time |
|---|---|---|
| Internal video | 1 to 2 min | 21 days |
| Presentation video | 60 to 90 s | 28 days |
| E-learning module | 3 to 5 min | 35 days |
What stretches a schedule is almost never the animation: it is approvals that come late and changes on a video that is already animated. The steps and their approvals are detailed on our process page.
In short
Choose the length by channel, not by subject: 30 to 60 seconds for social media, 60 to 90 for your site, a few minutes for training. Write the message in one sentence, count the words of the script, and if there is more to say, make several videos. For the big picture, read our guide to corporate motion design video.
