What is the optimum length for a YouTube video?

December 15, 2014 12:00 PM

I was hoping to get some input as to what the best length of a YouTube video is for a new user/blogger.

I know that there are a number of ideas on this as I have done some research on my own, but I wanted to put it on here and see what sort of responses I get.

I am curious as to how long, or what the optimum length, is for a YouTube video. I was hoping to have them be like the number one search result either on Google or while searching on YouTube itself. I want to start up and blog and was hoping to add videos to my posts. Hopefully the better the videos results the more hits my blog work will get.

Let me know what you guys think!

Thanks in advance.

posted by MMiller3669 to Technology (12 answers total)

No more than five minutes.
posted by Sara C. at 12:08 PM on December 15, 2014 [3 favorites]

I won't watch a video that's more than five minutes long if it's just people talking, unless it comes with a transcript or a link to a transcript in the description. I have no patience for lectures or debates because I can read faster than most people can talk without sounding like auctioneers or deranged chipmunks.
posted by starbreaker at 12:09 PM on December 15, 2014 [4 favorites]

Best answer: Hey! So I've never produced the movies, but I know a bit about the search algorythms on Google and Youtube.

Google and Youtube put the more popular results first, and they calculate that (on google) by incoming links, and (on youtube) by number of views.

However, if people typed "MMiller" (and that was your youtube handle) then your videos would likely come up right away. I recommend having a username that is easy to remember and doesn't turn up anything else big on google already so you don't have to have a turf war with something like mac miller or something like that.

I recommend the content be something engaging, other than your face or just plain images. Check out CGP Grey for a good example of being engaging with interesting content.

And, on review, yes, under 3 minutes is great. Unless you are critiquing something long, for instance, cinemasins has 20 minute critiques of movies, but they are interesting/funny the whole way through.

Don't make your intro movie over 1 minute. There's no content there. Don't make an intro movie without also having a content filled movie.
posted by bbqturtle at 12:13 PM on December 15, 2014 [3 favorites]

Five is the upper limit for me - three is better, four is pushing it, a highly targeted and concise two is best.
posted by cotton dress sock at 12:14 PM on December 15, 2014 [1 favorite]

The length of one song. So, 2.5-5 minutes.
posted by craven_morhead at 12:25 PM on December 15, 2014

3-3.5 minutes for youtube.
6-9 minutes for educational videos.
posted by Foci for Analysis at 12:48 PM on December 15, 2014 [2 favorites]

If it's not a music video, I won't forward anything over 1 minute long to a friend. I'm hoping to start a trend.
posted by doctor tough love at 12:48 PM on December 15, 2014

A minute to 90 seconds is best.
posted by Nevin at 1:58 PM on December 15, 2014

Sub-four. Anything more than four minutes has a high rate of viewer attrition.


[says the person who has some 15 minute long education videos on her channel...but in my defence, it was early in my YouTube life and I have since reformed my ways...]
posted by guster4lovers at 4:10 PM on December 15, 2014

All due respect to previous respondents, but I don't think you can define an optimum length for "a YouTube video." An LP? A game review? An unboxing? Something meant to go viral? A cute kitten? I mean, the answers are different for all of these. Most of the YT LPs I watch are at least 20 minutes long. Anything less and I would feel ripped off by being forced to endure a pre- and a mid-roll. You say you want to add videos to a blog, but without knowing the subject, it would be difficult to give you a solid answer. I've watched YT vids attached to cooking and crafting blogs and they can be anything from 3 to 30 minutes, and I will watch every last minute if it's a topic I'm interested in. (Say, how to switch from throwing to Continental knitting.) The Vlog Brothers seem to stick to 3 or 4 minutes for their vloggy type vids, which seems reasonable. The LPers (who all make their living on YT) I watch with >1 million subs all stick to 20 to 30 minutes. So, the subject is important.
posted by xyzzy at 10:57 PM on December 15, 2014 [1 favorite]

Wow, I differ from everyone else here. I'd say probably between 5-8 minutes? I won't watch those really short 40 second clips. I just won't do it. The shortest I'd watch is probably 2 minutes, the average is probably 6?
posted by Enchanting Grasshopper at 12:37 AM on December 16, 2014

Response by poster: Thanks for all the responses guys! Really appreciate it.

I'm thinking my blog is going to be geared towards traveling fishermen. Like different places you can take vacations to and have great fishing experiences. I may also want to include videos for tying flies for fishing, product demos, as well as location reviews. I'm quite the avid fisherman and I enjoy the sport and relaxation it provides me. Just looking to pass that on to others.

Would any of you change your input based on the information I have provided? Maybe different lengths for tutorial videos, product demo videos and review videos?

Thanks again!
posted by MMiller3669 at 9:17 AM on December 19, 2014