What is the right length for a Facebook or Twitter video?

What is the right length for a Facebook or Twitter video?

  • Less than one minute

    Votes: 9 45.0%
  • 1-2 minutes

    Votes: 6 30.0%
  • 2-3 minutes

    Votes: 2 10.0%
  • 4-5 minutes

    Votes: 2 10.0%
  • 5+ minutes

    Votes: 1 5.0%

  • Total voters
    20
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fredtgreco

Vanilla Westminsterian
Staff member
How long should a Facebook or Twitter video be for you to watch it? That is, as you scroll through your Facebook or Twitter feed, what is the point at which you decide a video is "too long" to watch all the way through at that point? Is there a problem with a video being too short?

I've been posting video vignettes from my sermons on FB/Twitter and I am trying to find the "right" length for maximum views.
 
If it is long like a sermon I just save the link for when there's time. But if it were 5 minutes and under I might watch.
 
On Youtube, I generally look for something under 10 or 12 minutes. I expect Twitter to be more in the under 3 minute range. I avoid Facebook.
 
I voted less than a minute owing to the fact that most social media users have short attention spans - especially if the video comes from someone whom they do not watch/listen to on a regular basis. Perhaps do a short preview style video that is less than a minute in length and also do a longer 5-minute video which is an expansion of the former.
 
I have a short attention span but I find that if you grab my attention right off the bat with something excellent then 1-2 minutes isn’t that long. I would put a link in there for the full version for those who want to hear it.
 
Let me clarify: I have a full-length video of the sermon on the website (along with audio), which is where I would expect people to go to see the whole sermon. I am looking to get views on social media for a short clip from the sermon, selected intentionally to be self-contained. I am wondering how long that short clip should be to get a view (and not a scroll by) on social media.
 
Hello Pastor Greco. Given our culture’s very short attention span, you may need a less than 30 second option. In other words, the shorter (and meatier) you can make the clips the more likely you will be to get a full viewing. I am not sure I ever skipped a video for it being merely too short, but certainly have skipped for being too long:2cents:. Full disclosure: I do not use either of the platforms mentioned in your OP.
 
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Pastor Fred, by the end of this thread folks will be recommending 5 second clips. For what it's worth, I think the clip length could vary but I would not go more than one thought. Thirty seconds to three minutes depending on the point.
 
50 seconds or less. Make sure that what you use as your clip is a good “hook” and they can link to the sermon for the whole thing.
 
For a teaser that's intended to draw them to the fuller version, keep it to a single thought that's usually less than a minute long. Also, many people scrolling through their Facebook or Twitter feeds do so with their devices on silent. Do your clips come with captions?
 
For a teaser that's intended to draw them to the fuller version, keep it to a single thought that's usually less than a minute long. Also, many people scrolling through their Facebook or Twitter feeds do so with their devices on silent. Do your clips come with captions?

Jack et al., the clips are not necessarily intended to draw the viewer to the longer video. That is, I try to pick a "money clip" that is self-contained and worth watching on its own. It may not necessarily be a summation of the main thrust of the sermon. I have not yet even bothered to link to the longer sermon. My short clips do come with embedded captions so they automatically show on all platforms. That took some self-education, but I have the hang of it now.

The key question was whether one minute was too short. I had some people suggest to me to go as long as two minutes. I originally selected one minute because that is the Instagram limit. Twitter's is about 2 minutes.
 
If they are meant to be more than teasers, I agree with those who say you can go as long as two minutes.
 
PragerU settled on the five minute format - with over three billion views they must be doing something righto_O
 
I listen to your sermons periodically and appreciate them. I am particularly grateful that you include some infrequently covered OT books that are hard to find quality sermons for.

I agree that few would want to listen to a whole sermon while browsing FB. I would think less about length and just occasionally post parts of sermons that are relatively self-contained and stand well on their own. You'll want to grab someone's interest in 20 seconds, and you probably won't get too many complete viewings if you exceed 5 minutes. But, if you can show that there is value to listening to the whole sermon (or - better - the series), you might incline them to download it.

I'd enjoy seeing them so I just sent you a friend request.
 
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