On Tiktok, long videos come out of the shadows and impose themselves in content strategies

Some critics might mock TikTok users' attention span, pointing out that it can't exceed three seconds. While they wouldn't be far from the truth, they would still be mistaken. According to the latest Buffer study, long videos are gaining popularity on ByteDance's social network. While until recently, the ideal length for a video was between 60 and 90 seconds, longer formats, reaching up to 10 minutes, are now more popular.

Distribution of videos on TikTok according to their format.

Although short videos remain very popular, with 86% of published videos lasting less than a minute, their engagement remains more limited. Videos longer than one minute have a 63.8% longer viewing time and a 43.2% greater reach than those shorter than 60 seconds.

Median viewing time based on video length.

Over a sequence of between 5 and 10 seconds, the time The average user viewing time is 3.1 seconds. This rises to 6.9 seconds for videos between 30 seconds and one minute, which are among the best ratios between reach and engagement. Videos between 1 and 10 minutes hold more attention, with users staying for an average of 11.3 seconds, and also offer better reach. This leaves a little more time to succeed in get a message across, even if it has to be quick.

Median number of users reached by a piece of content based on its length.

"There is also less competition in the sixty-second-plus category, which gives these videos a better chance of standing out in a less crowded field,” the report highlights.

Similar trend on Instagram and YouTube

For digital marketers, this means adapting and moving towards longer content. This requires even more in-depth work, to be able to offer poignant content from the first seconds that leads to a constructed subject, keeping the user’s attention thanks to impactful editing.

TikTok is not the only social network to move towards longer content. Instagram and YouTube have already followed suit the pace, increasing the duration of Reels and Shorts to three minutes. A trend that directly benefits them, making it easy to increase user time on apps.