Long-Form vs Short-Form Video: What Works When

Video marketing has become an absolute must for modern businesses. It’s versatile, profitable, and the way people like to consume content.

In fact, 92% of video marketers say they get a profitable ROI from video campaigns, and 91% of consumers say they want to see more videos from brands. Another 80% of buyers say they use videos to make purchasing decisions. 

But getting positive results from video marketing doesn’t happen by accident. One of the most important decisions you need to make is whether you should be creating longer or shorter videos.

Spoiler alert—you likely need both. Read on to learn more about these approaches and see specific examples and benefits of each option.

What is Long-Form Video?

Google defines long-form video as anything over 10 minutes. That said, I tend to consider the 5-minute mark to be the threshold for what’s considered a “long” video, as Google’s length metric is mostly based on ads.

Some long-form videos are really long—upwards of 30 minutes to an hour and even 2+ hours. 

Examples of long-form videos:

• Detailed how-to tutorials for complex products or software.
• Brand story documentaries.
• Podcasts uploaded to YouTube.
• Recordings of a live product launch event.
• Comparison videos of multiple products.
• Pre-recorded product or software demos.
• Complete installation or set-up guides.
• Webinars (live, pre-recorded, or both).

Here’s a pro tip to keep in mind if you’re considering longer videos for marketing purposes. Make them long, and you can always trim them down later on. 

The cost and time are only going to be marginally higher if you’re adding an extra 10-20 minutes of recording time. So if you’re on the fence, always go longer and then decide later if you actually need all the footage. 

What is Short-Form Video?

By definition, short-form videos are less than 10 minutes long. But again, I think anything in the 5-10 minute range is fairly long—and I typically use 5 minutes as my cut-off when thinking short.

Most of the time, your short-form video falls somewhere between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. That’s really the sweet spot. 

Examples of short-form video:

• Quick product teasers.
• Demonstrations of a single product feature.
• Customer testimonials.
• Instagram stories or reels.
• YouTube shorts.
• Pro tips and product hacks.
• Flash sales or seasonal promotion announcements.
• Most TikTok videos. 

It’s a common misconception that short videos are only for younger generations who are constantly scrolling through social media. While there’s some truth to this, you need to test your specific audience before jumping to conclusions. 

Gen Z has the highest saturation of internet users consuming video on YouTube (at 82%). And the average length of a YouTube video is 11.7 minutes. 

Pros and Cons of Long-Form Video and Short-Form Video

If there was a clear-cut winner between short-form and long-form video, then every marketer would just be doing the same thing. But that’s obviously not the case.

Instead, you need to weigh the pros and cons each to determine which route is right for you.

Benefits of Long-Form Video Content

• Better way to qualify leads.
• Longer watch times can increase viewer engagement.
• Higher conversion rates for expensive products
• You can cut and splice the video to repurpose as short-from snippets.

Potential Drawbacks of Long-Form Video

• It’s more expensive and time-consuming to produce.
• Higher risk of audience losing interest before key message or CTA.
• Audience is limited only to people who have time to watch.
• Harder to maintain consistent quality throughout the full duration.

Benefits of Short-Form Video Content

• Cheaper to create and produce in-house.
• Higher chance of the video being shared and potentially going viral.
• Easier to maintain a consistent publishing schedule.
• Better engagement on mobile devices.

Potential Drawbacks of Short-Form Video

• You have a limited amount of time to get your message across.
• Harder to rank in organic searches.
• Tough to build deeper connections with viewers.
• Audiences may forget about the video fairly quickly if they’re consuming lots of other short-form video content at the same time.

When it Makes Sense to Use Long-Form Video Content

There are certain instances where long-form video just has the edge over a shorter version. Here’s when I recommend going with a longer version:

• When you need extra time to fully explain something complex.
• You have a hefty budget and the video topic isn’t time-sensitive.
• If you’re trying to increase conversion rates on expensive products. 
• For building industry authority through in-depth analysis or thought leadership.
• When you’re creating evergreen content that can be repurposed and serve as a lasting resource. 

I also tend to think longer videos perform better for high-ticket items and B2B services. 

Buyers and decision-makers are more likely to spend extra time educating themselves if they’re spending thousands or potentially tens of thousands of dollars. Whereas nobody needs to see a 15-minute demonstration on different ways to wear a $50 shirt.

When Short-Form Video Content is Better

Short videos tend to be best for social media. They’re also great for enticing and potentially repurposing user-generated content. 

Consider keeping your videos short when:

• When you’re creating ads.
• The product, service, or promotion is easy to explain.
• If you’re embedding the video in an email.
• For rapidly-testing multiple videos with different messages or audiences.
• You want to publish a new video every day on all of your social media channels.

I also like the idea of using multiple short videos to tell a story or create a mini-series. You could potentially record these all in one shot as a longer video and then splice them up into shorter clips. 

How to Determine if Short-Form or Long-Form Video is Right For You

If you’re still on the fence and not sure whether to proceed with a short video or a longer version, I recommend asking yourself the following five questions:

What’s Your Goal?

Establish a clear purpose for your video before you decide on its length. 

For example, if your goal is to create brand awareness, then something short is probably fine. But if you want to tell a story or educate people about how to use a particular product, you’ll likely want to create something a bit longer. 

Who is Your Audience?

Your video will be useless if it doesn’t resonate with your target audience. 

At first, you may need to test different video lengths to see which ones perform the best. If your top-viewed videos are 20-30 minutes long, then it’s a sign your audience is happy to sit through something longer. But if those long videos only have a few views, it’s probably not for your audience.

What Type of Video Are You Creating?

The type of video plays a huge role in deciding what to create.

Ads are generally shorter, whereas YouTube tutorials are much longer. I also think that customer testimonial videos should be kept fairly short, and I’d recommend longer videos for documentary-style footage. 

Where Are You Distributing the Video?

This alone might dictate the answer for you.

If you’re planning to create an Instagram reel or story, it obviously needs to be fairly tight. But if you’re uploading the video to YouTube or embedding it on one of your landing pages, longer is fine.

How Much is Your Budget?

Generally speaking, longer videos are more expensive to produce. These obviously take longer to record and edit compared to quick clips that can be recorded in one take in less than 60 seconds. 

If you’re outsourcing video production to an agency, then your budget definitely needs to be taken into consideration. You have a bit more control over costs if you’re producing them in-house.

Final Thoughts: Use Both (and Don’t Get Too Caught Up on the Time)

The best way to decide whether you should be creating short or long videos is by experimenting with both. For most businesses, you’ll find that varying video lengths can equally benefit your marketing strategy. 

It’s kind of like deciding whether you should be using SEO or PPC to drive website traffic. You don’t necessarily have to choose one or the other—in the vast majority of cases, it makes sense to use a combination. 

There are times when shorter videos work, but others when long-form videos will drive more engagement and sales. 

I also think that every situation is a bit different, and you can approach some videos with the mindset of “this will be as long or as short as it needs to be.” 

Sure, some ads might have a strict 30 or 60-second limit. But don’t force yourself to cut an amazing podcast episode short just to keep it exactly at the 60-minute mark. If you have a great guest who wants to keep talking for another 30 minutes, give them that freedom. 

Still need some help? Explore our video marketing services. Book a free consultation, and we can help you create new video content and optimize it for maximum results.