TikTok is trying to get content creators to post longer videos to help them make more money and connect with audiences better.

Longer videos would present TikTok with more opportunities to show adverts – just like YouTube does for pre and mid-roll ads. But, with most of the videos on TikTok being around 30 seconds long, the platform doesn’t have that option and as a result, creators are less likely to earn good money from the app.

That’s interesting, because TikTok gained its huge popularity off the back of being a very short-form video app. Now, it seems like it believes its best chance of survival lies in longer videos but that will require TikTok’s audience to shift their thinking too.

Apparently, that’s already started to happen. The Information reported that TikTok has told creators that users spend 50% of their time watching videos more than a minute in length, and that creators who post longer videos are gaining followers faster than those who aren’t.

That brings it squarely in line with YouTube – and it appears like the two video giants will now do battle for the same market.

The numbers don’t lie

Data from Metri Cool backs this up. According to the study it conducted across 47,625 business accounts and 37,636 personal accounts videos of longer than 54 seconds receive the most views – a 12.2 second increase from its previous study.

Those videos reached 38.5k views on average – nearly 5,000 more than videos 30-53s long (30.7k). Longer videos also leave shorter ones in the dust when it comes to average views, with those of 10-15 seconds only gathering 23.9k views on average.

In general, videos longer than 34 seconds get the most views – but it does depend on the size of the account. If you’re just starting out and have 0-1,000 followers, then the best video length is around that 34 second mark. However, it should be closer to a minute for accounts of 1,000 – 50,000 followers.

Engagement is also highest for videos of 54 seconds and higher (6.67%, compared to 5.25% engagement for videos 10-15 seconds long). As videos get longer, there are more chances for a viewer to leave an engagement and that makes it more likely that it’ll increase in reach.

Metri Cool

“After analysing almost 3 million videos, we can see that as the account grows in following, the longer the length of the video, the higher the views. Overall, the videos that receive the most views, regardless of account size, are longer videos.”

Additionally, visits from the following section have decreased and visits from TikTok’s search engine are up – which could signal a shift in how people find content.

It’s worth noting that engagement is also down across the site (5.15% for business accounts vs 6.10 in 2022), so if you’ve seen a drop in engagement, it might not be your strategy that’s failing!

Businesses takeaways for 2024

The study found that the average length of a business account’s video is 37.7 seconds – which means there’s a lot of brands leaving some serious engagement and views on the cutting room floor. Don’t be afraid to lengthen those videos for 2024 – as the numbers show, for nearly every account, longer is better.

Another takeaway is that size doesn’t really matter here. Quality is key – so make sure that if you post, it’s a great video!

Metri Cool

“The important thing is not the account that publishes it, but the quality of the content. This means that all videos have the same opportunity to gain views.”

And finally, don’t forget to post regularly and consistently (three videos per week) – but keep that quality high!