Longer TikToks perform better, presenting new opportunities for advertisers

The news: Consumers are increasingly engaging with TikTok videos exceeding 60 seconds as opposed to shorter uploads, previously thought to be preferable, per a Buffer analysis of 1.1 million videos. The news comes despite 86% of TikTok videos being under one minute.

• Videos longer than one minute—something TikTok has been pushing for some time now—receive 63.8% more watch time compared with videos between 30 to 60 seconds. These videos also have 175.6% more watch time than the 10 to 30 second range, and 264.5% more watch time than the 5 to 10 second range.
• Videos longer than 60 seconds also have a 43.2% higher reach than videos in the 30 to 60 second range; a 70.3% higher reach than videos in the 10 to 30 second range; and 95.7% more reach than videos in the 5 to 10 second range.
• Only 12% of the videos analyzed were over one minute, but their median watch time is the highest across all categories at 11.3 seconds. For comparison, videos between 30 to 60 seconds have a median watch time of 6.9 seconds.

Behind the numbers: There are a few factors influencing this trend. Per Buffer, TikTok may reward longer videos by showing them to more users in their For You feed—likely because the longer users are engaged with videos, the longer they stay on the platform.

There’s also significantly less competition for videos above the 60 second range. Only 12.3% of videos analyzed were more than 60 seconds long, while the majority (33.7%) were 10 to 30 seconds long.

Our take: Longer videos that maintain the quality users expect from brands they trust will allow for more nuanced messaging in advertisements and give brands the opportunity to make a deeper emotional connection with viewers. This ultimately leads to higher retention, more brand recall, and more meaningful engagement—which translates to more successful campaigns.

Advertisers should shift toward investing in longer-form content to strengthen consumer engagement—but should ensure that this content maintains high-quality standards that keep viewers engaged.