Forget square photos. Instagram is the hub of video content these days, and Reels is leading the way in this area. Since Instagram videos are between 15 and 60 seconds long, these short videos are a chance to catch the attention of users quickly.
Unlike Instagram Stories, videos don’t disappear after 24 hours and tend to be much shorter than a standard Instagram Live video.
But how long should an Instagram video be? Longer videos are better for engagement and reach, or are you better off sticking with shorter videos? This is why video length matters and how to find the best Instagram Reels length for your audience.
Why does Instagram video length matter?
The length of your Instagram videos can affect how many people interact with them. Once you find the correct length for your reels, the algorithm works to your advantage. This means that new users will discover your drums!
The Instagram Reels algorithm favors videos that:
- Have high engagement (likes, shares, comments, saves and watch time).
- Use original audio you create or find on Reels, or music from your Instagram music library.
- Full screen vertical videos. Make sure you stick to the 9:16 aspect ratio!
- Use creative tools like text, filter or camera effects.
Ideally, you want people to watch your videos so that Instagram counts the number of views. You also want people to interact with your videos by liking, sharing, saving, and commenting. Videos should fall into the golden mean in length so that people stay interested and don’t leave to watch something else.
Videos that are too long can cause your audience to switch off and leave. This tells the algorithm that your content is not interesting enough. The shorter clips that people watch are telling the algorithm that your content is valuable and may lead to it being shown to new users.
But shorter isn’t always better. If your product demo is seven seconds long, it might be difficult for you to deliver any value to your audience. People won’t watch and move on to another video. The algorithm will take this as a sign that your content is not attractive.
So, what is the best reel length? As you may have guessed, it depends.
It all comes down to finding the right video length for your content and audience. When you do this, you will be more likely to appear in new Instagram feeds and increase your engagement.
How long does Instagram Reels last in 2022?
Officially, Instagram videos can be between 15 and 60 seconds long. However, in some cases, the reels can last up to 90 seconds. As of early May 2022, select users already have access to this longer reel.
If there is any indication of other social media videos, the maximum length of Instagram videos will only increase. TikTok, for example, currently allows videos up to ten minutes long.
How to adjust the length of your reels
It is very easy to change the length of the reels. The default time limit is 60 seconds, but you can set it to 15 or 30 seconds, depending on your preference. In some cases, your Instagram videos can be up to 90 seconds long.
Here’s how to adjust the length of your reels:
1. Open Instagram and tap the Reels icon at the bottom of the screen.
2. Select the camera icon at the top of the screen to access the Instagram camera.
3. On the left side of the screen, tap the icon with the number 30 inside.
4. Then you can choose between 15, 30 and 60 seconds.
5. Once you’ve chosen a time limit, you’re ready to start recording and editing your video.
What is the best Instagram video length for reach and engagement?
Although Instagram hides the ideal reel length, Adam Mosseri has made it clear that the reels themselves are key. Instagram is also testing a new immersive feed that will be more video-centric. Engaging videos take center stage in the Instagram app.
Indeed, there is no universal answer. The best length for Instagram Reels will depend on the type of content you post and your audience’s preferences.
Regardless of the length of your reel, the key moment with reels happens within the first few seconds. This is where users will decide if they want to keep watching or not – so get your viewers hooked right from the start!
According to Mireia Boronat, Senior Content Marketing Manager at The Social Shepherd, content is the key to higher engagement. It’s all about delivering the most value to your audience in the shortest amount of time.
“A good video is based on content, not length. If the content isn’t engaging and irrelevant enough, it won’t work.”
Remember that short videos are also repeated more often, increasing views and helping more people discover your video.
“It’s generally best to stick with 7 to 15 seconds, as short clips tend to loop and count as multiple views. The algorithm then detects that your video is getting a lot of views and offers it to more users.”
– Mireia Boronat
When in doubt, leave your audience wanting more. They are more likely to continue watching and interacting with your other videos, sending positive signals to the algorithm about your content.
How to Find the Best Instagram Video Length for Your Audience
Like most things in social media marketing, you will have to trial and error to find the best Instagram video length for your audience. Don’t post a video just for the sake of posting – take the time to analyze its performance. You will quickly determine the ideal coil length
Use these five tips to find the best Instagram video length for your target audience.
Check what your competitors are doing
Some competitor analysis can help you understand what is likely to work for your content as well. See what videos they post regularly and which ones work best.
To find any account’s reels, tap the reels icon in your profile:
Once you’re in the account’s Reels area, you can see how many views each Reel has:
Now you can understand which of the account reels work best. Are they short and relative reels? Are these one minute tutorial videos? Pay attention to the length of the most efficient drum types.
In the example above, Hootsuite’s most viewed video is a short report on texts that give social media managers a heart attack.
To further explore this video, you can click on it and see the number of likes and comments. You can also read the title and its hashtags:
Source: Instagram
Repeat this process with several competitors. You will soon be able to draw some conclusions about what drum length is best for your industry.
Once you’ve gathered some ideas, start building your Reels strategy. However, make sure you’re original – these ideas are just for inspiration. Then go and create something better!
Test coils of different lengths.
You can’t determine the best coil length without experimenting. While short reels may be a safer option, long reels can also encourage engagement and reach. It all depends on the quality of your content and the reaction of the audience.
Try to focus on short and sweet reels when you first start. The most viewed video to date has garnered 289 million views and over 12 million likes, and is only nine seconds long.
If you have a well-defined niche, you will probably be able to post longer videos. Just make sure you deliberately choose which reels should be over 30 seconds long and which ones are best for 15 seconds.
The French confectioner Pierre-Jean Kino clearly has a very active audience. He regularly posts longer behind-the-scenes videos filmed in his kitchen.
This 31-second video received 716,000 views and more than 20,000 comments. This is especially impressive considering the chef has around 88,000 followers:
Mentor and social media coach Shannon McKinstry encourages testing wherever possible.
“I have tested and tested and tested and I encourage every Instagram user to do the same. All accounts are different. While my longer videos (45-60 seconds) still perform very well, they usually don’t get as many views as my videos under 10 seconds.
But overall, I’ve found that it really comes down to the quality of the content you share and whether it resonates with your audience or not. No matter how long your video is, if it’s good content, people will keep watching (and you’ll see your views grow and grow).”
— Shannon McKinstry
Analyze your past performance
Once you have a few drums, test their performance. What lengths of videos have been the most successful for your audience?
Tracking the performance of your reels can help you understand your wins, learn from what didn’t work, and create more of what your audience loves.
When you use Insights to evaluate the best reel lengths, keep an eye on these metrics:
- Accounts reached. The number of Instagram users who have seen your video at least once.
- Plays. The total number of times your drum has been played. The number of plays will be higher than the number of accounts reached if users view your video more than once.
- Like. How many users liked your video.
- Comments. The number of comments on your video.
- Saves. How many users bookmarked your video.
- Stock. The number of times users shared your video in their story or sent it to another user.
How to view reel statistics
To view your Instagram stats, go to your profile and tap the ‘Stats’ tab below your bio:
Keep in mind that Insights is only available for Business or Creator accounts. It’s easy to switch account types in the settings – there are no requirements for the number of subscribers, and any account can switch.
Tap Reached Accounts in the Overview area.
The reach breakdown is for your account as a whole, including the reels. This shows how videos contribute to your overall reach and engagement.
You can also see your top-performing videos from the last seven days. This is useful to quickly see which recent reels have been the most successful.
Source: Instagram
To see reel-exclusive information, scroll down to Batyrs in the Stats overview screen and click the right arrow next to the number of reels. Now you can view all Reels performance metrics in one place.
You can see the performance of individual reels by opening a reel from your profile. Just tap the three-dot icon at the bottom of the screen, then tap Insights.
As you try different reel lengths, make it a habit to check your reel stats hours, days and weeks after posting. These metrics will tell you what your audience is best responding to.
Source: Instagram
Follow trends for inspiration
Trending videos are a great indicator of what Instagram users want to see while scrolling. In addition, trends are usually tied to a specific sound, which determines the length of your drum for you.
Instagram user and podcaster Christoph Trappe posts Reels with his daughter. They often create their videos around popular audio clips:
“We use popular sounds and see if we can use them to tell a story. Most of our drums are probably 30 seconds or less.”
— Christoph Trappe, Chief Strategy Officer, Voxpopme.
Here is a short video (only eight seconds) created by the duo based on a TikTok video trend that makes fun of the older generation:
Bonus Tip: According to Instagram, only 60% of people listen to Instagram Stories with the sound on. This means that 40% of users are watching without sound! Always add on-screen text and subtitles to attract more users.
By following trends, you can see which reel length is best for interaction. Are trending videos less than ten seconds or usually more than 15 seconds? Experiment with trends to see what content resonates best with your audience and how long those videos are.
Remember, only use trends that are relevant to your brand and audience – not all trends will fit!
Experiment with different types of content
Different types of content will require shorter or longer reels. Short drum types may work better, but this is not a hard and fast rule. Short videos may not be suitable for your content type and audience preferences.
The creator of SandyMakesSense posts longer travel videos, usually around 20-40 seconds long. To keep people on their toes until the end, she offers eye-catching photos and valuable tips, and speeds up the sound to make it sound faster:
Cosmetics brand Sephora often posts educational videos promoting their latest products. These videos are often longer, like this one, which is 45 seconds long, and integrates with their Instagram store:
Regardless of the video length you choose, strive to post content that entertains, inspires, educates, or motivates your audience. Be sure to review your analytics to see what works for you!