TikTok’s videos were limited to 15 seconds when it was first released. The short videos were designed to grab users’ attention. With an endless feed, you could watch dozens of videos within a minute.
While TikTok hasn’t changed its attention-grabbing video content or endless scalability, the length of each video has. In an effort to compete with YouTube, the app has been testing out long-form video content. These long-form video max lengths are not available to everyone.
You can find many answers to the question, “How long is a TikTok?” These range from 30 seconds to as long as 30 minutes. Even TikTok doesn’t have the latest guidelines.
This article will not only answer the question of how long a TikTok video can be. We’ll answer the million-dollar question: How long should a TikTok video be?
How long can TikTok last?
You’ll see time intervals when you record content in TikTok. You can only make a TikTok Video if it is within these time limits. TikTok users can select from the following video lengths.
- 15 Seconds
- 60 Seconds
- 10 Minutes
- 30 Minutes
Not all users can record videos of 15 minutes or 30 minutes at this time. You can’t record 15- or 30-minute videos in the app if you don’t have those numbers displayed above your record button. You can upload video footage that you have recorded in other places to TikTok. You can do this with’s social media tool.
No minimum video length is required. It is possible to post videos as short as 1 second, but it is recommended that they are longer than 3 seconds in order to avoid being shadowbanned due to “low-quality content.” TikTok has community guidelines that prohibit extremely short videos. They are not eligible for the For You Page.
In 2024, TikTok videos will be between 3 and 30 minutes in length.
TikTok LIVE
You may be able to access TikTok Live if your account has more than 1,000 followers. You can broadcast a feed live from your app. You can engage with your followers, collaborate and create with other creators, or participate in fun activities like virtual gifting, multi-guest hosting, etc.
No time limit is set for TikTok LIVE streaming, making it a great way to interact with your followers. TikTok suggests that you keep your streams under 30 minutes. You can access your entire video stream session for 90 days after the stream.
TikTok Stories
You can upload videos and images of up to 15 seconds in length. Stories last only 24 hours.
How long should TikToks be?
TikTok isn’t the most popular social media app by accident. It has undergone constant development since its launch in 2016. ByteDance’s app creator is constantly tweaking the algorithm, adding and changing features like filters, new types of posts, and minimum/maximum video length. TikTok’s product teams run constant tests to see if new features are popular and if they should be implemented at scale.
It’s not easy to decide on the ideal TikTok length. The algorithm searches for signals that show users’ preferences. The algorithm may respond to the fact that users prefer 15-second video clips over 30-second ones by recommending even more 15-second content. The changes in the behaviour of users can be small or large, but they always happen quickly. Creators need to be ready to adapt to the changing behaviour patterns of their users and the larger app base.
The company is also secretive about the optimal length of videos. TikTok has recommended 21-34-second videos. Videos within this timeframe are more likely to be viewed and have higher engagement rates.
Do you mean that all of your TikTok videos must be between 21 and 34 seconds in length? Not quite.
It is a fact that the length of the perfect TikTok can vary from month to month. This may also depend on your business, industry and the content that you post.
Find the perfect length for your TikTok.
Do you need to use TikTok every day for 30 seconds? Does your message need more time or less?
It depends! Consider the following factors when determining your ideal TikTok length.
Attention spans of TikTok users.
TikTok’s algorithm favours short video clips, as the app’s users are drawn to them.
In a report by WIRED, half of TikTok users said that videos longer than one minute were “stressful”. A large percentage of users watched videos at twice the speed, showing an urgency to consume content quickly.
The best way to reach as many TikTok users is by cutting your videos down into 10, 15 or 20-second clips. Content consumption is short across all platforms, so you can repurpose your TikTok video to be used on other social media platforms.
Your audience
You must know your audience if you want to be noticed on TikTok. The ideal video length may vary depending on the preferences of your viewers.
If your account is a reviewer of gadgets or technology products, it’s unlikely that you can fit a full review into a 30-second clip. Your audience will likely be open to longer content in this situation.
The size of your viewership also affects the length of video that your audience can tolerate. According to Statista, bigger accounts upload more videos on average.
It’s impossible always to find accurate data about your TikTok audience.
You can also check out the channels of your competitors and see what they are doing well. You can see the number of views for each video on TikTok. This is an imperfect analytics method – you can’t prove a direct correlation between video length, audience engagement or any other factor. You can find some strong correlations by reviewing enough videos.
Analyze the content with the highest views and explore popular hashtags. It is worth looking into the types of users that are liking, commenting, and following a particular piece of content. You will get a better idea if your content is on target by looking at the type of users who are commenting, liking and following it.
You can also read about the advantages of using it.
Analyzing your competitors and the market can teach you a lot. It is also worth crunching numbers to see how many people are engaging with your content. TikTok has over a billion users monthly, and around 30% are older than 35. Businesses can reach a large online audience with the app.
TikTok analytics can help you make better decisions. There are no bad posts when you use data. Every piece of content can be used to learn. A social management tool can help you make improvements to your social media strategy based on data.
Loomly is a great management platform that allows you to:
- Monitor the performance of your posts in real-time.
- You can get quality data about your account, posts and other information. This will help you to track the growth of your account, analyze statistics and make better decisions.
- Schedule automatic reports and download data.
- Easily manage multiple campaigns using an intuitive dashboard with campaign labels.
One of the best methods to learn more about your audience is by analyzing your analytics. A management platform’s big-picture perspective lets you know what is happening across platforms. You can then apply the learnings you’ve gained from Reels to your TikTok strategies —, without needing to switch apps or open a bunch spreadsheets.
Posting Times
Your TikToks may be affected by the times that you post. If your target audience is a group of professionals aged 24 to 35, they might not have the time to watch long videos at work.
It’s not worth assuming. You can use analytics to determine the best time for you to post different length videos. You can schedule posts in advance using a tool for social media. This gives you the chance to test which slots are best for your video content.
The length of your videos will be determined by the content that you create. TikTok is a huge fan of humorous and entertaining content. These videos are usually short and sweet. They can last only a few seconds.
TikTok’s viral trends are best known as dances and voiceovers. Businesses are constantly watching the latest trends and attempting to replicate them to increase engagement. Trends tend to be short, bite-sized videos.
Educational videos, how-to guides or instructionals may be significantly longer. These types of content need to be longer to provide value to their audience.
Consider the type of video that you are producing when choosing the length.
Conclusion: How long should TikToks be?
You should now have a better idea about how different video lengths can benefit your business. It’s best to run your own tests and analyze your data. But, in general, shorter videos are better. Trim the fat if you want to make your video longer than 21 to 34 second.
