What's an ideal length for a video ad?

I would say 2-3 minutes.. enough time to pitch them something and they won't get tired and click somewhere else, unless you're really engaging they will stay for endless amounts for time.

90 secs max any longer and you loose them

I think if you want to make money with youtube, you should make video about 5-7 minutes

If you are referring to Youtube videos, 10 min+ videos work for very according to the data i have found from my youtube channel. Hope it helps

The shorter the better ideally. Less than a minute. Maybe longer than 30 seconds. Attentions spans are getting smaller and smaller.

Depends on what you are selling...

If you're selling a $5 product that most people understand the value of (aka an iphone case for example) then you don't need a 30 minute video ad to sell the benefits of an iphone case...

HOWEVER...

If you are introducing a product nobody has heard of, or nobody knows who you are... You have to spend a lot more time educating the consumer about you, your product, and what it can do for them. You can't sell someone on all of that in 'less than 90 seconds'.

The general rule is the more your product costs and the more information/commitment it requires, the more you will want to spend on selling someone.

There is a difference between an 'ad' and an 'infomercial'.

We're all used to ads on tv which are generally 30 seconds long. That means that our attention span is conditioned to ads of that length. Watch a bunch of TV ads and see just how much they cram in to that short space of time.

Obviously TV ads have the benefit of many repeats to get in to the psyche of the viewer, which internet ads don't have ... so internet ads may need to be a bit longer, but if they're too long you'll lose people and they'll click away.

I'd aim for 45 to 90 secs max, but keep them engaged. The shorter the better but make sure there is a clear call to action, you must direct people to do something i.e. how to buy (which is something that big brand TV ads don't need to do so much).

An infomercial on the otherhand can be longer, but unless you're well known to the viewer, then again shorter is better. Maybe 2-3minutes, but only if your content is riveting, relevant and engaging and really leading somewhere. People can't stand waffle.

Keep reminding yourself that after years of being conditioned by watching TV ads of 30 seconds or less, human beings are not able to take in long ads.

Kate

its depends on the video ad content i think,if u can show 5-6 promising pointers iun 30 sec, do it.

Depends on the niche and the product you're trying to sell. Assuming you really mean ad and not something of a sales video type, I would say for popular product something people use regularly 1 minute max, for something not so popular 1-3 minutes, just to explain what it does, if it is not clear.

Whoever is limiting your ad with a specific "minute" or "number of seconds" is surely making a folly out of you.

The best ever sales video was more than 50 minutes long..what now?

There is one golden rule you should remember in this case: As long as you are holding the attention + interest of your audience, keep on prolonging until you have got your message accross.

Remember: People don't have short attention spans. You are boring.

Thanks

Shorter the better I think.

Look at ads on YouTube for example - viewers now have the option to skip an ad after only 5 seconds.

Obviously it depends on the use of the video. There is no correct answer to this question unless the purpose is clearly defined and even then there will be valid differences of opinion.

Frank

Look at ads on YouTube for example - viewers now have the option to skip an ad after only 5 seconds.

Think of it like a commercial on TV, not too long and boring, but to the point and and of course must be eye catching.

Look at ads on YouTube for example - viewers now have the option to skip an ad after only 5 seconds.

An ideal length would be somewhere between 100-120 seconds. Keep it as short as possible in order to achieve maximum attention. Too much detail deviates the viewer from the main message or point of the clip. It's an inner desire of every marketer to tell each and everything to it's prospect client. Therefore it's better to save the detail for your website instead of squishing it in a video clip.

Cheers

Shorter the video ad, the better the completion rate. Video length ranges between 30 to 60 seconds is the best video ad.
If you have not fully engaged your audience after the first 30 seconds, you've likely lost 33% of viewers; and after one minute,
45% of viewers have stopped watching.

I accurately answered this question. No further responses are necessary. :-)

Frank

If your referring to You Tube I have found breaking the videos into around 4 to 5 minutes each if it is a video that is lets say 15 minute video and add to a playlist. The idea is to get their curiosty up so they will follow the videos on your playlist to see what is on the next video.

It depends on the niche and the audience, I would say that between 30 or 60 seconds is the right time, any less or more than that would be a mistake (again, depending on the audience and the niche).

Keep in mind that the most important seconds of a video are the first ones, those are the ones that will define if a person will look at your full video, or will continue to scroll down and just ignore it. So those first seconds must be ground breaking, they need to be very appealing to secure the person will watch the full ad.

look for data and don't listen to peoples guesswork. No data as such in this article but its a good start Best Practices: What Is the Optimal Length for Online Video? | DigitalNext - AdAge

There is only one way to find out, split test different video ads.

1-2 minutes are rather enough for video ads.

According to me 1 minute video ad is enough.

Chances of skipping ad lowers on YouTube.

I would say 60 seconds. Grab their attention, hook them in and then get that click. Then let your sales / landing page do the converting.

From my splittesting-experience around 90 seconds is about perfect, otherwise it will get boring. But if you are able to pack all information in just 60 seconds, go for that, the shorter the better, but don't cut short on the content either.

Today's consensus is leaning towards 60 seconds.

I appreciate everyone commenting - it all helps.

I will test it of course, however it's good to hear what your thoughts are out there.

Wow wow,You're getting all sorts of answers here! If you are speaking of an actual video ad, pre-roll. No more than 90sec, but 15-30sec is fine. Think TV. 15s and 30s have been selling billions of dollars for years. Web video ads and TV are quickly conversation and 80% of the ads you see online are refurbished TV ADS. WHY? Because they work. So, keep it short. If you are getting into in app video they can be shorter. Snap chat video ads are 7sec. If you are looking to review a product on YouTube, that is a completely different. I work in the video ad business. Good luck!

I would go for something of 5-7 minutes long. which is like a piece of crunch you can digest.

2 min would be the maximum, if you can get less than that it would be great.
Ads doesn't appeal that much unless at first look the video is catchy.

I think that this a great question...but honestly it's going to depend on your product, platform, and purpose for the video.

Certain platforms you want less time other more...Sometimes for them to sit through a long video means they are motivated everyone else you just weeded out.

Just a couple of things to keep in mind.

consider limiting it to 1.5 minutes because the longer the video is people lose interest.

Regards
Fred
AMZinsight

A couple of minutes are good for any decent video IMHO.

The length of video ads depends on the type of product you deal in or rather the type of business you have.
1)If you are trying to make a business connection anywhere from 2 to 2.5 minutes will do.
2)On the other hand if you are B2C, and have common people as customers keep it short, fun engaging and limited to 1 min.

Cheers
Shivankit Arora
Marketing Masala

First, you have to define "video ad." From this thread, it is apparent it means different things to different people.

For me a video ad is like any other ad format, it's function is to generate enough interest to induce an action. Period!

If you need more than 60 seconds, it's time to tighten up your writing.

This video ad has made some decent money, it's less than 60 seconds:


Brent

I think it depends on where you place the ad and what it's about. In some cases I might be willing to watch that 2-3 minute advertisement if it really appeals to me. But if it doesn't or I have small interest in the ad then probably 15 seconds is as long as I can see myself paying attention.

I would say the shorter the better, as long as you include all your relevant selling points. But if it needs to be longer I would try to keep it under 3 minutes if at all possible.

Well for me personally it all depends on the message you're trying to convey to your targeted audience.

If it's just a review about a product or service a straight to the point video is ideal say 5 mins or less than 10 mins otherwise your viewers would get bored.

But if it's a step by step tutorial then a lengthy video is fine as long as is not too long ans boring.

Another thing you can do is making your video engaging.

Add some gest into it to keep them entertained and focused.

This helps too. All the best.

max 60 seconds. After that, engagement rate reduce massively.
90 is somehow might still works, but from my exp, 60s is the best

You need to be more specific than "video ad", as well as where the video is to be played. Is the video ad going to be embedded on a sales page?

Is the ad going to be played on Youtube or Facebook? And it it's on Youtube, what's the purpose? Is it to drive traffic to a website or to get subscribers to a YT channel?

Asking how long a video ad should be is a lot like asking how long is a piece of string.

In general the lest the product costs, the shorter the video can be. If a product in considered to be pricy by the buyer, then buyers are not going to hand over what they consider big bucks lightly, so you'll have to go more in-depth. Length does not necessarily create depth.

The length of your video can vary based on the niche, audience and product, but in general the more money being asked for the more the video ad must have sustenance and quality to justify the money being spent.

It's not necessarily the length of the ad that's important. Your ad needs to grab and keep your viewer's attention.

Get some ideas from existing video ads on youtube. See how long they keep you engaged. When you see those that keep you wanting more, ask your self why, what was it about that ad that kept me watching.

Conversely of course, I you click off an ad in the first 10 seconds, again, ask yourself what was it about that ad that made me turn off.

You can guarantee that whatever it was that made you continue to watch, or switch off will be the same reason that others do.

Its not about time limit. You have to think....

What message can I send that will deliver the highest impact.

What are these people doing when they see my ad?

Do I wamt them to watch long enough to understand a complicated concept. If so.... Does what they are doing coincide with the long explanation that im giving.

Or are they just flipping and scrolling through. And they only need a teaser to get a quick click?

If you go by recomended length of time. Then you are assumingly dictating what they are doing while looking at your ad.

Ultimately. If your script is impactful enough to your target market. Then they will be hooked in and stay regardless of the length of time.

Hi Guys,

I run a new/startup Video Ad network and the data we have after a few million video plays is this:

1. 30.13% of people watch the first 25% (first quartile)
2. 18.42% continue to watch the next 25% (second quartile)
3. 13.61% third quartile
4. 11.01% finish the video

Of course, there are several other factors at play, for example:

• geography
• target demographic
• video content & quality

If I were to extrapolate this to an Ad all in itself - I'd say you'd have to:

Keep under 30 seconds and get right to the point in the first 10 seconds

Otherwise you've lost your audience.

Looks like that you have a comprehensive answer for other in here. I just want to add one thing. Make a video that can grab anyone attention from the start. In youtube, you can skip ad after 5 seconds,
If you can't make people interest with your ad, you'll loose your audience.

Good luck!