How long should a TikTok be?
Longer than most people think. Compared with the same creator's average video, TikToks of 1.5–3 minutes got 9% more views and TikToks over 3 minutes got 32% more views. Videos under 30 seconds did worst.
What we found
- Under 15 seconds: 6% fewer views. 15–29 seconds: 8% fewer views.
- 1–1.5 minutes: about average (+0%). 1.5–3 minutes: 9% more views. Over 3 minutes: 32% more views.
- Longer videos get saved far more: from 38% fewer saves for under 15 seconds to 51% more saves for over 3 minutes.
- The typical talking-head TikTok is about 51 seconds long, and the share over a minute is growing.
TikTok views by video length
Each length against the same creator's average video.
Saves per view by video length
Each length against the same creator's average video.
How we know: We compared each creator's videos of different lengths with their own other videos from the same month, across 1,699 TikTok creators. Longer videos are often tutorials or stories, so length and content go together.
Read the full study: How long should your videos actually be?
Related questions
Is 60 seconds the best length for TikTok?
Not in our data. Videos of 1–1.5 minutes were about average (+0%); longer ones did better and shorter ones worse.
Do short TikToks get more views?
No. TikToks under 15 seconds got 6% fewer views than the same creator's average video, and far fewer saves.
Is it different on Instagram?
Yes, the opposite: Reels under 15 seconds got 19% more views than the same creator's average Reel (see "How long should an Instagram Reel be?").