How long should a business promo video be?

Which length fits which use?

I size every film by two things: where it will be watched, and whether the viewer chose to press play. My own work runs from a 27-second product film to brand stories of several minutes, and each length has a job it does best:

• Ads (15–30 seconds): nobody asked to see this, so you have a few seconds to earn the rest. On YouTube, viewers can skip after five seconds, so those five carry the message.
• Product films (15–30 seconds): one product, one idea. My Bialetti “Perfetto Moka” film is 27 seconds, and that was enough to show the pot, the ritual and the coffee.
• Reels and Shorts (under 60 seconds): most of the reels I deliver sit between 15 and 45 seconds. Shorter often means more people watch to the end.
• Website promo (60–90 seconds): the visitor pressed play, so you have time to show what you do, who it's for and why you, then ask them to get in touch.
• Brand story (2–10 minutes): for people who already know you and want the reason behind the business. The story sets the length, not a target. There's more on this in brand story film or promo video.
• Event highlights (1–2 minutes): enough to capture the atmosphere without replaying the whole day.

Why isn't shorter always better?

Short is a sensible default, but a film too short to make its point is as wasted as one that drags. A 30-second homepage video for an accounting firm might look slick, yet it rarely has time to show the people, explain the service and answer “Why you?” Someone about to trust you with their books will happily watch 90 seconds if those seconds are useful.

The better test is whether every scene earns its place. When I edit, I ask of each shot: if I cut this, does the viewer lose anything? If not, it goes. What's left is the right length, whether that's 45 seconds or three minutes. Viewers drop off gradually through any video, so the aim isn't to keep everyone. It's to make sure the important part arrives before most of them leave.

How do you structure 60–90 seconds so the point lands early?

Put the most important thing in the first five to ten seconds, then spend the rest proving it. This outline works for most service businesses:

• 0–5 s, the hook: your strongest image and the promise in one line: what you do and for whom.
• 5–25 s, the situation: the problem or moment your customer is in, shown rather than explained.
• 25–60 s, the how: your people, process and place, plus one piece of proof such as a client's words.
• 60–80 s, the result: what life looks like after, or the finished product in use.
• Final 5–10 s, the next step: one clear action, such as “Book a free call”, with your website on screen.

Can you cut one film into several lengths?

Yes, and it's worth planning for before filming, not after. When I shoot a promo, I think about the different edits from day one, which is why my promo films come with a widescreen and a vertical version as standard.

Shorter versions aren't just the long one trimmed, though. A 15-second ad needs its own opening, because the long film's first shot may exist to set a mood, and a scroller won't wait for mood. For AREPA&Co, the Venezuelan restaurant, the official promo film and the promo cut for social media came from the same shoot, but a social cut has to get the food on screen almost immediately.

From a single well-planned shoot you can usually get:

• the full promo, 60–90 seconds, widescreen, for your website and YouTube
• an ad cut of 15–30 seconds, with subtitles
• two to four vertical reels, each built around one idea
• a silent 6–10 second loop for a website header or a very short ad

How can you tell your video is too long?

Your analytics will tell you. YouTube Studio shows an audience retention graph for each video, most video hosts offer a similar engagement graph, and Instagram shows average watch time for reels. Look for these patterns:

• A steep drop in the first 5–10 seconds: the opening isn't doing its job. That's a hook problem, not a length problem, and cutting the end won't fix it.
• A steady slide, then a cliff: note the timestamp and watch that moment. It's usually a slow section, a repeated point or an interview answer that runs on.
• Most people gone before the call to action: move the call to action earlier, or cut until viewers reach it sooner.
• Average watch time far below the running time: if people watch 25 seconds of a two-minute website film, try a 60-second version and compare over a month.

Get the length right before anyone films

The cheapest place to fix length is the plan. A rough guide: a 60-second film holds about 120–150 words of voiceover or interview, including pauses. If your script is 300 words, you don't have a 60-second film, whatever the brief says. Cut the script, not the pace.

When you brief a videographer, lead with where the video will live, then the length. That tells them far more than a number on its own. If you want help sizing a film for your business, have a look at how I plan promo films and brand stories, and if social media is your main channel, read how long a reel should be.