Sunday, November 17, 2013

The Ideal Length Of An Online Video

By Gabby Morris


I'm the worst for making YouTube videos too long. I'm not at all selective when it comes to the content, I want every single bit in the final video. What I'm criticised on consistently when I upload a video is the length and the amount of needlessly added content. So sue me, though it might be due to my stubborn and conceited nature, I suffer from severe reluctance when it comes to cutting down my content.

I stumbled across an advice video about how long online videos should be, it was created by Lambda Films, a video production company. It gives a variety of tips surrounding the ideal length of the an online video, all of which I found very beneficial, it reinforces the fact that the video needs to ultimately be short and concise.

The video begins with the fact that the introduction is fundamental, and this is because attention spans are shorter than ever. For that reason, the start of a video is vital in catching the audiences attention, so they continue to watch it through to the end. The nature of the internet is that people only engage with material that they would like to, so they have a reason for watching your video, and its imperative not to give them one to stop. Simply because they will find want they need to else where very easily.

The video blog reinforces the value of the duration of your video because duration puts individuals off. People want to watch something which will be worth the minutes as opposed to waste their time. There have been a lot of times when I have been trying to find videos and came across a 10-20 minute video and have not bothered to watch it due to its duration. The content might be extremely helpful and entertaining, but the length simply puts me off, and I know I am not alone here. Therefore, it is key to respect peoples precious time and make an effort to produce something shorter. The video proposes around 90 - 100 seconds to be a good length. This for me personally seems daunting because that is not a lot of time at all, and I personally want to showcase and show off what I have made because I am proud of it. Nonetheless, that is not the point, the point is for the audience to watch it and not switch off.

The gist of the video is to effectively respect the viewers time, but it provides some techniques in maintaining your viewers attention as well. Initially you should grab their attention with an introduction. If you're introduction is a dull as a dreary Wednesday, then it doesn't bode well for the rest of the video. Even if the rest of the video is golden, if your opening is not engaging then you'll have instantly lost some valuable viewership.

I found this video blog very useful in helping decide how long a online video should be, so the key points to remember are an introduction to ensure the target audience will stay interested and continue watching, the duration of the video, and also not to be afraid of cutting anything out!




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