Nobody says this but my recently discovered theory states that ‘YouTube Video Length secretly impacts the growth of your YouTube Channel’.
Some creators who have been in the game for a few years and have seen some growth will understand where I am hitting at, but if you’re a newbie, let me elaborate.
So, let’s say someone is searching for something like how to take pictures with a 4K Camera, and if that person is you and you see a video that is 30 minutes long and another that is just 7 minutes long – which one would you watch.
I know, and why is that? It’s quite simple, people want information and not just info, they want it faster.
For the Creator that took his time to create a 30 Minutes long tutorial on such a simple topic, am guessing his video will be boring, he may first start talking about a 4K Camera and why you should buy and stuff, just to prolong the video.
This usually happens because a few years ago, when I was still starting on YouTube, getting my first 100,000 Subscribers, I saw a tutorial by an SEO expert that claimed that longer videos get favored by the Algorithm.
While that used to be true some time ago, the YouTube algorithm has evolved and is smarter now more than ever. It can automatically transcribe videos and know what the video is all about.
For me, the Ideal YouTube Video Length in 2022 is about 7-9 Minutes, this figure was deduced after doing my research.
What I am going to do now is to list out the different YouTube Categories and then give you the ideal video length for all of them. This will help you niche-wise.
Films and Animation
Undoubtedly, this is the biggest Niche on YouTube, they are composed of big channels like Netflix, Disney, Paramount Plus, Nick Rewind, OSSA, Canal RCN, etc.
What these Film Channels do is that they share clips from your favorite movies and sometimes change the title to a more enticing headline.
So from my research, Film trailers usually last about 2 – 5 minutes long, while clips from movies don’t last more than 10 minutes.
However, YouTube Channels like OSSA review celebrity lifestyle and stuff, when they talk about a Celebrity, the videos are normally 4 – 7 Minutes long, but when they talk about the stars in a movie, their videos last for 10 – 12 Minutes.
Generally, in the Film and Animation Niche on YouTube, your videos should not be longer than 10 minutes, to keep your audience entertained.
Autos and Vehicles
In this niche the videos are comparably quite longer, a channel that I know works well in this niche is the Mighty Car Mods.
What these guys do is they buy cars and then modify the look to their taste, anyone who wants to make their car look good and custom-made should be a fan of their YouTube Channel.
Their Videos on average are at least 30 minutes long, and their videos do quite well and aren’t boring, it’s not those types of videos that you’d just fly in to grab the points.
Most times, they go from buying the car which they want to modify, but the equipment and staff needed for the modification to performing the task.
Imagine you come across a video ‘customize your Tesla in 5 minutes’ and the Creator just starts the customization without talking about the products and equipment he used.
In essence, what I’m trying to say is that people expect videos in this niche to be long and descriptive.
Music
Everyone watches Music Videos on YouTube, I mean, we’re all subscribed to our fav. Artists’ YouTube Channels.
Analyzing the Trending Music Videos weekly on YouTube for about 6 months, I found out that Viral Music Videos are typically 4 – 6 Minutes Long.
You can check out the YouTube Channels of popular artists like Davido, DaBaby, Eminem, Snoop Dogg, Ed Sheeran, Doja Cat, and Migos and see how long their videos are.
Or better still, look for artists in the same genre as you, or the artist you manage the YouTube Channel for.
Pets and Animals
YouTube Channels under this category cover everything you need to know about pets and animals (both domestic and wild).
Brave Wilderness is the most popular YouTube channel which I’m conversant with, they upload videos on animals and have over 19.9 Million Subscribers.
A quick analysis of their content shows that their videos are mostly longer than 10 minutes and believe me, they are not boring, I watch them till the end.
I guess you can say, they are the Mr. Beast of the Pet and Animal Niche, here’s one of their viral videos below:
Sports
The Sports Niche is one of the most popular niches on YouTube because everybody loves sporting activities, either partaking in them or just watching others do it.
Sports YouTube Channels like NFL, Premier League, WWE, ESPN, The Pat McAfee Show, Manchester United, Chelsea, UFC, FIFA, NBA, and Supersport have millions of Subscribers and they either analyze sports events, upload highlights, or interview the stars.
Here’s what I gathered from Sports Youtube Channels: Game Highlights don’t last up to 10 Minutes, Documentaries last for 10 – 15 Minutes, and Lists like Top 10 Best, and 10 Greatest… usually last longer than 10 Minutes.
Travel and Events
YouTube Creators in this niche upload content on Tourist attractions, events, etc, they travel to different countries and places to create more unique content.
A YouTube Creator that standards out from the crowd are the Fearless and Far YouTube Channel, they have over 1.2 Million Subscribers.
This creator discovers lost tribes, and cultures and visits Abandoned Tourist attractions, here’s what I deduced from the channel:
Their videos last an average of 20 minutes and they all get at least 100,000 views each, so if you’re in the travel and events niche, making videos longer than 10 minutes could help you grow faster.
How-to
These are tutorial videos on How to do this and How to do that, I don’t know I you’ve come across this YouTube Channel 5-minute crafts, though their videos ain’t 5 minutes anymore… lol! that was how they grew.
They were constantly uploading 5-minute tutorials on how to do stuff like convert a male’s shirt into a stunning gown and other crafts.
They were sharing knowledge faster, nobody wants a 1 hour tutorial on how to tie their scarf or their shoe laces.
So, if you’re in the How-to Niche, your videos should ideally be 5-8minutes long, it could be lesser, the goal is to satisfy the viewers’ intent as fast as possible.
Final Thoughts on How Long a YouTube Video should be in 2022
I’ve given you the ideal length for a YouTube video in this article, I’ve also gone ahead to study some YouTube niches and give you my analysis.
My advice for you if you want to grow on YouTube is just to: create engaging videos and satisfy viewers’ intent as fast as you can (these pieces of advice have helped grow a lot of YouTube Channels).
Maybe, when you grow your Subscribers, you can then create Long or short videos depending on what you want because you already got the audience.
