Video Length?

[sammyb_883]

Hey guys,

What's everyones opinion on video length for a motovlog? Obviously the content of the video plays a huge part in whether it is too long/boring but just asking in general.

Currently editing my fourth video and wondering how much to cut out. I've read that the youtube algorithm favors longer videos but then I have also heard that viewer retention is very important and I suppose the longer the video is the more chance people will stop watching before the end.

My current videos are about ten minutes and I feel like they are too long/would get boring if I was someone else watching them. Wondering if I should cut them down to 5-6 minutes.

Channel is sammyb_883

 

[lupin]

As long as it needs to be. You need to look at your average watch time and get a feel for how long people watch.

But if its interesting people will watch for longer.

 

[Hippo-Drones]

If you think it is too long then cut it, it is your content so you would normally find it more interesting than a subscriber so if you feel it is too long then they would most likely too.
As a viewer I will sometimes want to watch longer vids, other times shortrer vids so as long as they are not full of long silences then all good
If you have a nice bit of video you want to use but you weren't saying anything while recording you could possibly do a voice over when editing

 

[Reize]

Personally I cut any unnecessary portions where it's silence and just riding, unless something interesting happened, or I specifically make a video just about riding a particular road or trail. The vloggy bits need to be short, sweet and to the point otherwise people will fall asleep before it even finishes.

 

[CJs]

I try to make my videos between 5 mins to 10 mins long I think it's a good length for a video.

 

[R-Rated]

All the above as needed. YouTube analytics will give you data on viewer retention so you can hone your skills.

 

[lupin]

All the above as needed. YouTube analytics will give you data on viewer retention so you can hone your skills.

Just use that as a guide. If you have a very short video eg 10-15 seconds, it throws it out a fair bit.
You really need to check each individual video to get a accurate idea.

Sometimes longer can be better, especially if its a 10min vid but get 50-60% watch time.

 

[SighBored]

If you can shorten them, that's good, otherwise maybe try to cover your topic in a faster pace, or shorten the topic coverage. It's not just the video length or topic, your presentation also matters, reduce "ah" "um" and silence and see the end result.

 

[Garthox]

My plan would be to aI'm for the 5 to 7 min mark as a rough guide. Those are the motovlogs that you can quickly watch.
I agree that there are many times where I am in the mood to watch a 15/30min video but those are less often. But depends on the day.

That being said, if the content is interesting and flowing well. I wouldn't edit/cut it short just to fit x minutes.

 

[sonicsix]

My goal is keep them between 5-10 minutes. I will watch longer videos if the content is captivating, but if not 5 minutes is about my attention span.

 

[Hippo-Drones]

I really struggled on vid length with the one I am currently editing. I don't like going over 15min and knew it was a long one so planned on splitting it but the point I wanted to split I was talking about both subjects so couldn't separate them. Hoping it doesn't put folk off when it goes up. It is really annoying as I had to delete a wedge of "hooning" to make it an acceptable length and was hoping to show some uninterrupted riding, next time maybe!

 

[scooterwuf]

I'm not one to talk as I jus posted to vlogs around 20 minutes each. I try to approach what I'm working on as a short film, or TV episode with a beginning, middle and end section. Everything should be used to move the story, topic or content forward, and keep it interesting (can't say I'm always successful). This can be done through other elements such as music, cutaways, sounds effects, transitions, and/or montages.

Good editing will pull in a viewer, and being a good editor will inform you on how to shoot your Vlogs -- b-roll footage, jump-cuts, action cuts, L-cuts, J-cuts, insert shots, cutting off the look, to subliminal shots. Feeling the need house them will motivate how you shoot your footage. The trick is to pull the viewer in with a strong intro/beginning then hold them for the length of your vlog.

- Wuf

 

[JoshAFJ]

I try to keep my videos sub 10 min if possible. I notice a lot of people seem to drop after about 5 min or so for some reason. Maybe I'm just not entertaining enough or I'm not popping wheelies and shit like some of the bigger guys haha who knows.

 

[Hippo-Drones]

As a viewer, I tend to ignore videos over 20min unless they are from someone I know can hold my interest for that long. If there is no commentary then 10min tops but it would need some decent riding to maintain interest for the full length. If you have to go over 20min then it really needs to be broken down into a multi part video.
As a maker of videos, I hate to edit out parts that I like, especially when due to the topic I have to leave in parts I find less entertaining. I guess I should save those extra clips rather than just binning them and use them in an out-takes video or somit.