How Long Should Meta Ad Videos Be?

A history of ANALYSIS FOR ARTS And Culture Organizations

When Capacity first started tracking this metric in 2023, the consensus among marketers was that Meta videos, including those used for ads, should fall somewhere between 1–2 minutes. After that point, completion and conversion rates dropped off.

However, there was little guidance on organic videos versus paid, and certainly none that looked specifically at content created by arts and culture organizations. So we analyzed our clients’ campaign data in our 2024 Cultural Compass study to understand whether the typical video length recommendation holds true for arts and culture. And in short—we saw spikes in the results across page view rate, engagement rate, and video hold rate around one minute and two minutes, and the sweet spot fell somewhere around or between the two. Our results aligned with conventional wisdom when it comes to video length.

THE VIDEO SWEET SPOT in 2026

Now, sources broadly recommend 15-30 second videos for ads on Instagram (slightly shorter on Facebook; slightly longer on TikTok). One key metric we analyze is hold rate—the rate for the ThruPlay metric on Meta, which shows videos viewed to completion, or at least 15 seconds. Hold rates contribute to understanding the overall user engagement and interest level. A high hold rate indicates that users are genuinely interested in the content and are willing to watch a significant portion of the video. In contrast, a low hold rate may suggest that the video fails to maintain user attention after the initial hook.

We now see the highest video hold rates for videos 15 seconds and under, and the highest spike in attributed page view rate is around 15 seconds.

There is another sweet spot between 30-99 seconds, and a notable drop-off in hold rate for videos over 100 seconds.

However, slightly longer videos can drive strong social engagement. We saw the highest engagement rates in videos in the 60-99 second bucket, likely because these longer videos tend to have a little more information for people to react to (such as longer-form interviews, etc.).

The ideal video length ultimately depends on the strength of your content; if you’ve created a compelling story, people will stick with you for longer. Use the amount of time you need to showcase your story in the best possible way. But we would challenge arts marketers to think creatively about how they can pack the most value possible into < 15 seconds, particularly for more top-of-funnel audiences.

WHAT TO AVOID

Considering using a video that falls outside of the sweet spot? Keep these things in mind:

• Don’t lose people early. Social media users have short attention spans, but a blip of content with no clear purpose will likely lose folks quickly. Consider how you can incorporate a really strong hook.
• Don’t stretch it out unnecessarily. Don’t feel like you need to fill time to lengthen a video. You don’t want your video to be too long; we saw a significant drop-off in page view rate after 99 seconds. Plus, the budget you need to deliver brand lift from longer ad lengths is 2x – 5x more. Focus on grabbing attention while showcasing the most compelling parts of your programming.
• Carefully consider long-form content. Longer videos have results all over the map, suggesting that length isn’t necessarily a deterrent when a video is truly fascinating. If you’re unsure whether your audiences will go for a longer video, conduct an A/B test with a shorter clip to see which performs better.

THE TAKEAWAY: KEEP IT SHORT AND SWEET

The strength of your video content matters above all—but when in doubt, treat 15 seconds as the goal for ads.

And remember: Video length is just one factor in campaign performance. Don’t overlook the importance of expert storytelling and creative messaging. If your video is compelling enough, it will hold people’s attention regardless of length, so make sure you have a solid concept to drive clicks and increase conversions.

If you’re looking to optimize your creative strategy or get help with content creation, let’s talk.