Not sure why everyone acts like longer videos are always better

I heard a creator at a meetup in Austin say that his 45 minute deep dives get more watch time than his 10 minute ones, and everyone around nodded like it was a law. But I've seen my own 3 minute tutorial about a specific lighting trick get 3x the shares and comments compared to my hour long gear breakdown. Has anyone else found shorter, punchier content actually builds a better connection with viewers?

4 comments

4 Comments

ruby4502mo ago

I used to be one of those people who nodded along at meetups thinking longer was always better. But your line about the 3 minute lighting tutorial getting 3x the shares really made me pause. That actually happened to me too - I had a 2 minute tip on editing skin tones that got way more comments than my 30 minute studio setup video. It finally clicked for me when I realized people watch shorts when they want a quick fix, not a full lecture. Now I feel like short and focused is actually harder to make, but it respects the viewer's time way more. Pretty sure that's why the engagement is higher, because people actually finish it and feel like they learned something useful.

jones.anna1mo ago

Always makes me wonder if they're making content or just hearing themselves talk.

violatorres2mo ago

Oh totally, I feel you on this one. It's like there's this unspoken rule in creator circles that longer equals more serious or more valuable, but I've seen the exact same thing happen with my own stuff. I put out a quick 4 minute video on a specific editing trick and it blew up in the comments and shares, while my big long "ultimate guide" just sits there collecting dust with maybe a handful of likes. It's wild how we get caught up in what everyone else is doing instead of just paying attention to what actually works for our own audience. I think you're right that the shorter stuff respects people's time more, and that's probably why they actually engage with it instead of just letting it play in the background. Honestly it makes me want to go back and chop up some of my longer videos into smaller focused pieces and see what happens.

bettys511mo ago

Wait, hold up. I mean, yeah I totally agree with both of you, but here's what I keep circling back to in my own head. If we all agree the short punchy stuff gets better engagement, then why do we still see so many creators pushing out these hour long monstrosities? Is it some kind of ego thing, like they think their deep thoughts deserve that much time? Or is it just that stubborn old advice from back when YouTube actually pushed longer content in the algorithm, and people are scared to change? Because I've been mulling over my own analytics and it feels like the platform itself is shifting, but the creator habits haven't caught up yet. What do you think is really keeping people stuck in that longer is better mindset?