Videos Are Getting Longer, and Engagement Rates Are Rising

Concerned about engagement rates? It's time to put that old tenet to rest that viewers only like short videos. Online video creation platform Wochit has released its 2017 Q3 Social Index report, and it sees an increase in the number of videos published that are over 90 seconds. Comparing Q2 and Q3 results, it says the percent of publisher videos on Facebook that are over 90 seconds long grew from 15.7 percent of the total to 19.5 percent. Meanwhile, the percent of videos between 30 and 90 seconds long shrank.

Wochit's report analyzes over 10,000 videos created by 200 publishers that appeared on Facebook pages in the third quarter.

A funny thing happened when publishers offered these longer videos: They increased their engagement rates. Videos over 90 seconds long received 78.8 percent more shares and 74.6 percent more views than did videos at other lengths.

Publishers are creating longer videos so they can monetize their work with Facebook midroll ads. Viewers seem fine with the ads, as they're watching and sharing these videos.

"While we've seen quantity of video increase every quarter, it's in Q3 that we see how big the impact that an increase in production can have on the metrics that matter most, like views and reactions," says Wochit co-founder and CEO Dror Ginzberg. "We're also excited to see how the trend toward longer video progresses and if this does alleviate some of media's monetization challenge."

Speaking of engagement rates, the report finds square videos are much more engaging than horizontal videos: Square videos get three times the views, seven times the comments, and eight times the shares.

The report lists the publishers that got the most views and shares in Q3. In both cases, the top publishers were CBS News and Editorial Televisa.

For more results, view the video below and read the full report for free (no registration required).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=2&v=oqTyrPzYWXs

Troy Dreier's article first appeared on OnlineVideo.net