The TikTok Experiments, Vol. 4: Posting Only 60 Second Videos for a Week

/

For a few months now, I’ve been conducting experiments to learn about TikTok’s algorithm. I plan to continue these experiments for as long as I can, despite the looming threat of (another) potential TikTok ban. My goal is to learn how to create content that will be served to just the people you’re hoping will see it. I’m testing several different tactics and sharing my findings.

Lately I’ve seen competing theories about video length. Some folks claim that the algorithm is boosting longer form content and we should all pivot to that; others assert that video completion is the most important metric, so shorter videos work best. I tried posting only 60 second videos for a week to see what would happen.

Why 60 second videos?

I’ve noticed that most of my longer videos don’t do that well, unless it’s a topic a small niche of people is extremely interested in. More general videos seem to perform better if they’re shorter. Given the claims that completion rate is one of the most important metrics, I figured it would be worthwhile to test. If my videos are only 60 seconds, people will watch a larger percentage of them, and then I’ll reach more people thanks to the algorithm… right?

What kinds of 60 second videos did you post during the experiment?

I shared 15 videos across the following categories:

  • Recommendations – I shared several recommendation videos for various books and movies. 

  • Reviews – Concise reviews of snacks and books, including four dogs trying three different kinds of potatoes!

  • Talking to camera – These were miscellaneous talking to camera videos, like announcing this experiment, sharing the results of my slideshow experiment, venting about diet culture infiltrating LinkedIn, and more. 

Which 60 second videos did the best?

I was pretty shocked by the results of this experiment! The vast majority of these videos hovered in the 200-300 views range. Not a single one went over 1,000 views. The best performing video was my short and snappy rant about diet culture showing up on LinkedIn, which received 386 views. A movie review was the second best performing, with 312 views and 10 saves. 

A lot of these videos received numerous saves. A shout-out to a book by a trans author received 11 saves and a review of a short story collection by a Japanese writer received 17 saves. People love a good recommendation, but in my experience so far, that doesn't always translate to views or new followers. 

Should I post more 60 second videos?

As always, this depends on your goals. For me, this experiment was a flop. 60 second videos did not help me retain viewers or grow my following. I gained 34 followers this week, which was a bit lower than usual. The stats really speak for themselves:

  • Video views down 16%

  • Profile views down 46%

  • Likes down 31%

  • Comments down 64%

  • Shares down 26%

Wow! One of the hardest things about these experiments is that it’s tough to isolate the variable you’re testing. The lower stats aren’t necessarily due to the videos being 60 seconds long; it could be because the news of another possible TikTok ban was looming over everything on the app. It was all anyone could talk about! Perhaps my content didn’t perform as well because it wasn’t focused on current events. 

Additionally, these shorter videos may not be my sweet spot. I wonder if the content had less substance because I was trying to squeeze it into a short 60 seconds. Maybe longer, more thoughtful videos prompt more comments if you’re having nuanced conversations or asking others to share their stories. 60 seconds didn’t seem to be enough to spark engagement. 

60 second videos were relatively easy to make (especially compared to the slideshows I labored over so much a few weeks ago!), but the results just weren’t there. I’m not writing off 60 second videos completely–I’ll still keep them in my content mix, but it’s good to know that they aren’t 100% necessary for TikTok success. Sometimes (like in food review videos), it’s easier to ramble, so limiting those to 60 seconds could be good. But the rest of the time, when I have a point I want to make or am speaking about something complex, it’s perfectly fine to go over 60 seconds! I think one of the main takeaways of this series of experiments is going to be: do whatever works best for you. As vague as that may sound, it tends to hold true across most platforms. 

Next, I’ll be doing an experiment where I only post 15 second videos for a week. While I’m growing more curious about 3 minute videos, I had planned the 15 second one first, so off we go! As usual, I’ll report back with my learnings. 

For more social media insights, subscribe to my unboring email newsletter.