How long should a promo video be? 15 vs. 30 seconds
For a local business promo on Reels, TikTok or Shorts, make it 15 seconds when you have one thing to say, and up to 30 seconds when there's more to show. All three apps take much longer videos now, but a promo isn't a story. It's one message, said fast, and seen to the end.
Why short works for promos
- People decide in the first second or two. Your opening line has to earn the rest of the video.
- Most people watch with the sound off, so the words on screen carry the message.
- The end is where you ask for something: "Book a table", "Call today", "Tour it Saturday". The more people get there, the more people see the ask.
- A short video gets watched again. When it loops, your offer goes past twice.
When 15 seconds is right
Use 15 seconds for anything with a single message:
- a special, a sale or a happy hour
- openings today, holiday hours, a new service
- a new menu item, a new arrival, an anniversary
That's four or five short lines: a hook, the detail, the offer or the when, and the call to action.
- Pancit is back
- Garlic shrimp noodles
- Thursdays, $14
- Order ahead
When 30 seconds is worth it
Use 30 seconds when people need more before they act:
- A listing: several rooms, the neighborhood and an open house time.
- An event: the lineup, the date, the time and how to get tickets.
- A menu or a class schedule: a few items, each with a photo.
- A new business: what you do, where you are and when you open.
That's about eight lines, and twice as many photos. If you're past eight, make it two videos.
How many words fit on screen
A line has to stay up long enough to be read, and it has to land on the music. In practice:
- Keep lines to about five words. "3 beds, 2 baths" reads at a glance; a full sentence doesn't.
- 15 seconds holds about twenty words, in four or five lines.
- 30 seconds holds about twice that, in up to eight lines.
- Give the last line time. Your call to action should stay on screen long enough to act on.
If your script is longer, cut words before you cut time. Most scripts get better with half the words.
The first line and the last line
The first line is the hook. Name the thing people want, not your business name: "Openings today", "Just listed", "Pancit is back". Your name and logo can sit on the closing frame.
The last line is the action, with where or when: "Book online", "Call today", "Saturday, 11 to 2". People can't act on a video that ends without one.
One video for every app
Make the video vertical, 9:16, and keep the words in the middle of the frame: each app puts its own buttons and captions along the bottom and the right edge. Then post the same file to Reels, TikTok and Shorts, and on your Google Business Profile, which takes videos up to 30 seconds.
Make them with Kinetix Promo
In Kinetix Promo, you choose 15 or 30 seconds, and every line is timed to be read and to land on the beat of original music. If a script is too long for its length, you're told before anything is made, never cut off. Start from one of our templates for any business, or type what the video is about.
Grand opening
Tell the neighborhood you're open.
- Now open in Normal Heights.
- Doors open Saturday at 7.
- Free drip coffee all weekend.
- Come say hi at your business name.
Anniversary
Thank your regulars for the years.
- Ten years together.
- Thank you for every visit.
- A free hand treatment with any facial.
- Here's to the next ten.