Everything you need to know about Buffer’s latest product updates and what’s coming next on the product roadmap.(image)
We’re always adding new features and updates to Buffer. This year, we've introduced several new additions, and we're excited to give you a sneak peek at what's coming next.
Here's everything you need to know about our latest updates and what to look forward to.
Keep track of your social media ideas, visualize your progress, and drag and drop your way from “To Do” to “Done” with this Trello-style planning feature.
0:00
/0:08
LinkedIn First Comment
Amplify your engagement by scheduling the first comment on your LinkedIn posts. This feature lets you strategically plan initial interactions, sparking conversations and increasing visibility.
In this #AskBuffer, we explore whether there is a best TikTok length and look at examples from content creators who make both short and longer videos on the platform. (image)
If you’re confused about TikTok video length, you’re far from the only one.
When you think of TikTok, you likely think of short-form videos (and even shorter attention spans) — it was 15-second videos that helped the social media platform skyrocket to 1 billion users in a few short years, after all.
The app has slowly been inching into YouTube’s territory by allowing users to upload longer videos. In 2024, the app started rolling out the ability to upload videos of up to 30 minutes, a big departure from its original offering.
If you’re wondering how long TikTok videos can be, the answer is not quite as simple as it used to be. Perhaps a better question, too, would be, “How long should TikTok videos be?” This is where things get interesting!
In this article, we’ll unpack all of the above and dig into some fascinating data from millions of TikTok videos sent through Buffer to understand how to optimize your TikTok video length for video views and watch time.
How long can a TikTok video be?
TikTok videos can be anywhere from 3 seconds to 30 minutes in length. When filming a video within the app, users will be able to choose from various specific durations — 15 seconds, 60 seconds, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, or 30 minutes.
Note that 15-minute and 30-minute video options might not be available in all regions just yet.
That said, videos don’t need to be exactly those lengths. Technically, you can film for or upload a video of any duration between 3 seconds and 30 minutes.
Where things get a little confusing is filming within the app. If you choose the 15-second option (see no. 1 in the screenshot below), you will be cut off at 15 seconds.
(image)
You won’t be able to film additional clips, but you can upload clips from you camera roll to make the video longer.
To do so, tap the check icon on the bottom right of the screen (2), then the square edit icon on the top left (3), and the + button on the bottom right.
(image)
When you upload a video you’ve filmed or edited elsewhere, there’s no need to choose a specific video length — the app will do that based on the length of the video.
💡
Work smarter, not harder: plan, organize, and schedule your TikTok content with Buffer. Here’s how →
How long can a TikTok Story be?
When filming a story within the TikTok app, a story video can be up to 15 seconds. Unlike regular TikTok posts, TikTok Stories will remain visible for 24 hours before disappearing.
They also won’t appear in your main feed, other users' For You Pages, or following feeds. Your Stories will only be visible when followers tap on your profile photo, either while viewing your profile or within the DMs or messages tab.
To film or upload a story on TikTok, tap the create button (the + icon at the bottom center of the screen when you open the app), and choose the Story option, also in the bottom center (no. 5 below).
(image)
How long can TikTok Photo carousels be?
Users can upload from one to a whopping 35 images to a TikTok carousel post, which will play on users’ feeds for as long as it takes to scroll through them all.
TikTok photo carousels will appear in For You and Following feeds, as well as on your profile, just as regular TikTok videos would. You can also add trending TikTok sounds and other effects to them.
To create a TikTok carousel post, choose Photo above the camera button within the main create window (no. 6 in the image above).
How long should a TikTok video be?
Now all that housekeeping is out of the way, you know you have a plethora of options when it comes to how long your TikTok videos can be. However all video lengths are not created equal when it comes to views and engagement.
We analyzed millions of TikTok videos to better understand what the ideal length is for two metrics: total views and full video watch rate. Note that at the time of this analysis, we didn’t yet have enough data on videos longer than 10 minutes (600 seconds) — we’ll update here as soon as we have it.
The best TikTok video length for views
(image)
According to our data, the longer the TikTok video, the more views it tends to get. On average, 3 to 10-minute videos received the most views, followed by 2-3 minutes, then 1-2 minutes, and so on.
Videos longer than 3 minutes received, on average, more than double the views of videos between 6 and 10 seconds.
The worst TikTok length for views is 0-3 seconds, with 4-5 second and 6-10 second videos not far off.
With all this in mind, it makes sense that TikTok is expanding to include videos much longer than their original offering.
“TikTok has been pushing longer videos, so I’m not surprised by these results,” Mitra Mehvar, Buffer’s Social Media Manager, told me. “A couple years ago, it was definitely suggested to keep your videos as short as possible, but these days it’s all about longer videos.”
So longer videos will always win out when it comes to the TikTok algorithm? Well, not necessarily…
The best TikTok video length for full video watch rate
(image)
When it comes to full video watch rate, the opposite of the above is true. Our data showed users are more likely to watch entire videos if they are shorter.
It makes sense — videos 10 seconds and under are unlikely to be skipped simply because viewers likely won’t have the time to decide to swipe past before they’re finished.
So, while the data shows that shorter videos are best for full watches, it doesn’t necessarily mean viewers find them the most engaging.
What is really interesting to note is the spike in the full watch rate for videos between 2 and 3 minutes long. There definitely seems to be a sweet spot for watching full videos there. It’s also worth noting that there is very little difference in the full video watch rate between videos 11-30 seconds, 31-60 seconds, 1-2 minutes, and 3-10 minutes long.
While full watch rate might not be as appealing as total views, it’s an important metric to be aware of — we know that watch time is a crucial signal to the TikTok algorithm that your videos are high-quality and worth serving in other For You Pages.
💡
Tactics for TikTok success: If your goal is taking your TikTok presence to the next level, we’ve got some resources that might help. I recommend checking out this guide to TikTok SEO (search engine optimization) and the best time to post on TikTok.
TikTok hooks > TikTok video length
By now, you’ve probably realized that there is no magic number when it comes to TikTok lengths.
While you might want to explore videos two minutes or longer to help you maximize watch rate and video views, there’s one factor that will always trump video length on TikTok: A good hook.
In content creation, a hook is the ‘why’ of your video — what will your viewers get from watching the video? Will they learn something? Be shocked? Entertained? Being clear and compelling about this upfront will help you ‘hook’ viewers in.
TikToks that open with a strong hook during their first three seconds tend to perform the best, the platform says.
“Over 63% of all videos with the highest click-through rate (CTR) highlight their key message or product within the first three seconds,” research directly from TikTok says. This means you want to start your TikTok off strong and quickly introduce the topic or thesis.
This TikTok by content creator Naomi Burtt is 46 seconds but opens with a hook quickly: “This is my Chipotle hack.” It has received over one million views.
Here, content creator Kevin – also known as the CEO of Chai – has an immediate product hook. The TikTok opens with a clip of Emma Chamberlain highlighting her chai powder mix. In the video, Kevin reviews the product and talks about the chai for one and a half minutes. Note that even at a longer length, the TikTok performed well and garnered over 180,000 likes.
We went viral on TikTok with a fun video our social media manager Mitra made about remote work. While the video is short — only five seconds — the visual hook is immediate as the first thing people see is the text, “POV: You’re a remote worker vibing at Target in the middle of the work day.”
A good hook will captivate the audience's attention right away, meaning these users will be more likely to finish your video instead of just scrolling past it. This is important because the TikTok algorithm will ding you if users aren’t engaging with your video and watching it in its entirety.
The length of TikToks vs. Instagram Reels vs. YouTube Shorts
TikTok videos can be up to 30 minutes long, depending on your region. The time limit for Instagram Reels is 90 seconds. For YouTube Shorts, the maximum video length is 60 seconds (any new videos longer than that will be published as regular YouTube videos).
Thanks to the rise (and rise) of TikTok, social network competitors Instagram and YouTube introduced their own TikTok-inspired experience: Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts.
The platforms don’t feel all that different. In fact, it’s common for creators to cross-post their TikToks directly on Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts — we even recommend doing so for more visibility on your posts.
In this regard, much video content that performs well on TikTok can also perform well on Reels and YouTube Shorts, and vice versa.
But there’s no guarantee that it will, and it’s largely thanks to some key differences in length: With YouTube Shor
In this article, you’ll learn about ten copywriting formulas that can help you package your social media content in a more engaging way.(image)
There’s a lot of talk about “excellent copywriting” on the internet. And it’s versatile, too: Copywriting techniques can be used for multiple formats — from e-commerce websites, landing pages, sales, pages to product descriptions and content marketing.
But what about social media — where holding attention is harder than ever before? Someone might revisit your website even if you have a poor copy, but your audience is aggressively skimming on social media. If you don’t stop the scroll and give them their time’s worth, you’re invisible.
In this article, you’ll learn about ten copywriting formulas that can help you package your social media content in a more engaging way.
Why do you need copywriting formulas?
Copywriting formulas aren’t cheat codes. They won’t buzz your phone with thousands of new followers overnight. But you should try them anyway.
Why? Think of creating social media content like cooking a meal. You already have the ingredients — your ideas. Copywriting formulas are the recipe. They help you understand what order you should implement with your ingredient list, how long to cook (a hook) for, and when to simmer down with a call to action (CTA).
Think of copywriting formulas as templates within which you can fit your social media content for maximum engagement.
Why do copywriting formulas work?
Copywriting formulas work because they play on primal human psychology. They embed core persuasion techniques that have stood the test of time.
For example, many copywriting formulas help you appeal to the emotion behind your content. This is because emotionally connected customers have a whopping 306 percent higher lifetime value versus satisfied customers.
Another reason copywriting formulas work is because they’re designed to stop the scroll. Getting (and holding!) your target audience’s attention is getting more and more challenging. Copywriting formulas are designed to grab attention and deliver value without losing your audience in the doom scrolling void.
But copywriting formulas aren’t clickbait
Clickbait is writing misleading, sensational, or controversial headlines to attract attention. Hooks (or the opening of your social media posts) are a part of copywriting formulas, but they aren’t clickbait.
The core distinction is that clickbait is usually deceptive while copywriting formulas are rooted in truth. For example, if I write, “Learn more social media growth techniques in seven minutes than I learned in seven years,” the red alarm blares off. It’s transparently designed to draw the audience in — even if the technique is shady. That’s clickbait.
Most of your audience will be able to recognize it because most consumers today know PR speak like the back of their hand. Even if you use clickbait and attract people falsely, you’ll lose their trust because you won’t be able to deliver on the promise of clickbait.
Copywriting formulas stitch the content you already have in a more appealing dress — no lies or exaggeration needed.
And copywriting formulas don’t exist in a silo
When people think of “copywriting formulas,” they typically think of text-based templates. But social media content is a combination of visual design, video editing, scriptwriting, and captions.
Using copywriting formulas in your caption while your images & videos are lackluster will suppress your engagement potential. All the elements of a social media post work in tandem. If one element performs poorly, the whole post performs poorly.
Similarly, you can also use copywriting formulas in your videos. For example, you can use copywriting formulas in your TikTok transcript or showcase an element of a copywriting formula (like desire) via video or voiceover instead of text alone.
All this to say, don’t think of copywriting formulas in a vacuum. They exist with all the other elements of your social media post. And don’t be afraid to be creative if you want to use them in innovative ways using visuals and videos! There’s no rulebook on how to use copywriting formulas.
10 copywriting formulas to craft engaging social posts
If you start to look, you’ll find hundreds of copywriting formulas. But here’s the secret: You don’t need to know, remember, or even use them all. Many copywriting formulas are different derivatives of the same core concept. You don’t need the 100+ list if you learn those primary ideas.
Here are the ten most common and effective copywriting formulas for creating social media content.
1: Awareness–Interest–Desire–Action (AIDA)
Best for spurring up action
AIDA shows the various steps a follower needs to take to become a customer.
The first stage is awareness: This is when you introduce your potential customer to your product or service. Let them know you exist. What do you offer? Who is it for?
The second stage is interest: This is when you showcase why a potential customer should care. What’s in it for them? How are you helping?
The third stage is desire: This is when interest converts into want. Is there a limited-time offer? Is there social proof to back you up?
The fourth stage is action: This is the stage of conversion — usually when you move your audience beyond social media. Should they visit your website or subscribe to your newsletter? Where can they make a purchase?
In some places, you might see that in AIDA, the A stands for “attention” instead of “awareness.” If you go by the attention-interest-desire-action formula, the only difference is that you’re writing copy with an attention-grabbing hook instead of making the audience aware of your product/service.
AIDA works best when you’re enticing your audience to take a specific action. Maybe that’s visiting your website, buying your products, or even subscribing to your newsletter. A CTA is the final punch in the AIDA copywriting formula, so it’s best to use it for social media content where you want direct conversions for a specific goal.
In this article, we walk through what you need to know about how to use Meta Business Suite.(image)
Meta offers several tools to help implement marketing strategies and manage your online presence effectively. But if you’ve never interacted with them before, it can be an overwhelming experience.
So whether you’re a beginner creator or small business owner, this guide will walk you through the key setup tasks and common activities for Meta Business Suite.
What is Meta Business Suite?
Meta Business Suite is a comprehensive social media management tool developed by Meta (of course), ideal for businesses of all sizes.
It consolidates various functionalities into a single platform, designed to help businesses efficiently manage their Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp for Business accounts.
Meta Business Suite simplifies the social media and ad management process for its main platforms by combining functionalities from the now-sunsetted Facebook Business Manager and Facebook Creator Studio.
This platform enables users to streamline their workflow, reducing the need to switch between different tools and dashboards.
Meta Business Suite has several features designed to simplify and enhance your social media efforts.
Unified inbox: You can set up automated responses for frequently asked questions, such as business hours, contact information, and order status inquiries. This feature saves time and ensures consistent communication with your audience.
Content creation and management: Meta Business Suite provides a variety of templates for posts, stories, Reels, and ads. These templates help you quickly create professional-quality visuals, ensuring your content is engaging and visually appealing.
Content scheduling: You can schedule posts in Meta Business Suite across Facebook and Instagram.
Detailed insights and analytics: You can track metrics like reach, engagement, impressions, follower growth, and conversion rates, providing a comprehensive view of your social media performance.
Meta Business Suite also allows you to design ads, set objectives, and launch campaigns directly from the platform. You can optimize your ad spend with advanced budgeting and targeting options. You can also use the Facebook Pixel to track conversions, ensuring your ads reach the right people.
How to start using Meta Business Suite
Getting started with Meta Business Suite is fairly easy. First, you must set up your account, profile, and dashboard.
Create an account and set up your Business profile
Visit the Meta Business Suite website and log in with your Facebook credentials. If you don’t have a Facebook account, you’ll need to create one first.
(image)
Once logged in, you’ll be prompted to set up your business account. Enter your business name, and select the primary Facebook Page for your business.
If you don’t have a Facebook Page yet, you can create one during this process.
💡
Download the mobile app for Meta Business Suite for management on the go.
Add in your information
Fill in the necessary business details, such as your business email, address, and phone number. Ensure all information is accurate and up-to-date, as this will be visible to your audience.
Once you’ve set up your account, upload a high-quality profile picture and cover photo that represents your brand.
Navigate to the About section and fill in your business description, hours of operation, and other relevant details. This information helps customers understand your business and how they can engage with you.
Set up two-factor authentication by navigating to the 'Security' section in your account settings for added security. This ensures that only authorized users can access your business account.
How to navigate the Meta Business Suite dashboard
The Meta Business Suite dashboard can be overwhelming at first look. Here’s what’s most important:
Home: This is your main hub, where you can see an overview of your content performance. It includes a to-do list, recent posts, and quick links to create posts or ads.
Notifications: This tab shows all your recent notifications, including comments, likes, and messages from your connected Facebook and Instagram accounts.
Inbox: Manage all your messages, comments, and reviews from Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp in one place. This unified inbox helps streamline communication with your audience.
Content: This section allows you to create, schedule, and manage your posts and stories for both Facebook and Instagram.
Planner: The Planner tab displays a calendar view of your scheduled posts, stories, and ads. It helps you plan and organize your content in advance.
Ads: Under the Ads tab, you can manage your ad campaigns, create new ads, set your budget, and target your audience. This is where you handle all aspects of your advertising strategy.
Insights: The Insights tab provides detailed analytics on your posts, stories, and ads. You can track metrics like reach, engagement, and follower growth to understand your social media performance.
Settings: Adjust your settings to customize your Meta Business Suite experience. Here, you can manage user roles, permissions, and integrations with third-party apps.
(image)
(image)
You can also visit the All tools section to access additional tools and features, such as A/B testing, audience management, and lead generation options.
How to schedule content in Meta Business Suite
To create and schedule a post in Meta Business Suite:
You can create and schedule posts in different areas of your dashboard – Home, Content, or Planner.
(image) (image) (image)
In any of these areas, tap Create post
(image)
Select where you want to share the post: Facebook, Instagram, or both.
Enter your post details, including the caption, media for the post, and tags and location.
You have several options for editing your posts as well, provided in the Edit button you can find by hovering over your uploaded media.
(image) (image)
Preview your post on the right. You can also see how it will look on Facebook compared to Instagram or on desktop compared to mobile.
Select whether you want to Boost the post, which will create an ad out of the post.
Once you’re satisfied, click Schedule, Publish, or Finish Later to save a draft of your post.
Create and schedule a Reel
To create and schedule an Instagram or Facebook Reel:
Tap the Create Reel, usually beside the Create post button.
Choose where you want to share the Reel: Facebook, Instagram, or both. You can do this by selecting the appropriate accounts in the "Share to" field.
Click on Add video or Add photos to upload the media you want to include in your Reel. Note that you can’t currently add Photo Reels to Instagram.
In the Reel details section, enter a captivating caption that grabs your audience’s attention and clearly describes your Reel. Use relevant hashtags to increase visibility and engagement.
Select a thumbnail by either picking one of the suggested options or uploading your own cover image.
(image)
If you’re collaborating with someone on the Reel, you can add their name or URL in the "Collaborator" section. They will be automatically invited, and you can send an invitation directly.
Tap the Next button
Here, you can add trending audio to your Reels, as well as make other edits to your video.
(image)
If you need to make any changes to your uploaded media, use the Edit button.
If you want to turn your Reel into an ad, select the Boost option.
Once you are satisfied with your Reel, you have several options, Share Now, Schedule or Finish Later (however, note that you can’t save Instagram Reels as drafts – only Facebook Reels.)
At this stage, you can allow “Remixing” or gifts from your audience. You can also choose to share your Reel publicly or to a Restricted group.
(image)
Create and schedule a Story
To create and schedule an Instagram or Facebook Story:
From the drop-down menu beside the Create post button, Create Story.
(image)
Add media (such as pictures and videos). You can also select multiple images at once.
To edit your Story, tap the Edit button to crop or add text and stickers. You can reposition and resize them on your screen.
(image)
Select where you want your post published: Facebook Stories, Instagram Stories, or both.
Once you’re satisfied, you can tap Share to publish immediately or tap Schedule to publish later.
(image)
How to add a Facebook Business page to Meta Business Suite
Follow these steps to add a Facebook Page:
Log in to your Meta Business Suite account.
Navigate to the Settings tab in the left-hand menu.
Under Accounts, select Pages.
Click on the Add button, which will present you with three options to Add a Page, Request Access to an Existing Page, or Create a New Page. Since you likely already had Facebook Page to get to t
In this article, we will guide you through the step-by-step process of adding captions to your next TikTok post.(image)
Adding captions to your TikTok videos is essential for boosting engagement, accessibility, and viewer comprehension.
Whether you're new to content creation or a seasoned TikTok creator, video captions can enhance your video content and improve your reach on the platform. It’s okay if you haven’t been adding them – there’s no better time to learn than right now.
So, in this article, we will guide you through the step-by-step process of adding captions to your next TikTok post.
What are TikTok captions?
TikTok captions refer to the text overlay or subtitles that appear on videos. These captions transcribe audio content, providing a written representation of your voice, music, or other sounds.
Enhancing accessibility: Captions make your TikTok videos accessible to a wider audience, including individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing. By adding captions, you increase the pool of people that can enjoy and engage with your content.
Increasing engagement: Did you that 75 percent of Internet users watch videos with the sound off for varying reasons? Captions are a necessity for capturing the attention of these viewers. Viewers who can follow along without needing the sound are likelier to stay and interact with your video. Engaging captions can also entice viewers to turn the sound on, further increasing their interaction with your content.
Improving comprehension: Captions help clarify the audio content of your videos, which is particularly beneficial for several reasons.
One, non-native speakers who are better with written over spoken English will find it helpful.
Two, you can take those clips with poor audio and give them new life with captions.
Third, viewers in noisy environments or who can’t turn their volume up will be grateful for the captions.
Last but not least, captions help ensure that your message is understood clearly. This is especially important for educational or informative videos where precise comprehension is key.
Boosting SEO and discoverability: The TikTok algorithm favors content that keeps viewers engaged longer, and captions can contribute to this by making your videos more accessible and understandable. Moreover, captions can include keywords and phrases relevant to your content, which can help your videos appear in search results and on the For You Page (FYP), boosting your TikTok SEO.
Enhancing viewer experience: Captions can also improve the overall viewer experience by providing context and emphasizing key points. This can be particularly useful in storytelling or complex narratives where viewers might miss important details. Well-placed captions can highlight crucial moments, punchlines, or instructions, making your video more enjoyable and effective.
How to edit TikTok captions onto videos in-app
TikTok's editing features make it possible to add captions directly within the app, with varying degrees of easiness.
How to add captions manually on TikTok
Here’s a quick tutorial for adding captions manually:
Step 1: Launch the TikTok app and select the video you want to add captions to. This could be a new video you're about to create or an existing one you want to edit.
Step 2: Once you’re satisfied with your video, tap the checkmark to edit your post.
💡
On the right side of the editing screen, tap the down arrow and then the Save button to archive a version of your video without captions (or the TikTok watermark) to post on other platforms.
Step 3: Tap the Edit button in the panel on the right of the screen, then the Text button, to add text overlays to your video.
Step 4: Enter the text you want to appear as captions. You can customize the text by changing its style, color, and position to fit your video's aesthetic.
(image)
(image)
Step 5: Drag the text to your desired position on the screen. You can also set the duration for how long each caption appears by tapping the text and adjusting the timeline.
Step 6: Once you're satisfied with the captions, watch the video to double-check for typos, then tap Next to proceed.
Step 7: Fill in the details with relevant TikTok hashtags along with the other settings, then tap Post to share your video.
Although manual captions can be quite labor-intensive, there are ways to use them creatively that don’t require captioning every single word you say.
Pro-tip: If you think captions would overshadow your video but still want to offer accessibility and SEO benefits, consider adding them in smaller font in the bottom right or left of your video.
How to add captions automatically
Here’s a quick tutorial for the auto-caption feature:
Step 1: Open the TikTok app and either create a new video or select an existing one from your drafts.
Step 2: Once you’re done editing your video, just before you post, look for the signs that you have access to the auto-captions feature (you should). You’ll be able to tell if, in the More options section, you can see the options for Select video language – that means TikTok will automatically transcribe the audio in your video and generate captions in the language you choose.
(image)
Unfortunately, you can’t review the auto-generated captions for accuracy or change them visually to match your video. However, this option is still better than no captions at all.
Once you've posted your video, double-check that the auto-captions showed up. If possible, pop a note in your comments that viewers should “make sure their captions are on.”
Adding captions to TikTok videos with third-party apps
Captioning TikTok videos on the official app is quite time-consuming, especially if you want everything to look perfect and well-adjusted.
For that reason, there are plenty of third-party editing apps for mobile and desktop that make the process more straightforward.
Here are some things to consider when choosing a third-party app:
TikTok’s algorithm isn’t a big fan of videos with pre-existing captions, which rules out several video editing tools. This might not hurt creators with large followings, but if you’re just starting out, you need as much leverage as possible.
With third-party apps, you might be unable to keep your video's quality.
Editing apps can be expensive, depending on which you choose, so if you want to keep adding captions, it’s best to go with the option that hits the middle ground of pricing and functionality.
3 apps you can use to add captions to TikTok videos
Here are some third-party apps to consider for editing captions into your TikTok videos, available on both iOS and Android.