YouTube Shorts Length: The Sweet Spot, by the Data

Key takeaways

1. 01The 11 to 20 second band earns the most median views, a median of 901.
2. 02Views fall off in both directions. Under 10 seconds earns 514; over 90 seconds earns 51.
3. 03A Short can run up to 3 minutes since October 2024, so the maximum length and the best length are different questions.
4. 04Aim for 11 to 30 seconds, and go longer only when the content earns it.

The spec, settled

Since October 2024, YouTube Shorts can run up to 3 minutes, triple the old 60-second cap. A Short has to be vertical or square and 3 minutes or under. Anything longer is treated as a standard upload and does not appear in the Shorts feed. The common advice that Shorts cap at 60 seconds is out of date. The more useful question is how long a Short should be, which we measured across 108,138 matured Shorts.

What the data shows

Median views peak at 11 to 20 seconds, at 901, and decline in both directions.

• Under 10 seconds earns 514. The shortest Shorts trail the 11 to 20 second band by a wide margin, because a clip that brief rarely lands a full hook and payoff, and there is little to re-watch.
• 11 to 20 seconds is the peak. It is long enough to deliver a complete idea and short enough to finish and loop.
• Past 30 seconds the curve falls: 347 at 31 to 45 seconds, 188 at 46 to 60 seconds, and 51 past 90 seconds.

The honest takeaway is to aim for roughly 11 to 30 seconds, and go longer only when the content genuinely earns it.

Why the middle wins

A Short has to do two things: hook in the first second, then deliver. Below about 10 seconds there is barely room for both, so the clip feels thin. Between 11 and 30 seconds a creator can land a complete beat, and completion rate plus re-watch rate are what YouTube reads as a reason to show a Short to more viewers. Past 30 seconds, retention erodes faster than the extra runtime pays back.

How to hit the sweet spot

1. 1

   Record long, then cut tight. The best Shorts are usually the sharpest 15 to 25 seconds of a much longer recording.

2. 2

   Lead with the hook. Put the strongest moment in the first second so viewers commit before they scroll.

3. 3

   Trim to a single idea. One complete beat reads better than two half-developed ones.

4. 4

   Check the loop. A clean ending that flows back to the start lifts re-watch rate, which feeds distribution.

5. 5

   Publish in the 11 to 30 second band, and extend only when the payoff needs the runtime.

Common mistakes

• ✕

  Treating the 3-minute limit as a target. The maximum length is not the best length.

• ✕

  Going ultra-short by default. Under 10 seconds underperforms the 11 to 20 second band.

• ✕

  Padding a thin idea to fill 60 seconds. Views keep falling past 30 seconds.

• ✕

  Burying the hook. A Short that does not grab the first second loses the completion signal that drives reach.