Online Attention Span Is Short
Reader Mark Beall noted that the NBC station in Cleveland reports that since online is becoming more and more a part of our daily lives in the media business, it might be helpful to keep in mind some basic research to make your efforts most beneficial. In short, brevity is best! Especially producers who create online video should read this.
Online video distribution/measurement service Tube Mogul studied the issue of follow thorough, measuring what percentage of videos clicked on are actually watched until the end. A sample of 188,055 videos on 6 top sites (YouTube was not one of them) found that 10.39% of viewers clicked away after just 10 seconds and that over half of the audience left after one minute.
The longer the video, the quicker erosion; all but 16.62% of the audience left the building by the end of a 3-minute clip. Tube Mogul notes that the research indicates that overlay ads should also be placed as early as possible within the video stream.
Audience Attention Span
Video length % of Audience who watched the entire video
10 sec. 89.61%
20 sec. 80.41%
30 sec. 66.16%
60 sec. 46.44%
2 min. 23.71%
3 min. 16.62%
5 min. 9.42%
Source: Tube Mogul & Cynposis
Phil Cooke, PhD. has been called “one of the most innovative communicators of our generation.” As a media producer, writer, speaker, and consultant, his client list includes major film studios and TV networks as well as major Christian organizations like Voice of the Martyrs, The Museum of the Bible, The Salvation Army, and others. He’s also coached and consulted with many of the most influential churches and nonprofit organizations in the world, helping them use media to tell their story. You can hear his podcast here.
