How long should a SaaS explainer or product video be?

“How long should it be?” is usually the first question on a video call, and the honest answer is: as short as it can be while still doing its job. Length is not a style choice. It follows from where the video lives, who is watching, and what you want them to do when it ends.

So before picking a number, answer three questions.

1. Where will people see it? A homepage, a paid ad on Instagram, a sales email, an onboarding screen and a YouTube tutorial are very different places.
2. How much do viewers already know? Someone scrolling past an ad knows nothing about you. Someone on your pricing page already cares.
3. What should happen next? Sign up, book a demo, start a trial, or simply remember your name?

Once those are clear, the length mostly picks itself.

Typical lengths by format

These are starting points, not rules. Every product is different, and a strong idea can earn a few extra seconds.

Social ads and teasers: 6 to 30 seconds

On social feeds you are interrupting people, so the video has one job: make them stop and care. That means one idea, a hook in the first second or two, and captions, because many people watch with the sound off. A 15-second cut that makes one clear promise usually beats a 60-second cut that tries to cover everything.

Homepage explainer: around 60 to 90 seconds

This is the classic explainer. The viewer is curious but hasn’t decided anything yet. A good structure is:

• The problem the viewer recognises (10 to 15 seconds)
• Your product as the answer (10 seconds)
• How it works, in three simple steps (30 to 40 seconds)
• Why it’s different or a piece of proof (10 seconds)
• One clear call to action (5 seconds)

If your explainer runs past two minutes, it’s usually trying to be a demo as well. Split it in two.

Product demo or walkthrough: 2 to 5 minutes

Demos are for people who are already interested: leads from a sales call, visitors deep on your site, people comparing tools. They want to see the real interface and real workflows. Longer is fine here, as long as it’s organised. Add chapters or clear sections so people can jump to the part they care about.

Feature and onboarding clips: 30 to 90 seconds each

One feature, one video. Short clips are easier to watch inside the product, easier to update when the interface changes, and easier to reuse in help docs and emails. A library of short clips ages much better than one long tour.

Launch film: 45 to 90 seconds

A launch film sells a feeling more than a feature list. It leans on pace, music and visuals to say “something new is here”. Keep the detail for the demo and let the launch film build excitement.

Let the script set the length

The most reliable way to know how long a video will be is to write the script first. A rule of thumb many scriptwriters use is around 130 to 150 spoken words per minute for a clear, unhurried voiceover. So a 60-second explainer has room for roughly 130 to 150 words, and that’s not many.

Read your script out loud with a timer. If you have to rush to fit it in, the script is too long, not the voice too slow. Cut words before you add seconds.

Signs your video is too long

• The same benefit is explained twice in different words.
• There’s a list of features where one strong example would do.
• The intro or logo animation takes more than a few seconds before anything useful happens.
• The voiceover describes exactly what the visuals already show.

Signs it’s too short

• After watching, someone still can’t say what your product does.
• The “how it works” part is skipped, so the promise feels empty.
• The call to action flashes by before anyone can read it.

A simple test: show the video to someone who has never seen your product, then ask them to explain it back to you. If they can, the length is right.

One video, many lengths

You rarely need just one version. A well-planned 90-second explainer can be cut into a 30-second version for ads, a few 10 to 15-second clips for social media, and vertical versions for Reels, Shorts and TikTok. Planning those cutdowns from the start, so each scene can stand on its own, saves a lot of time later.

Quick summary

Video	Where it lives	Starting length
Social ad or teaser	Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, YouTube ads	6 to 30 s
Explainer	Homepage, landing pages	60 to 90 s
Product demo	Sales calls, product pages, YouTube	2 to 5 min
Feature clip	Inside the app, help docs, emails	30 to 90 s
Launch film	Launch day, social, Product Hunt	45 to 90 s

Not sure which one you need? That’s exactly what a first call is for. Tell us where the video will live and who it’s for, and we’ll suggest a length, a structure and the formats to plan for.