You’ve probably seen the stats. People say our attention spans are shorter than a goldfish’s. It’s a common trope, honestly, but it’s mostly a myth. The real issue isn't that we can't focus; it's that we’ve become incredibly efficient at filtering out garbage. If a video doesn't grab us, we’re gone. This is where the magic of 90 sec to min—or rather, that sweet spot between 60 and 90 seconds—really starts to change the game for creators and brands alike.
It's a weird middle ground.
Too long for a TikTok "quick hit" but too short for a deep-dive documentary. Yet, if you look at the data from platforms like Wistia or HubSpot, engagement often plateaus right after the one-minute mark. If you can't say it in 90 seconds, you might not know what you're trying to say at all.
The psychology behind the 90 sec to min window
Why does this specific timeframe work? Basically, it respects the viewer's "time tax." When someone clicks a video, they are making a micro-investment. A thirty-minute video feels like a commitment. A fifteen-second clip feels like a distraction. But 90 sec to min feels like a value exchange. You’re promising the viewer enough depth to be useful, but not so much that they need to schedule a block on their calendar to finish it.
Think about the "Explainer Video" boom. Sites like Dropbox or Dollar Shave Club didn't build empires on 10-minute tutorials. They did it with punchy, high-energy scripts that landed right in that minute-and-a-half zone.
Dr. James McQuivey of Forrester Research famously claimed that one minute of video is worth 1.8 million words. While that’s a bit of a poetic exaggeration, the sentiment holds water in a world where visual processing is 60,000 times faster than text. When you aim for a 90 sec to min duration, you are forced to strip away the fluff. No long intros. No "hey guys, welcome back to my channel." Just the meat.
The "Drop-off" is real
If you’ve ever looked at your YouTube Studio or Instagram Insights, you’ve seen the "Cliff."
It’s that heartbreaking line where 40% of your audience vanishes within the first ten seconds. By the time you hit the two-minute mark, you’re often lucky to have half your original audience left. However, if you structure your narrative to wrap up within 90 seconds, you’re often catching people right before that fatigue sets in. It's a sprint, not a marathon.
What 90 sec to min looks like in practice
Let’s get specific.
If you’re a B2B company, your product demo shouldn't be a feature dump. Nobody cares about your backend architecture in an initial touchpoint. They want to know: What problem do you solve? How do you do it? What do I do next? You can do that easily in 75 seconds.
Take a look at how Sandwich Video—basically the kings of this format—handles their productions. They often use a "Problem/Solution/Proof" framework.
- 0-15 seconds: Identify the pain.
- 15-45 seconds: Show the product in motion.
- 45-75 seconds: Social proof or "How it works" details.
- 75-90 seconds: The call to action.
It’s tight. It’s clean. It works.
Now, compare that to a typical "vlog" style. Vlogs often wander. They meander through coffee shops and B-roll of clouds. That's fine for community building, but for conversion? It’s a nightmare. If you’re trying to sell a course, a physical product, or even just a lifestyle, the 90 sec to min constraint acts as a filter for your own creativity. It forces you to be better.
Social media platform nuances
Each platform treats this timing differently.
On LinkedIn, a 90-second video is considered "long-form" in a sea of text posts, which gives it more weight. On Instagram Reels, it's the maximum limit for many, pushing the boundaries of the "Short" format. TikTok has expanded its limits significantly, but the algorithm still loves that high completion rate. If people finish your 90-second video, TikTok thinks, "Wow, this must be incredible," and pushes it to more people.
📖 Related: Raymond Catena Net Worth: The Real Story Behind the Luxury Auto Empire
Completion rate is the king of SEO in 2026.
Common mistakes when timing your content
Most people fail because they try to cram a 5-minute script into a 90 sec to min timeframe by talking faster. Please, don't do that. It’s stressful to watch. It feels like a late-night pharmacy commercial.
Instead, cut the script.
If you have five points, pick the three best ones. If you have a long intro, kill it. Start in the middle of the action. This is what filmmakers call In Media Res. If your video is about how to fix a leaky faucet, don't start with "Hi, I'm John and I've been a plumber for 20 years." Start with the water spraying everywhere.
Another big mistake? Leaving the "Ask" for the very last second. If your video is exactly 90 seconds and your Call to Action (CTA) starts at 88 seconds, half your audience has already scrolled away. You need to weave that intent throughout the video or hit it at the 70-second mark.
The technical side of the 90-second sprint
You have to think about the rhythm.
A 90-second video should have about 180 to 220 words of dialogue. That’s it. That’s about two paragraphs of text. If your script is three pages long, you’re in trouble.
- Pacing: You need a visual change every 3 to 5 seconds. This could be a camera angle switch, a text overlay, or a B-roll clip.
- Audio: Music should drive the energy. If the video is 90 seconds, the music should "build" and "resolve" within that time.
- Captions: 80% of social videos are watched on mute. If your 90-second masterpiece doesn't have burned-in captions, it's actually a 0-second video for most people.
Evidence from the field
Marketing expert Seth Godin has often talked about the concept of "Edges." You want to be at the edge of something. Being "average" or "middle of the road" is where brands go to die. The 90 sec to min duration is an edge. It’s the edge of where "short" becomes "substantive."
In a study by SocialInsider, they found that video posts on Facebook that were between 2 and 5 minutes actually had lower engagement than those under 90 seconds, unless the brand had a massive, dedicated following. For the rest of us—the people trying to grow—that 60-90 second window is the sweet spot for the "Discovery" phase of the marketing funnel.
Actionable steps for your next video
Stop overthinking the production value and start overthinking the structure. You don't need a RED camera. You need a better edit.
First, write your script and read it out loud. Use a stopwatch. If you're hitting 2 minutes, start cutting. Look for "bridge" words like "and," "so," and "then." Get rid of them.
Second, focus on the first 3 seconds. That’s your hook. If you don’t stop the scroll there, the remaining 87 seconds don't exist. Use a bold statement or a visual anomaly.
Third, use a "pattern interrupt" halfway through. At the 45-second mark, change the music or the background color. It resets the viewer's brain and helps them get through the second half of the video.
Finally, measure your "Watch Time" percentage rather than just total views. If you’re consistently getting people to watch 70% or more of your 90 sec to min content, you’ve won. You’re no longer just shouting into the void; you’re actually communicating.
Start your next project with a hard limit. Set the timeline in your editing software to exactly 90 seconds and refuse to let the footage go a frame over. You'll be surprised at how much better the story becomes when it’s forced to be lean.