TikTok Tests Longer Video, More Options For Advertisers

TikTok, the world's most downloaded non-gaming app in July, is testing longer videos on its platform. 

Social media consultant Matt Navarra broke the news by publishing a screenshot of a TikTok bulletin. “Upload longer videos,” the post read. “...up to 5 minutes long from your device.” 

Navarra also tweeted an eight-minute TikTok video, hinting at even longer test lengths. 

This isn’t the first time that TikTok has altered its video length limit -- originally 15 seconds, then 60, and then 3 minutes this past July. Now it is expanding video length yet again. 

It’s uncertain how many TikTok users are able to upload longer videos, but if compared to the testing period of 3-minute videos last December, all users will have access to watching these 5 minute-plus uploads.  

While TikTok is currently the commanding hub of short-form video, with media rivals like YouTube and Instagram developing short-form features (Shorts and Reels), it’s clear that they now plan to compete with long-form media as well

Five or 10-minute time limits will allow users to be more creative in posting longer cohesive narratives, with no breaks in between –– the main reason TikTok gave in July for expanding video length to 3 minutes. 

In the past several months, TikTok has made several advances toward social commerce and expanded its business offerings.

Spark Ads allows advertisers to access pre-existing creator content and with the creator’s permission, use it as part of a larger campaign.

TikTok Jump is a third-party integration tool that helps creators link users to additional content built into the app. And just two days ago, TikTok announced their partnership with Shopify, which allows merchants to add a shopping tab to their profiles and sell directly on the platform. 

Long-form videos will likely further guide brands and advertisers toward increasingly creative digital marketing campaigns -- not to mention the opportunity for more ad slots, "a key potential boost for the company's growth ambitions."

1 comment about "TikTok Tests Longer Video, More Options For Advertisers".
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  1. Douglas Ferguson from College of Charleston, August 27, 2021 at 9:35 a.m.

    Dumb.  The unique selling proposition is the brevity of the videos.  I am enamored of the very short videos because the whole idea is to appeal to short attention spans. Longer videos might as well link to YouTube instead.

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