Instagram Reels Time Limit

The super short answer is 60 seconds aka 1 minute.

I'm going to elaborate a bit on this limit. Ideally you are repurposing content for other platforms. So if you're cross posting with Tik Tok, then the limit there is also 60 seconds.

LinkedIn and Twitter both now offer longer videos and since they do I would imagine that Instagram and Tik Tok will eventually increase the duration. However, since I am trying to engage an audience and offer nuggets of value, I do find 60 seconds to be ideal.

As a content creator it's a nice challenge to try to convey a message in 60 seconds or less. I considered doing a longer video and trimming it down for Instagram but there are multiple problems with that.

The first problem is you will cut off the value and not be able to offer a beginning, middle, and end. The other problem if you consider trimming parts out in the middle is that you will miss context and it will be hard to consistently get it to 60 seconds.

So personally I am finding that it's best to record 60 seconds of content that is either engaging through humor or through education. Here is an example of a post I recently created.

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A post shared by Michael Joseph Aubry (@michaelaubry)

My workflow for creating Instagram content that is also primed for cross promotion is simple. I research a topic that is relevant to my core audience and something I can speak on.

Then I record a video of myself sharing my knowledge. I'll set a timer to 70 seconds on the screen in front of me, to allow 10 seconds of getting ready, then 60 seconds of actual footage.

Once I am done recording I will upload it to Motionbox and add video subtitles. I like to use the IG Reels aspect ratio, add a progress bar, and add my logo. There are many other things you can do to your video with the multiple Motionbox features available.

Conclusion

Instagram reels time limit is 60 seconds. I recommend keeping daily content to around 60 seconds so that it's short and sweet. Also it's easy to cross promote since it won't exceed any limit on any platform or use your Instagram Reels in ads.

You can record a longer YouTube video and use Motionbox to trim out a useful 60 second segment also, but if you want a beginning, middle, and end. Then I recommend keeping your content to the minimum time available.