Thirty seconds is the length of an elevator answer, a short-form hook or a single strong point. It is far less than people expect, which is why almost every first draft has to lose half.
A 30 sec speech is about 65 words at a natural speaking pace of 130 words per minute. The realistic range is 55 words if you present slowly and deliberately, up to 83 words if you speak quickly. Paste your script into the free calculator on this page to see its real length, measure your own speaking pace so the estimate matches how you actually talk, and load it straight into a free browser teleprompter to rehearse. No account is needed and nothing is uploaded.
That takes 0 sec to say out loud
Presets are based on the situation, not where you are from. Measure yourself once and every page here uses your number.
Measure your speaking pace
Read this out loud at the pace you plan to speak. Tap start, read it, tap stop. Nothing is recorded, only the time is measured.
The trick to sounding natural on camera is not talking faster. It is knowing exactly where you are going, so the pauses land where you meant them to rather than where you ran out of road. Read this at the pace you would actually use, and the number at the end will be yours rather than an average.
| Pace | Words per minute | Words |
|---|---|---|
| Presenting | 110 | 55 |
| Natural | 130 | 65 |
| Conversational | 150 | 75 |
| Fast | 165 | 83 |
These are situation presets, not national averages. Published speaking rates vary more between individuals in one country than they do between countries, so measuring your own pace above is worth more than any figure in this table.
Not three, one. The most common mistake at this length is trying to fit a beginning, middle and end into it. Pick the single thing you want remembered, say it clearly, and stop.
At this length there is no run-up. On a vertical feed the opening line decides whether the other twenty seven happen at all, so write that line word for word even if the rest is loose.
Frequently asked questions
About 65 words at a natural pace of 130 words per minute, and nearer 80 if you deliver it fast, which most short-form video does. Aim at 70 to 85 for a Reel or a Short.
Yes for most people. A hundred words in thirty seconds is 200 words per minute, which is faster than comfortable delivery and will sound rushed. Cut it to around 80.
Remove the introduction first. At this length you do not need to say who you are or what you are about to do, you just do it. Then cut every sentence that supports the point rather than making it.