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Wistia's 2025 State of Video Report

Wistia, a prominent video marketing platform celebrated for its innovative approach, has just unveiled its latest findings in the 2025 State of Video Report. This comprehensive annual publication, which draws insights from an impressive pool of over 14 million videos and 100,000 businesses, along with feedback from 1,300 professionals, provides a revealing glimpse into the current trends shaping video production and marketing strategies.

One of the most striking revelations from this year’s report is the remarkable increase in the integration of artificial intelligence (AI) in video production. The use of AI has more than doubled over the past year, with 41% of brands utilizing it for video creation, up from just 18% in 2024. This surge signifies a substantial shift in how companies approach video content, making it not only more efficient but also more accessible.

AI is being embraced for various stages of video production. A significant percentage of brands are now employing AI tools for pre-production tasks such as scripting and brainstorming as well as for post-production activities, including voice dubbing and captions. The report highlights that over 60% of respondents have either used AI for captions or plan to in the near future. This trend aligns with the astounding 572% increase in the use of captions since 2021, making it the leading feature for video accessibility among marketers. Other widely adopted AI tools include voice dubbing at 38% and language translation at 31%.

Chris Savage, CEO and co-founder of Wistia, commented on the transformative impact of AI, stating, “AI is completely changing the game for video. The barriers to video creation are disappearing. Now, anyone (not just pros) can make high-quality videos.” He further emphasized that tools driven by AI are enabling brands to connect with global audiences more effectively than ever before.

Marketers are also focusing on metrics to gauge their success with video content. According to the findings, 34% of respondents identified engagement rate as the primary metric for success, while 29% indicated the importance of conversion rate. Engagement rates have shown varied performance based on video length. Videos under 1 minute maintained an engaging average of 50%, followed by videos from 1 to 3 minutes at 46% and those spanning 3 to 5 minutes at 45%. However, the overall engagement has hit a four-year low, and the decline in 3 to 5 minute videos was particularly steep, down 10%. This downward trend is likely influenced by the growing popularity of short-form content, as viewers become more selective in their video consumption. Nevertheless, marketers are still reporting high engagement levels within medium (5-30 minutes) and long-form videos (30-60 minutes).

Among the various types of video content, how-to videos continue to dominate engagement figures. Short videos less than a minute have seen an 82% engagement rate, while longer videos between 5 and 30 minutes still manage to draw an impressive 58%. Other types, such as company culture and educational videos, also maintain solid engagement when kept under the 5-minute mark.

Despite a slight decline in the use of lead generation forms, conversion rates have risen by 11% over the last year, with well-placed calls to action (CTAs) proving highly effective—nearly 40% of viewers respond to CTAs positioned in the early segments of videos under 60 seconds.

Even faced with economic uncertainties, only 5% of companies have moved to cut their video budgets. In stark contrast, 57% are upping their investments in video marketing, with the primary motivators being company goals (60%) and product launches (52%). In fact, brands are increasingly oriented towards producing educational, product, and social media videos in 2024.

However, challenges still linger in the video production landscape. The main hurdles include company size and resource limitations (58%), cost implications (38%), and technical capabilities (25%). Fortunately, the vast majority of organizations are not facing obstacles in generating content ideas or obtaining executive buy-in for video initiatives.

For those interested in a deeper dive into the dynamics of video marketing, the complete 2025 State of Video Report is available for download. It includes real user data illustrating how brands are currently harnessing video and offers exclusive insights from industry-leading service providers like 3Play Media, DropBox, Semrush, and Superside.

About Wistia

Wistia stands as a complete video marketing platform designed to help teams create, host, market, and analyze their videos and webinars seamlessly. Trusted by over 425,000 marketers across the globe, Wistia equips users with the tools needed to create professional video content, host engaging webinars, and integrate leads with marketing automation solutions. Potential users can learn more by visiting wistia.com and following @wistia on various social channels.

Methodology

The 2025 State of Video Report was compiled using real user data from the Wistia platform, along with extensive customer feedback from an online survey conducted between November 16th and January 10th, 2024. The analysis encompasses a detailed overview of over 14 million videos processed and feedback from more than 100,000 businesses to contextualize findings.