YouTube still remains to be the #1 video platform on the internet, but with the recent update on Instagram's part there finally may be some competition now (sorry Vimeo).
If you haven’t heard, Instagram has now officially launched the new long-form video app, Instagram TV (IGTV)! It is specifically built for people who want to share and watch videos that are high-quality, vertical and longer than 60 seconds and up to 60 minutes, depending on the type of account you have.
How does it work?
IGTV features pre-recorded videos in vertical formats that Instagram users and followers can view and share. The shared videos can be anything you choose as long as they are not ads. The videos that show up in your feed are set to display based off an algorithm that takes into account the type of content you consume.
IGTV is both a standalone app and a new feature available on Instagram. The app automatically connects to your Instagram account, so you can use this to login without having to create a new account.
IGTV is a great feature to use alongside Facebook’s live video and Instagram stories. If you still haven’t jumped on board with these social media features, now is the time!
How do you use IGTV ?
If you want to watch IGTV videos on your Instagram, simply click on the IGTV icon in the right corner of your Instagram homepage. It will automatically play a suggested video chosen from whoever you follow, which is similar to Instagram’s Discover feature.
There are four convenient tabs which allow the display of suggested videos in the ‘For You’ tab, recently uploaded videos in the ‘Following’ tab, trending content in ‘Popular’ and videos you failed to completely watch in the ‘Continue Watching’ tab. Clicking on any of them will automatically toggle the video into fullscreen mode.
If you’d like to create your own channel simply click the gear icon and follow the steps.
If you are using the IGTV app, the first thing that will greet you upon logging in is the welcome page, which also presents options for switching accounts. After that, it is pretty similar to how it works directly on Instagram.
Each time a video plays, the buttons ‘Like’, ‘Comment’ and ‘Share’ will become visible so you can respond to videos that pique your interest. The ‘Options’ button is also available to let you either copy a link or report a video when an issue arises. Of course, the comments and the number of views are also viewable from this section. If you wish to exit the playback to browse for more videos, simply swipe up. You can then see the ‘Search’ bar on the home page.
When you want to share your own video content, see the top part of the suggested videos to locate your profile picture and tap on it. Then select a video from your gallery and add a title and description before sharing it on the platform.
IGTV is a very bold move on Instagram’s part, and they are getting one step closer to taking over the video and social media posting space – especially after launching that shop feature!
IGTV is just another way for brands to share organic content and repurpose it to create unique videos that will increase your reach. They are also already talking about how to create a revenue share program like the one YouTube has in place, so watch this space.
Creating Video Content for IGTV
Creating high-quality video content not only for IGTV but also for YouTube or any other social media platform can be daunting. For one, there are different specifications that you have to consider when creating one.
For now, only larger accounts can have the full 60 minutes’ run-time, the rest can run up to 10 minutes long. The file size should also not exceed 3.6GB and the video size must have a 9:16 aspect ratio.
If this all seems to be a bit too much, at WeMOV we can help you create video content for all different kinds of social media platforms. All you have to do is give our Video Strategists a shout and let us take it from there!
