Instagram TV (IGTV) is a long-form vertical video channel that can be used from Instagram. Here, in this write-up, we look at how to make an IGTV video with killer content.
Creating killer content with IGTV video does not require you to be too fancy. Instead, you simply need to develop content on the profile that is low-profile, which results in a lower barrier for entry for others.
The great thing about IGTV videos is that it enables creators to share long-form videos on Instagram.
You might ask, “How long can Instagram videos be?” The answer is that while Instagram videos on the Feed are restricted to a minute, the minimum length for an IGTV video is one hour.
Read more: 15 Essential Instagram Tools Every Content Creator Needs.
Here are some of the easy ways to make killer content with IGTV video:
Create a video series
Stream an event
Publish intriguing interviews
Create in-depth tutorials
Take your audience behind the scenes
In the next section, we will look at these ways in more detail.
5 Ways to Create Killer Contents for Your Business through IGTV videos
Before giving you the information on the different ways to create killer content for your business through IGTV videos, it is essential to learn what is IGTV and how does Instagram work?
Instagram TV, popular as IGTV video, is the latest feature from Instagram that assists you in sharing long-form videos. While Instagram limits the duration to 60 seconds for Feed videos, the IGTV video length is a maximum of 1 hour of video from the web (or 15 minutes if you upload from mobile). This gives you a better opportunity to tell engaging and compelling stories through videos. I would also advise you to learn how to upload to igtv, which I discussed at length in the forthcoming section.
Now that you are clear about the IGTV video concept, you might be tempted to try out IGTV immediately. But, to ensure that you get the most out of the Instagram TV strategy, you must have a fair idea of the type of content you should post on IGTV video. In addition, devising a strategy will give you a sense of direction in focusing your time and energy.
Let’s now answer your question, “How to use IGTV video?” There are a few ways to create killer content for your business through IGTV videos.
1. Create a video series
One of the popular uses of IGTV video is for publishing a series of episodic videos on a specific topic or theme. This enables you to get more in-depth with your content strategy and maintain consistency with your posting schedule. It is also a great way to convince your audience to keep returning for more.
A prime example is that Madewell has several IGTV video series featuring influential personalities. For instance, their Sofa Show series features artists hosting a mini-performance from their residences. And the Sunday Supper series showcases various people from the food industry who share their recipes.
2. Stream an event
If you are hosting a significant event like a seminar or a convention, Instagram TV is a great way to allow virtual attendance. I recommend you contemplate streaming the event through IGTV video and engage those who couldn’t attend the event physically.
For example, Stella McCartney used IGTV video on her Instagram account to showcase highlights from her Summer 2020 fashion show.
3. Publish intriguing interviews
You might wonder how to do igtv Interviews that can be a wonderful addition to the IGTV video strategy. One way to do this is by inviting influential people relevant to your industry and sharing intriguing insights or answering pressing questions from your audience.
Example of how to do an igtv interview: Elle USA regularly hosts IGTV interviews with celebrities like Billie Elish and Camila Cabello, along with notable personalities like Representative Lauren Underwood.
4. Create in-depth tutorials
Can you think of a better way to provide product tutorials than videos? IGTV video makes it possible to upload longer videos and easily share those videos showcasing your target audience on how to use the product.
The Lightroom Instagram account utilizes Instagram videos to share #LrInsiderTips, a series of tutorial videos showcasing tips on using certain features with the help of Lightroom. These tutorials enable users to build upon their current skill sets or provide a new and creative way to utilize their product.
Have you ever thought about giving your audience a sneak peek into what goes behind the scenes with IGTV videos? Show them how you create your products. Where and how do your employees work?
You can even film bloopers and much more. This is a great way to maintain transparency and build trust with your viewers.
LEGO, for example, used an IGTV video to take their followers behind the scenes of the LEGO DUPLO Factory.
IGTV Best Practices
Now that you have understood what igtv is and looked at the different ways to create killer content with IGTV video, in this section, we will look at some best advice to make your IGTV video more effective for your target audience for the better visual content marketing plan.
1. Share a 15-second preview of your IGTV Video on Your Instagram Feed
You might ask, “How long can Instagram videos be, or what is an ideal igtv video length?” Instagram gives users the option to share a 15-second preview of your video to your Instagram feed. If you opt for this, your IGTV videos will live in the grid on your Instagram profile, with a little IGTV icon on the right side corner.
You do not have to share IGTV videos on the Instagram feed; it is an optional feature. However, if you do that, it will aid you in getting more views on your content, especially if you are trying to promote your startup.
The only thing you need to do is toggle the “Post a preview” button. Once you have selected that option, a preview of the IGTV video will appear in your followers’ feeds, and the cover page will appear in the Instagram profile grid.
When you post a preview of your Instagram video, the title and description will get automatically copied over as the post caption. During this step, please note that any links you integrate into your description will not be “clickable” when viewed in-feed.
You can tap “Edit Preview” to adjust how your IGTV video will be previewed in the feed. You will get this option only if your video is 9:16. If the video is 16:9, your video will show in full.
If you wish to edit your IGTV cover image displays in your Instagram feed grid (1:1), select “Edit profile cover” and reposition the image.
Sharing a preview of your IGTV video to your Instagram feed is one of the best ways to increase the reach of your IGTV videos. And, with so many editing options and custom image covers available, you never have to worry about disturbing your Instagram aesthetic.
2. Plan your calendar by scheduling an IGTV Video series
You might be wondering, “how does Instagram work when it comes to scheduling?” It is now possible to schedule IGTV videos in such a way that you get the option to post to your feed with the Facebook Creator Studio automatically.
This feature is available on the desktop. Additionally, the Facebook Creator Studio enables users to create and schedule posts to IGTV videos. If you do not have a Facebook Creator Studio account, you can follow these steps to connect your Facebook account and the Facebook Business Page connected to your Instagram account.
Scheduling your IGTV content is a great way to ensure you consistently publish new content and follow an achievable content calendar! This would help you grow your business on Instagram.
3. Cross-promote your video
How to do igtv cross-promotion? If you wish to start posting IGTV videos to a new channel, it is best to inform your followers on other channels what you are up to. This way, they can follow you there too. This is especially true with IGTV, as some people will have to download a new app to see your content.
IGTV offers quite a few cross-promotion options.
Preview and link to an IGTV video from your Instagram stories (verified or business users only)
Share minute-long previews of your IGTV videos to your Instagram feed and profile (users will be prompted to Keep Watching on IGTV)
Share IGTV videos to a connected Facebook page.
If you wish to call people outside of Instagram, consider including callouts to your IGTV channel from:
An email newsletter
Your Facebook Page
Twitter
4. Utilize relevant hashtags in your description part to ensure the visibility of your IGTV videos
The search feature on IGTV has received a lot of flak recently. As of April 2020, you can only search profiles instead of videos on a specific topic. It is the same way you search for a YouTube video. You may check out the following IG Page of Miss Jayden for reference.
However, Instagram is said to be working on changing this.
In the meantime, by integrating relevant hashtags in your description, you can ensure that your IGTV videos are seen even by the non-followers. It is one of the easiest hacks to do IG marketing. This way, your videos will show up on your corresponding hashtag page on Instagram, where people following that hashtag will be able to discover your content and help your business become an Instagram sensation.
5. Post content that is in the longer format
IGTV is not just a place for cross-promoting your Instagram stories. If you wish people to follow you on both channels, you must ensure they have a good reason for that. Simply, it means developing fresh content that fits the longer format, meaning sizable IGTV video length. For reference, check out this 1-hour video of Cole Sprouse eating a hamburger.
While Instagram stories are designed to fit short and crisp 15-seconds clips, what would you do if you want to post content of more than 15 seconds? How does Instagram work for IGTV when it's about long video content? This is where you need to sit down and brainstorm.
Just like YouTube, long-form tutorial content is quite in trend on IGTV. Certain brands have created entire TV series for the app.
Your ultimate choice will depend on your brand and the budget you can afford to spend. Here are some long-form video content ideas to get started.
Here are some of the best apps that I recommend you for editing IGTV vertical videos:
Filmora GO (Available freely, offers in-app purchases) Compatible with: iOS
How to Make an IGTV Video and How to Use IGTV?
Before you move ahead and create great content, we must address the pertinent query of how to make an igtv video. Unlike Instagram Reels, IGTV videos are created outside the Instagram app and uploaded. This leads us to the query of how to upload to igtv.
Here are some of the technical specifications, including igtv video dimensions, that you need to check for the best results:
Video Format: MP4
Length: Videos must be a minimum of one minute in length. As for how long Instagram videos can be, the maximum length of your IGTV video can be 15 minutes when uploading from a mobile device and 1 hour when uploading from the web.
Size: When creating videos, make sure igtv video dimensions are 650MB for videos less than 10 minutes; 3.6GB for videos of a maximum of 1 hour
Orientation: vertical (portrait) or horizontal (landscape)
IGTV Aspect ratio: Understanding the igtv video dimensions is essential before proceeding. Instagram recommends that vertical IGTV videos have an aspect ratio of 9:16 while horizontal videos should be 16:9.
While creating your IGTV videos, please remember that feed previews are always the first 15 seconds of your video.
Ensure that your intro hooks and captures the attention of your viewers, and then reel them in. Always optimize your footage for the 4:5 in-feed video display. Hopefully, this answers your question on how to make an igtv video.
After learning how to upload to IGTV, watch this video to overview how to use IGTV video quickly.
How to Track your IGTV Performance?
The above sections focused on IGTV and covered the topic of how Instagram works. Here we try to understand more about IGTV performance. To check out your IGTV video analytics on Instagram:
First, tap the video you wish to scrutinize.
Tap the three horizontal (for iPhone) or vertical (for Android) dots at the video's bottom.
Tap “View Insights.
In the app, you can see:
Likes
Comments
Direct messages
Saves
Profile visits
Reach
Interactions
Discovery
Follows
Impressions
While in-app insights can provide a quick snapshot of how a video performs, it is not easy to compare it with the rest of your Instagram content or even the rest of your IGTV videos. To get a comprehensive view of your IGTV video performance, I recommend trying a third-party social media management tool like Hootsuite.
Bottomline
This guide has summed up critical things to help you create killer content with IGTV video. Now, follow the different ways to make killer content and the best practices to create a winning IGTV strategy. To promote your IGTV videos comprehensively, I suggest you promote them in your Feed and your Instagram stories.
It is time for you to step into the spotlight and become a video star. Add the IGTV videos to your content strategy and improve your social media presence with Instagram videos!
Natasha Ponomaroff is the Senior Marketing Director of Instasize – a content creating tool kit for anyone editing photos and online content on mobile. A weekly contributor on the site’s blog, Natasha tracks social media trends and updates the millions of “creatives” who are currently using Instasize to curate awesome online content. When she isn’t writing up the latest trend, Natasha is overseeing a team of 10 over at the Instasize HQ – ensuring that the marketing content on the apps various social platforms is ready to go.
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