Instagram TV Launched
On June 20th, 2018 Instagram TV was Launched. Instagram TV (also referred to as IGTV) is a long form video app that’s accessible within Instagram. It has been rolling out over the past few weeks to users on Android and iPhone devices around the globe. Although there’s been a lot of discussion about it, not everyone is sure exactly what its purpose is. However, at The Business Fairy, we have years of experience in all things digital, so we know a thing or two about tech. We’ve put together a guide with all you need to know about instagram TV.
IGTV videos are full-screen, vertical videos—which anyone can upload. The Standard length of video is a minimum of 15 seconds and a maximum of ten minutes, while accounts with a large amount of followers can have up to an hour of screen time. Instagram currently hasn’t specified what a ‘large’ amount of followers are, but we’re presuming that it means an account with celebrity status. The motives of Instagram TV aren’t actually stated, however plenty of people have accused Instagram of trying to ‘take down’ Youtube, who is currently the video content leader. At the very least, the move speaks to the dramatic rise in popularity of video content on social media.
Instagram revealed that it has reached 1 billion users, meaning it’s the third largest social network after YouTube (Facebook is the largest). This announcement means that many brands will be scrambling to get some content up onto their Instagram TV accounts (if they haven’t already) to try be a pioneer on IGTV before it gets really big.
So what do you really need to know about Instagram Tv?
The first thing is that the videos are full screen and vertical, meaning that you are forced to shoot in portrait mode. As we said before, most accounts are allowed the time span of anywhere between 15 seconds to 10 minutes of screen time. You can choose where you want to watch IGTV- either the Instagram app or on the IGTV app. Creators can add “swipe up” call-to-actions on videos to promote sales or their websites.
Users can like or comment on videos, or send videos to friends in Direct. Creators have their own channels, like YouTube (and anyone can be a creator). Videos can be uploaded to the IGTV app or the web.
As of launch, no advertising options are available, but as with anything Instagram’s parent company Facebook touches, there’s sure to be advertising opportunities in no time.
Instragram TV is great for one reason:You don’t have to be a TV executive to know what kind of video content will resonate with your audience. Most instagram users prefer a more ammature feel to videos than those that are really polished. Plus, If you’re not sure what your followers might want to see on your channel, it never hurts to ask- you might get some great ideas from your followers by just asking them what they’d like to see, so it doesn’t have to perfect. IGTV was created with a mobile-first audience in mind, unlike YouTube (where videos are often played on desktop and always horizontal, similar to TV).
With a built-in audience nearly as large as YouTube, IGTV will certainly be hard to ignore over the coming months. In any case, before jumping into IGTV, it will be important to build a social media strategy for your brand. Or, if you already have a social media strategy, you’ll need to figure out how IGTV fits into it. If you are a brand who needs help with your social media marketing or Instagram TV strategy plan, email us at info@thebusinessfairy.ie. For more Instagram inspiration, follow us here.
