IGTV is a place for vertical, long form videos on Instagram, and it’s available in both the native Instagram app and the new standalone IGTV app. Here are 3 things you need to know about IGTV, plus we answer a ton of questions about how IGTV works, how to upload videos to IGTV, and what this brand new platform means for you:
What is IGTV?
IGTV is Instagram’s way of disrupting the traditional TV experience and updating it for a modern, mobile experience. Youtube has exploded in popularity in recent years, and because of mobile video, the amount of time teens spend watching TV has decreased 40%! By 2021, mobile video will account for 78% of total mobile data traffic, and Instagram is betting big on mobile video with the launch of IGTV. Anyone on Instagram can create their own IGTV channel, where they can share long-form videos with their followers. For now, videos can be 10 minutes for most accounts, and up to one hour for larger accounts, but Instagram has said that eventually there will be no time limit.
But unlike Youtube, IGTV is made up of all vertical videos, which makes a lot of sense for a mobile-only platform! And, it makes it more approachable to start, since Instagram has already trained everyone to record vertical video through Instagram Stories. You can watch IGTV videos in the Instagram app, in the standalone IGTV app, or by clicking the IGTV button on someone’s Instagram profile. When someone you follow posts a new video to IGTV, you’ll get a notification in the native Instagram app.
Instagram curates videos for you based on your interests and who you follow, and you can also watch trending videos on the “popular” channel! And just like you can with Instagram Stories, you can also share IGTV videos to your friends through Instagram Direct.
There’s also no ads — yet. “Right now we’re focused on building engagement,” Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom said in a press conference after the launch. “But that’s obviously a very reasonable place to end up. There will be a way for creators to make a living.”
1] IGTV is Vertical Videos Only
Like we’ve said, IGTV is all about the vertical videos. Sure, you can technically upload a horizontal video to IGTV, but that’s not the best experience. Here are two options of what horizontal video looks like on IGTV, first is quickly edited to include a blurred background, and second is the full horizontal video that you would rotate your phone to watch.
There’s also no ads — yet. “Right now we’re focused on building engagement,” Instagram CEO Kevin Systrom said in a press conference after the launch. “But that’s obviously a very reasonable place to end up. There will be a way for creators to make a living.”
3 Things to Know about IGTV, Instagram’s New Video Platform + App
Like we’ve said, IGTV is all about the vertical videos. Sure, you can technically upload a horizontal video to IGTV, but that’s not the best experience. Here are two options of what horizontal video looks like on IGTV, first is quickly edited to include a blurred background, and second is the full horizontal video that you would rotate your phone to watch.
Vertical video makes it easy for anyone to feel like they can start creating, and instead of the pressure to create professional videos on a camera, vertical video naturally encourages you to record on your phone instead. Vertical video also makes for a better mobile experience, because you don’t have to rotate your phone or just watch a smaller version. I don’t know about you, but I keep my phone locked to “portrait” mode, so every time I want to watch a YouTube video it’s seriously annoying!
Forcing you to create vertical videos is an innovative move from Instagram, but social media managers may not love it. Now, when you’re shooting video content, you will have to either shoot for two ratios, or make sure that you’re able to vertically crop the video. It means more editing, and you won’t be able to share the same video to all your social platforms.
Video has become an increasingly important skill in social media marketing, and now with the launch of IGTV, if you don’t know how to make or edit videos, you really need to learn…now!
Forcing you to create vertical videos is an innovative move from Instagram, but social media managers may not love it. Now, when you’re shooting video content, you will have to either shoot for two ratios, or make sure that you’re able to vertically crop the video. It means more editing, and you won’t be able to share the same video to all your social platforms.
Video has become an increasingly important skill in social media marketing, and now with the launch of IGTV, if you don’t know how to make or edit videos, you really need to learn…now!
2] IGTV is like Youtube, Not Netflix
Even though you can upload videos up to 1 hour long on IGTV, don’t expect to be watching your favorite TV shows on it anytime soon. The goal of IGTV is to be more like YouTube, and less like Netflix (after all, that’s what Facebook Watch is for). IGTV is meant more for following your favorite influencers or vloggers, instead of the Hollywood elite.
This is good news for your business, because you don’t have to create a super polished video in order to upload it to IGTV! As far as production quality goes, think of it like a step up from your Instagram Stories, but it doesn’t have to be as perfect or curated like an Instagram post or video would be.
3] IGTV is an Addicting Mobile Experience
Even though you won’t be seeing your favorite TV shows on IGTV, Instagram is trying to make the overall experience a lot like traditional TV. Everyone who has an Instagram account can create their own IGTV “channel,” which is where all your IGTV videos will live (separate from your regular Instagram bio + Instagram Stories Highlights).
Just like when you turn the TV on and a show starts playing right away, when you open the IGTV app, a video will automatically start playing. Viewers can like or comment on IGTV videos while they’re watching them, similar to how you can interact with Facebook videos. Bored of watching the video? Just swipe to the side to move on to the next video.
Want more? Swipe up to search videos and view them by category, and it’s super easy to just scroll through videos from influencers and friends on Instagram.
Even though you can upload videos up to 1 hour long on IGTV, don’t expect to be watching your favorite TV shows on it anytime soon. The goal of IGTV is to be more like YouTube, and less like Netflix (after all, that’s what Facebook Watch is for). IGTV is meant more for following your favorite influencers or vloggers, instead of the Hollywood elite.
“Instagram is focusing its efforts around web celebrities that made their name on mobile rather than more traditional, old-school publishers and TV studios that might come off too polished and processed,” notes TechCrunch.
“The idea is to let these creators, who have a knack for this style of content and who already have sizeable Instagram audiences, set the norms for what IGTV is about.”
This is good news for your business, because you don’t have to create a super polished video in order to upload it to IGTV! As far as production quality goes, think of it like a step up from your Instagram Stories, but it doesn’t have to be as perfect or curated like an Instagram post or video would be.
3] IGTV is an Addicting Mobile Experience
Even though you won’t be seeing your favorite TV shows on IGTV, Instagram is trying to make the overall experience a lot like traditional TV. Everyone who has an Instagram account can create their own IGTV “channel,” which is where all your IGTV videos will live (separate from your regular Instagram bio + Instagram Stories Highlights).
Just like when you turn the TV on and a show starts playing right away, when you open the IGTV app, a video will automatically start playing. Viewers can like or comment on IGTV videos while they’re watching them, similar to how you can interact with Facebook videos. Bored of watching the video? Just swipe to the side to move on to the next video.
Want more? Swipe up to search videos and view them by category, and it’s super easy to just scroll through videos from influencers and friends on Instagram.
Right now, there’s 3 IGTV categories: For You, Following, and Popular.
“For You” is a collection of videos that Instagram thinks you will like, made up from people you follow and Instagram’s own machine learning.
“Following” is a collection of videos from all the people on Instagram that you’re already following. Which is a good time to mention that if someone follows you on IGTV, they’ll be following your regular Instagram account too!
“Popular” features all of the trending videos on IGTV, most likely ranked by popularity
There’s also a small hidden search bar that lets you search for videos, but Instagram is trying to curate the best videos for you within your social network and without you having to constantly search for the next video to watch.
Now that you understand more about how IGTV works, you’re ready to make your own channel and upload your first IGTV video! Here’s how to do it, or you can skip to the IGTV Frequently Asked Questions below.
“For You” is a collection of videos that Instagram thinks you will like, made up from people you follow and Instagram’s own machine learning.
“Following” is a collection of videos from all the people on Instagram that you’re already following. Which is a good time to mention that if someone follows you on IGTV, they’ll be following your regular Instagram account too!
“Popular” features all of the trending videos on IGTV, most likely ranked by popularity
There’s also a small hidden search bar that lets you search for videos, but Instagram is trying to curate the best videos for you within your social network and without you having to constantly search for the next video to watch.
Now that you understand more about how IGTV works, you’re ready to make your own channel and upload your first IGTV video! Here’s how to do it, or you can skip to the IGTV Frequently Asked Questions below.
How to Create an IGTV Channel:
Before you can upload a video to IGTV, you need to create your channel! The good news is that Instagram has made IGTV super simple and easy to use.
Step 1: Sign in to the IGTV App
Step 2: Click on the settings gear icon in the right hand corner, and then click “create channel”
That’s it! Now you’re ready to upload your videos.
How to Upload Videos to IGTV:
Step 1: Go to your new channel by clicking on your avatar from the main page
Step 2: Click the + icon in the right hand corner to add a new video to IGTV
Step 3: Select a vertical video from your camera roll
Step 4: Write your title and add a description. Just like on YouTube, you’ll want to add in any relevant keywords to your description to make it easier for people to find your videos on IGTV.
You can also add in links! That’s right, people will actually be able to click on links in your description and be taken outside of the Instagram or IGTV app.
Step 5: Add a cover photo! You can upload your own custom cover, or choose a thumbnail from your video. The cover photo is what will show up on your channel page and in the IGTV categories, so make it catchy!
Step 6: Click the post button and celebrate! You’ve just uploaded your first video to your IGTV channel.
But you’re not done yet: you’ll also want to monitor and reply to the comments on your post and track your IGTV analytics.
Step 3: Select a vertical video from your camera roll
Step 4: Write your title and add a description. Just like on YouTube, you’ll want to add in any relevant keywords to your description to make it easier for people to find your videos on IGTV.
You can also add in links! That’s right, people will actually be able to click on links in your description and be taken outside of the Instagram or IGTV app.
Step 5: Add a cover photo! You can upload your own custom cover, or choose a thumbnail from your video. The cover photo is what will show up on your channel page and in the IGTV categories, so make it catchy!
Step 6: Click the post button and celebrate! You’ve just uploaded your first video to your IGTV channel.
But you’re not done yet: you’ll also want to monitor and reply to the comments on your post and track your IGTV analytics.
Step 7: View Your IGTV Analytics
Click on the “…” button beside the like, comment, and share buttons on your IGTV video.
From here you can click “View Insights” or copy the link to your video (you can also delete your video here if you need to).
When you click on “View Insights” you’ll be able to see your views, likes, and comments. You can also see your audience retention rate, which is how many people watched your video all the way to the end, and you can even see a drop-off graph which shows you at what point people are swiping away from your video.
Tip: editing vertical videos is hard! You can do this in Final Cut Pro, but if you don’t have $300 to spend, there is an iMovie hack too.
Rotate your video sideways so that it fills the entire frame, this may seem weird but you get used to it. When you’re done, export the video as a horizontal, sideways video. Open the video in Quicktime, click edit, and rotate the video until it’s vertical!
Frequently Asked Questions about IGTV, Instagram New Video App. Since IGTV is so new, you’re bound to have more questions! Here are some answers to the questions we could think of, but if you have more, just let us know in the comments!
What Video Types are Supported on IGTV?
IGTV supports 4k vertical videos that are at least 15 seconds long, and can run up to 60 minutes. If you’re wondering what size IGTV videos are, they’re a 16:9 aspect ratio (the same as Instagram Stories).
What constitutes a “view” on IGTV?
According to Instagram, a “view” on IGTV is the number of times people watched at least 3 seconds of your video.
How long can IGTV videos be?
Right now, IGTV videos can be up to 10 minutes long, and larger accounts can upload videos up to 1 hour long. In the future, Instagram has said that eventually there will be no time limits.
How do I watch videos on IGTV?
You can watch IGTV videos by clicking on the IGTV icon at the top of your feed in the Instagram app, or you can download the standalone IGTV app for iOS or Android.
You will also be able to watch videos from the “IGTV” icon on Instagram profiles.
Note: Instagram is slowly rolling out the update, so if you don’t have IGTV in your native app yet, try searching for the standalone app instead.
Can you have more than one IGTV Channel?
No, you can only have one IGTV channel per Instagram account. This is because, according to Instagram, “the creators are the channels.” If you follow a creator on IGTV, you will also be following them on Instagram, and vice versa!
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We’ll be updating this post with more info about IGTV as the platform evolves and people start using the app more! But in the meantime – what do YOU want to know? Let us know in the comments!
