Social Media Spotlight: IGTV 101

What is IGTV?            

IGTV is Instagram’s new video platform in which consumers can view vertical long form video content. This platform is both a feature on Instagram, as well as its own app. It allows users to view IGTV content of those they follow and popular channels available through the Explore page. The app offers more channel and video options based on your personal interests.

In order to upload videos to IGTV, you must have the IGTV app and Google Play. Once you have those two things, you are able to upload video content that's up to an hour long. These videos will appear both on the IGTV app and on your follower’s IGTV on Instagram. There are no qualifications needed to use IGTV, meaning you don’t have to be an influencer or a Kardashian to share your longer form video content with the Instagram world. 

Why now?

Instagram’s owner, Facebook, has been quite persistent on becoming a video platform over the past few years. The new feature distinguishes itself from competitors, such as YouTube, by providing a more “practical” viewing experience. All videos posted to IGTV appear vertically as that is the main way consumers use their mobile phones. The reasoning behind the separate app is that Instagram users enjoy viewing videos on Instagram, despite the fact that Instagram began as a photo app. With the IGTV app, users that particularly enjoy viewing video content are able to do so without the distraction of stories, posts, notifications and more.

What does this mean for businesses?

There are many benefits to video content, but one of the biggest is that a great amount of information can be covered in a short amount of time. In many cases, long-form video content is not necessary. In fact, many people have reported that they want to consume content in the shortest amount of time possible. So, what does this mean for businesses? Before engaging in an IGTV channel, companies should consider what their ultimate goals is. Content such as interviews, documentaries, event recaps or some form of a discussion are the ideal videos for businesses looking to draw viewers to post to their channel. IGTV may be foreign to many now, but it may very well take the world by storm in no time!