IGTV (Instagram Telly) lets brands create their own long-class video series on Instagram.

It's a swell opportunity to:

  • Build appointment
  • Collaborate with influencers
  • Amend your Instagram marketing strategy

… among many other things!

But how practise you lot create an IGTV channel? And what are the best ways you tin can apply information technology for your business concern?

Let's dive into the answers, and notice out how y'all tin can make IGTV work for your brand.

Note: In October 2021, Instagram combined IGTV and feed videos into a single video format: Instagram Video. The IGTV profile tab has been replaced past a Video tab. All Instagram videos can now be upwards to threescore minutes long, and standard post editing features are available for long-form video content. Learn more than about Instagram Video.

Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the exact steps a fitness influencer used to grow from 0 to 600,000+ followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.

What is IGTV ?

IGTV is a long-class video aqueduct accessible from Instagram and as a standalone app.

Instagram launched the feature in June 2018. It gives brands the opportunity to make videos longer than typical Instagram Stories and posts.

In fact, verified users tin mail service IGTV videos up to an hour long. Regular users can upload 10 minute long videos—notwithstanding much longer than normal videos!

In 2019, Instagram also allowed creators to post one-minute previews of their IGTV videos on their feeds to improve discoverability. That's perfect for getting your audience's attention without them having to download the app.

Instagram more than recently introduced the IGTV series characteristic. This allows creators to make a regular serial of videos to exist released on a consequent cadency (weekly, monthly, etc).

Think of information technology like a serial yous'd come across on tv set or YouTube—but all on Instagram.

Brands have been relatively slow to adopt IGTV for a number of reasons. Chief among them: the loftier costs and time investment required to produce long-grade social videos.

Simply if yous practice it correct, IGTV can actually be a fantastic way to build appointment for your brand. Read on to find out how.

How to use IGTV

Watch this Hootsuite Academy video for a quick overview of how to utilize IGTV. In one case yous're done, read on to find exact instructions (with visuals) below:

How to create an IGTV Channel

It used to be that if you wanted to upload a video onto IGTV y'all needed to create an IGTV Channel. However, Instagram has since done away with that feature.

All y'all need to create an IGTV account now is an Instagram business relationship. Your account allows you to upload videos onto IGTV via the Instagram app or the IGTV app.

If yous're reading this, there'south a good chance you lot already have an Instagram account. If y'all don't, that'due south okay! Here's the directions straight from Instagram on how to create an account.

How to upload an IGTV video

Uploading an IGTV video is very simple—simply there are a few ways to do it.

How to upload and IGTV video from Instagram

1. Tap the + button at the bottom of your newsfeed.

plus button on Instagram

two. Cull a video 60 seconds or longer and tap Adjacent.

choosing a video from your Instagram gallery

3. Select share equally Long Video. This allows you lot to mail the full-length video on IGTV, while a shorter snippet of the video is shared to your Instagram feed. Tap Proceed.

Long Video option for uplaoding an IGTV video

iv. Choose your video's cover image from one of its frames. Alternatively, you may choose an image from your gallery. Tap Next.

selecting a cover image for your IGTV video

5. Fill out the title and description for your IGTV video. Yous also at present have the pick to Post a Preview of your video on your newsfeed and Make Visible on Facebook if you desire to cross promote it.

"Post a preview" toggle option on IGTV video

You likewise are able add the video to an IGTV series from here. If you don't already have an IGTV series, don't worry. We're going to prove you how downwards below.

Once y'all're done filling out your title and clarification. Tap Mail in the tiptop right. Voila! You only posted an IGTV video from your Instagram app!

How to upload an IGTV video from IGTV

ane. Tap the + push button in the top right.

Plus button on IGTV app

2. Cull a video threescore seconds or longer and tap Next.

choosing a long video from your gallery

3. Choose your video's cover image from one of its frames. Alternatively, you may choose an prototype from your gallery. Tap Adjacent.

choosing a cover image for your IGTV video from the app

iv. Fill up out the title and description for your IGTV video. Yous also now have the option to Postal service a Preview of your video on your newsfeed and Brand Visible on Facebook if you lot want to cross promote information technology.

post a preview option on IGTV video before uploading

You also are able add the video to an IGTV series from here. If you lot don't already accept an IGTV serial, don't worry. We're going to show you how down beneath.

Once you lot're done filling out your title and description. Tap Post in the top right. Voila! You lot just posted an IGTV video from your IGTV app!

Bonus: Download a gratis checklist that reveals the exact steps a fitness influencer used to grow from 0 to 600,000+ followers on Instagram with no budget and no expensive gear.

Go the free guide right now!

How to track your IGTV performance

To meet your IGTV analytics in Instagram:

  1. Tap the video you want to analyze.
  2. Tap the three horizontal (iPhone) or vertical (Android) dots at the bottom of the video.
  3. Tap View Insights.

In the app, you can view:

  • Likes
  • Comments
  • Direct messages
  • Saves
  • Profile visits
  • Reach
  • Interactions
  • Discovery
  • Follows
  • Impressions

IGTV Insights in Instagram IGTV Insights in Instagram

While in-app Insights will give yous a quick view of how a video is performing, information technology'due south not like shooting fish in a barrel to compare it to the remainder of your Instagram content — or even the rest of your IGTV videos. To get a more than holistic view of your IGTV performance, you may want to consider a third-political party social media direction tool like Hootsuite.

In Hootsuite Impact, you can view your IGTV analytics alongside all your other Instagram content. You'll exist able to see all the same IGTV functioning metrics you would become in the app, plus a customizable ROI metric that allows yous to determine which IGTV videos are giving yous the best return-on-investment based on your business concern goals.

IGTV analytics in Hootsuite Impact

You can likewise customize the style your engagement rate is calculated, if you lot prefer to calculate information technology in a different style than Instagram (for example, you could choose to count but saves and comments as "date").

Hootsuite Touch is worth checking out if you're looking for a more holistic view of your business concern's Instagram performance, how it performs in comparison to your other social networks, and how it contributes to your business's lesser line.

How to create an IGTV series

Whether you want to create an IGTV series on your Instagram app or your IGTV app, the steps will be the aforementioned.

Here'due south how to create an IGTV series:

one. Brand sure yous're at the window where you fill out your championship and description. Tap Add to Serial.

"Add to series" button on IGTV video upload screen

2. Tap Create Your First Series.

"Create your first series" button on IGTV series screen

three. Fill out your serial's title and clarification. Then tap the bluish checkmark in the height right.

blue checkmark in top right corner of New Series screen

4. Make sure the series yous want your video to be a part of is selected. Then tap Done in the top right.

Screen showing a selected IGTV series called "My Series!"

That'southward information technology! You only created a new IGTV serial.

IGTV video specs

Here is all the video spec data you lot need for your IGTV video:

  • File format: MP4
  • Video length: At to the lowest degree 1 minute long
  • Maximum video length when uploading on mobile: 15 minutes
  • Maximum video length when uploading on spider web: i hour
  • Vertical aspect ratio: nine:16
  • Horizontal aspect ratio: 16:9
  • Minimum frame charge per unit: 30 FPS (frames per 2nd)
  • Minimum resolution: 720 pixels
  • Maximum file size for videos that are ten minutes or less: 650MB
  • Maximum file size for videos up to 60 minutes: 3.6GB.
  • Cover photograph size: 420px by 654px (or 1:1.55 ratio)

Pro tip: You can't edit your encompass photo after you've uploaded it, and then make sure information technology's perfect before you lot exercise.

5 means to use IGTV for business

Below are 5 ideas for IGTV videos or even series you tin can create for your brand.

Create tutorial videos

One slap-up way to build appointment is through handy tutorial videos.

These how-to videos tin cover a multifariousness of different topics in your industry. For example, say you had a fettle brand. You could create a series focused on workout tutorials, or maybe one nigh salubrious recipes.

If your organization sells a product, you lot tin create a how-to video focused on how to use that product. There are a ton of possibilities for great IGTV series for your brand!

Host a Q&A session

A question and answer (Q&A) session with your audience is a great way to reply whatever pressing questions your followers might have.

It's also a great opportunity to present some solid idea leadership on your industry.

Pro tip: Brand a post on your Instagram feed and Story promoting your Q&A session beforehand. Be sure to ask your followers for questions and so. You can use them during the IGTV recording!

Go behind the scenes

This is a great manner to build transparency into your brand. Past giving your audience a look at how your visitor works—whether that be by interviewing coworkers or simply touring your workspace—you lot humanize your brand to viewers.

That results in more trust between the audience and your system. And make trust is a crucial thing for everything from marketing to sales.

Stream an consequence

Hosting an event like a convention or a seminar? Share that with your viewers on your IGTV channel!

This is a peachy opportunity to let those who couldn't attend a take chances to "attend" virtually. Your viewers will capeesh it, and you can give them content they can engage with.

Host a talk show

Ever dream of seeing your name nether the "This evening Testify" banner? At present y'all can (kind of)!

You lot tin can host a talk evidence on your IGTV that's centered on your brand. Have guests on who are influencers and thought leaders in your industry. Monologue about industry news. If you're actually ambitious, you can go your coworkers together and create an in-house band.

(Okay, possibly don't do that last one.)

IGTV tips and all-time practices

Cross promote your video

Whenever you lot start posting to a new aqueduct, it's best practise to inform your followers on other channels what you're up to, in case they want to follow you there as well.

This is especially true for IGTV, as some people volition have to download a new app to view your content.

IGTV offers a few different cross-promotion options:

  • Preview and link to an IGTV video from your Instagram Stories (verified or business users merely)
  • Share one minute previews of your IGTV videos to your Instagram feed and contour (users will be prompted to Go on Watching on IGTV)
  • Share IGTV videos to a connected Facebook folio

Exterior of Instagram, consider including callouts to your IGTV channel from:

  • Twitter
  • An email newsletter
  • Your Facebook Page

Optimize for silent viewing

Chances are if people are watching your video in the IGTV app, they'll plough their sound on. Simply even the videos that play automatically in the app default to "sound off".

And if you're sharing your video in your Instagram Stories or on your feed, most people will not accept their sound on.

So make sure your video is optimized to play without sound—i.e., it either makes sense without sound, or has easily visible subtitles. Clipomatic tin assistance with this.

Include the near important info up front

People scroll through their feeds quickly. You only accept a small window of time to grab their attention—up to a minute if yous're lucky, simply 15 seconds is probably a more than realistic target.

And so make certain your IGTV video hooks your viewers as presently as possible. Don't let their attending slip or give them a reason to swipe through to the next thing.

This is especially true if you lot're sharing a preview to your Instagram feed, where viewers will exist prompted to "keep watching" on IGTV later one minute.

Retrieve of the start minute of your video equally an introduction to a web log mail. No matter how flashy and engaging your video is, you'll need to reply the following questions:

  • What is this video about?
  • Why should you proceed watching?
  • Optional: Who is this video for?
  • Optional: How long will information technology exist?

Answering these questions as soon equally possible will guarantee longer and higher quality views.

Use relevant hashtags in your description

Search functionality on IGTV has received some criticism. As of April 2020, yous can only search for profiles rather than videos on a specific topic (think: how y'all search for a YouTube video).

But Instagram is said to exist working on changing that

.IGTV video called "Art timelapse: This is the extended version of my #coverpage for March" from @thegraytergood

In the concurrently, ensure your videos are besides seen by non-followers by including relevant hashtags in your description. Your videos will prove upward on the corresponding hashtag page on Instagram, where people following that hashtag can observe your content.

hashtag page for photos with #bulletjournal, including the video from the previous screenshot

Only mail service content that warrants a longer format

IGTV isn't just a place to be cross posting your Instagram Stories. If yous want people to follow you on both channels, you lot need to make sure they have a good reason to exercise and then.

This ways developing new content that fits a longer format. While your Instagram Stories are designed to fit within snappy 15-2nd clips, what would y'all do with more than 15 seconds? Lean into that space and brainstorm.

Similar YouTube, long-form tutorial content is pop on IGTV. Merely some brands have even adult unabridged TV series for the app.

Patently what you cull to do depends on your upkeep and your make, but here are some long-form video content ideas to get you started.

Utilise your make colors, fonts, themes, etc.

Just because it's a dissimilar app doesn't mean y'all're presenting a unlike make. It can already be a jarring experience to leave ane app to watch content another, so make the feel as smooth as possible for your followers. Let them know you're the aforementioned sometime yous, only on a dissimilar channel.

That means sticking to the same colors, tone, and vibe as usual. Bonus: this will assistance your IGTV content fit into your feed as well.

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