IGTV And How Brands Can Use It

Last month, Instagram made waves by announcing its newest addition to the social networking platform: IGTV. It is the social network’s stab at long-form video that rivals YouTube and has been quickly adopted by brands and influencers around the globe. Users are able to post video content up to an hour in length, with most brands opting for videos that are 10 minutes or shorter. Now that we are a month into its launch, we will share how brands can effectively use IGTV.

What It Is
IGTV is a video platform within the popular social networking app, Instagram. Located within the app itself or on its own standalone app, brands and influencers are now able to upload and create long-form videos for their followers. Unlike Youtube or Facebook Watch, IGTV is designed specifically for mobile. This means all videos are uploaded vertically, so creators can record content via their smartphone and upload directly to the platform.

How To Use It

1. Post relevant content: This may seem like a no brainer, but brands need to upload content that is relevant to their audience. If you are a beauty blogger, try uploading a skincare tutorial; if you are a podcaster, use IGTV to upload your newest episodes. The options are endless, but at the end of the day, your target audience should be driving the type of content you share.
2. Think IG stories, but longer: If you are having a difficult time getting started, start with the content you already share. IGTV is really just a long-form version of Instagram Stories. So, if you are sharing multiple stories at once, try condensing it into one IGTV video.
3. Share important information: There are a couple different ways brands can go about sharing content, and again, it depends on what your audience wants. If you are a marketing-focused company, share breaking industry news and how this may affect your audience. No matter what your niche is, you want to be a resource for your followers so they keep coming back for more.
4. Don’t overthink it: At the end of the day, you want your content to be natural, relevant and relatable. Don’t worry about creating overly polished videos with professional equipment. Leave that for YouTube. The beauty of Instagram has always been the fact that you could literally pick up your smartphone, capture a moment and share it with the world, and that same concept should be applied to IGTV.

Looking Ahead
While there currently aren’t “commercials” or advertising placements on IGTV, we can only expect Instagram to allow brands to place pre-roll and in-stream ads for videos uploaded to the platform. While the platform is so young, there are a great deal of opportunities for brands to capitalize and reach new audiences. Facebook often rewards advertisers who are early adopters of new ad placements with a lower CPC and CPM. Still in its infancy, we are excited to see IGTV take off and how brands continue to use it moving forward.