IGTV (Instagram TV) lets brands create their own long-course video series on Instagram.

Information technology's a keen opportunity to:

  • Build engagement
  • Collaborate with influencers
  • Improve your Instagram marketing strategy

… among many other things!

Just how exercise you create an IGTV channel? And what are the all-time ways you lot can use it for your business organization?

Let's dive into the answers, and find out how you 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 The IGTV profile tab has been replaced by a Video tab. All Instagram videos can now be up to 60 minutes long, and standard mail service editing features are available for long-form video content. Larn more about Instagram Video.

Bonus: Download a free checklist that reveals the verbal 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 equally a standalone app.

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

In fact, verified users can postal service IGTV videos up to an hour long. Regular users can upload x infinitesimal long videos—still much longer than normal videos!

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

Instagram more recently introduced the IGTV series feature. This allows creators to make a regular series of videos to exist released on a consistent cadence (weekly, monthly, etc).

Think of information technology like a serial yous'd come across on idiot box or YouTube—merely all on Instagram.

Brands take been relatively slow to prefer IGTV for a number of reasons. Main among them: the high costs and time investment required to produce long-grade social videos.

But if you do it right, IGTV tin can really exist a fantastic way to build engagement for your brand. Read on to observe out how.

How to employ IGTV

Watch this Hootsuite Academy video for a quick overview of how to employ IGTV. Once you're done, read on to find exact instructions (with visuals) below:

How to create an IGTV Channel

Information technology used to exist that if you wanted to upload a video onto IGTV you needed to create an IGTV Channel. However, Instagram has since done away with that feature.

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

If you're reading this, there's a practiced gamble you already have an Instagram account. If you don't, that's okay! Here'south the directions direct from Instagram on how to create an account.

How to upload an IGTV video

Uploading an IGTV video is very simple—just there are a few ways to do information technology.

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 sixty seconds or longer and tap Next.

choosing a video from your Instagram gallery

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

Long Video option for uplaoding an IGTV video

4. Cull your video's encompass image from one of its frames. Alternatively, y'all 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. You too at present have the option to Postal service a Preview of your video on your newsfeed and Make Visible on Facebook if yous want to cross promote it.

"Post a preview" toggle option on IGTV video

You also are able add the video to an IGTV series from here. If you don't already have an IGTV series, don't worry. Nosotros're going to show you how down below.

Once you're done filling out your title and clarification. Tap Postal service in the elevation right. Voila! Y'all only posted an IGTV video from your Instagram app!

How to upload an IGTV video from IGTV

ane. Tap the + button in the pinnacle right.

Plus button on IGTV app

2. Choose a video 60 seconds or longer and tap Next.

choosing a long video from your gallery

3. Choose your video's embrace paradigm from i of its frames. Alternatively, y'all may cull an image from your gallery. Tap Side by side.

choosing a cover image for your IGTV video from the app

4. Fill out the championship and description for your IGTV video. You also now have the option to Post a Preview of your video on your newsfeed and Brand Visible on Facebook if you want to cantankerous promote information technology.

post a preview option on IGTV video before uploading

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

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

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.

Get the gratuitous guide right at present!

How to track your IGTV performance

To run into your IGTV analytics in Instagram:

  1. Tap the video you desire 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, y'all tin can view:

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

IGTV Insights in Instagram IGTV Insights in Instagram

While in-app Insights will requite yous a quick view of how a video is performing, it'south not easy to compare it to the rest of your Instagram content — or even the residual of your IGTV videos. To get a more holistic view of your IGTV performance, yous may want to consider a third-political party social media management tool like Hootsuite.

In Hootsuite Touch, you lot tin view your IGTV analytics alongside all your other Instagram content. You'll exist able to see still IGTV performance metrics you would arrive the app, plus a customizable ROI metric that allows you to determine which IGTV videos are giving you the best return-on-investment based on your business goals.

IGTV analytics in Hootsuite Impact

You lot can also customize the way your engagement rate is calculated, if you prefer to calculate it in a different manner than Instagram (for example, you could choose to count only saves and comments as "engagement").

Hootsuite Impact is worth checking out if yous're looking for a more than holistic view of your business's Instagram performance, how information technology performs in comparison to your other social networks, and how information technology contributes to your business's lesser line.

How to create an IGTV series

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

Here'south how to create an IGTV serial:

1. Make certain you're at the window where you make full out your championship and clarification. 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

3. Fill out your series'southward title and description. Then tap the blue checkmark in the summit right.

blue checkmark in top right corner of New Series screen

four. Make certain the series yous want your video to be a part of is selected. So tap Washed in the pinnacle right.

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

That'southward it! You but created a new IGTV series.

IGTV video specs

Here is all the video spec information yous demand for your IGTV video:

  • File format: MP4
  • Video length: At least 1 minute long
  • Maximum video length when uploading on mobile: 15 minutes
  • Maximum video length when uploading on web: one hour
  • Vertical aspect ratio: 9:sixteen
  • Horizontal aspect ratio: 16:nine
  • Minimum frame charge per unit: 30 FPS (frames per second)
  • Minimum resolution: 720 pixels
  • Maximum file size for videos that are ten minutes or less: 650MB
  • Maximum file size for videos up to lx minutes: 3.6GB.
  • Cover photograph size: 420px by 654px (or 1:one.55 ratio)

Pro tip: You can't edit your cover photo after you've uploaded information technology, and so make sure information technology's perfect before yous do.

5 means to utilize IGTV for concern

Beneath are 5 ideas for IGTV videos or even serial you can create for your brand.

Create tutorial videos

1 cracking way to build engagement is through handy tutorial videos.

These how-to videos can cover a variety of different topics in your manufacture. For example, say you had a fitness brand. You lot could create a series focused on workout tutorials, or perchance one about healthy recipes.

If your organization sells a product, you can create a how-to video focused on how to apply that product. In that location are a ton of possibilities for great IGTV series for your brand!

Host a Q&A session

A question and respond (Q&A) session with your audience is a groovy way to answer any pressing questions your followers might take.

Information technology's also a keen opportunity to present some solid idea leadership on your manufacture.

Pro tip: Make a mail on your Instagram feed and Story promoting your Q&A session beforehand. Exist certain to ask your followers for questions and then. Yous can utilise them during the IGTV recording!

Go behind the scenes

This is a dandy mode to build transparency into your brand. Past giving your audience a look at how your visitor works—whether that exist by interviewing coworkers or simply touring your workspace—y'all humanize your brand to viewers.

That results in more trust between the audience and your arrangement. And brand trust is a crucial matter for everything from marketing to sales.

Stream an consequence

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

This is a nifty opportunity to let those who couldn't attend a chance to "attend" almost. Your viewers will appreciate it, and you tin requite them content they tin can engage with.

Host a talk show

E'er dream of seeing your name under the "Tonight Bear witness" banner? Now you can (kind of)!

Y'all can host a talk show on your IGTV that's centered on your make. Have guests on who are influencers and thought leaders in your industry. Monologue nearly industry news. If you're really ambitious, you lot can go your coworkers together and create an in-business firm ring.

(Okay, maybe don't do that terminal one.)

IGTV tips and all-time practices

Cross promote your video

Whenever you start posting to a new channel, it'southward all-time practise to inform your followers on other channels what you're up to, in case they want to follow you in that location too.

This is specially 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 1 infinitesimal previews of your IGTV videos to your Instagram feed and profile (users will exist prompted to Keep Watching on IGTV)
  • Share IGTV videos to a connected Facebook folio

Outside of Instagram, consider including callouts to your IGTV aqueduct from:

  • Twitter
  • An e-mail newsletter
  • Your Facebook Page

Optimize for silent viewing

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

And if you lot're sharing your video in your Instagram Stories or on your feed, about people will non take their audio on.

So make sure your video is optimized to play without audio—i.eastward., it either makes sense without sound, or has easily visible subtitles. Clipomatic can help with this.

Include the most of import info upward front

People scroll through their feeds quickly. You only take a pocket-size window of fourth dimension to catch their attention—upwards to a infinitesimal if you're lucky, merely 15 seconds is probably a more realistic target.

So brand sure your IGTV video hooks your viewers as soon as possible. Don't permit their attending skid or give them a reason to swipe through to the next thing.

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

Think of the get-go minute of your video every bit an introduction to a blog post. No matter how flashy and engaging your video is, you'll need to answer the following questions:

  • What is this video about?
  • Why should y'all continue watching?
  • Optional: Who is this video for?
  • Optional: How long will it be?

Answering these questions every bit soon as 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, you tin can only search for profiles rather than videos on a specific topic (think: how you search for a YouTube video).

But Instagram is said to be working on changing that

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

In the meantime, ensure your videos are also seen by non-followers by including relevant hashtags in your description. Your videos will show up on the corresponding hashtag page on Instagram, where people following that hashtag can discover your content.

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

Just post content that warrants a longer format

IGTV isn't just a place to exist cantankerous posting your Instagram Stories. If you want people to follow you on both channels, y'all demand to make sure they have a adept reason to practise and then.

This means developing new content that fits a longer format. While your Instagram Stories are designed to fit within snappy fifteen-second clips, what would you do with more than than 15 seconds? Lean into that infinite and brainstorm.

Similar YouTube, long-form tutorial content is pop on IGTV. Just some brands take even adult entire TV series for the app.

Plainly what y'all choose to do depends on your budget and your brand, only hither are some long-form video content ideas to get you started.

Use your make colors, fonts, themes, etc.

Just because it'due south a different app doesn't mean you're presenting a unlike brand. It can already be a jarring experience to exit one app to scout content another, so make the experience as smoothen as possible for your followers. Let them know yous're the same former you, just on a different channel.

That means sticking to the aforementioned colors, tone, and vibe as usual. Bonus: this volition help your IGTV content fit into your feed too.

Relieve time managing your Instagram presence using Hootsuite. From a unmarried dashboard you tin schedule and publish posts directly to Instagram, engage the audience, measure performance, and run all your other social media profiles. Try information technology free today.

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