Everything you need to know about IGTV
Plus: How it can benefit your social media strategy
What is IGTV?
IGTV, or Instagram TV, was initially developed as a standalone app. Eventually, it was also integrated as a feature within the Instagram app. The platform allows users to post longer videos of up to 60 minutes. This makes IGTV very different from stories, which are only up to 15 seconds long and disappear after 24 hours. Following the principle of "mobile first", videos can be uploaded in vertical portrait format (4:5 or 9:16) – but videos in horizontal landscape format are possible, too!
What speaks for using IGTV?
Why should you give IGTV a try? The answer is simple. As we all know, video content will become even more important in the coming years. Several recent studies confirm this trend. By 2023, videos will account for 82 percent of global internet traffic. It’s also interesting that 54 percent of survey participants would like to see more video content from companies. IGTV provides a good platform for this – because videos are relatively easy and inexpensive to produce. Tell your story, create trust, and get in touch with your target group – what are you waiting for?
1. A look behind the scenes
What applies to Instagram stories is also true for IGTV: Users love to take a look behind the scenes of their favourite brands. Virtual tours, insights into people’s daily work or footage from events – there are no limits to your creativity. A positive side effect: You boost customer loyalty and, at the same time, make your company seem more "human".
Hugo Boss, for instance, gives Instagram users the opportunity to take a look behind the scenes of a fashion show.
2. Tutorials
Tutorials are especially suitable for IGTV. Because with videos that are up to 60 minutes long, you can give your viewers detailed product information without interruptions. However, this does not mean that longer tutorials are automatically better. Focus on keeping your videos short and explain things in simple terms if possible. The more complicated, the higher the bounce rate!
For example: https://www.instagram.com/tv/BmBYZpWAfFR/
3. Producing a series
No joke! With IGTV, you can even produce a small series for your company that goes online at the same time every week, for instance. Recurring formats give people a sense of security and orientation. But as we all know, they are also kind of addictive. If we liked the first episode, we're happy to stick with it and can’t wait to see the next video!
NASA, for instance, gives people an insight into what’s going on in space every month in their IGTV series "What's up in ...". This not only positions the company as an expert in all space-related topics, but also supplies its fans with the latest news on the subject. Super informative and really fascinating!
4. Presenting products and drawing attention to them
Of course, IGTV also lets you present or draw attention to new products. The best way is to combine your video with a call-to-action and ask the users to test the product right away. BMW is a good example of how to create a successful product presentation. The German car manufacturer presented its brand-new BMW 1 model series on IGTV.
5. It’s all about originality and creativity
In marketing, it’s important to stand out from the crowd – and that’s true on IGTV as well. Originality and creativity are indispensable. And you don't even need a complex script for that, as you can see in the Netflix video "Cole Sprouse eating a burger for 1 hour". It shows how Riverdale star Cole Sprouse eats a burger … for a whole hour. The video has achieved cult status and already has more than a million views and over 6,000 comments.