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IGTV—take advantage of vertical video and a younger demo

Written by SPI Collective on .

IGTV, short for Instagram Television, is the first app designed specifically for long-form, vertical videos. It’s available as a stand-alone app or within Instagram (IG). Since IG was already home to many vertical videos, and other platforms such as YouTube feature long-form videos, at first you may wonder why IGTV was needed?

When IG launched that app in the spring of 2018, they answered that question with three main points. From the start, IGTV was designed to be:

  1. Mobile First—That means it’s phone friendly and embraces vertical videos unlike other video apps. No more wrist fatigue from awkwardly holding your phone horizontally to watch videos.
  2. Simple—Making IGTV intuitive and super simple to use was a top priority. It’s so easy to use that videos chosen specifically for you—based on your preferences—auto-play when you open the app.
  3. Quality—The longer length allows Instagram creators (and brands!) to write and produce longer, more content-rich videos including testimonial, long-form and whiteboard videos.

How long is too long?

That depends on what you have to say. But anyone who creates an IGTV channel can post a 10-minute video on IGTV and verified users can post videos up to one hour!

Cross promote the heck out of it!

Initially brands may have feared long-form videos were too expensive and difficult to find on IGTV. But IG made it easier to promote IGTV and now brands love it. To maximize the ROI of your brand’s IGTV video:

  • Share a one-minute version in your Instagram feed
  • Share videos on your brand’s connected Facebook page
  • Verified users can also link to an IGTV video from Instagram Stories

Don’t forget to think outside the ‘gram … you can also direct viewers to your IGTV channel via a tweet, an eblast or even from your website. (Check out these 10 Brands Killing it With IGTV Videos.)

Who’s your target?

If it’s a younger demographic, you’ll find them on Instagram. Per Adobe Digital Insights 2019, 73% of Gen Z and 56% of Millennials are on IG!

Can you hear this?

Although the longer format means people will turn the sound on to watch your video, some will not. Additionally, videos that auto-play when IGTV is opened are silent and, if you share a clip in Stories or your IG feed, it will most likely be viewed sans sound. So, make sure your video doesn’t require sound to be properly appreciated or add captions.