IGTV: What it is and how you can use it
On Instagram, you can share different types of content:
- Images, carousels or videos on your feed
- Videos or photos on your stories
- Live videos on your profile
Also, now with Instagram TV the video-length limit of 60 seconds disappears. Today I have come to tell you what Instagram TV is and what you can use it for.
What’s IGTV
Instagram TV is an integrated channel on Instagram profiles. You can access this feature from your Instagram app or a separate new app called IGTV that is available to download.
On the instagram profile of any user, you can see under the highlight stories, three sections: Posts, IGTV and the posts where that profile has been tagged.
In the second section called IGTV is where any user can share long-form videos:
- If you do it from the web, you can upload up to 1-hour videos.
- If you want to share it from the phone app, you can upload videos up to 15 minutes long.
These videos can be viewed in full screen and vertical format. However, if you want to upload it in a horizontal format, users will simply have to turn their phones.
With this feature, Instagram is expanding the possibilities to create and share videos, becoming a kind of competition for YouTube.
Instagram TV characteristics
In a nutshell, these are the main characteristics for this channel:
➡️ You can upload long-form videos
➡️ It is a separated component, it is like a YouTube channel within your Instagram account.
➡️ You can share this content on your feed or stories.
➡️ The playback of these videos is in full screen and vertical.
➡️ It generates the same type of interactions like standard posts: likes, shares and comments.
How to share videos on IGTV
These are the steps you must follow to share your videos:
➡️ From IGTV app:
- Download IGTV app.
- Register and sign in. If you already had an Instagram account, sign in with your profile.
- Click on the setting icon on the right corner and create your channel.
- To publish a video, click the icon “+” on the right side.
- Now, choose one of your videos and add all the information needed to upload it to the app.
➡️ From Instagram app:
If you already have an Instagram account and you want to share content on IGTV:
- Click the + symbol to upload publications.
- Choose the video that you want to share
- Since it is a longer video for Instagram, two options will appear: short video (by trimming it) or long video to share it as an IGTV.
- Now prepare the copy and cover photo and upload your video.
➡️ On Instagram website:
From your computer, you can upload videos up to 1 hour long:
- Go to Instagram and open your profile.
- Click IGTV.
- Click the + symbol and choose a video.
- Add all the information related to the video: add the copy and title, and the video will be ready to post.
Some IGTV ideas for brands
This platform hasn’t replaced YouTube yet, so we don’t recommend that you use this platform the same way.
However, you can use Instagram TV to complement your social media content strategy. Check out these video ideas that you can upload on this Instagram channel.
📌 Tool or product tutorials,
📌 Unboxing videos,
📌 Longer promotional videos to share on Instagram,
📌 Interviews,
📌 Talks,
📌 Event/travel summaries.
As you see, on IGTV you can share a wide range of videos that can be shared on this channel. This type of content can be the perfect complement to your strategy to improve your performance on Instagram.
If you are looking for more Instagram content ideas or tips to improve your strategy on this social platform, check out this updated guide:
Do you want to launch your own Instagram TV channel?
We’ll read all your comments!
