The new feature, officially presented on Wednesday during an Event in San Francisco, represents the first declaration of jfrankhenderson.com challenge (if not of war) primarily to the competitor YouTube, but also to other video platforms, including Facebook, owner of Instagram since 2012.
What does the acronym IGTV mean?
The name IGTV derives from the combination of the abbreviations IG (short for Instagram) and TV (traditional television).
In reality, IGTV:
- interrupts the traditional television experience,
- updates and transforms the television experience into a mobile, modern experience that is more in line with the behaviour of Instagrammers who no longer watch TV.
- How to download
- IGTV is available in both the native Instagram App and the new independent IGTV App.
So you can already download it as a separate App directly from the Instagram App, but it will also be available as a section of the normal Instagram App, which until now allowed you to publish only photos or videos no longer than one minute, in addition to the Stories (lasting 24 hours), recently enriched with internal shopping tags.
How to use the new video platform
The use of the new App will allow you to:
- upload your videos freely,
- open your own “channel”, more or less as you already do with photos.
You can watch IGTV videos in the Instagram App, in the standalone IGTV App or by clicking the IGTV button on someone else’s profile.
When someone you follow posts a new video on IGTV, you will receive a notification in the native Instagram App.
If you don’t download the new App, there will be a button at the top right of the main screen of the Instagram App and one at the top right of the pages of users who have posted videos on IGTV to access IGTV – the symbol of which resembles the shape of a TV set.
At the moment the use is limited: only a part of the users will be able to upload one hour long videos (the most influential), the others will have to settle for shooting for a maximum of 10 minutes. Don’t worry, in the next few months the 10-minute limit will be removed and the option will be extended to everyone.
Already available video categories
At the moment, there are 3 IGTV categories you can watch:
“For You” is a collection of videos that Instagram thinks you’ll like; it’s the result of the calculations of the IG algorithm (automatic learning) and it collects the videos of the people you follow.
“Following” is a collection of videos of all the people on Instagram that you are already following. I suggest you take this opportunity to get new followers: those who follow you on IGTV, will also follow your normal Instagram account!
“Popular” presents all the trend videos on IGTV, classified by popularity index.
Video format
By now, the prevalent use of content is from mobile (about 85%), Mark Z. knows it and changes the rules of the game to the cry of “Disruption!”.
IGTV adapts to the predominant mode of video recording, so it will only allow vertically recorded videos.
The new videos:
- will occupy the entire screen size,
- can be commented on (words),
- can be sent to other users,
- can be commented on with Like and Emoticons
- just like you do with photos.
How to create an IGTV channel in 2 clicks
Before uploading a video to IGTV, you must create your own channel!
Don’t panic: it’s super simple and easy to use.
Step 1: Login to the IGTV App
Step 2: Click on the setting gear icon in the right corner, then click on “Create channel”.
That’s it! Now you’re ready to upload your own videos.
How to upload videos to IGTV
Step 1: Go to your new channel by clicking on your avatar from the main page.
Instagram launches IGTV, the new app for long videos [FULL GUIDE] – Instagram IGTV long videos
Step 2: Click on the “+” icon in the right corner to add a new video to IGTV.
Step 3: Select a vertical video from your photo roll.
Step 4: Type in the title and add a description.
Just like on YouTube, I suggest you add relevant keywords to your description to make it easier for your followers to search for your IGTV videos. If you believe, you can also add links.
Step 5: Add a cover photo. You can upload your own custom cover or choose a thumbnail from your video.
Choose it carefully! The cover photo will appear on your Channel Page and in the IGTV categories, so make it attractive!
Step 6: Click the Post button and you’re done! Wow! You just uploaded your first video to your new IGTV channel. Confess that you are excited, come on!
But you’re not finished yet:
- you will also need to monitor and respond to comments on your post
- you’re gonna have to monitor your IGTV analysis.
Step 7: View your IGTV Analytics
Click the “…” button next to I like, comment and share the buttons on your IGTV video.
From here you can click on “View statistics” or copy the link to your video (from here you can also delete your video).
When you click on “View statistics” you can:
- monitor your opinions, likes and comments;
- check the audience loyalty rate, i.e. how many people watched your video to the end;
- see a graph showing where people left your video.
Question Time
I guess by now, you’ll have a lot of questions in your head. I try to answer those questions that come to mind.
How to edit videos?
I’ll give you a hint: editing vertical videos is difficult!
You can do it in Final Cut Pro, but if you don’t have 300€ to spend, there’s also an iMovie hack, a trick.
- Rotate the video sideways so that it fills the entire frame; yes, I know, it seems strange at first, but then you get used to it.
- When you’re done, export the video as a horizontal, lateral video.
- Open the video in Quicktime, click edit and rotate the video until it becomes vertical!
What types of videos are supported on IGTV?
IGTV supports 4K vertical videos that last from 15 seconds to 60 minutes.
Format 16: 9 (same as IG Stories).
What is a view of IGTV?
According to Instagram, an IGTV “view” is the number of times people have watched at least 3 seconds of your video.
Can you have more than one IGTV channel?
No, you can only have one IGTV channel for each Instagram account because, according to Menlo Park, “the creators are the channels”. If you follow a creator on IGTV, you will also follow them on Instagram and vice versa!
Any other questions?
Write them down in your comments. I’ll keep you updated on new developments as the platform evolves and people start using the App.
Conclusions
Menlo Park is betting big on mobile video with the launch of IGTV, thanks to the projections of its Big Data, which predict that – by 2021 – mobile video will account for 78% of total mobile data traffic.
