If you haven’t heard, long form video has come to Instagram! Why? Well, any person truly invested in digital marketing & SEO could tell you that Google and Facebook have been in competition for YEARS! Facebook wants to be a search engine, Google wants to have a social network. It’s a never ending war, but, those of us who rely on both of these platforms will continue to benefit from all their new innovations.
What is IGTV?
IGTV, or Instagram TV, is just like a having a YouTube channel attached to your Instagram page. You can upload longer videos than the typcial 60 seconds Instagram allows for on a normal post.
Why should I make an IGTV channel?
For starters, I have no doubt in my mind that this will blow up. There are already celebrities like Will Smith taking advantage of IGTV and we know how much he loves YouTube (YT is owned by Google, Instagram is owned by Facebook – see why this is a never ending war?).
In addition, this gives you even more opportunity to bring your followers quality content and to increase engagement.
How do I create my channel?
It’s actually VERY simple!
Step 1. Open your Instagram app and click the orange-ish icon in the top right corner, next to the DM button. When you get there, you’ll see a screen like the one below displaying videos from people you follow.
Step 2. Next you’ll click on the settings button and you’ll get a pop up like the one below that says “Create Channel”.
Step 3. Once you select “Create Channel” you’ll see the following screens. Read through them and select “Create Channel”.
Step 4. Once your channel is created, you’ll see a screen like this. Go to your channel and from there you can begin uploading videos. As of now, the video cap is 15 minutes.
Keep in mind the videos have to be vertical. Similar to how an IG Live or Facebook Live video is laid out. I suggest if you have some great lives you want to savor, download them on your computer and send them to yourself to upload.
Don’t forget that titles, tags, and thumbnails matter! It may seem tedious but you want your channel to look good and feel professional.
I’m personally excited for new Instagram feature and will fully take advantage of the war going on between Google and Facebook.
If you’re already on IGTV I would love to know your thoughts on it so far! Reply to this email and let me know.
XOXO
