5 Ways Brands Can Use IGTV to Distribute Killer Long-Form Content

5 Ways Brands Can Use IGTV to Distribute Killer Long-Form Content

One of the first posts I ever wrote here on Tubular Insights was why the then-new Instagram Stories feature was important for brands and their growth. So what does this mean for brands like yours who want to start experimenting with long-form content on IGTV? A host of content discovery tools will provide users videos they may want to watch, including highlighting shows from creators and publishers they already follow or suggesting popular or recommended clips related to users’ preferences. There will be a way for creators to make a living.” For now, all brands and publishers need to worry about is setting up their own IGTV channels; AdWeek has a simple tutorial you can follow for this. 5 Types of IGTV Videos Brands Should Consider Now that we’ve got the current rundown on the upcoming IGTV feature, let’s look at some ideas for the types of IGTV videos your brand might want to create. #2 Reality/Game Show In the same vein as scripted series, reality or game shows are an excellent format for publishers and brands to create and release on IGTV. #3 Behind-the-Scenes/Educational Reality shows can also take the form of behind-the-scenes content, which is another format publishers and brands should consider for their upcoming IGTV channels. So it can’t hurt to try this format for your IGTV channel, as well. @lelepons is here, talking about the new cooking show she’ll be launching on IGTV pic.twitter.com/qJyRxZrAPt — Ashley Wong (@wongalum) June 20, 2018 #5 News Commentary Depending on how your company makes a buck every day (i.e. media brand vs. automobile company), you could consider launching your own news show for exclusive release on IGTV. So what content will your brand start creating for IGTV this year?

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One of the first posts I ever wrote here on Tubular Insights was why the then-new Instagram Stories feature was important for brands and their growth. Up until this point, Stories has essentially been the biggest and best way for brands and publishers to broadcast multiple snippets of video all at once to their Instagram followers (albeit within a temporary, 24-hour expiration time frame). However, just when you thought your Instagram social video strategy couldn’t get any better, the visually inclined platform has recently announced its newest update which will directly impact brands’ Instagram video content: IGTV.

Accessible via both the Instagram app and its titular standalone app, IGTV is an entertainment hub for long-form video content from some of the internet’s most popular influencers, creators, and publishers. Yes, you heard that right — IGTV is the place where Instagram users can finally upload video content up to an hour long, compared to the truncated 15-60 seconds currently allowed. So what does this mean for brands like yours who want to start experimenting with long-form content on IGTV? Let’s take a quick look at how IGTV videos will work and then we’ll cover a few different ideas you can implement on your very own IGTV channel.

Here’s Why IGTV Will Matter to Brands

As noted above, IGTV videos can be up to an hour long and will be uploaded to the individual channel of creators and publishers. Instagram Co-Founder and CEO Kevin Systrom wrote in a blog post how “you can upload your own IGTV videos in the app or on the web to start your own channel.” These videos will then automatically play for users when the IGTV app is opened, or via IGTV’s dedicated tab in Instagram. A host of content discovery tools will provide users videos they may want to watch, including highlighting shows from creators and publishers they already follow or suggesting popular or recommended clips related to users’ preferences.

For brands, this may just be one of the best things about IGTV. Normally, when a new video platform is introduced to the social web, you have to scramble to learn the ins-and-outs, determine whether or not it’s a viable platform for them to use, and then build up an entirely new viewer base on that outlet. This simply won’t be the case with IGTV, where your followers will by default already follow every piece of content uploaded to IGTV. While this means you won’t necessarily reach new viewers, it does mean you don’t have to put in the work of building an audience alongside of creating and launching IGTV videos.

When you create an IGTV channel, your followers will automatically follow that, as well, and see your new content. (photo via Instagram blog)

Another interesting aspect of IGTV is its vertical-only format. All the clips on the platform will not only be full-screen, but will also reflect the way most people naturally use their phones to watch content — up-and-down instead of side-to-side. So this isn’t your regular, horizontal YouTube video-viewing experience; it’s more akin to the mobile-first video approach taken by Snapchat’s Discover section (some publications are betting IGTV will threaten both these established video platforms, actually)….

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