Tag: IGTV

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Social Media

Ads for IGTV Are Coming

IGTV ads are a monetization feature on Instagram, allowing creators to earn revenue by including short advertisements in their IGTV (Instagram TV) videos. These ads, typically lasting up to 15 seconds, are inserted at natural breaks in content, offering brands a new avenue to reach audiences. This feature not only benefits advertisers with increased visibility but also supports creators financially, fostering a thriving content ecosystem on Instagram.

Instagram is promoting IGTV videos in its main feed in an attempt to increase popularity among advertisers and influencers. IGTV is Instagram’s foray into long-form vertical video content on mobile devices. It launched last summer and was the first major update to the platform since Instagram stories was released in 2016. It helps to move Instagram into a space that has long been dominated by YouTube.

In the constant rivalry between Google and Facebook, IGTV represents a new attempt for Facebook to compete with YouTube and set up as an alternative destination for both content creators and businesses in the $1.7 billion Instagram influencer marketing industry.

IGTV is closely connected to the main Instagram platform as the same accounts are used across both formats and can be exist either through the stand-alone app or Instagram. Instagram has also worked to ease fears about IGTV struggle to attract eyes by featuring aspects of IGTV with the main app by including previews of IGTV videos in the main Instagram feed which cause subsequent views to Skyrocket.

Why IGTV and Not YouTube?

For brands thinking that they should just use YouTube, it’s important to understand how IGTV has differentiated itself from YouTube. IGTV content is presented in a vertical format with an aspect ratio of 9:16 rather than horizontal that is seen in most video platforms. IGTV focuses on mobile first which is a lucrative opportunity for Instagram and marketers alike. With Instagram, the videos on IGTV can range anywhere from 15 seconds to  10 minutes. Verified or larger accounts can record for up to an hour with the eventual intention of providing this video link to all users. Creators are not limited to what kinds and formats of content they can produce.

Influencers who have a following on Instagram may struggle to translate that popularity to YouTube where the space is crowded so an Instagram based video-sharing platform can give existing Instagram influencers a launchpad for moving into video without starting from scratch. it also gives them a chance to carve out a new Niche and expand the types of content they create which in turn allows them to diversify their sponsored content and brand partnerships.

Brands will have the opportunity to reach their target audience the new ways and increase their visibility with new audiences. Google has been encouraging longer-form video on YouTube for years now and Instagram understands the marketing potential of the longer content for developing the all-important positive influencer and brand connection. IGTV is just another way for brands to exercise their marketing muscles.

Unlike Stories which took off quite well in 2016, IGTV has had a harder time getting the ball rolling. Long-form video on Instagram is still in its early stages so many creators are reluctant to start devoting their time and energy into the platform. IGTV content takes longer to shoot and edit than a simple photo or a 15-second story.

Only recently has Instagram discussed adding ads to IGTV so until now there have been limited marketing options for brands. For creators, without the advertising platform, Instagram isn’t paying for the content made by influencers, so there are few financial incentives.

The Catch-22 for Instagram

Why has it taken so long to get here? Instagram wants to make sure the platform has legs and that people are willing to stick around and view the content. If IGTV uses ads too soon, then the users may not want to stick around through mid-roll ads to see if the content is good enough. They have to make sure that they’re content creators are creating high-quality content that their audience is interested in and watching. However, when the content creator has other avenues for monetization, it’s hard for them to justify investing their resources in IGTV content creation.

Instagram has plenty of money – they earned $20 billion in advertising revenue last year, which was a major portion of Facebook’s income. But they’re not going to throw money at the platform if it’s not going to get a return on investment.

Instagram is under a lot of external pressure, from content creators who are making money on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook Watch, and Byte, with revenue-share options. IGTV needs content if they want to grow and stay relevant, but can’t expect that people will provide it without revenue-sharing.

Internal Experiments with Monetization Programs for IGTV Creators

In an interview with TechCrunch, Instagram confirms that it is prototyping an option for IGTV creators to earn money by showing advertisements with their videos. By giving creators a sustainable and hands-off way to generate earnings from IGTV, Instagram hopes they will be inspired to create more high-quality content on the platform.

Right now, Facebook watch video producers earn a 55% cut of the revenue from their ad breaks that are inserted into the middle of their content. There is no word on what the revenue split would be for IGTV, but because Facebook tends to run its ads across all of its apps with the same buying interfaces, it may stick to that 55% approach so that creators get the majority of the money earned.

In the past, Instagram only words with a limited set of celebrities paying to offset small production costs for IGTV content but did not offer a way to earn a profit. That left creators looking to sponsored content or product placement to earn money or trying to push their followers to platforms like YouTube where they could earn money from their ads. This lack of monetization may have contributed to the absence of great content on IGTV.

It’s not clear as to whether IGTV monetization policies would be different but for Facebook, they require users to:

  • Follow all normal Community standards
  • Share authentic content without clickbait, sensationalism, misinformation, or fake news
  • Share original content they made themselves
  • Avoid restricted content categories including tragedy or conflict, sexual or suggestive activity, strong language, explicit content, misleading medical information, politics, and government, and debated social issues.

What are your thoughts about IGTV ads? I’d love to hear from you in the comments.

Categories
Social Media

10 Things You Need to Know about Instagram’s IGTV

Just a few months ago, Instagram officially launched IGTV. This brand-new, shiny longform video app gives creators the ability to publish content that is up to an hour in length, instead of just a few seconds.

Before the launch, Instagram story videos were capped at 15 seconds; main feed videos were capped at around one minute. That’s an incredibly small amount of time to tell your story, even in Influencer marketing. In this post, we’ll tell you a bit about IGTV, how it works, and what you need to know to make it work for you.

1. How to Access IGTV Content

Instagram users will have two options for accessing IGTV content. The IGTV app itself will give users immediate access to the video content for anyone they already follow with just the click of a button. If someone prefers to continue using the regular Instagram app, they will have to navigate to a separate section of the app to see IGTV video; it will not show in the regular feed.

2. Anyone Can Create a Channel

Unlike other social platforms with specialized features for longform content, Instagram has stipulated that anyone with an account can create an IGTV channel. They act similar in nature to YouTube channels, so subscribers to your Instagram content will see your IGTV content in their feeds as described above.

Channels give users other features that aren’t as common on Instagram. Anyone with a channel can post a link to their website landing page. They can also still include captions to entice people to watch content, which may benefit businesses working on SEO campaigns.

3. You Aren’t Limited to Square Videos

One of the fun features about IGTV is that you have more screen space to use, as the new platform is moving away from the square-only format. If you hold your phone vertically for video, you will now be able to use the entire screen. According to Social Media Today, up to 80 percent of social media users are on mobile devices. This particular format caters to the way mobile users most often use video creation tools.

4. All IGTV Videos are Pre-produced

Users can’t go LIVE with IGTV, which means channels will be able to get very creative with editing before uploading their content. Add a filter, toss on overlays – the sky’s the limit if you have enough ideas. Instagram announced during the official launch that they will, most likely, have a LIVE option in the future.

It is very easy to upload content to IGTV. All you have to do is go to your channel profile and hit the “upload a video” option. You’ll be immediately taken to your camera roll where you can upload videos, add titles and descriptions (including hashtags), and publish.

5. IGTV Content Length is Limited

While we mentioned earlier that IGTV content can go up to 60 minutes, not all users have access to this length for publication. As a matter of fact, the average user with a relatively small following will have to keep videos between 15 seconds and 10 minutes – still a massive improvement on the earlier noted 60 second limit.

Larger brands and accounts that are verified, such as those for public figures and celebrities, will be allowed to publish content up to 60 minutes long. This length is perfect for web series and regular shows, and just right for specials, too. Longer content will need to be uploaded from a computer instead of from a mobile device.

The time limit leaves a lot of room for creativity and variety in your content types. You can still upload very short clips, but you can expand your content when you have more to say or show, too. This will also make it easier to schedule content you have time to create.

6. Aspect Ratio and Size

All IGTV videos must follow guidelines for file type, aspect ratio, and size. Videos should be uploaded in MP4 format, regardless of the format you used when you created the video. If your device does not record in MP4, you will have to convert it before you upload.

As mentioned, all videos must be vertical. Landscape videos just don’t work on IGTV. The minimum aspect ratio is 4:5 and the maximum is 9:16.

File size is important. Videos that are 10 minutes or under can be no larger than 650MB. Videos up to 60 minutes can be no larger than 5.4GB. That said, this is a fairly generous range and you shouldn’t have any problems.

7. Your IGTV Videos are Permanent

Instagram story videos disappear from your feed after 24 hours. IGTV videos are here to stay. Once you upload them, they will remain a part of your channel until you opt to delete them.

What does this mean? Essentially, you can still upload short bites of content to your stories, but you now have the option to leave even your shorter content as a permanent part of your collection. Moreover, you can grow that collection over time.

8. Using Stories to Share Your Content

Many Instagram users were using several short stories in a row, pieced together one after the other, to get around the short video length. The longer IGTV format will keep users from misusing that particular part of the platform.

At the same time, creators can still use stories to promote their IGTV content by simply including a swipe-up link in the story post. This feature will be great for driving more viewers to the new platform from outside sources and inside users.

9. Using IGTV for Promotional Videos

It’ll be up to you to experiment with your brand’s page, but IGTV seems to be more along the lines of YouTube: a great place for evergreen content, but perhaps not as great for promotional videos. Since a lot of users don’t yet know about or find themselves using IGTV, your short promotional videos may still do better in the traditional IG feed. Experiment with your brand’s content to figure out where it does best.

10. There Are No Limits – Other Than Instagram’s Community Guidelines

IGTV really does give amateur video creators, vloggers, and anyone with a camera a lot of leeway when it comes to creativity in creating tutorials, documenting life, or branding their businesses. The only limitations thus far are those already outlined in Instagram’s Community Guidelines. As long as you continue to follow Instagram’s rules, you can create as much video content as you feel your audience would like to see.

The IGTV app is still new and exciting. You still have a chance to get in on the ground floor, add to your following, and grow from the ground up. Give it a shot and let us know how it goes. We can’t wait to hear how you’re utilizing this new tool.

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