You may have already seen it come along on Instagram: Instagram TV. Instagram's new feature should compete with YouTube and can be used to share long videos. So where it was only possible to share short videos on Instagram at first, that is now changing. In this blog we will tell you more about IGTV: how exactly does it work and will it become as popular as YouTube?
How does IGTV work?
Both in Instagram and in the special IGTV app, you can now share longer videos with your followers. Regular users can upload videos of up to 10 minutes, larger accounts up to one hour. You can add a title and description with hashtags to the video so people can find your video. You can also add links that lead to your own website or, for example, that of a webshop.
The videos are shown in different categories:
- 'For you': based on your interests;
- "Following": Based on accounts you follow;
- 'Popular': the most popular videos of the moment.
Of course, it is also possible to like or respond to videos. In addition, you can share videos with friends. If someone follows you on IGTV, they'll also automatically follow you on Instagram.
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View statistics
Just like on YouTube and Instagram, you can view your stats. You have the so-called IGTV Analytics where you can see how many people have watched and liked your videos. You can also see how many people have swiped to the next video. Based on this data, you can optimize your videos.
Difference with YouTube
Has Instagram just copied everything from YouTube or are there any differences? The concept is basically the same, but the difference is that IGTV mainly shows vertical videos, where YouTube mainly has horizontal videos. Instagram thinks it has an advantage with the vertical videos because they would be more user-friendly, up-to-date and, however.
Since watching videos happens more and more often on a mobile phone, they might be right about this. Your phone almost always keeps you vertical. In addition, you can use your phone to make fast and up-to-date videos without having to edit them endlessly. This is exactly what IGTV, YouTube wants to take off.
Advertising via IGTV
At the moment it is not yet possible to advertise on IGTV. However, we do not think that will take long. Instagram will no doubt also want to take advantage of the many visitors that the platform will attract. So for now enjoy the ad-free videos!
Are you already using IGTV? What do you think?
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