IGTV: Map out your Channel
With constantly evolving industries like technology and music, the ways to reach your audience are endless. With the new rollout of IGTV by Instagram, they hope to shift the way people share their visual content by encouraging longer and more in-depth videos. The topics you can create videos on are endless, but let’s make sure that you know everything you need to know to excel with your new IGTV channel.
The gist of it
We already are aware of how much impact one Instagram post can have, but now this game-changing feature will transform the way you share content with your audience. IGTV is a new feature that Instagram just released near the end of June. Listening to multiple requests over the years to be able to post longer videos, IGTV now allows you to create your own channel and upload videos of any length up to ten minutes. The ten-minute limit is set for accounts with a lower amount of followers only. However, if you are verified or have a larger following of around ten thousand, then you can upload full hour videos. By allowing musicians to post their whole music video and other full-length content instead of just a one-minute sneak peak, engagement and relationships with your audience will boost. Allowing videos to be uploaded in a vertical position, just like how you hold your phone, Instagram has also made it just as accessible for viewers to watch.
Sketch it out
Instagram recognizes its billion active monthly users and wants creators to take a dip inside for a whole new experience, compared to Youtube and other video platforms. Your audience is able to easily find your content, instead of being overwhelmed by various search results. Sounds like a simple way to share and see content, but now how can you get your Instagram channel up and running? First, scope out some ideas that you would like to present, so you’re prepared for when it comes time to upload videos. Thinking about it as a new feature, try to think outside the box to stand out more from the rest of the creators. You can take fans behind the scenes and show them your daily life, studio sessions, what inspires you, and more. Tutorial videos can also be something you include where you can show aspiring fans how to begin their passion with creating music, some tips you recommend, and more. Who knows, you might even inspire someone who will end up working with you in the future. With IGTV, you can unveil some exclusive content too. Let’s say you want to attract more people to your new channel, you can guide your followers by previewing exclusive content, whether it be merchandise or new music. Your audience is always going to want to check all your creations out and utilizing IGTV will only allow you to expand your reach more than ever. Thinking about performing at a show, planning an event or launch party? Sounds good because, with IGTV, you now have yet another way to give fans a good heads up on the event. Not only that, but you can cater to your audience who may not be able to attend the events to also leave them satisfied.
Start your Channel
Having some concepts down with a sense of where you would like to take your channel will create clarity with how much and what you would like to post. Getting the concepts out of the way, now it’s time to actually push towards creating a channel. IGTV is not actually available within the Instagram app but as another app you have to download from your app store. After doing so, go back to the original Instagram app where you can click on the TV icon located next to your direct messages and click on “Create Channel” on the bottom of your screen. To start off, you can upload any video from your camera roll and once that’s done, you’ve successfully launched your IGTV channel. Check out some tips here on making the best quality IGTV videos. To promote your creations on IGTV, they give you the same swipe up feature given to Instagram stories for easier access to link your audience to a landing page. You also have the option of uploading your IGTV videos to Facebook Watch. With an abundance of options available to manage your channel, IGTV is a feature you should consider taking on.
With the possibility to showcase your visual creations on various video streaming platforms, you might as well reap the benefits of the new IGTV. With over a billion monthly users, what can be the harm in strengthening your relationship with your audience with your new channel? Following a few tips from above, you’ll be able to excel and maximize your reach in no time.
