IGTV Is Finally Getting Used. Here’s What You Need to Know.
Remember when Instagram launched Instagram TV (IGTV)? Yea, most people don’t either. In fact, when Instagram TV was launched it was met with collective indifference from Instagram uses. This reaction was in sharp contrast to the enthusiasm users showed for Instagram Stories. Instagram Stories remains immensely popular among Instagram users — but IGTV is still waiting for its big break (keep reading, IGTV might just have gotten the break it needed).
There were a few problems with Instagram TV right off the bat. First, video creators historically create horizontal video, but Instagram TV required vertical video. This meant that creators had to create entirely new content that was shot vertically to fit on IGTV. For a brand new platform, that seemed like a lot of work. Then, on top of that, the views on Instagram TV were low. So many creators found that making unique videos for Instagram TV wasn’t worth the effort.
In fact, Instagram tapped five creators to make content specifically for Instagram TV. However, after a while, they even stopped creating videos for IGTV to focus on YouTube. After all, on YouTube content creators could make money off of their videos (this isn’t possible using IGTV) and they don’t have to worry about shooting vertically.
It seemed like IGTV was doomed — or was it?
Turns out there are still brands who are investing heavily in Instagram TV. Moreover, Instagram gave their TV feature a much-needed boost: Instagram announced that IGTV previews would now appear in the regular Instagram feed, along with videos being shared to Instagram profiles.
Since that change, views on IGTV videos have skyrocketed across the board, increasing by ~300–1000%! Seems like IGTV had an awareness problem that needed to be overcome. Since IGTV is very separate from the app and Instagram TV videos are not included in search results, no one really paid attention to the feature. But moving IGTV previews to the feed was a solve for that.
The addition of previews in the feed is a huge first step to making IGTV relevant. However, things like lack of monetization, lack of search options, and vertical video requirements will still make long-form video creators flock to YouTube. But hopefully, as more people start watching IGTV they will be inspired to create their own videos on Instagram.
Do you watch IGTV or use it? Let us know about your experience in the comments below!
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