Reels, Live, IGTV, Stories, and in-feed video posts are all choices for Instagram video. There’s a lot to juggle with the platform’s flood of content. But it’s also brought advertisers new ways to tell stories and reach out to their audiences. Which Instagram video format should you use for your business? All of them might have a place in your social media strategy. You can also refer to YouTube Statistics for more information. Perhaps you’ll decide to concentrate on only a few. Learn about the features, requirements, and best practices for each form by reading our guide. In addition, we’ve assembled a list of resources that make juggling Instagram videos a little easier.
Types of Instagram video
Here’s a breakdown of the different Instagram video formats.
- Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories are 15-second videos that vanish after 24 hours, inspired by Snapchat. Stories can be captured by swiping right from the home screen or choosing Stories from the plus icon. They can also be retrieved from the Photo Library and uploaded. Expired Stories can be saved to a person’s profile’s Highlights section, which is placed above the grid. Filters, emojis, marks, and stickers are among the interactive elements that can be applied to each Story. Several brands have found innovative ways to use these features, ranging from “this or that” polls to Q&As and product tags, according to Instagram.
Instagram stories are also one of the few places where accounts can post links. (This feature is only available to verified accounts with 10,000 or more followers.) It’s a significant way for brands to produce organic leads and conversions. After seeing a Post, more than half of those polled by Facebook said they went to a brand’s website.
Stories are famous despite their transience. It’s possible that their place at the top of the home feed has something to do with it. Another aspect is the disappearing format’s haphazard design, which is unaffected by the feed’s aesthetic pressures. Every day, more than 500 million people watch Stories, and 58 percent of Facebook users say Stories have piqued their interest in a brand or product.
- Video from the Instagram feed
Instagram’s in-feed video format is the app’s original video format. Video posts are generated in the same way that photos are: with the Instagram built-in camera or by downloading from a Photo Library. Boomerangs and GIFs are included in the three-to-six-second video length requirement for in-feed video.
An Instagram video post can include a filter, date, caption, as well as user, location, and product tags, much like an image post. People will connect with likes, comments, and share public videos in Stories and direct messages after they’ve been uploaded. Video posts are marked by a camcorder icon in the upper right corner of people’s profiles.
- Instagram Live
Instagram Live allows users to stream video from their phone’s built-in camera. With all going remote this year, brands have taken to Instagram Live to host seminars, interviews, and other activities, resulting in a 70% rise in views between February and March.
Swiping right or tapping the plus icon and toggling to Live will start a live broadcast. One or two accounts can host live streams that last up to four hours. If an account goes online, a Live icon appears at the top of the Stories bar. Instagram Live videos can be saved to IGTV or posted for 30 days after they are done before they are removed.
The number of people watching a live stream is shown at the top of the page, and viewers can participate by leaving feedback or using emoji reactions. Viewers can also buy badges that show heart icons next to their names in the comments. Instagram Live hosts can moderate comments by pinning them, turning them off, or using keyword filters.
Businesses may use Live Shopping features to tag related items and have them appear at the bottom of the page. Instagram Live also promotes donations, enabling social media non-profits and developers to use the site to raise funds.
- Instagram TV (IGTV)
Instagram’s IGTV format is for in-feed videos that are longer than one minute and can last up to 60 minutes. IGTV must be pre-recorded and uploaded from the camera roll, unlike shorter in-feed video messages.
Before uploading an IGTV video, creators can connect it to a series and customise the cover picture. Creators may choose whether or not to post a 15-second preview to their feed (and the home feed). IGTV videos appear in a dedicated tab on a user’s profile, where they can be sorted by sequence in either case. In the Explore tab, IGTV videos are given extra space and a dedicated section. Videos start playing automatically everywhere they appear, and they queue up one after the other. Viewers of IGTV videos will interact with them in the normal ways, such as with likes, comments, saves, and shares.
- Reels
Instagram’s newest video format is Reels. These 15-30 second clips, influenced by TikTok, can be made with Instagram’s camera or imported from the Photo Library.
Timed text, AR filters, green screen mode, timer and speed controls, and access to an audio library are among the recording effects.
Users’ feeds, the Reels tab, and a dedicated profile tab show reels recorded in vertical portrait mode (9:16).
Reels will have captions, hashtags, and, most recently, product tags, much like feed images. People can communicate with Reels in Stories and direct messages by liking, commenting, or sharing them.
Specifications for Instagram videos
The size and format requirements for each type of Instagram video are listed below.
- Specifications for Instagram Stories
Stories are customised to the user and take up the entire mobile screen. As a consequence, exact requirements differ. The following are the specifications that are suggested:
Up to 15 seconds in length (longer videos can be clipped into multiple Stories)
Sizes to consider: Upload the highest-resolution video that also fits under the file size and ratio restrictions. 30MB is the maximum video file size.
The.MP4 or.MOV file formats are recommended.
9:16 and 16:9 to 4:5 ratios
500 pixels is the minimum width.
400 x 500 pixels is the minimum aspect ratio.
H.264 compression is recommended for aspect ratios of 191 x 100 or 90 x 160.
128+ kbps stereo AAC audio compression, square pixels, fixed frame rate, progressive scan
Keep about 14 percent (250 pixels) of the video’s top and bottom free of critical content. It may be obstructed in this region by the profile picture or call to action.
- Video specifications for the Instagram feed
3 to 60 seconds in length
Upload the highest resolution video that fits under the file size and ratio constraints.
The.MP4 or.MOV file formats are recommended.
30MB is the maximum file size.
30 frames per second is the maximum frame rate.
500 pixels is the minimum width.
Square pixels, fixed frame rate, progressive scan, and stereo AAC audio compression at 128kbps+ are all recommended for H.264 compression.
- Specifications for Instagram Live
Only the camera app will capture Instagram Live broadcasts. The features are close to those of Instagram Stories. Make sure you have a stable and quick Internet connection before going online.
- IGTV specifications
60 seconds is the minimum time.
Total file length: 15 minutes for mobile uploads and 60 minutes for web uploads File type: MP4 file format (required)
Aspect ratio of vertical video: 9:16
16:9 horizontal video aspect ratio
720 pixels is the minimum resolution.
30 frames per second is the minimum frame rate.
650MB maximum file size (for videos under 10 minutes)
3.6GB (for videos up to 60 minutes) is the maximum file size.
Scale of cover photo: 420px by 654px (1:1.55 ratio)
Instagram video best practices
Every Instagram video format is different, but these best practices apply to all of them.
- Create for mobile devices
Since the majority of people watch Instagram videos on their phones, it’s best to aim vertically. When recording with their phones, most people use portrait or selfie mode by default. This is something to bear in mind for those who want to use a camera and upload a video. There are, of course, several exceptions. Horizontal video might be a better fit for longer IGTV content.
For a full-screen viewing experience, viewers should turn their phones sideways. Landscape video can also be posted to Stories and in-feed, but it will not be tilted.
- Begin with a hook
You have three seconds to stop thumbs from scrolling past your Instagram video as a general rule. Leaving your Instagram Post, for example. Give audiences a reason to hang around. Find a way to deliver instant appeal, whether it’s by arresting imagery or a hint of what’s to come.
Often, don’t overlook the significance of a caption. If the video fails to pique someone’s interest, the caption is your next best option.
- Adding value
You must have some kind of value to hold a viewer’s attention. Your pitch may be based on pure entertainment value, such as comic relief, engaging conversation, or your charismatic personality. You could also share advice, how-tos, and workshops, as well as thought-provoking material.
Your value proposition should be concise and straightforward. From “laugh out loud” to “learn how to make snowman-witches,” the answer may be anything. Whatever decision you make, viewers should be informed of it right away. You’ll probably get more views, participation, and shares if you keep your word.
- Make use of audio and captions
According to Instagram, 60% of users watch Stories with the sound turned on. However, it’s common knowledge that people can watch your video with the sound turned off for a variety of reasons, including background and hearing impairments.
Make your video more entertaining by incorporating music, and make it more available by providing captions. Automatic video captions are available on IGTV, and timed-text can be manually attached to Instagram Stories and Reels. Tools like Clipomatic can automatically add captions to your video to save you time.
- Post on a regular basis
Regular posting is the most effective way to develop an audience. This is particularly true for long-form content like Instagram Live and IGTV.
Make a schedule for your audience and share it with them so they know when to expect your next Instagram Live. Alternatively, create an IGTV series that your followers can look forward to and enjoy on a regular basis. To ensure that your posts are released on time, use scheduling resources like Hootsuite.
Try to post when your audience is the most engaged. To figure out when it is, look at your analytics and consult our report. Keep in mind that not everyone would be able to accommodate your schedule. As a result, make sure that your Instagram videos are still available.
- Promote your videos on multiple platforms
There are various methods for increasing the discoverability of images. Using hashtags that are currently trending, geotags, and related accounts to tag. Toss in some well-known stickers to your Story. You can also still inject some advertisement dollars.
Intend to cross-promote your Instagram videos before and after you’ve uploaded them until you’ve checked all of those boxes. Instagram Stories is a great place to share your images. On Twitter, tease an upcoming Instagram Live. Pinterest is a great place to save your videos.
This will not only increase the number of views, but it will also increase engagement on other sites, making the time and effort you put into making the video all the more worthwhile.
- Apps for video on Instagram
You’ve set up your tripod and ring light and are ready to go. Now you can perfect your content with these Instagram video apps.
- Canva is a website that allows you to create
Canva will help you automatically size Instagram images, add interactive features, and use the app’s picture and audio library.
- Hootsuite is a social media management platform
The collaborative platform from Hootsuite is suitable for content that needs collaboration and approval. Hootsuite’s content library can also be used to handle all of your video content.
Then use the planner to determine when anything should be published, schedule output, and identify any gaps in your content calendar. With the scheduling tools, you can prevent lags when uploading a storey with multiple pieces.
- Clipomatic
Clipomatic a number of high-profile users, including U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Queer Eye’s Karamo Brown, use Clipomatic to add live captions to social video. Add captions to pre-recorded video or caption as you talk. The captioning tool supports over 30 languages, and text can be edited and customised before being written.
- Clips for Apples
Before uploading a video to Instagram, Apple’s video editor allows you to slice and dice it as you see fit. There are also a variety of filters, special effects, and graphics included in the app. It, too, helps you to add live subtitles and text to your videos, much like Clipomatic.
- Adobe Premiere Rush
Adobe Premiere Rush is included with Adobe Premiere Pro and the Creative Cloud All Apps package. If you’re already a client, this app offers a slew of social video resources and features. The app keeps its audio library fresh with custom recordings in addition to stunt-worthy special effects.
- Lumen5
It is a product that was developed by Lumen. Lumen5 is a video maker that lets companies transform their blog posts into viral videos that people want to watch. The AI-powered video app compiles images and text into a storyboard that brands can customise for each platform.
- Headliner
Headliner is for you if you want to get in on the video action but just have audio and text to work with. Headliner is a podcast transcription software that is used by Wondery, BBC, CNN, and other platforms to convert audio clips into shareable, animated videos.
Hootsuite will help you grow your Instagram following. You can schedule and publish posts and Stories directly to Instagram from a single dashboard, engage your audience, monitor results, and manage all of your other social media profiles. Today is your chance to try it for free.
CONCLUSION
The Data and IT services help you to create better video content for Instagram and also other social media platforms. Capturing the audience is the main idea of engaging video content. Marketing your content also plays a major role. The Digital Marketing Services can help you with this part. Enjoy creating contents!