How to Use IGTV in Your Business

Every day 500 million individuals across the globe log onto Instagram. And while the social media landscape seems to be changing by the minute, businesses and brands are getting more organic engagement on Instagram than any other social media platform. To stay relevant businesses large and small should take advantage of Instagram’s latest feature, IGTV.

Question: Before we dive into your tips, why is IG TV so hot right now?

Michelle: IG TV rolled out in summer of last year. The beauty of IGTV is that you have longer form videos AND the ability to keep them long after the 24 hour period previously offered by Lives or videos in your feed. In February this year they started to put IGTV videos in the news feed which is huge because now those videos show up as content while people are scrolling. IG TV is relatively new and currently NOT encumbered by ads (though that may come soon) so businesses should jump on getting those channels loaded and providing quality content so people will watch them later when ads do come.

Question: It sounds like this is something companies need to jump on quickly. What’s your top tip for quick implementation?

Michelle: YES, now is the time. Don’t call your videographer and don’t stress about creating new things last minute, load videos you already have and create videos over time. Yes, you have to be careful about things getting cut off, but many videos you already have will work in the format and some businesses are even getting away with loading horizontal videos vertically and people can watch by turning their phone.

Question: What types of things do you think people should be posting and how often?

Michelle: Great question and it totally depends on the brand, but I would recommend that you decide as a team (or if you’re an entrepreneur, make it a party of one). The biggest thing to remember is that you create a content plan that you follow consistently. Of course load your best videos but think of your channel like a television channel. What “shows” will you have consistently? You can post the random content videos, but if you think of it like a show or podcast you’ll likely be better able to keep it up. And also, think of your content in three main categories, Informational, Behind the Scenes and Commercials. 80% of your videos should be Informational or behind the scenes and 20% of your shows can be commercials or salesy. Provide good content first and make sales secondary, even if you’re tempted to make it all commercials.

Question: Do you have any tips for how to increase views to your videos on Instagram and IGTV?

Michelle: YES, make sure you have a killer headline that makes people want to click on it and watch it, but also utilize your description for additional details that may be helpful to someone choosing between all of your videos. ALSO, IGTV is Hashtag friendly, but it’s recommended only to use up to 3 hashtags in your description. As always, content is king so provide good content people will talk about and share. If a picture is worth 1,000 words, then video has a lot of potential! Don’t miss this opportunity to tell the story of your business!