Create the Perfect IGTV Video for Your Business

To create the perfect Instagram video for your business, you need to learn how to make an IGTV video so you can market your service or product. An IGTV video is an Instagram TV video. These can be vertical or horizontal videos on the Instagram channel. Using the IGTV feature is easy once you know where to click and what to do. These videos will help you connect with your followers and market your business to Instagram users. Learn how to use IGTV to bring in new followers and potential customers.

The Purpose of an IGTV Video

Learning how to make an IGTV video can be beneficial for many reasons. By putting your videos on this platform, it can reach potential customers and followers who may be interested in your business. Part of creating your customer base is also building relationships with them. These videos can increase that conversation and help that relationship.

How IGTV Helps

Using an IGTV video is also important for your digital marketing strategy. These videos can be a much more effective option than an Instagram story, depending on what you have to say. The TV feature in Instagram also allows you to create a “series”. This might bring users back to your content and increase the engagement you hope to receive for your profile. When deciding to create a video like this, consider who you are trying to reach and why. You can find the right customers and followers if you keep this in mind.

Consider Your Options

Anyone can make an IGTV video, but if you really want to learn how to make an effective and successful one, there are some risks. Depending on the kind of video you hope to publish, it may take a budget. No matter what kind of video you want to produce, it will be time consuming. The payoff can be great although the obstacles can seem large.

Making an IGTV Video

Begin by creating your Instagram account and learn more about how to market your business on Instagram. Once you have created your account, you can begin learning how to make an IGTV video. The first step is to go to your homepage on the app. When you get there, tap the “+” button at the bottom center of the phone screen. Find the video you want to publish and click on it. An important note to make on videos is the length difference. The video should be at least 60 seconds long. For an IGTV video, you can create a video as long as 15 minutes. If you are a verified user, you can go as long as an hour.

The Next Few Steps

Once you have chosen your video, tap the “next” button. In the new page, you will choose “share as” and click on “long video” so Instagram knows that the video will go to the IGTV channel. The next page will give you a chance to pick a cover image from an area in the video or from your photo gallery. Make sure to create a title and give the video a good description.

Decide Where to Post the Video

From here, you can choose to post a preview to your profile. You do not need to publish a post on your profile if you do not want to. Instagram says your video will not be affected in the IGTV section of the app if you choose not to create a preview. You can also consider making the video available on Facebook. If you have chosen to make a series and this particular video is part of it, there is also an option to add the video to the series on this page. Then, you can press the “post” button. The video will then be available for view to any user.

Another Way to Upload

There is also an alternative way to go through the process of posting. There is a button in the IGTV page, where a “+” in the top right corner of the screen can lead you to the pages already outlined. Then you can go through the same process to publish a video.

Create an IGTV Series

If you would like to learn how to make an IGTV series, you can easily do that. When you are making a video specifically for IGTV, you can create the series when you arrive at the title and description page. Once there, you will tap “add to series”. If this is your first series, then you can tap “create your first series” which will be highlighted in blue letters. You will create a title and description for the whole series as well. Once you have completed this, then you can tap the blue checkmark in the top right corner. In the future you will be able to upload the videos and choose which series to add it to before the video is published.

Save Your Drafts

While learning how to make an IGTV series, you can also save drafts on Instagram to use later. Make sure you have a laptop if you plan on saving drafts because the app will not allow you to do this on mobile. Another note to make is that if you plan on saving drafts, they must be accessible on the computer. This means that in order to save drafts, they must be longer than 15 minutes. Once you have set up the video on your computer, you can create the cover photo, the title, and the description. Press the button for “save draft”. When looking to see your past drafts, click on “IGTV” in the search page. You can choose “view drafts” from here. You will be able to revise or remove videos whenever you choose. If you want to publish a video from drafts, click “edit video” and then click “post”.

Important Video Details

If you need the specific dimensions and details for posting videos, Hootsuite has the full list. Here are a few to look over:

The file format needs to be an MP4
The longest length you can publish if you want to upload on your phone is 15 minutes
You can upload a longer video, up to an hour, if you use your computer
The cover photo must be 420px by 654px
The preview for your video will be a 4:5 center crop, so make sure that looks good

Always remember that your video cannot be edited once it has been published. Make sure you edit and look over it beforehand to make sure you are happy with the final product.

Tips for Making the Perfect Video

Now that you know how to upload the video, there are some tips to help you make the perfect IGTV video. An important note to make is the attention span of Instagram users, which is smaller than you’d think. In order to grab someone’s attention, make sure the first few seconds of the video pop to keep people engaged. A good rule of thumb is to try and keep the user’s attention within the first 15 seconds. Think about the user and remember that their time is valuable. Only post an IGTV video if the content is worth it. When considering whether to create a video, ask yourself why someone should continue watching and try to make every minute count.

Consider the User

Remember that most people use Instagram on their phones. Many people will not even watch the video with sound on. This means that your videos should be able to be understood without sound. Try and use bright colors and large text. Gifs and fun filters could help as well. Use a green screen and create exciting backgrounds if it fits the video. Always try to use your brand name and associated colors throughout the video to help the user remember what they are watching. Keep in mind that Instagram prefers vertical videos to horizontal and that can help you with views too.

Bring in Influencers

When looking to gain views and followers, consider using an influencer. Whether large or small, followers trust influencers. They can potentially bring customers to you. Let them take over your page for a day and let them post videos to IGTV. If done correctly, this marketing strategy can have a great impact.

Widen Your Audience

Consider posting to other sources and using other tools to show off your video. Think about publishing to multiple platforms to let others know about your new content. Use Instagram stories to promote the post. Try and use hashtags to help users find you. Use about 25 hashtags to reach a wide variety of people with different interests.

Use Analytic Tools

Finally, track your progress with analytic tools. There are video analytic tools out there to help you revise and improve your plans. This will help you learn how to make a great IGTV video for the future. They can also show what you are doing right. Find out how many people are watching the entire video or just a part of it. Discover which videos are not doing well and which subjects are popular. All of this can help you with views.

Tell a Story

While you learn how to make an IGTV video, the most important aspect is the actual story of the video. Find out what the user can gain from the video and what succeeds. Try to make the viewer experience emotions in a good way, and always end with a call to action so users know what to do next. Find a way to bring them to your actual profile or website if possible.

Use Your Best Material

When thinking about increasing views, consider content you have already published. Whether this be blog posts on your website or other popular posts, try and find a way to use them in your videos. Make sure the popular content can be useful in a short video. Use the popular material to find ways to improve your current videos. This can help you increase your IGTV popularity.

Build Trust

The great thing about these videos is that you can be as creative as you want to be. Depending on what your product or service is, you could create a tutorial. Maybe consider a question-and-answer style video. This is great because it allows you to interact with your followers and build that relationship. Allow followers to see inside the business and show them around in a video to build trust. Any video that can help you reach out to followers and customers will always be helpful.

Get Started

Now you know how to make an IGTV video. The steps of uploading a video are very easy and allow you to publish the way you want to. Try to create short and sweet videos that help viewers. Get as creative as you want, as long as it tells the right story. This tool is very useful to your business because of the relationship it builds between you and your customers. Read more on the right content for your page and begin creating your videos today.