WATCH THE EPISODE
Are you feeling clueless when it comes to Instagram TV or IGTV? Maybe you’re wondering, “Should I use it? How can I make it work for you? Is it actually worth using?” Well I’m going to break down for you on what IGTV is and how to use it to get more views to your account.
When Instagram first released IGTV, it was a total fail, but it is a failure no more because Instagram just released some very powerful features that make it absolutely worth using. When I started using Instagram TV videos, I saw 5 to 10 times more engagement and views than any other type of content I was posting on Instagram. So it worked for me and I promise it will work for you too.
So what is IGTV? IGTV is basically Instagram’s app to allow you to post longer-form video. With Instagram TV, it is a vertical video, you record it with your smartphone, so super low maintenance, super easy, and the video is between one and 10 minutes. This makes it a perfect tool for educating your ideal client because you have up to 10 minutes to do so, which is lots of time to teach your ideal clients something. In order to access the IGTV app, it is a separate app than Instagram. The two do link together, but you do need to go and download the Instagram TV app so that you can start uploading your videos.
Now, the first piece of advice I’m going to give you about IGTV, is your thumbnail really matters. The new feature that Instagram just added is, now when you post an IGTV video, it actually automatically populates into your Instagram feed. This makes it way more likely that people are going to see and find your video. But if you don’t add a custom thumbnail to your video when you upload it, a random picture of your face is just going to populate into your feed. That’s actually not going to tell anyone why they should actually watch that video. One important thing to keep in mind is, Instagram actually will zoom in on the center of the image. So you want to make sure your texts or whatever it is that tells your person what the video is about is restricted to the very middle of the image. You’re going to have to test with this, but this is very important. It means that new followers to your feed can scroll down and see the name of the videos you’ve posted, which means they’re going to be way more likely to go in and actually watch that video.
My next tip is keep your video short and to the point. It’s really easy to ramble on, especially when you have up to 10 minutes, but I actually recommend that you try to keep your videos about five minutes or less. People don’t have much attention span these days and it’s going to be way more likely that they’re going to watch your entire video when it is less than five minutes and it doesn’t ramble on too long. Make sure to write down your points on a Post-it Note, stick it next to the top of your camera, next to your phone, so that when you look at your points, you’re still looking at the camera, so that you can stay on track and properly educate your ideal client.
The next awesome thing you can do with IGTV in order to promote it and let your audience know that you’ve posted it, is to actually promote it in your story. You can make a quick video or a quick graphic and you can actually create a swipe up feature even if you don’t have 10,000 followers. All you need to do is upload your video or your image to IGTV, and there’s a little link button in the top left hand corner. Click the link, select the IGTV video that you just posted, and then let the people know in that video with a sticker that tells them to swipe up. When they swipe up, it’s going to go to that IGTV video and then they can watch it.
I have one more bonus tip for you! The description when you upload your IGTV can actually contain a clickable link. So people can actually click on that description and it will take them outside of Instagram. This is really juicy, especially for those of you who don’t yet have 10,000 followers. Use it strategically. Do you have a lead magnet or an awesome freebie that is related to the IGTV video that you just did? If so, link to it and make sure in the video you tell people to click the arrow in the top right corner, and that way they can click that link and get that freebie.
Happy IGTV-ing!
