The launch of Instagram’s IGTV has opened up a new avenue for brand and marketers to engage with their audience. Since its launch, last week brands are testing IGTV with all type of video content.
What is IGTV?
IGTV is a long-form video section within Instagram. Before this Instagram was only allowing videos up to one minute but IGTV channel and post video content as long as an hour. This move by Facebook is can also be seen as a jab at YouTube and other video streaming platforms.
However, Instagram won’t be paying creators for their content, but you will be able to monetize content, possibly using ad revenue shares. IGTV made creating channels and uploading videos really simple. Also, it allows you to include clickable links in the description of your video that take users outside the IGTV app. The cover photo provides further opportunities for branding.
IGTV for Influencers
Instagram is already one of the strongest platforms for influencer content consumption and reach. This was clearly evident in the success of Instagram Stories. Influencers that were using Snapchat Stories migrated to Instagram Stories and found success with their established followings. This also helped launch the platform successfully with content sharing and creation, the same strategy IGTV is taking. IGTV is currently set up to compete with YouTube, where content creators can own channels and produce a short or long-form video that can live on much longer than the initial date of the post. The powerhouse of Instagram influencers with established followings makes IGTV ripe for success.
IGTV for Advertisers
While ads are not yet available in IGTV, we can make assumptions about what the product will look like. IGTV ads will likely be in a full-screen, in-stream, non-skippable format. With viewability concerns and feed-based video content not being consumed fully, this has huge potential for a successful ad product, especially as social video continues to be measured more closely with television and online video. However, this also raises concerns for brand safety. Facebook will have to employ a strong brand safety strategy to ensure brands are willing to advertise. This also opens up individual revenue potential to the content creators.
