Whether you’re a brand, an influencer, or a creator of any kind, it’s time to jump on the IGTV bandwagon (like right NOW!) More recently, a handful of changes have been made to IGTV to better-integrate the channel to Instagram. Videos can now be previewed in-feed and mentioned in your stories by using Instagram stickers or the ‘swipe up’ tab. PLUS, the ‘explore’ page now features a section entirely dedicated to IGTV; allowing viewers to intentionally browse and pick videos they’re in the mood to watch and engage with. In my opinion, this is a major upgrade considering technology’s impact on user expectations. Today’s consumers expect instant gratification of goods and services, or the IWWIWWIWI ( I want what I want, when I want it) trend, so giving viewers more free-range content will likely present stronger opportunities to build brand loyalty and long-term business relationships. All that said, IGTV is a definite game-changer and we’ve got the scoop to help you spice up your channel and boost your social strategy results.
1. Stick to a Theme 🥁⚙
While your stories and feed posts highlight easy-to-digest snippets of your brand and lifestyle, IGTV videos tend to work best when they have a repeatable theme and style. Think of IGTV as a modern form of television (this is how you can approach it in a similar way) by sharing a weekly or monthly segment at a recurring time. As we’ve always stressed; consistency is key, and publishing episodes on a regular schedule will get your audience attuned to coming back and looking forward to watching your segments. Additionally, an anthological approach to storytelling tends to mesh best with the ‘tune-in-tune-out’ nature of online spaces. Try setting up a show where you don’t have to know exactly what happened in the last episode to enjoy the latest one.
2. Make Use of Cliffhangers 🧗🏽♀️
Jon Youshaei, Product Marketing Manager of IGTV from Instagram HQ, says it is always a good idea to include a cliffhanger, where someone says something interesting or noteworthy, near the 1-minute mark. This is because IGTV caps their previews at 1 minute, and viewers are prompted to click “keep watching” in order to continue playing the content. With that, you want to give them as much reason as possible to keep watching and leave them wanting more right before the prompter cues up.
3. Nail the Thumbnail 🔨👍🏼
According to Youshaei, many IGTV producers spend a lot of time on their videos, but then forget to optimize their video thumbnails. This little oversight can cost you as thumbnails may very well be the deciding factor between someone choosing or not choosing to watch your video. A common mistake made when thumbnailing is simply taking a still from the video. These stills often come out blurry and don’t really convey what the content is all about. A good thumbnail on the other hand, is often one that’s a customized edit, a staging if you will, and zooms in on the face of a person who is featured in your video. Even better if you can capture a granulous emotional reaction that can evoke more attention. Lastly, having a lot of contrast, expressive colours, and a clear and concise title that speaks to what the video covers in your thumbnail can really help catch people’s attention as they scroll.
4. Promote, Promote, Promote 🚨📣📆
When it comes to promoting your IGTV videos, more is more! Utilize your Instagram stories, feed posts, Instagram Live, and more to help spread the pre-release hoopla and build audience anticipation. For example, you can post different teaser photos and videos to your Instagram feed or use Instagram Stories to countdown to the release. In doing so, your audience can also opt to get notified when your IGTV video goes live. Also consider promoting your videos on other channels like Facebook and Twitter to drive as much visibility as possible. Go the extra mile and host an Instagram Live post-launch to let your audience behind-the-scenes and into the making-of your content: fans love to feel like they have exclusive insight on your business and that may endorse a positive uptick in your audience and engagement stats.
5. Cater to the Online Culture 🎯👩🏿💻
To create an amazing IGTV strategy, you need to know your audience inside-and-out and create content that really resonates with them. In order to stay relevant in a culture demanding of more brand-transparency, information-sharing, and audience involvement, many businesses have been using IGTV to host instructional content; respond to audience questions; and feature user-generated content. Educational videos like webinars, how to’s, and tutorial videos are always a good way to introduce your product, teach followers something new about your business, and allow them to follow what you’re doing in real-time. To get your audiences invested in your brand and feeling ‘a part of’, host Q&As or AMA (ask me anything) sessions to engage directly with customers. Answering questions from your audience is an amazing way to improve engagement while building trust. Moreover, featuring loyal customer success stories and input helps to build social proof; nothing is more persuasive to consumers than other customers talking about why they love your brand.
What are some of your fave IGTV channels? Comment in the box below and share what makes them so entertaining!
-Holly Eady
@serotinamedia
#KEEPSOCIAL
