When first starting to post personal and/or business content on social media, you may be wondering about the specifics of the individual platforms such as Instagram. How long are Instagram Stories and videos? What types of content can you post and what are the unique and effective features to take advantage of? In this article we’ll discuss Instagram Stories and Instagram videos specifically; the possible contents of each, the types of Instagram video content, and the lengths of each.
Table of Contents
Types of Content
Various types of content are postable to an Instagram account. Consideration of the overall goals you have for an account can help clarify and drive your content, including video and Instagram Story lengths, toward achieving those goals. Is your account more for business content, exposure, and engagement with viewers and potential customers for sales? Or for more personal content, connection, and relation to general followers, friends, and family? For example, social media influencers find financial and brand success posting content attuned to reviews and product feedback, fashion and music trends, or comedy and entertainment .
After considering account goals, the types of Instagram content you can post are in-feed, Stories, Live, and IGTV. Each can contain a combination of copy, photos, and videos for diverse, more engaging content. Any content that contains video, includingIGTV, and Instagram Stories or Instagram Ads falls under the category of Instagram video.
In-Feed Instagram Video
Any regular Instagram post displayed on an account is in-feed content. An in-feed post, or simply feed post, can contain copy, image, and/or video content just as the other content types. Feed video content is simply digitally-recorded and then uploaded to your Instagram account on its main page. It will remain there permanently for continual viewing unless deleted. Regular posting of diverse types of content including feed content that’s constantly accessible helps increase following and engagement. Feed videos also give followers something to watch instead of just casually viewing images and copy. Videos also give a better idea of your brand as longer content.
Feed videos don’t post to your Story and thus can continue showing up on the feeds of your followers as well as your main profile page. It’s worth noting that Instagram video posts have the highest overall engagement of the various types of content. They even receive as much as double the comments. Feed video posts can be up to 60 seconds long, (cut into 15-second sections), with the introduction of Instagram Video, thus surpassing Instagram Story lengths.
IGTV
IGTV is the abbreviated term for Instagram TV and consists of long-form videos and video sharing. As of 2018, it was a separate application for creating and posting longer videos to Instagram, up to 1 hour long in comparison to the original 30-second max. As of 2021, all of the most successful aspects of IGTV still exist in a new video format. IGTV is a part of the new video format, Instagram Video . The IGTV tab no longer exists on account profiles.
The new video format is in response to an overall refocusing by Instagram toward more video content. A step up from IGTV, Instagram Video enables users with new features to make video creation and discovery easier including tools for trimming Instagram Story lengths and video lengths, people and location tagging, filters, and video previewing. There is also an official location for all video content with the Video tab. Video content continues to grow in popularity , so a set place for this content is another great new feature for personal and business growth. This hub makes creator discovery, increasing followers, and brand establishment easier.
Instagram Live Video
Live video streaming is also possible on Instagram. It’s a fantastic way to bring more attention from your personal or business audience during a specific time on a specific day. More successful personal and/or business results also occur if a live video includes promoted content or related promoted content releases in the time before the live video takes place. While live on Instagram, it will show up in the same place as your Instagram Stories.
During the broadcast, your profile picture will appear at the top of the feed with a colored ring reading “Live.” Clicking the picture will allow viewers access to the broadcast. Once your live video has ended, the video will disappear. However, you do have the option of sharing the replay of it on your Story. It will stay there for 24 hours but is downloadable for wider future use at your discretion. Live videos can be up to 60 minutes in length, also surpassing the max Instagram Story length.
Instagram Video Ads
Any Instagram post can become an advertisement by boosting your business or product in the given post and/or including a call-to-action. You pay Instagram and create any ads through the Ads Manager . Ads can include copy, imaging, and video material. An Instagram video ad or any video content included in an ad is video-recorded. Examples of included content are tutorials, testimonials, exhibitions, product examples, and active product use.
Ads could originally be up to 120 seconds in length regardless of whether you post them to your regular feed or a Story. With the introduction of Instagram Video, ads must be 60 seconds or less. Remember to be candid but professional, natural, creative, and above all, unique in contrast to competitors.
Instagram Story
In contrast to a regular Instagram post, an Instagram Story’s length is 15 seconds long and is ultimately temporary. A given Story will remain posted on Instagram for 24 hours before being removed. While this might seem to be a disadvantage, these can be more engaging and entertaining due to the time limit of its existence on the platform. Stories are in vertical format as opposed to square, for more seamless and engaging viewing, and can include face filters and stickers not allowed in a regular Instagram feed post.
You can choose Instagram Stories to feature, at the top of your profile as a loophole to the aforementioned time restraints. This will allow them to remain there permanently unless deleted. A Story appears at the front of the Instagram app in a bar atop a user’s newsfeed as a multicolored ring surrounding the Story creator’s profile picture. Due to the temporary nature of Stories , their creation and content can be more casual .
Short, temporary content such as with a Story also encourages a regular influx of new content from creators and higher engagement from audiences aware of this. Other considerations for success through Stories include posting at peak times , providing diverse content that establishes the brand tone, honesty, and personality , providing various Instagram Story lengths, and including links.
IG Video Length
While Instagram Stories each traditionally have a 15-second time limit, there are loopholes to IG video length here as well. Instagram Story lengths can be longer because you can divide the video content into 15-second sections. You can do this while still keeping them connected as parts of one Story. These posts are still only about 1-minute long max and are simply cut into four sections. This goes for regular posts as well as Stories. If videos are longer than 1 minute, personal editing through your camera roll or the Instagram app can trim them to a specific segment.
It is also possible to capture and post up to ten images and/or videos and view them as a single post within the guidelines of IG video length. The term for these single posts is carousel posts. Videos can still only be up to 1 minute long each. But, segmenting longer videos into minute-long sections is the loophole for this. Just be sure to post the segments sequentially to maintain the order of the original video’s content. This loophole also means a 10-minute-long video is possible, segmented as 10 one-minute-long sections. But, this may not make for diverse content encouraging as much engagement depending on its execution. Viewers can swipe through these segments at will. Custom carousel templates are also available for more creative, organized, and audience-engaging carousel posts .
A Format to Suit Your Needs
Whether you are looking to post short, attuned content for increased engagement over a short time or longer, detailed content for long-term engagement, Instagram provides numerous format and customization options for your feed and Story posts, including for their copies, images, and videos. 体育娱乐平台 Design Chicago is here to help you sift through the different options, methodologies, and attune a chosen Instagram format to meet your personal and business needs and goals.
FAQ:
- How long are Instagram Stories posted for?
- Can Instagram Stories be longer than 15 seconds?
- Can you change Instagram Story length?
- How long can IGTV videos be?
- How long can Instagram video ads be?
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