When Instagram was first introduced to the audience, it was mainly a photosharing app, but over the years it has turned into a complete solution as users can upload videos, share live feeds, and even exchange messages with each other.
Instagram videos have quite a rage. Over 5 million videos were posted on the platform within 24 hours of the launch of the video service in 2013.
Here are some more stats that highlight the power of Instagram videos:
- The platform has seen an 80% year-by-year increase for videos.
- Over 95 million videos and photos are shared on the platform per day.
- Users like over 4.2 billion Instagram posts per day.
- Over 500 million of 1 billion Instagram users regularly use the Stories feature.
The power of Instagram is evident. It is no more a platform to only share photos as businesses are now using it to market products. In fact, there are many Instagram models and influencers with millions of followers. The growth is incredible, and the competition is stiff.
It is not easy to make a mark on Instagram. There is much content to consume. You will not be able to get a good number of likes, comments, and views if you do not make the right video.
It’s not only about picking a camera and recording the action. It would be best if you were careful about the length, angle, filter, etc. In this article, we’ll talk about how to create a highly rewarding Instagram video, for stories or posts.
Choose The Right Type of Video
Choosing the type of video is the most critical part, especially if you’re promoting a business. You can choose from different kinds of videos including:
- Round-Ups
Round-up videos are curated videos. They highlight a theme, such as “5 best Indian foods” or “10 places to visit in 2019”.
Just think of a topic that is relevant to your audience and include your product somewhere in the middle.
Such videos can be great if you want to make generic content.
- About Us Or Me
Stand in front of a camera and talk about what you or your business has to offer. Keep it sharp, humorous, and to the point.
Such videos can be used to build a connection with the audience.
- Behind The Scene
This can be an excellent way to tell viewers about what goes behind the scene. You can talk about how you record videos. If you’re a makeup artists, you can talk about the whole set up.
Break the barrier and get in touch with your audience. Businesses can take viewers to the factory and show how products are made and packages.
This type of video can be useful in leaving a positive impact on the audience.
- Interview
You can interview a known personality or someone related to your company or brand to create awareness. Fashion houses, for example, can interview designers to introduce a new line of products.
Interviews are used to build an image and introduce users to a new concept.
- Teasers
These are short videos that are used to tease something big. It can be an online event or a new product launch.
Teaser videos are usually short and may not be very popular, but they can be used to hype products.
- Tutorial or How-to
These videos revolve around teaching the audience about how to perform a job. Makeup tutorials are very popular on Instagram, but you can make a variety of how-to videos including a guide on how to use a specific product.
You can use how-to videos to market a new product. You can also review third-party products and earn a commission.
- Skit
We can always spare a few seconds to laugh so why not come up with an original skit.
Such videos require a lot of creativity and skills so try these only if you can do justice to the idea.
- V-log
V-logging is all about letting people know what you’re doing. Thanks to IG-TV and Stories, v-logs are becoming incredibly popular.
While v-logs appear to be more suitable for individuals, businesses can also use v-log videos to promote products and services by v-logging special events.
- Announcement
You can use videos to make special announcements such as competition dates, product launch, etc.
Such videos are short and can be coupled with teasers to create more excitement among your audience.
- Product Review
Believe it or not, many people check Instagram for product reviews to know more about a product.
You can use product reviews to promote your product or earn commission by promoting someone else’s products.
- Testimonial
A testimonial can be an easy way to promote your business. Video feedback or testimonials can be significant since users can see real people.
You can use this technique to promote your business and build an audience.
What Should Be The Duration Of the Video?
Videos: Instagram videos can be between 3 to 60 seconds. About 30 seconds seems to be a good duration as IG videos with the most number of comments average 26 seconds.
Make sure to upload high-quality videos and add relevant hashtags so that more users can find your content.
IG TV: IG TV videos are between 15 seconds to 10 minutes long. However, some verified accounts may upload longer videos (up to 60 minutes) from a computer.
These videos will remain on your channel unless deleted. You can use IG TV to build your channel. IG TV views have increased by about 1000% in the last few months, giving fierce competition to YouTube.
IG TV videos should contain no fluff. While the ideal length is 2 to 6 minutes, longer videos may be useful as well if they’re informative.
Live Videos: They can be 60 minutes long and will stay on your account only for 24 hours. They are best used to showcase specific events or to get in touch with your audience.
There is no best length for live videos. You can stay live for as long as you have an audience interested in watching you.
Stories: Your stories will also appear for 60 minutes. You can make many short clips throughout the day and also highlight valuable stories so that they do not disappear.
Stories can be used to let your followers know what you’re up to. They are vital if you want to stay active. Plus, you can add location and hashtags in stories to gain more views and followers.
You can also try a variety of filters to make your stories more exciting. However, do not go overboard making videos. They should be interesting to watch.
Editing Your Videos
While Instagram offers basic editing features, they may not be enough. Get your hands on a third-party editing tool to ensure the videos are properly edited.
Get rid of content that you do not need and make sure to keep the quality intact. Also, try Boomerang and time-lapse videos. They appear to be very popular on the platform,
Moreover, black and white videos are also a hit. You can use Instagram’s app to convert color videos into B&W videos. Plus, you can also use editing to improve the presentation and even add subtitles.
Mistakes to Avoid
Make sure to follow the tips given above and avoid the following errors:
- Not paying attention to Instagram Insights
- Uploading poor quality content
- Not making exclusive content
- Adding no caption and hashtag
- Not remaining consistent
- Using too many filters
- Making use of bad font or color
- Not promoting video
Conclusion
Follow these tips, and you will be able to make kickass videos. Make sure you choose the right video type to help promote your business, what is the use if you don’t use the correct format. The duration of the video should get straight to the point of what you’re trying to accomplish. Videos are the future of tomorrow so waste no time and start working on them today.
About the author:
My extensive travels and my craft have now merged into what I do for Think Branded Media. I have spent years professionally producing, directing, shooting, and editing reality TV shows, music videos, commercials, corporate videos, and many forms of branded video content.
Clara Levine says
Thanks for sharing! We have a small business and we don’t have big budget for marketing, so we do everything in our own. From our experience, video testimonials were very helpful for increasing brand awareness, and our clients were willing to do it for free for us.
AhmedG says
I’ll follow all your tips and advice and i’ll believe you when you say that the videos are future of tomorrow. Thank you for shaking me up and waking me from the deep sleep.
Alejandro Hirsch says
We do our own behind the scenes videos for our bakery and our followers loves it. I record it from my phone and then our social media manager edits it in Adobe Premiere. We could post it raw, but there this way it looks more professional.
Rees says
There is so much content on IG, you have to make a lot of effort to get noticed. Promoting helps, but still if the video is not attractive nothing will help you on the long run.
Katerin says
Great video requires lots of planning and good quality equipment. It is the most expensive method, but, of course, with great investment goes great profit.
Hummer says
It’s very hard to be inventive nowadays, to make uniqe videos and contents. You need to have a bit luck too, but with these advices it willbe way easier to get all together.
Marco Liano says
This article gave me some good ideas for the video content I will be making soon. Even when you think that there is nothing interesting related to your business that followers would like to watch, thinking outside of the box can help to create something interesting. I appreciate the push up you gave me with this guide here. Thanks!