Understanding all the video formats offered by Instagram along with all their specifications will be very important to creating content effectively and engaging with your audience. Mastery of these formats allows you to create content that is very much tailored for achieving its impact and, more importantly, reach.
This blog talks about the different types of Instagram videos. You will learn which sizes and lengths you prefer, along with best practices to make them catchy and interesting in front of your audience. Do you want to make engaging and interesting IGTV episodes or implement the passing Stories? This guide covers all Instagram video formats.
Types of Instagram Video Formats
1. IGTV
IGTV is a large format of video on Instagram, designed for creators who would want to dig deeper in storytelling and content presentation in ways that bring the user beyond the bounds of shorter videos. While Feed Videos or Reels are short, crispy pieces, IGTV provides the scope for more in-depth material, ranging from tutorials to interviews, documentaries, and series.
Purpose of IGTV:
- This platform allows creators to upload videos beyond the 60-second limit.
- Well-suited for longer, more in-depth storytelling, educational content, and the full range of product descriptions.
- Great for brands or influencers looking to tell a narrative and create an arc or even a series.
Strategies for Audience Engagement:
- Teaser Clips: Use short-form clips in Stories or Feed as teasers for your IGTV videos, driving viewers to watch the full video. By building anticipation and hope, this will keep users watching.
- Interactive Elements: Call your viewers to an action. Ask them to comment, ask questions, and give suggestions in the comment section.
- Consistency: Publishing IGTV video after time regularly builds up strong discipleship. Consistency will keep them coming back for more content. It brings about engagement and recall of the brand.
- Collaborations: This has been said to be able to help other content creators or influencers get to more people. Collaborations offer new insights and widen reach because the content from most of them would be new to their audience.
2. Instagram Stories
The Instagram Stories feature is one of a kind since they only stay up for 24 hours. It would be like SMS because the information is only there temporarily, causing a sense of urgency where the audience will engage faster. Using this short-lived quality about Stories can make your audience quickly and effectively keep tabs and engage immediately, creating a wonderful feature for videos on Instagram.
Creative Engagement Strategies:
- Polls: It can be used to gain opinions, stimulate curiosity, or even entertain. It is one way that allows an audience to become engaged and know what they feel.
- Question Stickers: This encourages followers to ask questions or share their opinion, which develops two-way interaction. Not only may it increase the engagement level but also develops the community feeling of the group.
3. Reels
Instagram had adopted, for the very first time, short-form video content in Reels. This new trend was able to capture the attention of both creators and audiences. Reels are one of the most interactive forms of Instagram videos, letting users create 15-90 second clips with audio, effects, and many other creative tools.
Currently, the trends in Reels content range widely. Trends include viral challenges, music sync, quick tutorials, and more. Some tips on how to stay relevant within this format include the following:
- Leverage Popular Music: IUsing popular music can increase the possibilities of your Reels showing on the Explore page.ding songs can increase the likelihood of your Reels being featured on the Explore page.
- Engage with Challenges: Participating in viral challenges will allow getting higher visibility for content and associating it with broader trends in the community.
- Use Creative Tools: Utilise filters, effects, and text overlays to increase engagement and keep people watching.
4. Instagram Live
Instagram Live is the specific type of video on the Instagram network that you use to connect with your followers in real-time. Your other pre-recorded videos won’t be liked because you can get instant feedback spontaneously through Instagram Live.
This format is perfect for building community and a sense of urgency with your audience. Be it Q&A sessions or behind-the-scenes action, you could even co-host with guests: Instagram Live is set to connect with your audience through this type of real-time connection.
Ideas for Engaging Live Sessions:
- Q&A Formats: Host interactive question-and-answer style where followers can ask questions on the spot, providing them with tremendous value and stirring engagement.
- Behind-the-Scenes Glimpses: Offer your audience a backstage ticket to the exclusive and sometimes unseen, such as product releases or the daily grind of your business.
- Collaborative Streams: Invite guests to co-stream with you for interviews or talks, incorporating multiple voices and expanding your viewing audience.
Video Specifications for Each Format
1. Feed Videos
Creating quality content for Instagram starts with Feed Videos specification. Such videos are pretty versatile, and you can immediately grab your audience’s attention.
Recommended Sizes:
- Portrait: 1080×1350 pixels
- Square: 1080×1080 pixels
- Landscape: 1920×1080 pixels
Each size has a specific purpose, and therefore, you will enjoy different variations to represent your content. Portrait and square are popular because they make the most of mobile phone screens; landscape is a good option if you want to achieve a cinematic feel.
Length Limitations:
- Duration: 3 seconds to 60 seconds
Tips for Optimisation:
- Your video format should fit your story well.
- Such a short video needs to have interesting visuals and narration.
- You may even edit the video, which will further give you high-quality video shooting under the very built-in editing offered by Instagram.
All these specifications will make your content reach the optimal viewership and visibility on Instagram. With these dimensions in mind and their limitations, you will know exactly what to do as you plan the next post, making the best use of features on the Instagram platform.
2. Stories and Reels
Instagram’s Stories and Reels formats are core parts for the creators looking to capture attention quickly. Since both formats are optimised at 1080×1920 pixels, aspect ratio 9:16, they work well with a mobile device and thus are optimal for vertical viewing.
Length Restrictions:
- Stories: with a 15-second limit per clip, the messaging has to be very concise and impactful.
- Reels: The videos can be longer than the normal video. For example, up to 90 seconds is allowed; it thus allows for more comprehensive storytelling or just artistry.
3. IGTV Videos
IGTV will be perfect for you if you intend to create more extensive videos. Here’s what you need to know:
Video Size
The IGTV video size is 1080 by 1920 pixels. That size is optimised for mobile view, so whatever you make, your videos will look amazing every time.
Video Length Limits
It is very essential to know the length of time for a video that can be uploaded for creating your content. Here is the summary of the allowed length for the video:
- The time for uploading is between 3 to 10 minutes in the case of a normal user.
- For some accounts, additional capacity is offered, and you can post up to 60 minutes of video.
If you remember all these aspects and the specific rules of Instagram, you will be able to make sure that your IGTV videos are of the highest quality and totally meet the requirements set by Instagram for the audience.
Conclusion
Understanding the different formats of Instagram videos is fundamental to effective social media marketing strategies on Instagram videos. Each format, such as IGTV, Reels, etc. gives you the opportunity to connect with your audience in a unique way. The right choice of video format along with appropriate suggested specifications would improve the visibility and engagement for content.
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