Mike Murphy Unplugged

The IGTV Show

mike@mikemurphy.co (Mike Murphy) Episode 148

All about Instagram TV. 

Episode Summary:

  • What is IGTV?
  • How does it work?
  • Why might you use it for your business & brand?
  • How do I plan on using it for Mike Murphy Co?

Follow me on Instagram & IGTV@mikeunplugged.

What is IGTV?

IGTV was launched in late June 2018 by Instagram.Instagram is owned by Facebook.

There are now over 1 Billion users on Instagram.There are over 2 Billion users on Facebook.

IGTV is a standalone app, separate from Instagram, but you can access IGTV from the main Instagram app.

So what exactly is IGTV?Many are referring to it as TV for mobile devices, aka your phones.

The channels on IGTV are you and me.

Every content creator is their own channel and it is open to anyone and everyone.

IGTV gives you a channel for you to create content that people browsing IGTV and can stop and watch and if they like what they can see, they can let you know by liking or commenting and following you, just like on Instagram.

When you open IGTV, videos start playing automatically. Just like when you turn on your TV.

Instagram gives you some options to browse including:For You, Explore, Following & Popular and you can search for creators.

You cannot search for topics, but you can search for channels.

Open the IGTV app and videos will start playing or if you are in the main Instagram app, just look in the upper right for the Orange TV icon and that will take you into IGTV.

How Does IGTV Work?

IGTV is all about vertical videos for your phone.The correct aspect ratio for IGTV is 9:16.The 9 is the width and the 16 is the height.This is the opposite of horizontal videos you would post on YouTube which have an aspect ration of 16:9. Just think vertical. Taller than it is wide.

Tip: Do not place text or important elements or graphics close to the edges when making videos for IGTV or they may get caught off on certain phones.

The most common size you will likely use for IGTV is 1080 px wide by 1920 pixels high. This is what your iPhone shoots and is the exact same aspect ratio and size for Instagram Stories.

Videos you make for IGTV must be a minimum of 15 seconds long and a maximum of 10 minutes long.

For accounts with over 10,000 followers & verified accounts can post videos up to 1-hour long, but for now, the average creator is limited to a maximum of 10-minutes per video.

You can upload videos from your phone or in a web browser like Chrome or Safari which is pretty convenient.

You can select a Custom Thumbnail or Cover Image.You can add a Title & DescriptionAnd you have the option to Share to your Facebook Pages.

If you do have over 10,000 followers and find you have the option to upload 1-hour videos, you will have to use a web browser. Uploading from a phone is not an option for the long videos.

Viewers of your IGTV videos can leave comments that will show up in both IGTV and Instagram. They can also like and share to friends.

IGTV also integrates with Instagram Stories in that you can create links in your Stories and viewers can simply swipe up and it will take them directly to any video you link to on your IGTV channel.

So Why Should You Consider Using it for your business or brand?

For starters, remember the stat about Instagram & Facebook having 3 Billion users, well that is one important reason.

Instagram is massively popular and IGTV could be a really big deal for creators and brands to get exposure and market your busine

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