Back when IGTV made its debut in 2018, its slow start made it a subject of ridicule for some and stuff to be ignored for others. Cut to two years later, and its viewership has picked up steam and how! Everyone from the influencers to the digital marketers is turning to this long-form video format to engage, retain, and gain followers.
After all, IGTV is useful in more ways than one. It does away with the constraints of feed videos, which are only a minute long in duration. It’s even better than stories that are capped at fifteen seconds.
So, there’s no doubt about the fact that IGTV videos work, be it for your beauty tutorials, home tours, or takeovers. But, the key to Instagram success lies in knowing how to make it work.
And the six tips given below will help you in preparing an IGTV strategy that works.
1. Honor the wishes and demands of your existing followers
When it comes to video marketing using IGTV, the most common question is what to offer as content.
The easiest way to figure out what to put up on your IGTV is to go by the likes and demands of your audiences. The best part is that you don’t need to start from anything when it comes to gaining an audience for your IGTV videos.
For instance, do you frequently get questions regarding how certain features or things work? Make a mid-length video show how to use that thing or feature, and the best possible applications.
Are you an influencer who your followers would like to know more about? Ask them to DM their questions to you, and answer the chosen ones in your video.
2. Share previews that make your audience intrigued
You can crop a clip from the actual video to share as a preview on your main feed. Think of it as a teaser to get your audience interested in watching the whole video. But, where should you crop the video from?
The first minute of the video has to be gripping enough to make viewers hang on until the end. You can use a good online video maker to ramp up the video from the start.
However, this doesn’t mean you can only make a preview from the first one minute of the video. You can use any surprising or hilarious snippet from the video that will pique the audience’s interest enough for them to search for the rest.
3. Pay attention to the thumbnails and titles you use
Speaking of thumbnails, the ones that show an emotional reaction of the person featured in the video get the most attention. You can enhance the thumbnail further with colors and graphics that make people want to stop scrolling.
You can also use a still from the video as a thumbnail. But, make sure that it’s not a blurry face that shows no indication of the content of the video.
When it comes to the title, the idea is to keep it short and catchy. Remember that the title will get squeezed down or truncated when your audience watches on mobile. So, the first three words in the headline are the most important to get your audience excited about what you have to offer.
4. Edit IGTV videos to make them easy finds at Explore
The main problem with IGTV videos is that you cannot search them by topic. The viewers will have to follow your account to come across your video.
However, there is another way to discover your IGTV content, as well. And, you will have to make the most of this other way. People can find IGTV broadcasts in the Explore section.
You need to align your content as per the content tags in Explore to increase your views. Using content tags like home, beauty, fitness, travel, food, and other such categories will make it easier for people to discover you.
Keep in mind that the Explore section is a pretty crowded place, and you’ll have to leverage the right tags to get viewed.
5. Make good use of the subtitles option of IGTV
IGTV lets you add subtitles to videos, which is important for a number of reasons.
First off, nearly eighty-five percent of users watch Instagram videos with the sound turned off. Given that most people are watching videos on mute, there’s a chance for you to miss out on views without including subtitles.
People are more likely to watch your videos on the go, so you’ll have to find out ways to make it user-friendly. Using subtitles is one way of ensuring that.
Secondly, you might have viewers who are hard-of-hearing or deaf. Your aim has to be to make the media accessible to every possible person who comes across your IGTV video.
6. Do not forget to measure the results of your videos
Like all other digital marketing efforts of yours, even IGTV engagement has to be measured to know where you stand.
It’s not even too hard to measure the results. You will get in-app analytics on Instagram itself. It will help you measure the demographics and views of the people watching the IGTV content you deliver.
Don’t forget to keep a watch on all the videos you upload to monitor any drastic changes that might happen over time. For instance, a certain video might get more views than others, indicating the preference of your target audience.
Take chances and play around with topics, promotion tactics, and posting times. It might take you a little while, but you will gradually find the IGTV formula that works for your brand.
Takeaway
There’s no denying that IGTV can be a creative and fun way of engaging your followers. It offers so many ways to claim Instagram fame that you’d be missing out on major opportunities if you don’t use it.
So, keep the tips mentioned above in mind, and start formulating your IGTV strategy today.