You surely have heard that the algorithm rewards creators who use new features. Does Instagram get something out of this deal? Oh, come on. If you use a brand new feature, chances are it will make your community more likely to give it a chance and test it out too. So it’s beneficial for both sides – your profile and the whole platform as well! How can you make it work FOR YOURSELF? As always, to majorly up your engagement, a great place to start is testing which features feel good to you. Try using new features once in a while, and watch your reach and engagement soar because even if it sounds a bit too good to be true, it’s not a rumor: Instagram will really reward you if you utilize their new features. Real-life example?

If you use Reels, Instagram will push your posts to more users.

The video keeps Instagram users on a platform for a longer amount of time, so they really care about prioritizing it. So if you’re creating video content, you’re basically supporting the platform’s growth, and you’re helping Adam Mosseri keep users on his platform. And yup, they need our help, and they’ll reward us for it. It sounds really fair, huh?

The best thing? Instagram won’t ever get stuck in the past, as some of the other platforms do – they’re still introducing new features and new formats. In addition, Instagram is transparent and communicative about all upcoming features, so they basically keep us all informed about new moves, and we can feel like we have all the updates.

Essential new features to test out right now?

Collabs: If you want to supercharge your posts reach, it’s time to start experimenting with this beneficial feature. It allows you to invite another creator to collaborate on a regular post or an Instagram Reel, and it works like co-authoring content. Both of your usernames will appear on the post and appear on both feeds. The best news? Two different audiences will see your post, which means double chances for likes, comments, and shares. That way, you can easily double your reach. Sounds good, huh?

Adding your custom stickers to instastories

They don’t just help you engage with your audience, they can give your instastories a totally new look and reframe your storytelling. Why would you even want to use other creators’ GIFs when you can come up with your own? The best part? That’s not as complicated as you may think – and we can help you with that! 

So, how to make your own Instagram GIF stickers?

All GIFs used in Instagram Stories are powered by the platform you’re probably familiar with: Giphy.com. The first step to create your own stickers: you’ll need to create an account and go through the process of verification. Then you’re ready to start your GIFs journey! With the platform’s help, you don’t need any pro badass animation and graphic design skills to create something impressive. To be honest – they have made the creation process extremely straightforward and intuitive. Giphy also offers pretty helpful analytics for each of your GIFs. This means you can track how many times users were viewing your creations. That’s some powerful stuff!

Schedule LIVE videos and practice performing live in advance.

Now you’re armed with a great feature to build up a bigger buzz for your upcoming Live session by scheduling it (up to 90 days in advance), then sharing info across Instagram to alert your followers. Instagram has also rolled out a feature, “Practice mode,” which allows you to test going live ahead of the scheduled one to try your connection, lighting options and rehearse any other pre-live activity you may want to prepare.

Let us tell you: testing new features is more important than ever because it’s your chance to get rewarded by Instagram’s algorithm. So that’s it – now is the perfect time to try how these new features can work for you: you can learn at your own pace and become comfortable with the new possibilities. And if the changes are a bit confusing, don’t worry – you’ll quickly become familiar with them (and the best part – Bien sur, we’ll help you, that’s more than obvious). 

New Instagram Features Q&A

As always, I’ve gathered the most burning questions right here! To give you easy access to the critical questions with answers, I will be creating a short FAQ at the end of almost every post, so look out for them!

How to make a collaboration post on Instagram?

Instagram Collabs give you an opportunity to invite another creator to collaborate on regular posts or Reels so that they can share the content with their audience as well. It’s like co-authoring a book! Essentially, you co-author post with another Instagram user, and the content will show up on both of your feeds. When you gain access to the Collabs feature, you’ll have a chance to send and accept requests to collaborate on co-authored content.

The good news is that it’s really easy-peasy to arrange a Collab on Instagram – the whole process is exceptionally similar to tagging someone in a post. Let’s dive in deeper!

How to land your first Instagram collaboration? And how to find a collab partner?

1. Find a creator you love and trust and you’d love to work with. A successful collab post starts with finding the right collab partner! You need to find someone who can be a good fit for your strategy.
2. Start by preparing a list of about 15-20 creators you’d love to collaborate with. Reach out to them all. Say hi, and ask them if they’d be interested in preparing a collab post with you. Pro tip? Introduce yourself and explain a little about your idea and why you wanted to collaborate with them. Throwing in an HONEST compliment is also a beneficial idea, so don’t hesitate to use it.
3.  Many of your dream collab partners might not respond. And that’s okay too, don’t take it personally – they might be too busy, overwhelmed with work or an important project they’re working on.
4. If someone says they’re in, prepare your Instagram collaboration idea in detail. Yass, once you’ve found your Instagram collab partner, it’s time to discuss the concept!

By the way – reaching out to people you don’t know yet can be a big challenge, so the next time you post a regular post or a Reel that you made with your good friend or a photographer you’re working with, why not make it a Collab post? That’s a great way to start with this feature! 

How to send a collab request?

1. After uploading your new content (Reels or a regular post), go to the next step of the process as usual, and find the option “Tag people.”
2.  Look at the bottom right corner – there, you should see the “Invite Collaborator” feature. After tapping on it, choose the creator you want to collaborate with.
3. After you’ve picked the user, you want to collaborate with, post the content as usual, and your collaborator will receive a request (right in their DMs inbox).
4. The content will not be posted on their feed until they’ve accepted the request.

Can I create collab post with more than one creator? Can I invite 2-3 users?

ATM, you can only collaborate with one creator! 

Why can’t I post collabs?

Collabs feature was rolled out to everybody (no matter where you live), so you should have it by now! Make sure you’re using the latest version of the ‘Gram (update it just in case), but if you have the latest version and you still can’t use the collab feature – unfortunately, all you can do is wait (or get in touch with IG’s helpdesk).

What other new features can be beneficial for MY account? How to tell if they’re going to work for me?

Which formats will be the best choices FOR YOU? Well, the most crucial thing: you need to experiment, test them all out, and then analyze the insights. If you’d like ME to help you, audit your current content strategy, find your strengths and obstacles you might unconsciously be facing + research which formats can work wonders for YOUR content creation, there’s still a chance. 

Right now, I want to make this 1:1 game-changing audit accessible to as many of you as possible. And hey, I have dropped its price from last year to prove my commitment. Book it now (for 29$) as this is the only way you can get this kind of 1:1 audit and my personalized insights 

Now, I would love to hear from you…

What questions do you have about Instagram strategy, new features, or hashtag research? Notice that I said question(s) plural. Ask a lot of them. Don’t be shy!

Your answers help me create better future blog content, ebooks, and guides. So what would you love to know? By the way- stay tuned for an entire post about the ways you can benefit from using Collabs feature! 

The post Use New Instagram Features To Explode Your Reach and Engagement appeared first on Display Purposes Blog.

It goes without saying that 2021 has been the year a lot of us weren’t expecting – it’s brought so many surprises, new challenges, and Instagram updates, it’s almost unimaginable! Someone asked us the other day whether it’s still a good time to start growing your Instagram account in the current situation, and our answer to this was… Our first thought and the mantra we always deeply believe in: “Purpose and passion led Instagram profiles with a conscious content strategy will always have a place in the Instagram world”.

But we know it sounds a bit like Paulo Coelho’s quote, and it may not exclude your doubts! No wonder, we all prefer strong evidence and in-depth research. That’s exactly what we need to talk about today! From so many of our frank conversations with you (did we mention how much we love them?!), we know that this doubt is absurdly common. Is it really too late to take your Instagram growth more seriously? Believe us, we hear similar questions ALL THE TIME. But what’s absolutely crazy, and maybe even a bit amusing to us is that we’ve been hearing these questions for more than a few years. A GOOD FEW YEARS. One particular question that we are repeatedly asked, especially in December and January, and literally at the start of each year, is “please, tell me without beating around the bush, isn’t it too late to start growing my Instagram in (insert year)“? This question is becoming even more regularly raised as the years go by. In the last two months alone, we’ve got many comments and discussions with you about whether it isn’t too late to start growing on the ‘Gram in 2022. 

And now we know – there might be a little, low voice inside your head telling you from time to time that you’ve missed the boat. A mean voice that sounds so realistic and wise, you’re ready to believe it. It’s laughing in your face:

Come on, it’s too late to start growing your IG in 2022 because it has all been said and created before.

How could you stand out among the trillions of AMAZING profiles with awesome content already out there? 

Nobody will care about your posts, and the growth isn’t feasible anymore.

And guess what? These are perfectly normal concerns! SO MANY CREATORS HAVE THEM. You’re definitely not alone. We all face them from time to time. It’s certainly more challenging to stand out now than it was back in 2015 for example. But that ABSOLUTELY doesn’t mean it’s too late to start growing, hell no! In fact, we STRONGLY believe there’s never been a better time to be an Instagram creator. Despite all the challenges of 2021 (and holy moly, there were so many of them!), we have seen incredible growth from the creators and Instagram entrepreneurs we work with. It seems like ambitious content creators with good content strategies are growing more than ever. Intrigued? 

So let’s elaborate on that and resolve all doubts! Today we’ll discuss:

• Is it too late to start taking your Instagram growth more seriously in 2022? Did you miss your chance?
• Is it still possible for you to create a career through Instagram?
• Will Instagramming be dead in 2022?
• How could you stand out among the millions of gorgeous Instagram profiles already out there?

If you’re reading this blog post, the chances are that you too have been thinking about taking your Instagram growth to the next level, but you’re a bit… Scared? Perhaps you’ve come across some Instagram creators who have built impressive online businesses, landed brand deals, and they’re living your dream life. Maybe you’re wondering if that kind of Instagram success could happen for you too? Is it still possible? Are you really able to achieve it? The first spoiler: it won’t be a walk in the park, but yup, it’s absolutely POSSIBLE. 

Are there too many competitors already?

At the beginning of 2021, there were an estimated 1 billion active Instagram users out there. So yes, you might be right in thinking: wait, that it’s all been said before. So many times! But that’s not so crucial. One thing is even more sure, however! It hasn’t been said by… YOU. Your story-telling, perspective, experiences, absolutely unique point of view, story of your life, insights, aesthetic, and sense of humor: that’s why you are you, and no one ever can create your content as you can. So if you have something to share with the world (even if similar things have been shared millions of times already), share it! Someone out there definitely needs your voice and the posts you’re going to create. Actually, so many people might need them! 

Instagram is already full of mediocre content: but there’s always a space for more ambitious creators, creating with a purpose.

But this 1 billion might still scare you, right? With all of those people, yup, it can get a bit overwhelming. Especially when there are plenty of profiles with tailored feeds, gorgeous captions, and beautiful smiles… Wait, wait, that isn’t the way! Just stop comparing. We’re sure you have something THEY DON’T. So just post the content you love preparing. Have confidence that you are doing your best. Keep experimenting with new formats, keep trying new solutions, and – that’s the key – trust in the process.

Instagram growth opportunities have been replaced by what Tik Tok is bringing to the table.

That’s NOT TRUE. Although, sure thing, some brands allocate more budget for Tik Tok campaigns because they think it’s an up-and-coming platform. It’s their choice. But there are also a lot of brands who know that the lifespan of an Instagram post/reels is extremely longer than Tiktok’s format. A high-quality Instagram post or reels can continue earning views for days or even weeks to come! Also, Instagram offers many flexible formats, meaning there is more room for carousels, multiple photos, videos, text, and links all in one location that aren’t going to disappear so instantly. A good Instagram post is simply more discoverable than a Tiktok’s one! 

More good news? It’s easier to get sponsors on Instagram than ever before. Things have REALLY changed in 2020 and 2021, and now many huge brands have nicely sized budgets set aside specifically for Instagram creators. Just saying! 

Authenticity is the most significant Instagram trend 

Let us tell you – showing your unique, authentic self is incredible for your Instagram’s growth. In times like these, followers turn to creators they feel they can trust, and having your smiling face, exciting story, and inspiring journey at the forefront of your profile plays a major part!

Although people might love different celebrities or Hollywood actresses, they will never relate to them as much as they relate to daily human connection and personal stories from someone just like them. Your voice and your point of view are what make your profile stand apart from the competition. It might feel awkward at first (oh, it does, we know it, haha), but you truly, TRULY need to leverage your authenticity and take advantage of what makes you special.

Instagram is still changing… And growing.

1 minute long Instagram stories, new options for reels, IG video, collaborations, link stickers… Should we go on? The list of the updates 2021 has brought is really LONG! TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT! Without the new features, our profiles wouldn’t have taken off as effectively or quickly if we’d just had regular posts. 

Some people say getting discovered is more complicated than ever – but that’s not necessarily true for everyone. Hashtags still do wonders, you just need to know how to use them most strategically. Reels give you extra exposure. IG Video gives you plenty of opportunities. We’ll dive into all of them in the upcoming posts.

Guidance is easily accessible – and you’re more ready than ever, right? 

Look, there never was a completely easy time to start growing on Instagram, it’s not a piece of cake, especially if you’re a first-time Instagrammer. Doing your best to grow on the ‘Gram means repeatedly failing until you test everything out, find out what works for YOUR ACCOUNT and your community, and finally, get it right. Sure, doing so feels safer when the competition is smaller, but you can turn that into an advantage as well, and there are many sources of credible guides on how to make your content SEEN by your target audience. Because there always comes the point where you can’t grow anymore as an Instagram creator without the help of someone more pro, someone with a fresh perspective to give you clear hints on what’s working and what’s not, so that you can manage and market your content better, and better. Not only is it good for your profile, but it’s also good for your calmness and happiness.

And here we come! Don’t you forget you have us – Display Purpose marketing team, always ready to share our Instagram knowledge, reveal the secret sauce, and help you craft the ideal strategy to grow using organic methods. Together we’ll draft up your bulletproof blueprint for the upcoming year, and if you stick to this plan, YOU’LL ROCK! We’ve also negotiated a great deal with IQ Hashtags – now you can get their in-depth audit for less than 89$, and believe us: it’s a true game-changer for anyone needing guidance and insights from trusted Instagram strategists. They can review your account: once they have a clear idea of where you’re at, they’ll note down all their powerful suggestions on how you can optimize your profile and your content for more views and more engaged followers from your target audience. That’s the REAL help because you can get customized optimization solutions analyzed to work for you and your profile.

2022 is the year you decide to stop spending this one EXTREMELY precious life, putting your Instagram growth off until “someday in the future, maybe later”! 2022 is the year you begin to take control of the potential your storytelling and your content have! You need to finally believe that you’re worth growing your IG.

Notes to take away!

When our friends and clients ask us for advice on whether they should start growing their IG in 2022, and whether it’s not too late, here’s what we tell them: GO FOR IT. Growing your account can be a great way for you to expand and make more money, position yourself as an expert, and get incredible opportunities you’ve never dreamed of. Being an Instagram creator as a career path is not an overnight magical make-money-quick option, but it is a HUGE opportunity if you’re willing to sacrifice some energy, put foundational work in, and find out how to make the most of hashtags. 

But if your question still is: “Will Instagramming be dead in 2022?”, then the answer is most definitely a very loud NO. If you want to dive more into taking your growth to the next level, keep up with our posts and Instagram lessons. We’re always here to help and guide you, and don’t forget – hashtags are the creme de la creme of getting discovered by your ideal followers! 

Have any questions we haven’t answered, ask below, and we’ll talk about them in the upcoming articles! 

The post Is it too late to start growing your Instagram in 2023? appeared first on Display Purposes Blog.

Don’t worry, in today’s article, we’ll show you exactly how to make these updates work in your favor. We’ll go over the juiciest and powerful ones to keep you informed about what REALLY matters. What do you need to know about all the new features? Let’s get started, here’s the summary of 5 powerful new updates that might impact your content strategy!

1. Link stickers to EVERYONE

Remember when the swipe-up feature was available only for profiles with over 10k on their follower count? You no longer need 10 000 followers, yay! “Finally!” you’d like to say, right? The time has come: we’re all getting the new, already pretty famous link sticker, and nobody has to wait for the prize for finally making it to 10k followers anymore. If you don’t have it yet, you’re going to have it soon!  

It gives you remarkably functional options, as you can use link stickers to share:

• links to your blog
• your other websites links
• your favorite resources, do you don’t have to answer hundreds of DMs anymore
• link to your services and products
• link to the articles you love
• link to your e-mail sign-up forms and lead magnets 

Drumroll, please! By the way, it’s it a bit weird that we’re going to hear “link in the bio” much more rarely now? We’re still getting used to it!

2. You can now post from your desktop!

Instagram added the option to create and publish new content straight from the desktop. We wanted to write that we know that SO MANY of you are obsessively excited about this feature – but the truth is, so are we! It makes the daily activities of all the creators, entrepreneurs growing brands’ accounts, and social media managers significantly easier.

Yass. We’ve been waiting for this moment! It’s a feature we all needed so badly. A massive part of importing and exporting files on the phone can be avoided – such a time saver. Goodbye airdropping all the time. 

Another advantage is that using this feature is entirely intuitive. All we need to do is open the Instagram website, log in, click on the plus icon in the top right corner, and… Choose photos or videos we want to upload. Voila, it’s that simple.

Writing captions from a full-size keyboard and choosing which photos to select on a regular-size screen: hello productivity!

3. Video format means “goodbye IGTV” 

We’ve already talked about this update (here: BIG video update: Will Instagram permanently scrap IGTV? All about the new video format!), but in case you’ve missed it – let’s have a quick reminder! IGTV and regular feed videos (except reels of course) are now combined into one universal format: Instagram video. They all come under one tab, the video tab. The Instagram team says it’s going to improve users’ experience, and we absolutely believe them.

We also got some new video features: 60seconds preview, trimming & location tag. 

4. You can edit your reels cover after posting

Why is it a big deal? Reels get boosted in the newsfeed much higher than standard videos, but creating them can turn out to be surprisingly time-consuming. Today we’ve heard one creator complain that she spent 3 hours polishing her reels! No wonder sometimes people don’t have the energy for creating that one perfect reels cover, and they’d prefer to do it later, maybe even a few hours after publishing. 

Now we can actually do it – and edit reels cover after posting, whenever we want to. In case we want to create something better or simply change our minds! Such a huge thing for everyone who was waiting for it.

5. Practice before going live

This one really caught our eye, and we guess it’s a really practical one and will make all the people that have never gone live happy! Before having the first LIVE, we can practice without anybody seeing it!

Think about this: less stress, less uncertainty, because you can check how it all looks for yourself before trying it with your audience for the first time. You gain more confidence with practice, they say – cliche, but in so many cases true as well!

Going live for the first time just got much better and less hectic, y’all. Thanks Instagram!

Food for thought: What can you do this week to test these new features out for yourself? Have you already been implementing some of them? Which update is your favorite? Tell us below and, needless to say, let us know if you have any questions! Many more surprising features are being tested now (including 60-second stories), so there’s a lot to wait for! Stay tuned for upcoming posts about all the exciting news!

The post 5 Instagram updates you NEED to know about! appeared first on Display Purposes Blog.

Raise your hand if you have a love-hate relationship with Instagram updates!

Juggling content creation, keeping up with the news, reading @creators’ and Adam Mosseri’s insights, engaging with your audience, and polishing your hashtag strategy is a lot to handle all at once and can take a massive toll on your general motivation. And your motivation, along with the feeling of being on the right track are essential during these stressful social media times! Instagram news can create a roller coaster of emotions – from watching funny reels, and deciding you’re gonna make them a part of your strategy to getting overwhelmed with unrealistic productivity, and constant content creation expectations. 

Life happens – we’ve checked ourselves, and we know it from regular talks with you as well. Sometimes reading about updates, and official insights can feel REALLY overwhelming when you don’t have anyone to help you interpret the news you have to face. Let’s be entirely honest: the real Instagram problem, for many years now, is organic growth for the average creator. If you post and you don’t get exposure, you’re feeling down, and you start questioning everything. It gets even worse when the official source of Instagram insights keeps messing with your head and delivers conflicting opinions on what you should do to succeed on the platform and notice quicker growth. 

You probably know what we’re trying to say… Did you catch the recent @creators announcement? IS IT STRESSING YOU OUT? 

Yup. @creators have shared some SURPRISING news about how hashtags should be used from now on. It has made so many of us confused! A few months ago they told us to use 30, then 15… And now 3-5?! We’ve heard many creators complain that nothing makes sense anymore.

That’s why today we’re breaking down their pieces of advice, and what these insights mean for you and your hashtag strategy. 

Let’s go! Today we’ll discuss in detail:

• Has Instagram REALLY REVEALED how to use hashtags for growth?
• Should you apply the new hashtag rules?
• Is it true that you shouldn’t use more than 5 hashtags?!
• How to interpret @creators’ words in practice?
• Should you modify your hashtag strategy, or maybe it’s still completely fine?
• How to find the most relevant hashtags to see REAL results?
• Is using 3-5 hashtags any better than using 30 relevant ones?
• What’s the most optimal number of hashtags? 

Let’s have the BIG hashtag announcement explained! Ready to dive deeper into what Creators’ words mean in practice? Let’s do it! 

Do hashtags still work in 2021?

First of all: let’s answer the question that’s on everyone’s lips – do hashtags still help you gain better visibility in 2021? Are they still the main factor of the successful Instagram strategy?

They SURELY are. 

It’s an extremely helpful classification system – that’s why hashtags are crucial, and we’re 101% sure they are here to stay. At least for the foreseeable future. Polished, interesting posts without hashtags are like a Tesla that doesn’t leave the garage. Stats don’t lie – use relevant hashtags that are already gaining traffic and use them to your advantage. 

What did Instagram mean by saying you should use 3-5 hashtags? How to interpret these words? Is using 30 hashtags every time you post still making sense?

We realize that the Creator’s post left so many of you EXTREMELY confused, so we need to give you clear insights!

We believe that we shouldn’t interpret their words too literally, and what they’re trying to say is that we all should focus on the specificity and relevancy of the hashtags we choose to post and avoid random hashtags.

We mean: taking the insights from creators’ posts too literally wouldn’t make sense! 

It would be such a waste of hashtags’ potential to use only 3-5 ones every time you post because there are so many great, niched hashtags that users are actually browsing or following. And what’s more, there’s no logic in saying that 3-5 hashtags can be more effective than 25-30. The more hashtags we use, the more people we reach = more chances that new users from our target audience find our content. 

We would need to ask Instagram: why allow so many hashtags if you don’t want us to use that many? Why even have a 30 hashtags limit if 3-5 is the optimal number, and that’s enough? Your 29th hashtag might be the golden one: we shouldn’t give it up! 

That’s why we’re absolutely sure that what they truly meant is that we should all focus on SUPER RELEVANT hashtags and avoid random ones, picked just for the sake of posting 30 ones.

Rule number one: It’s not about the numbers. It’s all about relevancy.

So let’s clarify: using 30 relevant hashtags is still the best way to increase your reach and attract new followers from your target audience. Why? Each hashtag is an opportunity to reach a wholly different group of users. 

If all your 30 hashtags are relevant, using so many ones is still a way to go!

We’ve worked with thousands of clients, analyzed their Instagram strategies, and tested various solutions, and we have to say: 30 relevant hashtags give the highest reach. All our clients are using up to 30 well-tailored, targeted hashtags on EACH post, and their engagement is increasing + it’s maximizing their organic reach. 

Instagram is trying to encourage us to be MORE SPECIFIC in categorizing our posts, and decrease hashtag spamming, but it doesn’t mean we should give up on taking our chances to reach more users from our TA (target audience). It just means we should pay more attention to choosing BETTER, more targeted ones.

Relevant hashtags – what are they, how to recognize, and find the best fits?

Relevant hashtags are those that accurately describe your post, your niche, and your target audience’s needs. As long as you choose the hashtags that are a conscious pick and have something to do with your content: don’t hesitate to use them!

If you’re struggling to find good ones (because yup, we hear creators complain that they don’t know which hashtags to pick, or they are not really sure if the ones they’re considering are relevant enough, all the time): make your Instagram life easier and trust one of the comprehensive tools for hashtag research. They will give you the clear answers and find effective hashtag sets just for your profile and its niche. Can we recommend a good one? We find IQ Hashtags with its Hashtag Search feature unquestionably game-changing, so try it for yourself. Spoiler: you won’t go back to manual research after trying it, we swear. 

A key point here is that too many people are just lazy. Instead of researching targeted hashtags, they post the random ones like #love #like4like, #postfortoday and expect higher reach. Don’t make the same mistake – good research ALWAYS pays off (double yes, that’s our forever mantra).

There’s a hashtag for everything. Yet, not every hashtag attracts your ideal followers – and we should focus on the ones that do! That’s the best key takeaway from today’s article, we guess. Please keep it in mind!

Have questions about polishing your hashtag strategy? Leave a comment below, and we will make sure to address it in one of our upcoming blog posts! To all of you trying to grow your Instagram: it’s worth it, and it’s possible. Don’t get discouraged! 

The post Should you really use only 3-5 hashtags? The ultimate analysis *in-depth research* and the TRUTH about the update appeared first on Display Purposes Blog.

It all looks like video format REALLY is the future of social media content marketing, and Adam was completely serious: the Instagram team is constantly working on it. Earlier this year, even Mark Zuckerberg revealed that video content accounts for almost half of the time spent on Facebook. That’s quite a lot. No wonder Instagram is powerfully concentrating more on its video format potential.

This week, new changes kept on coming. IGTV and feed videos are moving to one format: INSTAGRAM VIDEO. Did you catch it? In case you missed it, no worries. Today, we’re outlining our top takeaways and what you actually need to know about the video update to succeed on Instagram. 

Let’s go! Today we’ll break this update down, and discuss in detail:

• What is the big video update all about?
• How exactly is Instagram merging IGTV and feed videos into a single format?
• What does the video update mean for your content strategy?
• Will the new video tab make our content creators’ lives significantly easier?
• Will it improve our video content discoverability? 

Goodbye IGTV – why did Instagram decide to shut down this feature and introduce the new one?

* Time to say goodbye playing softly in the background *

Another day, another farewell. Oh, come on, not really!

Anyway, we have to say goodbye to IGTV, as it’s going away – basically the first extended feature for sharing high-quality long-form videos and the first official Instagram’s answer to Youtube’s format. It’s been functioning as a standalone feature as well, accessible not only from Instagram. The ephemeral format is shutting down due to low usage after launching in June 2020. 

It will be completely gone soon. 

Since no one cared about IGTV so much, Instagram is getting rid of it. Instagram’s decision to ax IGTV is sort of an admission that the feature didn’t work as well as expected, but also a clear sign that the platform needs to be simplified. We actually think that’s a strategic move since creators don’t really use IGTV that much anymore – and reels got the spotlight. 

They say that we don’t know what we’ve got ’til it’s gone.

Well, we don’t really think it will be like this with IGTV – mainly because we’re getting something better in return!

And, the thing is, IGTV won’t be REALLY dead. 

It will, and it won’t at the same time.

Let us explain!

Instagram has decided to merge IGTV and infeed videos into one video format. You can still upload videos that are longer than 60 seconds (actually, they can be up to 60 minutes!) – it just won’t be on IGTV anymore. Just no more IGTV tab, that’s all.

Sounds like they want to make our content creators’ lives easier and encourage us to use video format? We really think so! This update is meant to help users find new video posts that they can enjoy more easily. We guess we can admit it now: IGTV wasn’t the most intuitive format – it wasn’t really searchable, at least in our opinion. No wonder Instagram decided to clean up its features and enhance the video content scrolling experience! 

The new Instagram video tab – what can we expect from it? What does the update mean for your profile? 

So Instagram’s introduced Instagram Videos – as we already mentioned, it will consist of both infeed videos and IGTV format alike. “We hope Instagram videos will help more people feel comfortable joining the video content sharing and discovering” – they say. We hope so as well!

It looks like it’s a move to simplify the platform’s video formats. But hey, don’t worry: there will still be Reels, Live and Instagram stories. 

What else do we already know about the big video update? Here we come with the low-down on the first good news about the video update (the Instagram team’s announced that there’s even more, to come soon):

• IGTV & regular feed videos will be blended into one format: Instagram video
• video previews are being increased up to 60 seconds!
• Instagram stories will have a vertical like screen – similar to Tiktok
• Instagram videos will be easily accessible in their own tab on our profiles
• Instagram will introduce some new in-app editing options, like extra filters, trimming, and adding text 

What about extra options for business owners? Should we get really excited about the update? 

We’re excited, to be honest!

The new Instagram video tab offers a few features that can turn out to be total game-changers for creators and business owners – so it’s a loud yes from us!

What do we all need? More exposure and better visibility to reach and attract people from our target audiences, right? The new video tab can become immensely helpful. What are the main benefits of it? Let’s look at them once again:

• creators will have the option to tag people and locations in the video content
• we can edit, trim and add filters to our video content in separate video tab, which is really comfy. Double yay for in-app editing! 
• new format can have up to 60 second long previews
• it will be perfect for longer-form storytelling 

To wrap up – video update in a nutshell! 

IG video is replacing both IGTV and feed videos! A new video tab is coming soon – we have to say goodbye to IGTV, sort of. Instagram announced combining two formats: IGTV and feed videos into one simple format: Instagram video. They will also introduce a new, separate tab for this format: Video tab, which will make discovering video content much more intuitive and provide us with new playback functionality. We will also be able to tap anywhere on the video to enter the full-screen mode – that sounds really promising to us!

Instagram video will be the universal format for longer-form storytelling, as you can upload videos that are up to 60minutes long. 

That’s not the only good news we have – video preview will be up to 60 seconds, and we will get to tag people and locations in our video posts. 

What about reels? – you may want to ask. Nothing changes here: they will still have their OWN separate tab.

Do you already have the new video tab on your account? Are you excited or not really? 

If you’re new to this “video content thing” and you’re thinking “where do I even begin” – hey, we’re here to help! We will elaborate on how to make the most of video content in the upcoming articles – leave your questions in the comments! 

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