Although it was born as an online photo album, Instagram has evolved over the years, becoming a social network with room for all kinds of content creators. The video format has been having a much greater presence in the app owned by Meta (Facebook), something that will change even more with the next changes to come.
IGTV, Instagram’s longest-running video platform, will disappear as separate content and be integrated into the Instagram app itself as Instagram Video.
Goodbye to the IGTV app
The main movement that the social network has communicated is that in mid-March 2022 it will discontinue the independent IGTV app: Instagram Video , which was available in the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. This does not mean that they abandon their commitment to the audiovisual format; on the contrary: it will integrate the videos into the main application and put all its energy into continuing to promote Instagram Reels.
Instagram mobile app
“As part of our efforts to make video as simple to discover and create as possible, we will no longer support our standalone IGTV app. Instead, we’ll focus on having all the video in the main Instagram app. We think this makes it easier for people to have all these features and abilities in the main Instagram app, and we’re excited to continue simplifying and improving video in the main Instagram app in the coming months.”
Greater video integration on Instagram
The clear objective for this new phase of Instagram is to create greater simplicity when it comes to discovering and creating content. Within the main app there will be changes: full screen viewing, one tap to mute, and a more consistent way of sharing videos.
The entire Instagram experience in a single app
Additionally, they announce that “In-Stream Video Ads (formerly known as IGTV Ads) will no longer be supported and creators who are actively monetizing with In-Stream Video Ads will receive a temporary monthly payment based on recent earnings.” The company plans to “test a new advertising experience on Instagram, which will allow creators to monetize ads displayed on their Reels” later this year.
The type of videos Instagram is looking for
The company has also indicated a series of tips for content creators that, without being strict rules, do make clear some guidelines on the type of videos that are hosted by the service.
New Instagram Reels
Of course, the vertical format will be the mainstay of the platform. It is not only due to the ease of recording with smartphones, but they consider that they are more immersive in this way. The perfect video according to these recommendations would be short and entertaining videos, with a 9:16 ratio without borders and without the text occupying most of the screen.
In a clear allusion to TikTok, its main competitor in the market for creating content in video format, this suggestion is at least curious:
“Avoid visibly recycled content: We’ve heard that our community wants to see Reels made exclusively for Instagram ; this is what they find most entertaining and inspiring. Avoid posting Reels that are visibly recycled from other apps (i.e. contain watermarks ).”
At the positioning level, crucial for them to discover your content, they have made it clear that they will avoid recommending content that is “too promotional or too commercial”. They will probably look more for direct monetization than using the platform as a way to obtain external income from third parties.