Instagram video is available in five different types: Reels, Live, IGTV, Stories, and in-feed video posts.
The explosion of video throughout the platform is a lot to juggle. However, it’s also created new methods for marketers to tell stories and reach their audience.
Which Instagram video type is right for your brand? There could also be a place in your social media strategy for all of them. Or maybe you’ll decide just to give attention to a couple. Read our guide to learn about the features, specifications, and best practices for every kind.
Plus, we’ve rounded up tools that make juggling Instagram videos a bit easier.
1. All Types of Instagram video
Here’s a breakdown of the different Instagram video types that you need to know.
Instagram Stories
Inspired by Snapchat, Instagram Stories are 15-second videos that will disappear after 24 hours.
Stories can be recorded by swiping right from the home screen, or by tapping the plus icon and choosing Stories. They can also be published from the Photo Library.
Expired Tales can be saved to the Highlights section of an individual’s profile, positioned above the grid.
Source: Instagram
Interactive parts such as filters, emojis, tags, and stickers can be added to every Story. A number of brands—some four million every month by Instagram’s count—have discovered novel ways to make use of these features, from “this or that” polls to Q&As and product tags.
Stories are also one of the rare places on Instagram that accounts can publish links. Only accounts that got verification or have more than 10,000+ followers can access this feature. For brands, it’s an effective way to drive organic leads and conversions. More than 50% of people who vote on a poll on Facebook say they’ve visited a brand’s website after seeing their Story.
Regardless of their ephemerality, Stories are popular.
Their location at the top of the home feed may have something to make use of. The offhand nature of the disappearing type—removed from aesthetic pressures of the feed, is likely another factor.
More than 500 million individuals watch Stories every single day, and 58% of people surveyed by Facebook say Stories have piqued their interest in a brand or product.
Instagram feed video
In-feed video is the unique Instagram video type on the app. Video posts are added the same way photographs are posted: using Instagram’s built-in camera or uploading from a Photo Library.
The in-feed video has to be three-60 seconds in length, which means Boomerangs and GIFs fall into this category, too.
Like an image post, an Instagram video post can be added a filter, location, caption, as well as user, location, and product tags. Once published, people can interact with likes, comments, and sharing public videos in Stories and direct messages.
Video posts are labeled with a camcorder icon in the top right corner of people’s profiles
Instagram Live
Instagram Live allows people to stream video from the built-in camera. With everything going remote this year, brands have used Instagram Live to host workshops, interviews, and more, leading to a 70% increase in views between February and March.
You can start Live broadcasts by swiping right or tapping the plus icon and toggling to Live. Live streams can last up to four hours and can be hosted by one or two accounts. When an account goes live, it will be shown at the front of the Stories bar with a Live icon. Right when finished, Instagram Live videos can be saved to IGTV or shared for 30 days before they are deleted.
The variety of viewers watching a live stream appears at the top of the screen, and people can engage by adding comments or emoji reactions. Viewers can also buy badges so that heart icons appear beside their name in the comments. People who host Instagram Live can pin comments, turn comments off, or set up keyword filters to moderate comments.
Live Shopping features let businesses tag related products so that they appear at the bottom of the screen. Instagram Live also supports donations, so nonprofits on social media and creators can use this medium for fundraising.