If you are looking to enhance your social media presence, there’s nothing quite like a video. When it comes to Instagram, a video is more likely to engage your audience compared to an image. Needless to say, brands are leveraging this feature of Instagram to increase their reach. If you don’t want to lag behind, follow these five simple steps to create your own video content on Instagram and increase your social engagement rate.
Step 1: Know the Different Types of Instagram Video Content
- In-feed videos and Stories :
There are two possible ways to display your video content – either through your feed or your story. When you post it in your feed, it is essentially a permanent thing, unless you take it down yourself. In the case of the story, your content is available only for 24 hours, after which it disappears, unless you add it to your highlights. Whether it is on your story or your feed, you can feature gifs, boomerangs, or lengthier videos on your account. The first step towards making the video is to decide where you are going to feature it.
2. Live Streaming:
Apart from these two categories of videos, Instagram also allows you to go live where you can video stream live using the app camera. Live videos can be hosted by two accounts together simultaneously. Thanks to this feature, a lot of brands have been able to launch their products or interact with their target even during the pandemic when people across the world basically worked from the confines of their homes. Live streamings can go on for upto 4 hours, during which time Instagram showcases these videos on their stories with a live icon. You will be able to see your viewers at the top of your screen during the live. Viewers can comment and react to enange during the live. Hosts can pin or delete and moderate comments while viewers can purchase badges to react with heart emojis. Businesses can use the live shop feature to tag their products for a more engaging customer experience. Lives can also be used for fundraising events, as Instagram also lets you donate through the app. You can save your live once it is finished and share it on your feed or through messages.
3. Instagram TV:
The popularity of videos on Instagram was such that the social media platform launched a special category of videos a couple of years back – The IGTV, or Instagram TV. This particular category has become very popular amongst users, especially since it encourages creativity. IGTV is an in-feed video format which lasts upto 60 minutes. You can also feature the initial few seconds from your IGTV in your feed and link it back to the IGTV tab. Apart from the duration difference, the other feature that separates IGTV from general in-feed video is the recording process. IGTV videos need to be prerecorded to be uploaded. IGTVs have an added advantage over the other video formats – its dedicated presence in the explore section. These videos autoplay on your feed and you can engage with them in the same manner as you do with the other video categories.
3. Instagram Reels:
This video category is inspired by Tiktok and encourages users to create ennaging content in a span of 15-30 seconds using the app camera or pre-recorded videos. Instagram has a number of filters and effects (texts, timer and speed controls, audio AR filetrs and more) to make your videos interesting and instantly engaging. Similar to the in-feed videos, reels allow you to tag products and use captions and hashtags.
Step 2: Choose the Right Video Layout Format
Choosing the right video format can make or break your Instagram strategy. Once you have decided where you are going to put up your video, choose the layout accordingly. Instagram videos designed for your feed needs to be put in a square format (in keeping with the feed layout), whereas for videos meant for the story, choose a vertical layout with an aspect ratio of 9:16. You’d be surprised to know the difference the right format can make for your video engagement.
Interestingly enough, even though Instagram stories disappear after 24 hours, they are very popular among users and have surpassed the number of images or video feed content. Use this feature to your advantage.
Step 3: Video Length
Depending on whether you want your video content on the feed or story, decide on the video length, While the video length on the feed can last upto 60 seconds, the story length is much shorter. So technically, a story or reel allows you much less time to captivate your audience’s attention. Do ensure each second counts. Similarly, for IGTV or live, the content duration is much longer. So, depending on your intent choose the category and engage with focus.
Step 4: Edit your video
Editing is a crucial part of the video making process. Mere recording the video is not enough, you have to ensure it is properly edited for a better presentation. There are a number of video editors available online which lets you add animations to your video, among other things.
Adding sound or music, text and other animations in your video increases its appeal. The right background music is key to connect with your audience. If its a voice over, make your script concise and effective. Also consider using the right filter or editing tool to improve the quality of the video colour and light. If you are a beginner and wish to enhance your video editing skills, you can take up a Free Video editing course to help you kickstart your journey.
Step 5: Upload your video
Once you are satisfied with the quality of your video and you are ready to upload it, select the content from your phone or computer and share it to Instagram. You should also mind the time of posting the video since certain times of the day tend to get you better engagement rates.
Do a little research on what’s the best time for sharing your video content on Instagram and follow our guidelines to improve your social media reach and engagement.
Instagram Video Best Practices
The Three Second Rule:
Instagram videos are all about creating an instant connection with your audience. In the world of thumbs scrolling up and down continuously, you will have to create hook to engage with your viewer. The first three seconds decide whether your audience find it engaging enough or they move on to the next better option. Since these videos start autoplaying in the feed, your introductory seconds are the most crucial. These few seconds not only to tell your audience what the video is all about but also arrest their attention in a way so that they cant scroll without watching the content. Create a teaser that captures your audience’s imagination. Use fitting captions which add value to the content without taking the focus away from the video.
Understand Your Target Group and Create Accordingly
Instagram videos can range from entertaining to educational. You need to understand where you fit in this range. In order to align your content better with your audience’s expectation, always start with research, check what are they looking for in your category of content. Offer value in terms of comic reliefs, information, creative ideas, entertainment and more. Your engagement rates will be decided by how well your content is catering to your audience.
Create Your Content Calendar
You may be beaming with content ideas but they might not amount to anything if not well planned. To execute your ideas and keep your creative juices flowing, create a content calendar which charts down all the content that you intend to share over a period of time. Post frequently and consistently. Pick a particular time in the day and try to stick to this schedule whenever you are posting. You will also find a number of scheduling tools to help you create a pipeline of content for the week or month.
Hope this article helped you figure out Instagram video making. So, find your inspiration and get started with filming the video. Don’t forget to be creative, experiment with different forms, sound, animation, layout and more. Remember, practice leads to perfection. So bring out your best and connect with the rest!
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