Instagram Now Allows 60-Second Video

Short and sweet is internet standard, and creating content to fit 140-character tweets, 6-second Vine loops and 1000 x 1000 pixel artwork dimensions have simply become a part of the digital marketing game. The ability to still be creative and effective within those various constraints has proven tricky for some but a hit for users and brands who know how to adapt. Sometimes, the platform adapts to its users. Since rolling out the video sharing option in 2013, Instagram hasn’t really make many other changes to that part of the platform though other updates have taken place since then. Just a few weeks ago, the photo and video-sharing platform introduced the ability to record and post much longer videos for some users- from the previous 15-second standard to a full minute of video. This change is definitely a move away from other time restraints (like Snapchat’s 10 seconds) and closer to a platform like YouTube. The full rollout is set to take place over the next couple of months, with only some users being able to take advantage of the feature to start.

To mark the change, instaram created a short montage of clips recently posted to the platform

So what does this mean for brands? The longer video time is perfect for users with a lot to say about their day to day lives, but it’s also a great opportunity for brands to make the most of the extra time.

Slow It Down

We’ve all seen sped-up how-to videos that try to fit a lot of information into a 15 second timeline. Sometimes it works, sometimes it’s simply too fast and the user has no choice but to view the full video elsewhere. This works perfectly sometimes depending on the content, but considering hyperlinks in captions don’t work on Instagram, you may lose viewers on that secondary platform for no other reason than lack of follow through. A 15-second clip is not always enticing enough to push a user to view longer content elsewhere, so having extra time gives brands a chance to tell more of their story in regular time – not feeling rushed by short time constraints.

Meaningful Calls TO Action

With a bit more time, it’s easier to have better calls to action at the end of your videos. Without that rushed feeling, brands can have more meaningful calls to action at the end of their clips without it feeling an afterthought or relegated to the caption of the video.

Play Around

While having 60 seconds is great, it doesn’t mean that you should use all of them all the time. Content will determine this, but having the time will make it easier for brands to play around with different video lengths and find the one that works the best for them and their followers. A brand may find that 30 seconds is their “sweet spot” while another might need the full 60 seconds to get their messaging across. Having this type of freedom will help brands to tailor their online marketing approach to them specifically; and perhaps help encourage more brands to use the platform for video that may have felt discouraged by the time constraint in the past.