The Latest With IG: All Instagram Videos Will Be Reels
Calling all Instagram users! A big change has come to the platform and you’ll want to be prepared because it’s putting more focus on video than anything else. That’s because, moving forward, all Instagram videos will now be posted as Reels.
In this post, I’ll be sharing everything you need to know about this change. This way, you can better understand how it’ll impact your content moving forward.
The Announcement: Straight From Instagram
At the end of July, the Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, posted a video on his feed announcing some changes that were coming to the platform. One of which was the announcement that all Instagram videos will be Reels moving forward. You can see his post embedded below for reference.
View this post on Instagram
So, Why the Change to Instagram Videos?
Previously, Instagram allowed users to upload four different types of videos. That included Instagram Stories, Lives, IGTV, and Reels. That’s a lot, right? So, it only makes sense that video sharing on the platform needed to be simplified. And the answer was to consolidate the Reels and IGTV tab into one to be more streamlined. Not only that, but it gives Instagram the opportunity to focus more attention on their beloved feature: Reels.
What Does This Mean for Creators?
You’ll now have three options for sharing Instagram videos on the platform. You can continue to use Instagram Stories as normal. Those videos will still be 15-second slides that will be visible for 24 hours before expiring. (Although, don’t forget you can always save them as “highlights” later if you share something really good.)
There will still be the ability to go live on Instagram as well. Live videos can be up to four hours long. And then, you can upload Instagram Reels, which can now be up to 15 minutes long. That means you’ll want to be prepared to see longer Reels popping up on your feed.
As a creator, it’s clear that Instagram wants to focus heavily on video content moving forward. It’s what they seem to be prioritizing. So, it might be time to redirect your focus away from those static photo posts and aim to create more Instagram videos. Take some time to consider how video content can fit into your overall strategy. And plan ideas for both short-form and long-form content to appeal to a wider audience!
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