Since IGTV is fairly new, Instagram algorithm favors those who use it. IGTV is just like stories in terms of video format/size, which is 9:16, but what’s different is, if stories are limited to 15 seconds, IGTV allows videos up to 1 hour long. However, IGTV videos won’t be posted on your stories section, but rather on your IGTV tab, and you have the option to post a preview on your timeline as well.

This means that the nature of the video itself shouldn’t be as informal as your stories as these will be seen on your timeline. If you are gunning for a professional look on your timeline, posting IGTV videos with you lying down on your couch won’t look very good (not unless your followers see this as something of a personal touch). Remember to always turn on the “Post to Preview” switch when posting something on your IGTV.

Another amazing thing about posting an IGTV video apart from the length of the video itself, is you can choose which thumbnail to show on your feed. Probably you have watched YouTube videos that had mediocre content, or that the content was not really related to the thumbnail. You can do the same thing on Instagram now!

Your thumbnails will be set to 1:1, just like your other posts, so make sure that you capture all relevant details within that square. You can even upload a different cover and not just the plain screenshot of your video. Much like in YouTube, most influencers have creative thumbnails for their videos to encourage people to click on it. We’re not saying to make it as clickbaity as you can, but you are after views and likes here. If your cover is a clickbait, but at the same time, your video provides value to people, they won’t mind watching the entire video that you uploaded.

Don’t forget to include a title, which will be posted on top of your caption, and the caption itself. Treat it as a typical post on your Instagram feed, so make sure that you have hashtags, an interesting write-up, and an open-ended question to encourage engagement.