If you’re marketing on Instagram- heck, if you’re just posting on Instagram but you want people to see what you post, you might want to keep reading.
We’ve all seen the uptake in vertical videos on social media. TikTok started a revolution in short form video, and shortly after all of our well known platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Youtube) followed suit. Most of them have provided a separate outlet for these types of videos, like Instagram and Facebook Reels and YouTube Shorts, so that you can still upload and consume traditional video posts if you want. This is where the change may be coming to Instagram.
Instagram has been pushing reels out to its audience in any way, shape or form. These videos are getting exponentially higher views and reach than traditional video posts. This is great for those who are posting these videos, but it’s also great for Instagram. The more entertaining content that is provided within their app, the longer we stay and consume content there versus somewhere else. In short, they want people producing more of these types of videos.
The way Instagram may be forcing our hand with creating more reels is that they’re currently considering doing away with video posts. That means that any video posted within Instagram will not only show up in the reels tab, it will also be posted as a reel to your audience and this includes its vertical format. This is extremely important to note. Most videos in reels up until this point were filmed, or edited, vertically to fill the screen in the correct format. This allows for optimum viewing- all of the details are within focus, the screen is filled with video content (no awkward bumpers), and the length of the video is within a reel’s maximum length.
If this new rollout comes to fruition, that won’t be the case. Instagram won’t necessarily stop you from posting or uploading any specific type of content. You’ll still be able to upload a horizontal video but it will most likely get even less views than before. Hear us out– these videos that were not created for this vertical, short-form format, will be added into the same feed with the ones that were. That means they’ll likely be cut off at a certain time frame, they’ll likely not fill the screen completely so they’ll be left with black bumpers on top and bottom of the video, and overall they won’t be easy to view. Consumers will be more likely to scroll past your videos and consume other types of content that were generated for this specific purpose.
What can we do? The best way to ensure your content is still getting viewed by your audience is to plan ahead. Any content that you intend to post to Instagram should be filmed and edited in a vertical format, within reels timing standards. That means if you like posting your listing videos on Instagram as a primary way to market them, you should start adding a vertical reel to your listing packages. It means that videos you intend to use on Instagram to show off events, or your team’s branding, should also be formatted to fit reels.
This doesn’t mean that there isn’t a place for horizontal video and that you should necessarily opt for one over the other. Platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube are still more favorable of horizontal videos. Horizontal videos are also what you have to have for a traditional website video or landing page video, in terms of formatting. Horizontal videos are also what you need for MLS! Being that Instagram is one of the biggest places to market your business though, vertical videos are something to start getting in addition to your horizontals. We also highly recommend them for any type of social media content session.
If you have further questions about what this means for your marketing strategy or how to make sure you don’t get left behind on Instagram, let us know. We’re here to help you and make sure you succeed!
