Theriseoflong-formWhileInstagramstartedasaphotoapp,it’svideothathasbecomeitsfuture.InOctoberof2021InstagrammadethedecisiontocombineIGTVwiththerestoftheInstagramfeed.ThischangemeantanyvideoupdatedandpostedtotheInstagramfeedcouldnowbeuptoonehourinlength.ThisleavesonlyReelsasaseparatetabwithintheInstagramapp.contentonInstagramSonow,threeyearsafterIGTVlaunched,long-formvideoclearlyhasapermanenthomeonInstagram.Whileit’sclearInstagramisseriousaboutlong-formcontent,it’snotasclearastowhetherbrandsareonthesamepage.Thisreportexaminesbrands’usageofvideowithinInstagram,leadinguptotheinclusionofIGTVwithinthemainprofilefeed.Itidentifieswhichbrandsandaccountsareusingitbest,offerstipsandinsightsforcreators,andprovidesinsightintowhatthefuturemightlooklike.Forthisreport,ConvivaanalyzedInstagramaccountsinthefirsthalfof2021,January1toJune30,ascomparedtothesametimeperiodin2020and2019.Thisanalysisincludesmorethan25,000accounts,54,000IGTVvideos,400millionengagements,and4billionvideoviews.Categorizedaccountsidentifiedinclude1300accountsinthecategoriesofbrand:consumer-relatedproduct,servicebrands,events,andlocations;media:newspapers,newsorganizations,newswebsites,andpublishers;entertainment:TV/movienetworks,TVshows,audio,andsocial-firstcontentnetworks;andsports:sportsoresportsteams,leagues,andsportingevents.Highlightsinclude:?

SinglephotoandvideopostsdropascarouselandIGTVpostsdoubleinshare.?

Videoisanengagementhackforcarouselpostswith17%greaterreach,16%moreimpressions,and12%moreengagementsthanimage-onlycarousels.?

ThemajorityofengagementwithvideoonInstagramcomesonday1,butIGTVpostshavethelongestshelflifewith29%ofIGTVengagementcomingafterthefirsttwodays.?

iCarly,BuzzfeedDeutschland,GrandCanyonMen'sBasketball,InTheHeights,andBarbAndStartopthelistforhighestengagementrateinthefirsthalfof2021.?

IGTVpostswiththeshortestdescriptionshavethehighestengagement,butarethemostinfrequentlyused.2?2021Conviva.AllRightsReserved.2%29%201956%ShareofInstagrambypostformat13%NewerformatssupplantsinglephotoorvideoJan1-Jun309%PhotoLookingatthemixofcontentpostedby25,000InstagramaccountsoverthreeyearsrevealsinterestingtrendsabouthowbrandsareusingInstagram.Standalonephotospostedtothefeeddeclinedfrom56%sharein2019tojustoverhalfofallpostsin2020and2021,whilethedropforstandalonevideosisevenmoredramaticfromnearly30%in2019to18%sharein2021.Nodoubttheadditionofnewvideooptionslikeinclusioninacarousel,IGTVvideo,orReels(notincludedinthisanalysis)aspostingformatscontributedtothedecline.Carouselpostshaveskyrocketedinthepastyear,frombelow15%in2019and2020to20%ofallpostsin2021.IGTVhasalsogrownrapidlyinthefewyearssinceitwasreleased,upfrom2%sharein2019tocapture10%shareofpostsin2021.Together,carouselandIGTVpostsaccountedfor30%ofallpostsinjustthefirsthalfof2021,doublethesharecommandedjusttwoyearsprior.CarouselVideo26%202051%15%IGTV10%18%202152%20%3?2021Conviva.AllRightsReserved.EntertainmentleansintoIGTVassportsleadincarouselpostsEntertainmentledotherverticalsinuseofbothstandalonevideoandIGTVat24%and19%shareofInstagramposts,respectively.Entertainmentincludesaccountsforshows,movies,channels,networks,televisionstudios,andstreamingcompaniessotheaffinitywithvideoisclear.Carouselpostsaccountedforathirdofthecontentpostedbysportsaccounts,buttheiruseofIGTVlaggedbehindallotherverticals.Sportsteamsandleaguesarefamousforbeinganalytics-focusedtodriveengagement,soitisnosurprisethatcarouselpostsalsocommandedthehighestengagementforthesportsvertical.BrandsandmediawerestillmostlikelytorelyonasinglephotofortheirInstagrampost,aroundhalfofthetime.Takingintoconsiderationthesefourcategoriesaswellasotheraccounttypesnotshown,likeinfluencersandcelebrities,allaccountsuseofsinglephotowasevenhigherat52%.ShareofInstagrambypostformatbyverticalJan1-Jun30,2021AllSports52%20%18%10%40%33%21%6%49%17%18%16%Media38%19%24%19%EntertainmentBrands50%19%18%13%0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%100%PhotoCarouselVideoIGTVAverageInstagramengagementratebypostformatbyverticalJan1-Jun30,2021PHOTOCAROUSELVIDEOIGTVSportsMedia3.2%5.4%2.5%1.7%1.7%2.9%1.0%1.8%3.0%1.2%1.7%2.1%0.7%1.1%2.1%0.6%EntertainmentBrandsCarouselpostsOverall,sportsaccountscommandedthehighestaverageengagementrateforallpoststypesexceptIGTV.ForIGTV,entertainmentaccountsledinengagementrate.Conversely,brandshadthelowestaverageengagementrateacrossallcontenttypes.Interestingly,mediaaccountssawveryconsistentengagementratesacrossdifferentpostformats.top-performerforallverticalsWithoutexception,carouselpostshadthehighestengagementrateofanypostformat,rangingfrom1.2%forbrandsto5.4%forsportsaccounts.SinglevideoandIGTVlaggedinengagementrate,whilesinglephotoperformedsecondbestformostverticals.5?2021Conviva.AllRightsReserved.TheeffectofvideoonperformanceofInstagramcarouselpostsJan1-Jun30,2021215,85316%185,838185,94317%impressions159,315reach12%18,34316,376engagementsAveragereachAverageimpressionsNovideosAverageengagementsWithvideoVideodrivesNoteveryvideolongerthanaminuteneedstobealong-formvideofeedpost.Manybrandsarebreakinguplongvideosintomultiplevideosandcreatingacarousel.Lookingattheanalyticsformorethan100,000carouselpostsshowshowthiscanbeaneffectiveengagementhack.Carouselsthatincludedavideoperformedsignificantlybetteronaveragethancarouselsthatweremadeupofjustimages.Thisincludedanaverage17%greaterreach,16%moreimpressions,and12%moreengagements.carouselperformance6?2021Conviva.AllRightsReserved.7%8%19%8%29%8%TheslowerstartbutlongertailLong-formvideoscandrivevaluelongaftertheirpostdate.LookingatIGTVvideoscomparedtocarouselsthatincludevideosortraditionalvideospostedtothefeedonInstagram,IGTVvideosonlygotabout63%oftheirtotalviewsonthefirstdayofposting,comparedto85%forcarouselsand72%forInstagramvideos.Interestingly,allvideosgetaround8%oftheirtotalviewsonthesecondday,leavingcarouselstoget7%oftheirviewsonthethirddayandbeyond,videostoget19%,andIGTVtoachieveasignificantlyhigher29%.NowthatIGTVhasbeenrolledintothemainInstagramfeed,itwillbeinterestingtoseewhetherlong-form60+secondvideoswillbeservedupinthesamewayaspreviousIGTVvideosoriftheywillfollowaviewingpatternsimilartosinglevideos.85%72%63%IGTVSinglevideosCarouselswithvideovideosDay1Day2Day3+%ofvideoviewscapturedovertimeJan1-Jun30,20217?2021Conviva.AllRightsReserved.IGTVtopperformersbyaverageengagementrateEngagementratePostsAudience607,533589,451iCarly1ENGAGEMENTRATEPOSTS6719%FalconandtheWinterSoldier6AUDIENCE98%5162,901HighSchoolMusical:17%13TheMusical:TheSeries89101112131415161718192016%15%14%14%13%13%12%12%11%Kids'ChoiceAwards95156,4241,112,92211,299BuzzFeedDeutschland2345ENGAGEMENTRATEPOSTSLokiAUDIENCE58%1026,884SoulofaNationCruelSummer211256685,73164,711GrandCanyonMen'sBasketballFloribamaENGAGEMENTRATEPOSTSAUDIENCERefugeeOlympicTeamFreshOut6,57050%1115,7423858,952InTheHeightsANewUntoldStoryBlackWidow16,968630,5339,7678ENGAGEMENTRATEPOSTSAUDIENCE21%10137,82010%10%10%9%BurdenOfTruthWynonnaEarpLoyolaChicagoMen'sBasketballNBAenMovistar+56184,33018,7669,593BarbAndStar2615ENGAGEMENTRATEPOSTSAUDIENCE21%1716,909Jan1-Jun30,2021,minimumof5IGTVpostsand5000audienceDon’tseeyouraccountlisted,butdeservetobeincludedinourrankings?Filloutthisform.IGTVtopperformersbytotalengagementsEngagements46,332,21537,466,41629,394,38828,517,29727,037,63325,379,64224,251,06623,904,83322,336,05321,876,96120,862,65119,692,60418,924,91818,087,177Posts191Audience56,926,78918,160,4686,832,87131,050,95410,529,83176,167,29318,346,2355,602,4267,471,867TheDodo1ENGAGEMENTSPOSTS678910111213141516171819209GAGAUDIENCE111,768,29045310,256,872ICC-InternationalCricketCouncilRoyalChallengersBangaloreWorldStarHipHopBarstoolSportsUEFAChampionsLeagueBBCNews286245184ManotoTV2345ENGAGEMENTSPOSTSAUDIENCE3797690,785,6641,4666,070,322UFC7073,079213ENGAGEMENTSPOSTSAUDIENCEAajTak86,048,52244528,096,245MumbaiIndiansBigBrotherBrasilNetflix5MinuteCrafts9514,070,81727,394,5358,756,3785,201,321110ENGAGEMENTSPOSTSAUDIENCE67,439,18638445,169,641TheDailyShowOvertime527309656906LADbibleBRUTOfficiel2,031,437ENGAGEMENTSPOSTSAUDIENCE51,218,75139910,994,474NowThisNews17,773,4033,115,442Jan1-Jun30,2021,verifiedbrands,media,sports,andentertainmentaccountsDon’tseeyouraccountlisted,butdeservetobeincludedinourrankings?Filloutthisform.VideoviewstrendbyaccountsizeforIGTVJan1-Jun30,2021800,000700,000600,000500

,0

004

00,000300,000200,000100,00000-2499991250000-14999992500000-27499993750000-39999995000000-52499996250000-64999998250000-849999910500000-1074999914000000-1424999919750000-1999999949500000-497499990-1,250,000-1,499,9992,500,00-2,749,9993,750,000-3,999,9995,000,000-5,249,9996,250,000-6,499,9998,250,000-8,499,99910,500,000-10,749,99914,000,000-14,249,99919,750,000-19,999,99949,500,000-49,749,999249,999FollowersBigfollowingsdrovebigviewsonIGTVAsInstagramdoesawaywiththeIGTVtabandfoldslong-formvideointothefeedmoreseamlessly,thereisatleastonemetricbrandsshouldkeeptheireyeson.Unlikesomeotheravenues,thetrendforvideoviewsonIGTVwaslargelytiedtohowmanyfollowersanaccounthad.Forsmalleraccountswithfewerthan1millionfollowersonInstagram,itwasachallengetoaveragemorethan50,000viewsperIGTVvideo.Foraccountslargerthan1millionbutlessthan10millionfollowers,500kaveragevideoviewsperIGTVpostwasnearlyunheardof.Whiletherearedefiniteexceptionstothisrule,accountswiththemostfollowersonInstagramcommandedthehighestviewsonIGTVwhichmadeabiginvestmentintoIGTVagoodchoiceonlyforwell-establishedbrands.ItwillbeinterestingtoseehowthischangewithintheInstagramappaffectsviewsforlong-formvideosandiftheywillbetreatedthesamewayasvideosthatareshorterthanoneminuteinlength.10?2021Conviva.AllRightsReserved.EngagementratebydescriptionlengthforIGTVJan1-Jun30,20210.0160.0140.0120.011200010000800060004000200000.0080.0060.0040.0020<11-5051-100

101-150

151-200

201-250

251-300

301-350

351-400

401-450

451-500

501-550

551-600

601-650

651-700

701-750

751-800

801-850

851-900

901-950

951-1000

>1001AverageengagementrateCountofIGTVpostsperdescriptionlengthMostcommonlyLookingattheengagementrateof54,000IGTVvideosincomparisonwithhowmanycharacterswereincludedintheirdescriptionshowsthatthehighestengagementrateforpostsoccurredwhendescriptionswereshortandsweet,betweenoneand50characters.Nodescription,or0characters,didexceptionallywellalso.Interestingly,incrediblylongdescriptions,1200charactersorlonger,performedbetterthanmedium-lengthdescriptions,suchas100-800characters.Longerdescriptionsarecommonlyusedonvideoswhereabackgroundstoryiswarranted,forrecipes,andnewsvideosthathaveafullnewsarticlepostedinthedescription.useddescriptions,leasteffective11?2021Conviva.AllRightsReserved.Successfullong-formcontentonInstagramTheDailyShowtakesTrevorNoah’sin-showmonologuesandcropsthemverticallyforInstagram.Byhighlightingacomponentoftheshowconsistently,viewersknowwhattoexpectandcanbeenticedtowatchthefullshowformore.RedBullhasfoundsuccessonInstagramComedyCentralcompilationsandclipsfrompopularshowsareaprovenformulaforthebrand.Previously,theIGTVareaonComedyCentral’sInstagramneatlyorganizedwithlongerextremesportshighlights.WhentheywerepostingonIGTVtopromotevideos,theycarefullyselecteda15-secondhighlighttobeplacedontheirmainfeedthatgotviewersexcitedtowatchmore.contentwitheachshowbrokenoutintoseriesforeasydiscoveryandtracking.12?2021Conviva.AllRightsReserved.Successfullong-formcontentonInstagramUEFAChampionsLeaguehadoneofthemostimpressiveIGTVpresenceswithanestablishedfollowing.Mostoftheircontentwasfocusedonspecificplayerorteamcompilations,whichalmostalwaysTheNFLcreatedanarrayoflong-formMovieandshowtrailersfoundtheirhomeonInstagramwithinIGTV.Withthenewupdate,don’texpecttrailersonInstagramtogoawayanytimesoon,andlonger-formvideointhemainfeedwilllikelybeawelcomeaddition.Instagramcontentfocusedonbehind-the-scenesfootage,playerinterviews,andathletestoriesthathumanizethesportinawaygamehighlightscannot.exceeded1millionviewspervideo.13?2021Conviva.AllRightsReserved.Long-formvideobestpracticesMakesurethecontentistherightfitfortheformat.Insomecases,ashorterstoryorsinglescenefromashowmightbebetterasamulti-partvideocarousel,Reel,orInstagramstory.ForlongformvideosonInstagram,youwanttofindcontentthatwillkeeptheviewerengaged,likesinglestoryorintriguingvideocompilation.Payattentiontotheanalytics.LookatotherplatformslikeFacebook,YouTube,andnowTikTok(astheytestoutfive-minutevideos)anduseanalyticsfromConvivaSocialInsightstoseewhichvideoshavethelongestwatchtime.YoucanalsolookatoldInstagramStoriesthathadhighcompletionratestodeterminewhichcontentisworthrepurposing.Startstrong.Forlong-formvideosonInstagramit’ssometimesbesttoletpeopleknowwhattheyaregettinginto.Ashortintrocliporvideohighlightincludedinthepreviewyouposttoyourfeedcanmakeallthedifferencebetweenasuccessfulvideoandaflop.Experimentwithdifferenttypesofpreviewstoseewhatworkswellwithyouraudience.Alwaysaddauto-caption.Believeitornot,themajorityofpeoplescrollthroughsocialmediawiththevolumeoff.Auto-captionsprovidetheopportunityforengagementwhenlisteningwiththevolumeonmightnotbeapossibility.14?2021Conviva.AllRightsReserved.FinalthoughtsWhiletheIGTVnamemaynotliveon,long-formvideoonInstagramisheretostay.Theadditionoflong-formvideowithinInstagramallowsviewerstofullyimmersethemselvesinabrandonInstagraminawaytheycouldn’tbefore.Whilesocialmanagersmightlamenttheneedtocreatecustomcontentforeachplatformaswellasinmultipledifferentformats,it’sclearthatdifferentposttypesprovidetheflexibilitytoengagewithaudiencesinnewways.Associalplatf