How to Post Videos on Instagram and Create Engaging Videos

WorldExecutivesDigest.com | How to Post Videos on Instagram and Create Engaging Videos | Are you wondering how to create engaging videos on your Instagram account? In this guide, you’ll learn how to post videos on Instagram.  

Instagram is known primarily as a photo app, but did you know Instagram can also handle video? In fact, video posts on the popular app receive double the attention compared to other types of posts.

But using video alone is not enough for engagement. It needs to be of high quality to engage an audience.

Read on to learn how to post videos on Instagram and make them shine. 

How to Post Videos on Instagram

There are a variety of ways you can get your video content on Instagram. For example, you can upload existing content or create it on the fly. Let’s examine the different methods of achieving this. 

Uploading From Your Mobile Device

If you have created a video with your phone and want to get it to Instagram, it’s almost the same process as adding a photo. 

On the main screen of the app, there is a + symbol at the bottom. When you hit that, it will give you options to browse your library where you keep all your images and other content, or to shoot video within the app.

If you already have the video in your phone’s memory, you can simply select the one you want to include in your Instagram feed, and voila! The video will appear to your followers until you erase it. 

Alternately, you can slide the option over to “video” and record within the app by holding down the record button until you get the clip you want. 

The only limitation of adding video using your mobile device is that it’s limited to 60 seconds. So if you have longer video content, you’ll want to edit it to ensure the section you want to be posted isn’t cut off. 

Posting Video Using Stories

In 2016, Instagram Stories was launched as a way to create temporary videos outside of your main feed. 

With Instagram Stories, you can import images and videos just like you would otherwise. You can also hold down the record button after clicking the + on your Instagram icon to achieve the same result. 

While Instagram video stories expire after 24 hours, the app added the ability to save them by category (called a “highlight”) on your profile. They can then be watched an unlimited number of times (or until you delete it.)

The only thing to consider is that they are limited to 15 seconds. However, you can put videos back-to-back as additional clips if you have a longer clip to share. 

You can also “go live” on Instagram, meaning exactly what it sounds like – people are seeing your video in real-time. You will be given an option to save the video after you’ve ended it. 

Posting Video Using IGTV

In 2018, Instagram made another announcement: the addition of IGTV. While the stories were touted to compete with Snapchat, IGTV was Instagram’s reported answer to Youtube. 

This was good news for those who love posting video content on Instagram. Instead of just one minute of content in a feed, IGTV allows users to upload up to 1-hour of footage. They can be 1-minute at a minimum.

There are a few technical requirements from Instagram to post a video on IGTV, one of them is video shot with a minimum of 30 frames per second for quality. 

IGTV can be accessed from within the Instagram app, but it is also available as a standalone app for video lovers. 

Downloading IG Videos

So now that you’re aware of how to post videos on Instagram in various ways, you should also know there are ways to download videos from the platform. 

You may want to do this if you’ve uploaded a story that you wanted to save to your device, for example. The problem is there’s no built-in method to do this within the app, and there are many apps out there that claim to be able to do it with varying levels of success.

However, you can learn more here about how to safely and effectively download any video from the web to a Mac, iOS, or Android device: https://setapp.com/how-to/download-instagram-videos. This also includes live stories. 

Creating Effective Videos on Instagram

Posting videos on Instagram is one skill, but making video content that is worth posting is quite another.

The length of the video also has to be considered depending on the posting method. Here are a few things to keep in mind when creating video content to upload to your IG account.

Decide on Your Goals

Are you creating a video for fun, or do you want to use it as a way to attract potential customers for your business? 

If it’s the latter, you’re going to want to make it more polished and perhaps include text overlays to drive traffic to your website.

You can also give your followers a taste of something special such as behind-the-scenes footage, or even quick product demonstrations to get people interested. 

Make It Look Professional

Shooting video that’s too dark or with poor sound quality will not keep eyes on your video content for very long.

Natural lighting is preferred (try to avoid backlighting the subject), and use a mic if possible to get rid of noises that can drown out what the subject is saying. 

Make sure that the lighting is adequate when showing off a new product line or the great vacation spot you’ve found. There are phone tripods and panning tools available for mobile devices as well, so the whole video is not a shaky mess.

There are other technical suggestions to maximize the impact of your IG video, such as shooting high-definition 4K video. 

Post More Videos on Instagram

If you’ve been avoiding posting content because you didn’t know how to post videos on Instagram, then it’s time to start. Using these tips, you now know how to upload them and produce quality content. 

With a variety of methods from 15-second temporary stories to 1-hour IGTV videos, you have plenty of options — so go for it!

Did you find this article helpful? If so, be sure to come back for more quality content on related topics.