Today, businesses have many options available for their digital marketing mix, but very few are having a moment quite like Instagram video ads.
Believe it or not, more than a whopping two-million advertisers use Instagram to reach the social network’s one-billion active users at a time when there has been an 80 percent increase in time spent watching Instagram videos.
Instagram has continually expanded its offerings for advertising businesses, with each type of ad placement offering unique advantages. But how long is an Instagram video ad, and how much of a role does the length play?
While, yes, there are quite a few rules for the length and type of Instagram videos allowed, don’t worry—we’ve got you covered!
The time limit for Instagram Stories is 15 seconds, but if your clip happens to be longer, you can split it up into multiple fifteen-second sections.
Instagram Live can be up sixty minutes long. However, similarly to Stories, if you need a little more time, you can record a new Live video immediately after the first.
Videos that are published on your Instagram feed can range from 3-60 seconds long.
Videos have become so incredibly popular that in 2018, Instagram went ahead and launched a separate app for creating vertical and horizontal videos called IGTV. This app allows you to record videos as short as 15 seconds and up to one hour long, which gives its users much more flexibility to pre-record longer videos. Instagram has said that it eventually plans to remove this time limit for IGTV.
The challenging part with Instagram videos is making sure that the length of your video matches Instagram’s strict length limitations. It can be frustrating to spend many hours on a video only to discover that it can’t be uploaded to Instagram because it’s a measly second too long.
We’ve all been there. Here are a few tips on how to create videos with the perfect Instagram size.
If Your Instagram Video is Too Long:
First, it’s good to keep in mind that Instagram itself actually lets you crop your video prior to posting. However, if you would rather not delete any of your footage, consider splicing it up into smaller clips and then turn the one video into a carousel video post. Carousels can be up to ten minutes long, so it gives much more length flexibility.
Once you’ve spliced your Instagram video into shorter clips, you can use a video maker app to add music, text, and templates to create a professional and captivating video.
If Your Instagram Video is Too Short:
If your Instagram video happens to be too short and doesn’t hit the minimum, try turning it into a slow-motion clip or adding an extra frame of text to make it longer. You can also try adding a loop to your video to add time.
When you’re scrolling through your social media feed, how likely are you to stop at every ad and watch it from start to finish? Not very likely, right?
When scrolling through social media, most users scroll, only to stop at short clips that catch their attention. We will repeat that— most users scroll, only to stop at short clips that catch their attention.
Sure, Instagram may give you a lot of time to create your video ad, but the truth is that no one goes on social media to watch advertisements. Users may watch your ad if it’s of interest to them, but if it’s longer than a few seconds, they are likely to keep on scrolling.
So, how long should your video ad be, you ask?
Only as long as it needs to be to convey your message, and not a second more.
Thinking about creating video ads for your Instagram? Here are a few tips to maximize their effectiveness:
Make The First Seconds Count
As we mentioned, Instagram users quickly scroll through their social feeds, so whether it’s a regular Instagram video advertisement or an Instagram story advertisement, brands need to make captivating video ads that compel viewers to stop.
Make sure that the first few seconds of your video has enough movement—that even with the sound off—viewers know immediately that it’s a video and not a static image. If the first few seconds of your video are so subtle that it appears to be an image, they will scroll right by without realizing they even missed anything.
Add Text
Since Instagram audio is always muted by default, it’s recommended that brands lead with visuals and/or text. You can grab their attention—or just simply get your message across—by providing more than just captions. Create dynamic text effects using different apps to highlight the main points that you wouldn’t want any users to miss.
Solve a Problem
Instagram video advertisements should identify a problem and show how a product or service can solve it. By identifying a problem that your potential customers may have, you are creating an emotional bond with them, so they are already intrigued by what you have to offer. Once you’ve got them hooked, show them how your service or product solves that problem.
Focus on a Single Goal
It’s a good idea to focus on a central theme, topic, and goal for each video ad. This could be product education, brand awareness, or ‘buy now’ options. Just don’t try to cram all of this into one video ad because you will bombard your viewers, and they will just scroll right past your ad.
Additionally, if your ad contains too many selling points or products, it will seem like a sales pitch. Target your customer base and create eye-catching video content tailored for them.
Look Less Like an Ad
Instagram video ads should blend naturally into your customer’s feeds for the best reception and not be overly self-promotional. When viewers scroll through their social feeds, you want to capture their attention. Posting video content that brings value to the viewer is more likely to have engagement.
The length of your Instagram video ad plays a huge role in the success of your marketing campaign. Users are not likely to stop and watch an ad unless it catches their attention and is no longer than a few seconds. However, it can be a little tricky to make sure your video ads meet Instagram’s video-length guidelines. Nothing is more frustrating than creating an out-of-this-world ad only to find it is a second too short.
Rather than spinning your wheels trying to perfect the length of your video advertisements, call in the experts!
MuteSix is a reputable, award-winning advertising agency that specializes in Instagram marketing. Their highly qualified team of experts can help you to leverage Instagram data to create a revenue-generating advertising strategy to take your business to the next level.
As the #1 profit-driven digital marketing agency in the world, it’s easy to see why brands turn to MuteSix for all of their advertising needs. Give them a call today and see the difference they can make for your brand!
Sources:
https://business.instagram.com/blog/welcoming-two-million-advertisers/
https://business.instagram.com/getting-started/#why-instagram
https://about.instagram.com/blog/announcements/welcome-to-igtv