Exciting times! Instagram reached 1 billion users this week and has released a new feature that is going to change the life of online entrepreneurs. No joke. This is huge! And more so, the opportunities coming with it. Ladies and Gentlemen, you may have seen it already, but I present to you IGTV.
Picture credit: Mashable
What is IGTV
IGTV is a new app feature rolled out 3 days ago on Instagram. It allows users to upload videos up to 1 hour long. Hold on a second. I must clarify here, that for now, only verified and bigger accounts are able to upload videos with that length. For everyone else, the limit is 10 minutes. Well, that's the official information. My profile allows me to upload a video that's 15 minutes long! Either way, Instagram has promised to lift all time limits in the future. Besides, wait until I tell you what you can do with these 10 or 15 minutes!
Why IGTV is the next best things since sliced bread
Le Roi est mort, vive le Roi! In other words, the introduction of IGTV may actually mean the slow death of YouTube. Mmm, yes, it does sound a bit extreme, but certainly a possibility within the next few years, considering the current trends. Check IGTV's advantages:
Videos must be vertical - made for mobile use.
Instagram is already far too popular with the Millennial and younger generation
It has buried SnapChat
It has Facebook's huge empire behind its back
Viewers will be able to see more targeted content based on their likes and preferences
No unexpected "rubbish" videos
It's ideal for comedians, music artists, coaches and online entrepreneurs
Why YouTube is still holding the fort
It's part of Google and very important for SEO
It is the second largest search engine
It is also hugely popular among the younger generation
Anyone can upload anything without length restriction
You can actually make money on YouTube for the content you put there
Read more about YouTube marketing advantages.
To be honest, if IGTV can play on the background even after you exit the app, this will certainly be the death of YouTube. It's the main flaw of the largest video search engine people have been complaining about for ages.
How can you make money with IGTV starting now
This is the part you've been scrolling down to. Although currently Instagram does not pay its creators for the video content they produce, there have been plans to introduce revenue share or other ways of monetising the platform. “We are committed to helping [creators] build their careers and make a living doing this work,” a spokesperson told Recode after Tuesday’s presentation. “After launch, we’ll be exploring and testing ways to help creators monetize.” - Recode
Kevin Systrom, Instagram's CEO, also said that he is committed to making sure that not only people who are already famous will be putting their hand in the honey pot. The main criteria for getting paid on IGTV will be producing popular and engaging videos. Once again, this means that value content will play a huge role into your success as an online entrepreneur. It's not like I haven't been telling you...
But no one has the time to sit and wait until a monetisation system is put in place. Instead, you can create your own. That's right, IGTV can be your next best sales funnel and therefore, make you lots of money. Here are some ideas what you can do on the new platform.
1. Post sneak peaks of interviews with clients or industry experts. - these are not too hard to produce and edit but are interesting for people to watch. Leave a link in the description to the place where users can watch the full interview. I recommend a private Facebook Group or your YouTube channel if it is already monetised. BTW, you can drive crazy traffic to your blog posts using IGTV - links do work, unlike on Instagram posts or stories!!!
2. Upload longer behind-the-scenes videos of how you make your products or how your business operates. - People absolutely love this type of videos. They drive the most new followers and boost sales.
3. Hold Q & A sessions. - Pick the most common questions in your niche and answer them as an expert. This will strengthen your reputation, plus it is great value content and it is likely to get a lot of engagement. It is not only good for your future opportunity to monetise your channel, but also for your current SEO and Google rankings. To encourage engagement, ask people to comment with more questions you will answer in the next Q&A session. You can then private message them and offer them to subscribe to your blog and mailing list for exclusive tips on the topic. 4. Upload extra value snippets of your paid online courses. - I think this is the greatest strategy to make money from IGTV for anyone who offers paid training on pretty much anything. Hook people with the part you choose to share for free and then give them a link or even a coupon code for purchasing your full course. BTW, this isn't limited to online training providers. It would also be a brilliant strategy for event organisers and onsite trainers. After all, the main idea is to create hype by showing a super attractive sneak peak.
Your possibilities are limitless, but because this is something entirely new, I strongly recommend you get on it RIGHT NOW. Don't delay the creation of your IGTV channel and start uploading good content as soon as possible. Usually, big online platforms reward those who have stuck with them since the beginning, so don't miss your chance. I'm already on it! Why don't you join me on IGTV now? Let's make money and history together!
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