We all know Instagram. Once the de-facto platform for sharing photos, IG is now a social media powerhouse owned by Facebook and a place where brands and small businesses alike share their products, goods, and services while fostering communities of ever-growing followers.
In this guide, we'll go into everything you need to know about Instagram video specs, advertising, and even how to make your bio better. Let's get started.
Instagram at a glance
It's busy in the world of Instagram. Here are a few proof points that Instagram continues to grow and flourish, both organically for creators and through careful ad placement from advertisers.
Here's everything you need to know about Instagram video specs
MP4 is the best format for Instagram. Here are the best specs:
IG video length does not commonly exceed 60 minutes. Remember though, Instagram video limits are not imposed in a haphazard way. Researchers pore over the numbers to ensure your videos are perfectly tailored to hit the mark with your audience.
How long can Instagram videos be?
- IGTV clips are restricted to 60 minutes. However, IGTV videos range from 15 seconds to 10 minutes for regular Instagram account holders. IGTV video files (4:5 minimum aspect ratio & 5.4 GB max video size limit) must be uploaded from a PC or Mac in MP4 format
- Instagram Stories are limited to 15 seconds, but you can also create multiple clips which can be shared as combined stories
- Instagram feed video lengths typically range from the 3 seconds minimum video length Instagram to max 60 seconds
- Instagram Live broadcasts are similar to Facebook Live, limited to a maximum 60 minute duration
How long can videos on my Instagram Feed be?
You’re limited to lengths between 3-60 seconds for Instagram Feed videos. Your feed is your Instagram profile – that’s the place where all of your activity is showcased.
If you want to upload an Instagram video longer than a minute, that’s fine, but only one minute of that video will be featured in your Instagram Feed. The good news? You get to choose which minute to showcase.
Let’s say you are recording 2 minutes 20 seconds of video to upload to your Instagram feed. Once you’ve selected the video, you can edit it to prepare it for upload. Note that you’ll have to to use the ‘time bands’ to pick your preferred 60 seconds of video content.
Click the ‘Trim’ button and then drag your video left or right to get the best 60 seconds of video content to upload. As soon as you’re satisfied, click ‘Done.’
Did you know?
Instagram Stories
Instagram Stories, otherwise known as IG Stories, can be a maximum of 15 seconds long and they’re available to watch for just 24 hours. Stories offer twice as much length as photos (currently 7 seconds).
Even though 15 second limits apply to individual Stories, there’s good news – if your video is longer than 15 seconds, Instagram will automatically splice it into 15-second segments for your convenience.
If you're new to Stories, you may be surprised to find one of your videos cropped to fit the 15-second format. There are many apps on the market for users to cut long videos into 15-second clips, like:
Instagram Stories are otherwise known as IG Stories, and these video clips can be a maximum of 15 seconds, and they’re available for 24 hours.
If you’ve got a story to share and it’s longer than 15 seconds, Instagram gives you some leeway. It’s possible to maximize your Instagram story video length up to 60 seconds by uploading 4 x 15-second Instagram videos.
If the video you’re trying to upload is longer than 60 seconds, you can manually splice it with one of the apps we mentioned earlier, or simply do it on your camera roll. Instagram Story options also exist within the Instagram app on your iOS or Android device.
What are Instagram's Story dimensions?
The Instagram Story dimensions are 1080×1920, while their aspect ratio is 9×16. To optimize your content for every phone in the market, there is a 250 pixels margin on the top and bottom of the screen that might be cropped out on some devices. That means that you should make sure that no key element of your content ends up in that 250 pixels "safe zone" either on the top or bottom of the screen.
More details about Instagram dimensions
Instagram Story templates we love
Promote brand-new content. Build suspense for your best content and drive Story-watchers to your page to engage with your latest posts.
Be your own hype man. Advertise a new collection or product drop in your Stories for your ecommerce brand.
Gear up Stories for engagement. Ask your audience questions to engage, whether that's with a sticker or a poll, then share the answers.
Make it easy for followers to convert. Include sale info or a discount code to encourage sales in a single click. Accounts with greater than 10,000 followers get access to a simple "swipe up" CTA.
How to post successful, engaging Instagram Stories
No doubt you want your story to hit the mark with your friends and followers. Once you’ve set the correct Instagram video time limit, you’re well on your way to making a big splash on social media.
To help you, we’ve put together a quick list of top tips to help you get more traction with your followers:
The mechanics of shooting IG stories:
You have several options of shooting your stories natively within the app, like:
You can also publish your Story directly from your Android or iOS device, upload from your PC or Mac, or simply use a third-party App.
How to use Stories to increase brand awareness
The goal is always to attract as much attention as possible. This can only be achieved if your stories are entertaining. If you add too many Instagram Stories, you may find that your audience will lose interest and swipe away.
When you use the Live Option, you can film as many as 10 x 15-second IG Stories in one shoot. The Instagram Stories play out on 1080 (width) x 1920 (height) dimensions. The stories are designed to maximize your mobile device’s screen real estate.
If you use another format for Instagram Stories, you’ll be pleased to know that Instagram automatically makes your videos fit your screen. Instagram also adds backgrounds, stickers, text, drawing options and margins to your videos. These are ideal ways to decorate your story. Once you’re happy with the end product, simply click ‘Send To >’.
The length of Instagram videos is standard, regardless of the format you are using to upload your video content.
The more appealing your Instagram videos, the greater the view count. As soon as a video has been watched for more than 3 seconds (minimum video length requirement) it counts as a view.
4 popular IG Story commands
Instagram carousel video length
Create a carousel post to upload multiple connected videos to your Instagram Feed, which allows you to post as many as 10 videos in one 'swipe-able' carousel. Save sections of your video as stand-alone clips which can be sequentially uploaded in the same carousel posting.
How to get started with Instagram Carousel videos
IGTV video lengths
IGTV is Instagram TV. Anyone with an Instagram account can easily spot this cool feature in their account. Getting started with IGTV is pretty easy. You can upload HD, vertical videos in long form with your video channel.
Of course, IG video length must meet certain requirements, like having a minimum length of 15 seconds. IGTV is geared towards vertical video, making it best for Android and iOS mobile devices.
Why post IGTV videos? IGTV is geared towards creating much more immersive content for Instagram users. If you have a verified account with plenty of followers, you will be able to enjoy up to 60 minutes of video length for IGTV.
Important tips for IGTV
Get the aspect ratio right for vertical video. This can’t be stressed enough. Smartphones shoot on 9:16 aspect ratios, so you won't need to buy expensive software to fine tune your videos.
Share your IGTV video in your feed. This gives you a one minute trailer of your IGTV video. By allowing the IGTV preview (optional setting), your IGTV video will be available on your profile, and your Instagram feed.
Check the stats. IGTV analytics will tell you how engaging your IGTV content is. You’ll be able to tell how many comments, likes, and views have been generated by your IGTV videos.
Instagram Live video lengths
Instagram allows registered users to post Live Videos direct to their account. Instagram Live Videos display real-time video content up to 60 minutes long. This is the Instagram video limit.
Once the Live Video Feed has expired, your followers will be able to replay the video for up to 24 hours after the recording. The Live Video features in your followers’ Instagram feeds.
Once you’re ready to share a live video with your followers on Instagram, you simply open up your Instagram app and go live. Instagram Live came hot on the heels of Instagram Stories.
These live broadcasts allow for lots of real time interaction with followers, and you can easily attract new followers too. Ready to go Live? Check out the stories bar on IG. Look for the word ‘Live’ emblazoned in the avatars. To watch a live stream, click on the avatar and you’re good to go.
Click ‘Your Story’ next to the + sign and tap your camera icon. There are lots of live video recording options such as Normal, Boomerang, Rewind, Hands Free and Live. Remember to click the ‘Live’ button and then ‘Start Live Video’.
Your IG Live broadcast will begin after a 3-second countdown. A notification will be sent out to all your followers, with a ‘Live’ badge displayed over your profile picture. You can end the live video at any time by clicking on ‘End’.
How to add multiple links to your Instagram bio
If you’ve been using Instagram for any period of time now, you have probably heard or seen the phrase ‘Link in bio’ before.
The only other place where you can have a clickable link on Instagram is in Stories through the well-known "Swipe Up" feature. However, this feature is only available if you have greater than 10,000 followers.
That limitation makes the link in bio the only clickable link on Instagram for most users.
There are a ton of platforms available to help you optimize your "Link in Bio" section (and make the most out of that one precious master link) with multiple links.
We'll cover all the essentials, like:
You'll gain a firm knowledge of how to get set up, so you can drive even more of your followers *exactly* where you want them to go.
How do I set up a link in bio?
To put a link in your Instagram bio, you simply need to:
1. Go to your profile, then click the ‘Edit Profile’ button.
2. The link in bio is under the section ‘Website’. Putting a link in that section will make it clickable.
Keep in mind that your clickable link will appear at the end of your bio. You might want to explain the link destination — for example, "follow my work" could signify a link to your portfolio, or "read more" a direct signal that your link in bio will send followers to blog content.
What kind of links belong in the bio?
The "link in bio" is just a fancy phrase for a call-to-action. Think through the content goals of your Instagram and what makes the most sense for your business, whether that's sending people to a blog post to learn more about you, or nurturing a warm lead to purchase a product from your website.
Instagram can be a great way to drive traffic to your websites. For example,
4 ways to include multiple links in your bio
Shor.by
When your Instagram followers click your Shorby link in your bio, they go to a page with all your links for your website, an upcoming event, your latest email send, your blog, etc.
Pros:
Cons:
Linktr.ee
Linktr.ee is a free tool for optimizing your Instagram traffic, whether you’re a blogger, an artist or run a content platform. You’ll get one bio link to house all the content you’re driving followers to. Their motto? “Let your content live longer than the feed.”
Pros:
Cons:
3. Manylink
Manylink, as the name implies, is a service that allows you to showcase many links on one page.
Pros:
Cons:
4. Tap.bio
Tap.bio offers more than just a page to host all of your links, but a customizable online card where you can promote whatever you like (beautifully!)
Pros:
Cons:
While these solutions seem ideal, they require one more step on your audience’s side, which can make people give up in the process of following you on a different platform.
How to tell you've got a high-performing bio on your hands
If you have a Business Profile on Instagram, you have access to analytics. While Instagram has straightforward and not-so-thorough analytics, the tool will still tell you how many people clicked on your link in bio in the last week.
Compare that link to your number of profile visits. If a significant proportion of your visitors end up clicking your link, that probably means that your bio is on point.
However, if you have a lot of views of your profile but almost no clicks on the link, consider tweaking your bio to make your link and profile more appealing.
Remember: social media is all about trial and error. If something is not performing as well as you would like, there is probably some tweaking you can do to make it better.
How to advertise your link in bio
Most Instagram users are familiar with the phrase ’link in bio’, so you can use that phrase instead of having to explain every time where to find your website, online shop or landing page.
However, keep in mind that advertising too much can have the opposite effect that you were expecting. It’s all about balance.
Be sure to regularly check your stats to see what content usually performs best. If your stats are up to your standard, maybe you were a little too pushy, or perhaps transparent enough.
Links in bio are underestimated and underused by most marketers, yet they're a simple and effective tool to make your Instagram a significant source of traffic for your business.
