Reels, IGTV, Live or in-feed? The best Instagram video format for your content

So, you’ve got a great content idea for an Instagram video. Where should you publish it on the app?

Should you upload it to the feed? Does it have to go onto IGTV since it’s over a minute? Or perhaps it warrants being announced and released exclusively on Instagram Live.

Since its official launch of Reels, Instagram has been pushing Reels video content in its algorithm to rival Tik Tok. But not every brand or every video suits the short-form format which now accepts videos of 30 seconds in length.

While Stories is still a great option, the 24-hour expiry means only you can see it in the backend archive! Publishing your Instagram video in-feed, on IGTV or Reels allows your followers to refer back to it and hopefully save it (engagement — tick!) to rewatch!

We’ve rounded up all of the video formats that Instagram offers on the feed so you can best decide where it would sit on your profile!

While each format may suit a particular video style, the beauty is that the content can be incredibly versatile across different brands within the same industry.

For example, beauty brands can all benefit from Reels, whether they are a drugstore or luxury brand. Despite Reels and Tik Tok being very Gen Z focused, well-produced content can appeal to all audiences.

@sephora’s playful and unpolished Reels content à la Tik Tok

@diormakeup’s Reels content is professional and polished.

It’s worth noting that IGTV, Reels and especially Instagram Lives lack insights data which can be inconvenient in terms of engagement feedback and reporting. We are presuming that these metrics are being developed by Instagram and on their way soon.

If you still require some convincing, here is a further breakdown of the various formats and what they are best used for in a content sense:

Still curious? We’ve put together a deck that investigates this topic in depth with a focus on Reels.

Get in touch with your HG contact or email us here to request access.