For many artists, Instagram has slowly but surely turned into a major content outlet. Features like IGTV enable you to post full-length music videos on the platform, and story engagement is incredibly high.
If you’re already tapping into this distributive medium, or are planning to, there are certain things that you might want to keep in mind. These pointers also involve pre-production planning. Consider them well in ovance of any content production measures.
There’s a fine line between content that has been roughly adapted and content that has been planned and prepared to work exclusively within the Instagram format. It makes a huge difference, though, and the elevation of quality and engagement is definitely visible.
Let’s start:
Vertical Framing
Vertical framing is ultimately essential when making music videos Instagram ready. This means the director and DoP of your video should have an assortment of frames lined up, especially those, that enable a vertical, centralized portrayal of the subject.
The Instagram story format – which is among the most powerful ad formats around right now – only presents vertical framing. Videos are most beautiful, if they successfully embrace the full hight of this framing.
If you shoot in 16:9, and leave it that way, the video will be poorly adapted within the story, and the magic will probably fade. So – be sure to talk about vertical formatting prior to shooting a video. Even if you shoot in 16:9, make sure the vertical format is considered, and necessary shots are collected. Even if it’s only for potential ads, but we’ll get to that soon enough.
Let’s continue with slight modifications.
Subtitle Version
A great way of generating unique content for Instagram is creating an exclusive subtitle version. This can really differentiate a video placed on Instagram from other platforms, like YouTube, delivering an added value to your content piece.
Again – this has to be prepared. Your editor has to be aware that you are planning to produce a subtitle version, due to extra time that has to be calculated.
It also makes sense to involve the director in the planning of this modification.
Remember to adapt a vertical video format. You’ll have to create trial versions to see if the subtitles actually work the way you imagined.
As always, think mobile first.
Story campaigning / story ads
Instagram story ads are an incredibly powerful tool to promote a brand or a given piece of content. They should have a maximum length of 15 seconds and should contain a swipe-up / call to action link.
This can direct potential, new audiences to various streaming platforms, storefronts etc. and act as an awareness tool but also an actionable asset. Brief your editor well in advance – Develop the 15-second cut very carefully.
Demonstrate the strongest musical facet. Add a brief text-based call to action should promote your music brand and a given release.
Instagram story ads are run via Facebook business manager. Prepare to use this tool or get together with somebody who knows how to use this advertising backend.
If you worry about coming over too corporate – don’t. Your music in a stream of Instagram stories will be a fresh wind of content. As long as you refrain from being to “salesy” with the call to action.
Create something beautiful, and people will dig it.
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