The Ultimate Guide To Using Instagram Videos

Instagram videos are certainly not the easiest thing to get your head around when it comes to social media. It’s easy to be intimidated by the vast amount of options available to you. Stories, Reels, Feed videos, Live videos, IGTV – what do they all do? All of these features serve a different purpose and each of them help you expand your influence in different ways. 

We have compiled a few basic features of each and some tips to help your wedding business get the most out of Instagram videos!

Feed videos are the most classic and simple form of video content that can be posted to Instagram. These videos can be up to a minute long and include pretty much anything from a tour of a room in your venue to a video of a happy couple on their wedding day. 

To post a feed video, follow these simple steps:

1. Go to the Instagram homepage, tap the “+” icon in the top left to create a new post
2. You will see your gallery of photos and videos. Choose up to 10 that you want to post. If you want to record a new video, tap the small camera icon on the right side of the black bar above your saved pictures and videos. Once you’re done, press the blue arrow in the top right.
3. From here, you can trim your videos, add a filter and choose a cover photo for your post. Once you’re happy with your video, tap the blue arrow in the top right again.
4. Add the finishing touches. You’ll be able to add a caption, location and tags to other accounts, as well as being able to share to other social media platforms. Press the blue tick in the top right to publish your video.

Charlotte’s Top Tip

Be sure to add video content to your Instagram feed at least once every week to help maximise your engagement. 

Instagram stories are another great yet temporary way to expand your influence and presence on social media. Stories can be added to your account at any time and stick around for 24 hours. Once you’ve posted a story, a colourful outline will appear next to your profile picture. People can access Instagram stories in two ways, either your account or at the top of their feed if they follow your account or by the aforementioned method of tapping on your profile picture.

Stories are special and get access to a lot of customisation that other formats do not have. Once you’ve got the picture or video for your story, Instagram gives you a load of helpful tools to help make your post even better. You can add animated stickers, gifs, swipe up links, tags, music, polls, quizzes, locations and so much more to help gauge more interaction from your audience. 

Here’s a quick guide on how to make an Instagram story:

1. Tap the “+” icon on the homepage to create a new post
2. There will be a small bar at the button with “POST” selected – tap “STORY” next to it or swipe this to the left so it changes to “STORY”
3. Once the story window is open, upload your content to post using the picture icon in the bottom left or use the camera to take a video or picture.
4. Edit your story. Most of the interactive additions, such as polls and quizzes, are located under the sticker icon with the smiley face.
5. Once you’re happy with your story, tap “Send To” and tap “Share” next to where it says “Your story” to post it.

Another important story feature to note is Highlights. You can create Highlights on your Instagram page by pressing the “+” in the circle underneath your profile picture. Here you will have access to all of the story posts you have made and create a sort of portfolio of different images. You can rename these for certain themes and add to them whenever you want. 

These are only accessible by people who go on to your account and tap on them but they the best way to keep story highlights of similar themes in one place, such as photos from weddings or maybe videos from outside your venue at different times of year.

Charlotte’s Top Tip

Even if you don’t have specific content to share on your stories, make sure you are sharing your grid posts. Stories can have a higher engagement rate, so even if people don’t see your post on their feed, they are likely to see it on your story.

Reels are a fantastic way to create short and snappy content that’ll stay around forever. They work similarly to stories in the way that you create and edit them but have their own section on your page. Reels can be accessed by followers at any time by pressing the the reels button in the bottom middle of the screen. 

They will then appear in the reels feed of your followers and may appear to people who don’t follow you depending on their chosen interests and tags. Reels are perfect for creating quick, eye-catching videos to draw people in and helping reach all kinds of different people. 

Here is how you can make your own Instagram Reel:

1. Tap the “+” icon on the homepage to create a new post
2. There will be a small bar at the button with “POST” selected – tap “REELS” next to it or swipe this to the left so it changes to “REELS”
3. Upload or record your desired reels content using the icon in the bottom left or the film icon in the bottom middle
4. You can add effects or audio at this point – just press on either of them at the side
5. Select “Preview” when finished to preview your reel – you can add touches like gifs and stickers,  but not as many choices when compared to stories
6. Select “Next” and give your post a caption, hashtags, a cover image and account tags then tap “Share” to post your reel.

Charlotte’s Top Tip

Video content is being favourited by Instagram at the moment, so reels are more likely to be shown to your followers. I would recommend posting two reels per week to maximise engagement.

This works a bit differently from the others. IGTV is a separate tab on your instagram page, similar to Reels, but instead of short 15-30 second videos they are 1 – 60 minutes long. This allows you to essentially post Youtube-length videos on to your Instagram page so you can have a channel for your wedding business. 

Many businesses have been slow to engage with IGTV because of the comparatively high amount of resources needed, but long-form videos can be a fantastic way to keep people interested. Perhaps you could do a vlog series where you give some behind-the-scenes insight setting up a wedding, or have a different series where you interview and show off some of your suppliers – the possibilities here are endless. 

Here’s how you can create your own IGTV:

1. Tap the “+” icon on the homepage to make a new post
2. Select a video from your gallery. IGTV videos have to be over 1 minute long.
3. You’ll get the option of “Long Video” or “Short Video”. Select Long Video, otherwise it will be posted as a normal feed post.
4. Select a cover photo from your video, then tap “Next”
5. Give your video a title and description. If you want to add it to a series you can press “Add to Series”.
6. Press “Post to IGTV” when done.

Charlotte’s Top Tip

I would recommend adding a tour or sneak peak of your wedding venue or behind the scenes of your wedding business as an IGTV. This way couple’s will feel like they are getting more of an insight into your business.

Finally, Instagram Live offers a completely different form of video compared to the other video facilities offered by Instagram. Live allows you to, as the name suggests, go live for up to an hour and stream whatever you are doing to your followers. This is particularly helpful for things like wedding events or live Q&As with your staff or suppliers. 

In addition, anyone who joins your stream can comment or ask questions, making this perfect for an interactive activity to engage with your followers. 

If you fancy giving it a try here’s how you can go live:

1. Tap the “+” icon on the homepage to create a new post
2. There will be a small bar at the button with “POST” selected – tap “LIVE” next to it or swipe this to the left so it changes to “LIVE”
3. Before you begin your Instagram live, add a title if you wish. You can also add a fundraiser if you are doing a charity event so people can donate through your live if they want to!
4. Tap the button in the bottom middle to go live. Anyone who joins or comments will show up at the bottom of the screen..
5. There are a few icons at the bottom of the screen that you can use to make your Live video more interesting. Here’s what they do:
   • The rectangular icon with the question mark lets you display questions that your audience may have sent so you can answer them live
   • The paper plane icon allows you to send a direct message to someone, inviting them to your stream
   • The 2-face icon allows you to invite someone to co-host your Live video. Do this if you want to go Live with someone but can’t be physically with them!
   • The single face icon with the sparkles brings up the filters from Instagram Stories so you can give your Live video a different coloured flair (or give yourself a funny face)
   • The box with a picture in it brings up your camera roll. Select a photo or video to show it to your audience.
6. When you want to end the Live video, tap “End” in the top right and then choose “End now”.

Charlotte’s Top Tip

Your Instagram Live videos can be saved, too! After your live video is over, you’ll get the option to post it to your story so that everyone who missed it has access to it for the next 24 hours. You’ll also be able to save the full live to your Instagram page where it’ll stay forever!

As you can see, Instagram has a variety of ways to share videos that you’ve made to grow your wedding business. Whether it’s a video post from a real wedding, a reel showing off a new room renovation or a Q&A livestream with your business owner, Instagram offers plenty of ways to share interesting content. Mastering as many of these video formats as possible is crucial to growing your engagement!