Wondering how to program IGTV videos from your desktop?
You wouldn’t be the only one If you know anything about creating video content for social media, you know that it takes a lot of effort, time and money. Who wouldn’t want to be able to pre-schedule their videos so they appear at exactly the right time and in the right place?
YouTube already allows it.
So is IGTV now. Via Facebook Creator Studio.
Read on to learn how to schedule your IGTV videos in a few simple steps.
Note: In October 2021, Instagram merged IGTV and feeds the videos into a single video format: Instagram Video. The IGTV profile tab has been replaced by the Video tab. All Instagram videos can now be up to 60 minutes long, and standard post editing features are available for long-form video content. Learn more about Instagram Video.
How to schedule IGTV videos with Facebook Creator Studio
1. Link your Instagram account to Facebook Creator Studio
If you haven’t already done so, you’ll need to sign up for a Facebook Creator Studio account.
Also make sure your Instagram account has a business profile or a creator profile.
Sign in to your Creator Studio dashboard.
Tap the Instagram icon in the middle of the top header. A prompt will appear for you to link your Instagram account and you will be asked to log in to your account.
Follow the necessary steps for authorization. Your Instagram account is now linked to your Creator Studio dashboard.
For your Instagram profile, you should be able to see a dashboard with every piece of content you post.
2. Tap the “Create” button in the top left corner of your screen and select “IGTV”.
3. In the window that opens, select the account to which you want to send your IGTV video.
4. In the edit box, select “Without Uploading Files”.
Note: Instead of choosing “Upload Video”, you can choose a video from your Instagram profile or Facebook page.
5. Select an .MP4 file from your computer.
6. Add details to your post.
Fill in the title field (pro tip: only 18 characters will appear in your thumbnail, so keep it short).
Then add your video description. Make sure your video is accurate, descriptive, and engaging as it will help make it appear on Instagram’s Discover page (the same goes for your headline).
7. Select a cover image.
Your cover image will appear in the thumbnails of your IGTV post. If you choose to share a one-minute preview on Instagram, it will also appear on your profile and feed. So make sure it fits your Instagram aesthetic and is engaging enough to inspire people to touch and follow.
You can upload a custom cover image by tapping the “Custom Cover Image” button. Or select a frame from IGTV by tapping a frame on the show reel that appears (see image above).
8. Adjust your publishing settings.
At this point, you basically just have to decide if you want to share a one-minute preview of your video on your regular Instagram feed. If so, select the “Share Preview to Feed” button.
To do this, your video must be longer than one minute.
You can also select “Your Page” if you want to share the video on your Facebook page.
9. Schedule your IGTV video.
Tap the arrow next to the ‘Publish’ button and select ‘Schedule’. A calendar and time settings box will appear. Choose the date and time you want your video to be published and tap “Schedule”.
Your IGTV video will be published automatically at the date and time you choose.
To see your entire IGTV video show (past and future), go to “All Content” or the IGTV tab in your Instagram Creator Studio dashboard.
5 tips for scheduling IGTV videos
IGTV videos are usually longer than Instagram Stories; up to 10 minutes for regular users and up to an hour for verified users. Many creators see the app as a vertical competitor to YouTube.
Keep your title short
Only 18 characters of your title will appear in the thumbnail of your IGTV video. So make sure your title fits within this limit or at least contains the most important information.
Choose your cover image carefully
Your cover image is the first thing people will see before they start playing your IGTV video – in the app and in your Instagram feed (if you choose to share a preview). Make sure it’s engaging and accurate.
If you post a preview on Instagram, your cover photo will also be the one that appears in your Instagram profile grid. So make sure it’s high quality and matches the aesthetics of the rest of your grill.
One last thing: make sure there are no words at the bottom of your cover photo, as in the example below. It will make your title difficult to read in thumbnails and previews.
Publish at the right time
If you’re going to post a preview of your IGTV video on your Instagram feed (which we highly recommend doing to maximize it), make sure you post it when your followers are most likely to be online. This will increase your engagement and reach.
Check out your own analytics or our own research of the best time to post on Instagram by industry to determine what time it is.
Add an external link to your description
“Link in bio” is no more! If one of your social media goals is to drive traffic to your website, be sure to contribute to that goal by including the appropriate link in your video description.
If your video is about a product, include a link to shop. If this is a summary of a blog post, include a link to read more.
The options are endless.
Double check your work
Unlike Instagram posts, you can’t edit your IGTV post once it’s published. This includes the title, thumbnail, and description. If you find an obvious typo after the event, you’ll have to delete your post and re-upload it, which may break the processing of your video by the Instagram algorithm.
So be sure. You got it right. First time.
Note: IGTV scheduling is currently only available through Facebook Creator Studio. Third-party scheduling apps, including Moyens I/O, cannot schedule IGTV videos yet. We’re obviously biased, but we still recommend using Moyens I/O to manage the rest of your Instagram presence, as you’ll get more in-depth analysis and insights into your posts and manage all your comments in one place.
Save time managing your Instagram presence using Moyens I/O. You can schedule posts and post directly to Instagram, engage with viewers, measure performance, and run all your other social media profiles from a single dashboard. Try it for free today.
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