Is IGTV the End for YouTube?

The concept of vlogging, which I discussed in my previous post, is becoming increasingly more popular for influencers. YouTube has served as the primary platform for vlogs since their rise to fame, but that may no longer be the case.

Last week, Instagram introduced "IGTV," a new feature that allows users to post up to one-hour long videos (as opposed to the former ceiling of one single minute). IGTV has sparked many conversations, and even a bit of controversy, since it was released on June 20th. However, the influencer community has seemed to come to the general consensus that this is the next big thing.

Since the IGTV announcement, the New York Times published an article, "Instagram Goes Long. Will You Follow?," hypothesizing the pros and cons of utilizing this new feature. Jonah Engel Bromwich opened the article by expressing that, "Those who make a living through Instagram... are thrilled about the company's new feature." He goes on to explain that the element of convenience, both for producers and consumers, has proven to be highly successful in terms of social media. And, well, I have to agree...

Almost two years ago, Instagram introduced "stories," a feature that formerly existed exclusively on Snapchat. At the time, people didn't seem too fazed by this. In fact, most people, myself included, had every intention to continue their regular use of Snapchat stories. That, of course, isn't what ended up happening. In the last two years, the use of Snapchat, especially for the purpose of stories, has been on a rapid decline. A lot of the articles and statistics surrounding the company's drop in growth cannot correlate it to Instagram, but it's fair to say that all signs still point in that direction.

With Snapchat as an example of a real-life Instagram takeover, things are looking a little ominous for even a company as wildly popular as YouTube. Will you now be watching your favorite influencers on IGTV? Let me know in the comments below!

Adding a New Element: Vlogging

Now that I have covered most of the bases when it comes to Instagram content, I want to acknowledge another major platform for influencers and bloggers: YouTube! As of recently, I have noticed that more and more influencers who use Instagram as their primary channel have turned to YouTube for "vlogging." Vlogging is essentially the same thing as blogging, but the posts are in video form. This allows influencers to give more thorough elaborations and visuals for basically anything they presenting their audience. Let's take a look at how Sivan Ayla, an LA-based fashion and beauty influencer, uses her YouTube channel to add a whole other dimension to a brand.

Beauty-based content is one of, if not the, most popular content that Ayla produces. In the video above, we can see that Ayla uses vlogging as a way to create tutorials for her users. On top of showing you the process to getting her makeup look, she's also able to explain the reason behind using the products that she has chosen. This is another platform that some companies absolutely love to see bloggers on, because it's a very simply way for product promotion. Ayla has also used vlogging to expand her horizons as an influencer. She now uses YouTube to give tours of her house remodel or to answer Q&As on her pregnancy. Again, this is how vlogging adds that new dimension to her brand. 

I do also want to discuss the video itself. While Ayla has a distinct collection of cohesive and well-curated content on Instagram, she is able to have a bit more free rein here. In other words, she does not have to worry about visual cohesion between her vlogs because they are not displayed on a feed the same way that they would be on Instagram. However, she still maintains a consistent style throughout her videos by using simple backdrops, neutral color schemes, naturally bright light, etc. 

Vlogging is rapidly growing in popularity, and honestly, I can understand why. Ayla has successfully  incorporated a whole new platform into her "influencing" and now I can't stop watching!