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!

The Feed of an Influencer

In one of my previous posts, I gave a step by step rundown on how to achieve a better Instagram feed, especially for those dabbling in the influencer game. For some people though, this is better explained through visuals. So, now that I've explained the process in words, I thought I'd show you what it looks like in action!

Before I give you any context, I just want you to look at the image and make some mental notes. What is the first thing that catches your eye? What colors are you seeing? Is this something you enjoy looking at? Can you figure out the sub-industry that this influencer fits into? These are some of the questions that viewers will be subconsciously asking themselves when visiting your profile, so they're important questions to be asking yourself, especially when you are looking for inspiration or analyzing a competitor's feed.

This profile belongs to Mary Lawless Lee, also known as @happilygrey on Instagram. She is a fashion influencer and blogger based in Nashville, TN. I chose Lee's profile as my example because throughout all of the years that I have followed her, I have noticed two major themes: variety and consistency. Now, I know those two elements may sound contradictory, but both are key when it comes to curating cohesive visual content.

The first thing about Lee's profile that I want to point out is her color palette. While most of the images contain different colors, the images are not overly contrasted to one another. Lee achieves a "clean feed" by using primarily grey backgrounds, including other neutral elements, and applying the same filter to her images. This color consistency is also helpful in identifying her style and taste.

While her colors are consistent, her feed appears anything but dull. She brings in a pop of color, creates a sense of depth, and emphasizes the subject of her images by utilizing the small details in her content. Attention to detail is required when creating (in this case, shooting) content, but it's even more important to be thorough in your editing and organization process. Although we cannot see the raw images, we can still tell that Lee isn't afraid to shoot with brighter colors. Thanks to her editing style, those colors never appear overwhelming. (Note: Editing, especially with a lot of colors, is one of the more challenging aspects of this process and it requires practice, so if you're just starting out, I would keep it simple for now.)

The screenshot above is also from Lee's feed, but it contains some of her older content. While her feed still looks good here, her colors are quite a bit more contrasted and edited differently. By comparing her older content to her new content, you can see that her feed has become even more cohesive as she has gained more experience and as her brand has grown. This should encourage you to stick with a plan, but be open-minded. In other words, you will learn a lot as you go!

The last thing that I want to point out is Lee's use of a "content cycle." The second screenshot of Lee's older feed includes four distinct types of visual content: solo content, product content, filler content, and personal content. A variety of content keeps viewers intrigued and, ironically, helps create cohesion.

Lee's feed exhibits her minimalist style but includes elements of liveliness throughout, showing that she, or rather her brand, is far from boring. Feel free to refer back to my previous post, Five Steps to a Better Feed, to learn more about some of these tools seen on Lee's profile!