Right now, video content is king. In the foreseeable future, it will only continue – nay, expand – its reign. Choosing to incorporate it in your influencer marketing strategy is thus a smart choice. But soon after, the next choice presents itself: what is the best platform for your brand to upload to?

In this blogpost, we clarify the difference between IGTV and YouTube, two of the biggest players at the moment.

YouTube is the world’s most visited website after Google – plus, the second-largest search engine after Google -, so it’s a force to be reckoned with. Then again, Instagram has more than 800 million active users each month and offers the possibility of centralizing your content marketing efforts.

They’re both truly great choices in their own way. But there are a couple of things that might make one better than the other for your specific brand/message. Read on…

Length and dimensions

If you want to film a YouTube video, you have to think horizontally, whereas on Instagram it’s all about vertical video content. This might seem trivial, but it’s so important to get right off the bat. Just imagine pouring your budget into filming a good video, only to find out in editing that you’re in trouble because the viewing format isn’t right.

A horizontal YouTube video literally allows more room for whatever you want to do. Its bigger frame can hold more information, content and possibilities. In a vertical IGTV, you’re better off with tight shots and close-ups because of the limited frame. This makes IGTV perfect for short, digestible content.

Both have benefits to them: more space means more possibilities, but less space means finding better ways to make the most of it and be extra creative with it.

Plus, it’s not unimportant to know that a YouTube video can go up to 11 hours, whereas IGTV goes up to 10 minutes (unless you’re a verified user, then your maximum is 1 hour).

Discoverability and shareability

When it comes to discoverability and shareability, YouTube absolutely takes the throne. Since Google owns YouTube, you can rest assured that its SEO techniques are on point. For example: you can add up to 30 keywords, content gets rewarded and ranked based on views, there’s an amazingly accurate search function and highly targeted suggestions… On top of that, you can share and embed YouTube videos pretty much anywhere.

IGTV, in contrast, is very limited. The only places you can find out about IGTV is directly on the Instagram account it’s posted on or via the Explore page if it’s doing really well. It won’t ever appear in search engine results and there’s no other way to bump into it by chance. Yes, you can add hashtags, but unless it goes viral, your video will most likely get lost in the constant stream of content.

Monetization

It’s also vital to know how you can benefit from your video content financially.

At present time IGTV is not monetized, meaning there are no ads and no ways for businesses to make money off of it in that way. YouTube on the other hand has been advertising its videos for years and one popular video can bring in a lot of advertising revenue.

But… so can IGTV, in a totally different way. So-called ‘social selling’ is one of the absolute biggest pro’s to Instagram. The platform is truly ahead of the game when it comes to shopping online. Instagram users can now shop directly on the app/platform without ever leaving to a third-party website.

So if your brand is already very present on Instagram and has an active shop, it’s a smart move to keep it central. But if you’re looking to make money through advertising, YouTube is the place to be.

Analytics

How you want to review the video’s results is an important factor to take into account as well. It’s important to evaluate your influencer campaign’s success.

IGTV analytics are instant: they immediately show you how many views and likes you’ve gotten, as engagement on Instagram works fast. However, they don’t really offer a plethora of meaningful insights.

YouTube Analytics do. YouTube gives you an in-depth analysis of your video’s performance over time, since their videos have a longer shelf-life and thus the engagement comes in waves.

In conclusion

In the end, you should decide where you think your customers and target audience are most active, and which platform will show off your product or services best. It’s all about what your specific marketing goals are.

When in doubt: why not experiment with both? You’ll quickly learn what you like and what not, and which platform works best for your brand/message. It’s the best of both worlds.

The challenge here, of course, is the format and size of the videos. But there’s nothing a bit of creative thinking can’t fix, as plenty of brands and creators are already discovering. Google it – or no, YouTube it ;-).