Instagram welcomes minute-long videos for all accounts

Last month, Instagram rolled out 60-second video ad units to appeal to a wider audience. This was a large shift from the traditional short-form video model and was only available to advertisers. However, today, Instagram is rolling out the ability for users and brands to upload minute-long videos to their accounts.

Before today’s announcement, 60-second video could only be utilized through Instagram Ads.

This is a big shift for Instagram, which previously capped video length at a mere 15 seconds. The reason for this? Folks have been watching more video: In the last six months, the time people spent watching video increased by more than 40 percent.

This move gives Instagram users 10 times the length of competitor Vine (six-second max) and six times that of Snapchat’s Snaps (10 seconds).

To help with video creation, Instagram is also bringing back the ability for users to splice multiple clips together from their camera roll. Instead of shooting all via Instagram, you’ll be able to take the best videos you’ve taken and piece them together into a 60-second masterpiece. This will give brands and content creators the ability to create more compelling, professional content. The Multi-clip video will be available this week for iOS version 7.19 in Apple’s App Store.

The longer videos will begin rolling out today and will reach all accounts in the “coming months.”

For more information, see the official Instagram post.

About The Author

Greg Finn

Greg Finn is the Director of Marketing for Cypress North, a company that provides world-class social media and search marketing services and web & application development. He has been in the Internet marketing industry for 10+ years and specializes in Digital Marketing. You can also find Greg on Twitter (@gregfinn) or LinkedIn.