With more and more people at home these days due to covid restrictions, people are looking for ways to entertain themselves, and one of the top choices people are turning to is Instagram. In its early days, Instagram was primarily a place for sharing photos, but nowadays, it’s well known for the vast array of videos. In fact, video post formats are now dominating the social networking platform, with over 500 hours of video being posted every single day.
Instagram video comes in a few formats, including stories, IGTV, Reels, and Instagram live. Today we will discuss the various video post formats and learn some cool tools that you can use to download them.
Table of Contents
Instagram Stories
Stories are another video post format offered by Instagram. Like Reels, Instagram stories were inspired by the hugely popular Snapchat app. You can find stories like functionality on Facebook and YouTube these days. Stories videos are a unique content type. They are limited to a maximum duration of 15 seconds and are only visible to your audience 24 hours before disappearing.
After 24 hours, you have the option to store the story as a “highlight” which will be displayed on your profile. This will allow anyone to view the expired story at any time by clicking the button on your profile.
If you’re looking to download Instagram stories or view them anonymously, you’ll need to either download a third-party app or use an online tool. One tool that we can recommend is the Instagram story downloader by Storydownloader.net. This online tool offers a convenient way for you to view and download stories online using an online interface, and best of all, it’s totally free. Just plugin the Instagram username into the box on the homepage, and you’ll be able to watch and download their stories. Note that this only works for public accounts.
Instagram stories are one of the most popular video formats on Instagram, with other 500 million stories being posted every day. Stories are also a popular choice for Instagram marketers as they are known to generate lots of engagement with new leads.
Instagram TV (IGTV)
Instagram TV is a video post format created for long-format videos that can be up to one hour in length. Not all users can post videos of 60 minutes, but you will qualify if you are an influencer with many followers.
IGTV videos are pre-recorded and are not share and uploaded like your typical Instagram video. You will need to record the video ahead of time and select it from your smartphone’s video gallery.
Once the video has been selected and is ready to upload, content creators can add a poster (cover image) to the IGTV video and also opt to publish a short video preview on their timeline. Once a video is published, it can be found under IGTV tab on your profile page.
If you want to download IGTV videos, there are some options available. You can use a screen recording app on your smartphone, or use one of the many online tools for downloading them. One of the more popular options that we can suggest is the IGTV downloader. This tool is explicitly designed for downloading Instagram IGTV video to your computer, smartphone, or tablet. What’s nice about the IGTV downloader is that it’s free to use, and there are no annoying advertisements.
Instagram Live Video
Live video streams are nothing new and have been available on popular sites like YouTube and Facebook for a long time. Like its other competitors, Instagram live allows you to broadcast a live video to your followers for instant streaming and feedback. It’s used by hundreds of millions of people every day and offers users a unique and intimate way to communicate with their fans and followers.
One unique thing about Instagram live video is that once you have completed the live broadcast and close the app, the live video disappears and can’t be seen or replayed again. This unique idea of disappearing videos is likely designed to encourage users to join live broadcasts before they disappear.
To go live on Instagram, you’ll need to open up the Instagram camera by swiping to the right from your Instagram feed. From there, you can start a live video that can be up to 60 minutes in length. Once a live broadcast has started, your followers will get notified that you are life. You can interact with anyone watching via comments. It’s a great way to interact with people and really make them feel part of your life.
Instagram Reels
Reels are one of the newest post types that Instagram has added to its platform in the past year. The idea of Reels was taken from the hugely popular TikTok platform, which has seen massive growth over the past few years. Reels videos are typically between 10 and 30 seconds in length and can be created using the Instagram camera or selecting it from your phone camera roll.
Before publishing the video one’s profile, you’ll have options to add cool effects to it like flashing lights, slow-motion, and even cool audio clips. Reels are especially popular with the young crowds as it’s a unique way to create out-of-this-world videos that can quickly go viral.
Downloading Instagram Reels is something you might find yourself wanting to do. Maybe you want to download a Reel to post it on another social networking platform or wish to save it to watch offline. Instagram doesn’t offer an option for downloading Reels, but thankfully, numerous tools can get the job done. One such tool is the Instagram Reels downloader by Instaoffline. To use the tool, copy the link to the Instagram reel that you want to download, paste it into the box on the homepage, and hit the download button. From there, you can download the Reel on any device.
Like most of the other post options on Instagram, you can interact with reels in the way of comments, likes, and shares. If you’re trying to attract new followers or entertain your current fans, Reels are a great way to do that.
Final thoughts
Instagram is a fun platform, and knowing how to use all of its features will enhance the experience. Video is one of the more popular formats on Instagram, and learning how to use and download them is a must. Let us know what your favorite video post format is by sharing a comment below.