Is Long Form Video Dead on Instagram?

According to Instagram head, Adam Mosseri, Instagram is NOT a place for long form video. Yup, he said that.

According to a recent video he shared, Mosseri stated that IG is about two things: connecting you with friends and connecting you with content (videos) you are interested in. He says that if you find a (short) video that makes you laugh or that you can relate to, you're more likely to share that short video. Thereby connecting you with friends AND content simultaneously.

He claims long form videos don't do this.

You are less likely to share long form videos.

Long form videos keep you from exploring other content on the platform.

And, yes, he is correct that most of us won't share long form content as readily as a meme, photo, or short video.

But does that mean you can't or shouldn't create long-form videos for IG?

Not necessarily.

This is similar to my recent blog post saying why I don't care that he says shares are the best performance indicator.

It. Depends. On. What. Matters. To. You.

If your only goal on IG is to grow your audience and reach as many people as possible, then yes, this matters to you. Long form content will not help you drastically grow or grow quickly.

But...

If you want conversions,
If you want paying customers,
If you want to build trust and relationships with your existing audience...

Then long form video CAN help you.

I would never tell you to focus only on 5-10 minutes videos as your entire IG strategy. But I also won't tell you to stop using long form videos.

If it's of value to your audience, customers, and your brand to share a 3 minute video, DO IT.

If it connects you with your customers to address something important in a 5 minute video, DO IT.

If share a 9 minute video will drastically help customer service or tech support inquiries, DO IT.

You are not constrained to a world of absolutes on Instagram. Do what works for you and your customers.