A new engagement feature is potentially coming to IGTV: Video Reactions. Similar to YouTube video reactions and TikTok video responses, IGTV Video Reactions will allow viewers to respond to original video content with their own videos. 

Why Do Consumers Care About Video Reactions?

The 2011 New York Times article highlighting the merits of reaction videos on YouTube said, watching reaction videos allows viewers to “experience, at a time of increasing cultural difference, the comforting universality of human nature.” Viewers empathize with video reactions because watching a reaction video “vicariously recapture[s]” how viewers felt when first surprised by the original content. 

When Will IGTV Video Reactions Launch?

Recently, reverse engineering expert Jane Manchun Wong, known for announcing new Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram features, tweeted a photo showing Instagram’s new Video Reactions option integrated into the IGTV upload process. However, Instagram has not yet confirmed Wong’s tweet or the addition of Video Reactions to IGTV. In fact, as of now, Instagram has not officially announced the launch of the new IGTV video response feature at all.

What Else Is IGTV Doing To Engage Users And Creators?

Prior to the potential launch of IGTV Video Reactions, Instagram’s CEO confirmed via Twitter that although IGTV is still in its early days, the IGTV team is exploring ways to make content creation sustainable for creators. In order to begin content monetization of IGTV, Instagram has internally prototyped an Instagram Partner Program, allowing creators to show advertisements along with their videos. Financial incentives to create content on IGTV may encourage creators to move from YouTube to Instagram because IGTV focuses on similar long-form content. Instagram hopes that by offering a passive strategy to monetize content, more creators will post to IGTV bringing high-quality content and more user engagement to the platform.

How Does IGTV Video Reactions Compare To TikTok Video Reactions?

According to Social Media Today, IGTV Video Reactions seems similar to TikTok’s video React option which allows users to superimpose their video reactions on top of original videos posted on the platform. TikTok React works by recording audio and video of an app user to capture their reaction to the video they are viewing on the platform. Once the reaction is recorded, users can choose where to place their video reaction in relation to the video they just viewed and post the video with overlay. The promotion of TikTok’s video reactions helped encourage creativity and increase engagement among TikTok users. Incorporating viewer reactions onto already existing content gave TikTok, where the videos are typically 15 to 60 seconds, another opportunity to capture viewer attention. Unlike TikTok, IGTV seems to be inspired by YouTube’s longer content format allowing for longer video reactions and more opportunity for viewers to relate to content creators.

What Does The Launch Of IGTV Video Reactions Mean For Digital Marketers?

Innovations to IGTV indicate that marketers could experience increased engagement from Instagram users. According to a 2018 Forbes article, “Millennials are empathizing with every click, view and share. It’s our job as marketers to keep up.” Marketers can monetize consumers’ empathetic nature and desire to relate to other viewers by capturing user attention through video reactions. The continued launch of new and optimized tools to IGTV may create more multichannel digital marketing campaigns within Instagram.

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