Instagram Extends Its Live Stream Timeframe To 4 Hours. Here’s How Your Fashion Brand Can Benefit From It

As time goes on and people and technology evolve, many social media platforms are also evolving. Earlier this year, Facebook announced its new Facebook Shops feature, and then in September, YouTube announced YouTube Shorts and Pinterest introduced a Permanent Story Pins feature to its platform. 

Now, Instagram has announced multiple updates for creators of Instagram Live videos that will make streaming and saving live videos easier. These updates are aimed at enhancing the live video streaming experience for all. 

Firstly, Instagram has extended the timeframe of Live streams from 1 hour to 4 hours, giving users the freedom to stream videos live and interact with their peers and audience for hours on end without interruptions. This new update is available to users all over the world with a catch – they must have no history of intellectual property or policy violations.

Also, Instagram will give users the ability to archive and view their Instagram Live broadcasts for up to 30 days after they air, similar to Stories and feed posts. They will also be able to download and post it elsewhere.  

Finally, Instagram is adding a Live Now section to its IGTV video destination and at the end of Live videos where anyone can find content to watch live, regardless of whether they follow the video creator or not. 

“As people increasingly relied on Live this year to engage with their communities, we want to help people discover more content that interests them from the creators they do and don’t follow.” – Instagram.

As people substitute numerous in-person tasks with virtual ones, Instagram is giving more time to do that. With the new updates to Live streams, the company might just be able to get high user engagement on the app. 

For you, as a fashion entrepreneur, these new updates can prove to be very useful in helping grow your brand. Since, based on statistics, Instagram helps 80% of users decide whether to buy a product or service, with Instagram Live, you can further market your brand and keep it at the top of mind of customers.

Here’s how to use the new updates to Instagram Live to the benefits of your fashion brand;

1. Boost Visibility.

When you start a live video, your content is moved to the first position in Stories at the top or user’s feeds. This means that users who have not thought about your brand in a while get to see that you are holding a live video and remember your brand. 

Also, users that have Instagram Live notifications turned on on their devices will get a message telling them you have gone live. This can help expose your broadcasts to more of your followers. 

With the new Live Now feature on IGTV, your brand will be exposed to potential customers that have never heard of you before, giving your brand way more visibility than before. Also, since you can now download and post your Instagram Love videos elsewhere, you can share your videos across all your social media platforms. 

2. Educate Your Followers. 

Everyone loves to learn something new and one hour is pretty short when you are taking a class or doing something you love. With the new 4 hours timeframe of Instagram Live streams, you can take classes teaching your followers how to do various things. 

It could be classes on draping, styling your fashion pieces, sewing techniques, makeup, fashion hacks, or whatever else you please to let them in on. 

3. Interact with Clients and Answer Questions. 

As you do a live video, your audience can submit their questions and comments to you in real-time. This is a great way to get feedback directly from your clients and know what to work on in future videos or your brand. 

Also, by posting Sticker Q&A’s in your Live Instagram Stories before going live, you can encourage customers to drop questions they have in mind so you can answer them throughout the live video without having to rush for time.