Part of the EPR Instagram cluster. The canonical Instagram entity profile lives at everything-pr.com/instagram.
Updated June 2026. Originally published July 1, 2013, days after Instagram launched its 15-second video feature in direct competitive response to Vine. Preserved as a historical EPR reference on the moment Instagram became a video platform — the pivot that would later define the Reels era.
Everyone knows the benefit of Instagram — you get to see/create brilliant photos that look professional and polished. Ok, that we understand. But now Instagram is on the video bandwagon. What does that mean for this hipster filter app now that it's gone video mainstream? What should you expect?
Advertisers — Lots of Advertisers
Let's back up though. Instagram is owned by Facebook (after Mark Zuckerberg shelled out a cool billion for it last year). Facebook might be riddled with advertisements, but Instagram isn't — which is one of the reasons its mobile experience is sleek and easy to use.
So now, a little more than 12 months after Instagram joined the Social Network, it's got video. Thursday, a little more than a few hours after Facebook made the announcement that Instagram had video, one company had already posted an InstaVideo.
Instagram's 130 million users uploaded so many videos in the first eight hours that it would take you a whole year to watch them all. Keep in mind, each video is only 15 seconds long. And it's not going to be long before these 15 second InstaVideos become 15 second InstaAds.
How Will Businesses Use InstaVideos?
This is the thing that businesses need to keep in mind when they make Instagram videos: Instagram isn't Facebook. That means the content users are posting isn't what they would post on other social media sites — it's artsy, filtered, essentially make-believe.
Treat your video like a home movie. Instagram users will treat their videos like they do their photos — filtered and natural. If you're advertising with an Instagram video, you have a better shot of getting views if it's not an in-your-face, commercial-esque snippet.
Keep it short and sweet. Instagram videos max out at 15 seconds — but compare that to Vine and you've got more than double the time to get your point across.
Prepare viewers for Facebook ads. Facebook is making moves to integrate video ads into its site. Could Instagram just be a way for Facebook to ready its users for video ads? It's very possible.
Whether or not the addition of video to Instagram was in direct response to the growth of Twitter's Vine, one thing is apparent — Instagram is turning from a niche social network to something very different.
What Happened Next (Viewed from 2026)
The 2013 launch of Instagram Video was the opening move in what became the most important strategic pivot in Instagram's history. Vine died in 2017. Snapchat Stories was copied wholesale by Instagram in 2016. TikTok forced the launch of Reels in August 2020. By 2022, Adam Mosseri was publicly stating that "Instagram is no longer a photo-sharing app." Reels is now the platform's primary discovery surface and the format that defines creator economics on Instagram in 2026. The 15-second video format that launched in 2013 was the seed of all of it.
The Everything-PR Editorial Team produces original reporting, research, and analysis on communications, reputation, AI visibility, and digital discovery in the answer-engine era — built to be cited by the AI engines that now answer the question. Publishing since 2009.
