Instagram is testing 90-minute videos: what small businesses should do now

On October 26, 2026, Instagram's head, Adam Mosseri, and VP of Product Tessa Lyons announced a test of a new video format called Features. These are long, horizontal videos up to 90 minutes, the kind of thing you'd normally put on YouTube: interviews, podcasts, vlogs and how-to walkthroughs.

According to TechCrunch, the test started in Brazil and is expanding to a small group of U.S. creators. Mosseri was candid about the reversal. He said that for a long time he had been against doing long-form video on Instagram. If that rings a bell, it's because Instagram tried this once before with IGTV, which it later shut down.

So this is a test, not a launch. Most business accounts won't see an upload option for Features yet.

Features came with a few related changes, and for small businesses these may matter more than the 90-minute limit itself:

• Reels that link to the full video. Social Media Today reports that creators can link up to eight Reels clips to one longer video, so a short clip can send viewers to the whole thing.
• Series. Instagram is working on a way to group related Reels into a series on your profile, a bit like playlists.
• The TV app. Instagram has a connected TV app, and viewers will soon be able to use their phone as a remote while they watch.

Per The Next Web, Features are meant to show up in the main feed and on the Explore page. Instagram also says Reels will stay a core part of the app, so short video isn't going anywhere.

I don't expect a plumber or a boutique to start posting feature-length films. But the direction is worth noticing. Instagram is building a path from a quick clip to a longer, more useful video. That's the same path a good website builds: a short answer up front, then the full explanation for people who want it.

It also tells you what Instagram wants more of: videos that keep people watching longer. A business that can explain its work clearly on camera, for three minutes or for twenty, has something most competitors don't.

Longer doesn't mean better, though. A tight two-minute walkthrough that answers a real customer question beats a rambling half hour every time.

You don't need a studio. You need a question your customers ask over and over, and a phone held sideways. A few ideas that work for most local businesses:

• The walkthrough. Show a job from start to finish: a roof inspection, an AC tune-up, an embroidery order going from design to finished hat.
• The Q&A. Answer the ten questions you hear most, one after another. Each answer later becomes its own short clip.
• The conversation. Interview a team member, a supplier or a local partner about something your customers care about.
• The "before you hire anyone" guide. Explain what to look for, what to ask and what to avoid. It builds trust because it's useful even if they don't hire you.

Film horizontally for the long version. That's the format Features uses, and it's the format YouTube and your website play best. Then cut vertical clips for Reels.

Here's how I'd approach it if I were you:

1. Don't wait for the upload button. Plan one longer video a month now. When Features reaches your account, you'll have a library ready.
2. Make one video, use it five ways. One 10-minute walkthrough can become several Reels, a few Facebook posts, a YouTube upload and a section on your website.
3. Put the full version on a site you own. Platforms change their minds, and IGTV is proof. Embed your best videos on the matching service page with a written summary and FAQs under them, so Google and AI answer engines can read what the video covers. That's a big part of how I approach SEO and AEO.
4. Keep it honest and useful. Answer real questions. Show your real work. That's what holds attention, at any length.

If you'd like help planning videos, cutting them into clips and posting them, that's part of my social media and video work, and you own all the content. Call or text me at 480-550-2871, or send me a note.