Instagram is testing 90-minute videos. Should UGC creators care?

What Instagram announced

On October 26, Instagram head Adam Mosseri and product VP Tessa Lyons announced a test of Features, a horizontal format that takes uploads of up to 90 minutes. The pitch is aimed at podcasters, comedians and other creators who want to publish full-length shows.

Here is what has been reported so far:

• Who has it. Select US creators, after an earlier trial in Brazil. The National reports that a broader rollout is expected within weeks, and Dexerto reports that Instagram plans to widen it to tens of thousands of US creators, with no date for everyone else. Early testers named there include beauty creator Monet McMichael and podcast host Emma Grede.
• Where the videos appear. In the main feed and on Explore, according to The Next Web. Instagram is also testing Reels that link to the full video, and its TV app is set to prioritize the format.
• How creators get paid. The Next Web reports no current plan to share Features ad revenue, though Instagram has not ruled it out. Dexerto reports that creators can keep their existing ad deals and do not have to make videos exclusive to Instagram. ClickZ, citing Business Insider, says Instagram offered select YouTubers between $50,000 and $500,000. Those are individual deals, not a program you can apply to.

What this changes for UGC work

Start with the honest part. UGC is mostly video made for a brand to run, not video you publish for your own audience. So the test changes nothing in your inbox today, and we have not seen brands briefing for Features yet.

If the format grows, three things start to matter:

1. Horizontal footage stops being an afterthought. A brand that wants long video on its own account needs footage shot wide. Cropping a vertical clip will not get it there. If a brief mentions horizontal, treat it as its own deliverable and price it that way.
2. Cutdowns become a line item. When a Reel's job is to send people to a longer video, the short clip works like a trailer. That is a real skill, and it is separate work. If you are asked to cut one long video into clips, write the number of clips into your quote.
3. Placement language needs to be specific. "Instagram organic" was written for Reels and feed posts. If your footage could end up inside a 90-minute video or on Instagram's TV app, name those placements in the deal, or say they are excluded.

What we would do this month

• Skip the profile changes. The reports we read do not say how creators are picked, and we found no way to apply.
• Do not buy gear for this. Nothing here justifies it yet.
• Grab a few wide shots when you are already filming. A short horizontal sample in your portfolio costs almost nothing and answers the question if a brand asks.
• Add one line to your quote template. For example: "Deliverables are vertical. Horizontal versions and cutdowns are quoted separately."

What we don't know yet

How long the test will run, how creators are chosen, whether Features will carry ads and on what terms, and when it reaches anyone outside the US and Brazil. We will update this article when any of that changes.