Instagram, the app that taught everyone to cut their videos down to 30 seconds, now wants your 90-minute podcast episode. On 26 October 2026 it announced "Features": horizontal videos up to 90 minutes long, in a test with select creators. If you make long-form content in India, you cannot use it yet. But it is worth understanding now, because it changes how Reels and long videos could work together on one app, and because the money side is still a big blank. Here is what was announced, what is missing, and what to do while you wait.
What Instagram announced
The basics, as reported by TechCrunch and 9to5Mac:
Length and shape: horizontal videos of up to 90 minutes. For comparison, 9to5Mac notes Reels are typically around three minutes or less.
Where: the test began in Brazil, with select creators in the US joining from late October. India is not part of the test so far.
Who it is for: podcasters, comedians and other creators who already make long content.
Discovery: creators can turn clips into Reels that link back to the full video, and full-length videos will be recommended on Explore. Viewers can also send a long video to Instagram's TV app.
Adam Mosseri, who runs Instagram, was frank about the shift in the announcement video: "For a long time, I have been against doing long-form video on Instagram." He also wrote that the team is "testing and listening to feedback as we go."
The part nobody can answer yet: money
Here I would slow down. Instagram has not announced an ad revenue share for Features. 9to5Google points out there is no equivalent to YouTube's ad-share programme for now, and a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch: "It's too early to share a long-term monetization model, but we're exploring ways for creators to earn from brands, fans, and Instagram."
What does exist: creators with brand deals can bring them along. Tessa Lyons, Instagram's VP of Product, said established creators "can bring that content" and their existing partnerships to the format. If you already sell sponsorships for your podcast, that works on day one. If you were hoping Instagram would pay you per view the way YouTube does, there is nothing to plan around yet.
So for now, YouTube remains the place where long videos earn directly. If YouTube's own rules are on your mind, our breakdown of YouTube's 2027 monetisation changes for small creators is the comparison to keep open.
Why this could still matter to Indian creators
Ignore the YouTube-killer headlines. The interesting idea is the link between clips and the full video inside one app.
Right now, a podcaster in India typically cuts a strong two-minute moment into a Reel, and then asks people to "watch the full episode on YouTube, link in bio". Every step in that sentence loses people: tapping the profile, finding the link, leaving the app, waiting for YouTube to load. If a Reel can send a viewer straight to minute 34 of the full episode without leaving Instagram, that leak shrinks.
Whether that turns into real watch time is unknown. Instagram tried long video before with IGTV and later dropped it, which 9to5Mac also mentions. A test in two countries is not a commitment.
What to do now (while it is not in India)
1. Start keeping horizontal masters
If you shoot podcasts or long talks, keep a clean 16:9 export of every episode, not just the vertical crops. It costs you storage, not effort, and you will have a back catalogue ready if Features arrives.
2. Measure what your Reels actually send
Before any new format, find out whether your clips move people today. For the next four weeks, track two numbers for each clip you post: profile visits from the Reel, and link taps in your bio. If clips rarely send anyone anywhere, a new long-form slot will not fix that. Better clips will.
3. Cut clips that make people want the full thing
A clip that resolves the story satisfies the viewer. A clip that sets up a question makes them want the rest. Try ending on the setup: the guest's surprising claim, before the explanation. Compare follow-through on the two types.
4. Keep originality in mind
If Features does arrive, expect Instagram to care about where the long video came from, the way YouTube now does with re-uploads. Our piece on what counts as original on YouTube Shorts is a useful guide to the direction platforms are moving.
5. Brand deals: disclose like you always should
If you move a sponsored podcast to a new format, the disclosure rules move with it. Our guide to disclosing paid posts in India applies whatever the length of the video.
My take
Features is a reasonable test with an obvious gap. The discovery idea is smart. The lack of a revenue model means it is a distribution experiment for now, not an income stream. Do not reorganise your channel around it. Keep your horizontal files, sharpen your clips, and measure whether short content already moves people to long content. If Instagram brings Features to India with a real payout model, you will be ready on day one. Details are as reported on 26 October 2026; availability and features may change during the test.
