National Geographic has created some really cool video projects for its YouTube channel. But the science and travel-based media giant has good reason to be proud of its Instagram usage, too. National Geographic’s official Instagram account @natgeo has reached the one billion likes milestone.
Boasting over 17 million followers, the @natgeo Instagram is (according to the media company) the most popular non-celebrity-based account on the social media site, and the only media company to crack the top 20 most popular accounts overall. National Geographic’s Instagram followers, over 75% of which are millennials, come from every country in the world, with 70% of them hailing from outside the U.S.
National Geographic recently launched two new Instagram accounts to complement its famous flagship profile. The first, @natgeoyourshot, shares awe-inspiring images taken by the National Geographic community from around the world. The other Instagram account, @natgeoadventure, is an extension of the company’s titular brand and seeks to highlight some of the world’s top outdoor adventurers and photographers.
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“The @natgeo account represents the best of Instagram, with images that instantly transport you to some of the most unique and remote places in the world,” said Amanda Kelso, director of community at Instagram, in a release. “With its team of photographers, National Geographic has embraced the storytelling possibilities of Instagram and built an enormous following with a diverse, new generation of people who can explore the world through its imagery.”
“One of the keys to our success on Instagram has been the incredible collaboration between our photo team and some of the best photojournalists in the world. By handing over the keys to photographers who are out in the field, we’ve been able to give our Instagram followers immediate and intimate access to the tremendous work National Geographic is doing every day,” said Rajiv Mody, National Geographic’s vice president of social media. “Now, we’re excited to expand our efforts on Instagram by launching new accounts to further engage our community and expand our overall presence on the platform.”
In addition to National Geographic’s Instagram initiatives, the company announced three new video-related projects at its Digital Content Newfronts presentation on May 4, 2015. The first is Your Doc, a hub for user-generated videos made by community members based on an “assignment” given to them by National Geographic producers. Next up is the #InAWeekend web series, which follows a group of friends trying to pack as much adventure into 55 hours as possible. Finally, the Investigation Explorer video series will give viewers the deeper story behind major news events.
You can keep up with all of National Geographic’s new initiatives via its three Instagram accounts, its YouTube channel, and its official website.
