Instagram Reels 101 | How To Make Reels on Instagram
What are Instagram Reels?
"What is Instagram Reels?" you may be wondering. They're a new way to share content, and they can help boost your following exponentially. I am going to tell you what you need to know about them and how to make the most of this new feature on the Instagram platform.
Instagram Reels allow users to edit videos together by adding music, text, effects, etc. It is basically Instagram’s version of TikTok. What is the difference between Instagram Reels vs TikTok? Mainly just the platform and the length that a video can be. Reels are shorter than TikToks, they can only be up to 30 seconds, but there are rumors that Instagram will soon extend them to be up to one minute like TikTok videos are. Some IG accounts already have the feature that allows Reels to be 1 minute but it is not consistent across the app, yet.
You should also think about using Reels as part of your marketing strategy because Instagram is prioritizing this part of the platform and Reels are able to reach an audience outside of the accounts that follow you, which is a very valuable aspect for organic social media. Reels make it easier for potential customers and clients to be exposed to your page and if they like what they see, potentially follow you!
How long can Instagram Reels be?
Instagram Reels are very similar to TikTok. Instagram users can record and edit together 15 to 30-second video clips, choose music to add to them and share them to their Instagram Stories, Instagram Explore Feed, and/or the Reels tab on a their profile.
Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, on How To Be Successful with Instagram Reels
“Reels is designed to entertain you. Much like Explore, the majority of what you see is from accounts you don’t follow. So we go through a very similar process where we first source reels we think you might like, and then order them based on how interesting we think they are to you.
With Reels, though, we’re specifically focused on what might entertain you. We survey people and ask whether they find a particular reel entertaining or funny, and learn from the feedback to get better at working out what will entertain people, with an eye towards smaller creators. The most important predictions we make are how likely you are to watch a reel all the way through, like it, say it was entertaining or funny, and go to the audio page (a proxy for whether or not you might be inspired to make your own reel.) The most important signals, roughly in order of importance, are:
- Your activity. We look at things like which reels you’ve liked, commented on, and engaged with recently. These signals help us to understand what content might be relevant to you.
- Your history of interacting with the person who posted. Like in Explore, it’s likely the video was made by someone you’ve never heard of, but if you have interacted with them that gives us a sense of how interested you might be in what they shared.
- Information about the reel. These are signals about the content within the video such as the audio track, video understanding based on pixels and whole frames, as well as popularity.
- Information about the person who posted. We consider popularity to help find compelling content from a wide array of people and give everyone a chance to find their audience.
The same Recommendation Guidelines that apply to Explore apply to reels. We also avoid recommending reels for other reasons, such as low-resolution or watermarked reels, or reels that focus on political issues or that are made by political figures, parties, or government officials - or on their behalf.”
Tips for Creating a Great Instagram Reel
Shoot vertical videos. Every clip that is in a Reel should take up the entire phone screen. Avoid any video that does not naturally take up the entire screen.
Do not overproduce videos. The more RAW or “unfiltered” videos are, the better they typically tend to perform. This does not mean to not have high-quality video, it means to avoid adding graphics, transitions or extra effects to your content.
Lean into UGC- style videos. What does UGC mean? The UGC meaning is User Generated Content. I like to define this as content that looks organic and could have been shot by anyone who is decent at taking videos with their phone. Much like TikTok videos, Reels that tend to get the most engagement are those that seem real and not over-polished for social media.
Include Subtitles anytime someone is speaking in a video. This is important because it allows everyone who wants to consume your content to be able to. Not all people browse social media with their sound on, so having subtitles on your videos allow more people to able to watch and understand what is going on in the video, with or without sound.
Be sure any text that is added to the video is readable. Don’t make the text too small or a color that is hard to see.
Do not add too much text - make anything added into the video straight forward and to the point. It is also a good idea for the style of text that you use to remain consistent across all of your Reels.
Keep the final video under 30 seconds - Instagram Reels do not currently allow you to post Reels longer than 30 seconds.
For reels that tell as story or share clips in chronological order (like a recipe) keep clips short and cut from one to another quickly. Most of the time people don’t need more than 1-3 seconds to understand what is happening in a clip and comprehend its purpose in the overall Reel. People’s attention spans are short, remember that.
Katlyn Stevens Digital’s Success with Instagram Reels Strategy
I have implemented some version of an Instagram Reels strategy with almost all of my clients and have seen incredible results from these strategies. Below are two high-level examples of how two of my client’s Instagram Accounts have benefited from a well designed Instagram Reels Strategy.
CLIENT 1
This client had not grown significantly in their Instagram following in about 5 years. In 2021 we were provided the resources we needed to implement a strong Instagram srategy that relied heavily on quality Instagram Reels and have grown over 10K followers in the first four months.
CLIENT 2
This client has great Instagram engagement and a comminuted community, but because of the client's industry and niches we were not often reaching new accounts. When people in our niche came across our page they would follow us 90% of the time because the content and brand are very well built out - but the discovery phase is where we were lacking since we did not put any paid spend on digital. We implemented the Reels Strategy that Katlyn Stevens Digital created for the brand and have almost doubled our Instagram following since the start of 2021.
Why You Should Create an Instagram Reel
If you're not experimenting with Instagram Reels, then your account is missing out on some great organic growth. Reels are leading the way for organic content and it's likely they'll stay at the top of engagements in 2021 as well since their reach will continue to be prioritized by Instagram.
Reels are a great way to showcase your creative talent and expertise in an easy, digestible format. If you want more people to be exposed to your brand on Instagram, consider creating yourself an Instagram Reel Strategy. You can use these tips to create a video that will wow potential clients and collaborators alike! The benefits of having an Instagram Reel on social media include being able to show off your brand to an audience you may not have reached by only posting an organic Feed post.