Instagram Reels are short videos with vertical dimensions that can go up to 60 seconds. It’s a concept designed for those who enjoy quickly consuming relevant content. There’s a separate Reels Explore page where users can find an endless stream of reels from creators worldwide. The most significant upside of reels for brands and influencers is that their reels can also be discovered by accounts that do not follow them.
In other words, if you are looking to get found by a new audience on Instagram, Reels can be the way forward.
Another reason Reel is so popular among Instagram users is that they’re short and highly creative sometimes. Due to the time constraint of 60 seconds, creators are forced to include only relevant information. Moreover, that information is often condensed and presented creatively to engage as many people as possible. With the collective attention spans of social media users on a steady decline, formats such as Instagram Reels will only become more popular.
Features of Instagram Reels
Instagram offers many features for creators who want to base their content economy on reels. Let’s take a look at various features and how you might be able to use them:
Video Speed: This feature can speed up your video or slow it down. It often comes in handy when you have to condense a lot of information in a single reel. For instance, if you have a voiceover that exceeds the time limit of 60 seconds, it can be a viable option to speed it up.
Timer: Comes in handy for hands-free filming. Set the timer and use the countdown feature to shoot reels on your own.
Alignment: This feature is often used to create seamless transitions
Effects Gallery: Browse the effects gallery on Instagram to enhance your reels and bring creativity out.
Edit: This is more of a mini-editor in Instagram itself. You can use it to trim your video, reorder multiple videos used in the reel, and even add more clips. If you are looking for some major effects and something different then you can switch to any Instagram Reels Maker tool as well.
Text/Draw/Stickers: These features are self-explanatory, but they’re essential to the Reels economy. Use them to convey relevant information. Moreover, the Instagram algorithm prioritizes reels that make use of these features.
AR Effects: Instagram recently introduced Augmented Reality effects, and they’ve been a game changer for quite a few creators, especially those who deal in humor. If your content borders on the comic, you can use trending AR effects and bump up your visibility on the platform.
Filters: Perfect for enhanced aesthetics.
Audio/Music: Perhaps the most popular way to make your reels effective. Almost every Instagram maker uses trending audio or music to get their reels noticed. Moreover, music can add a new creative dimension to your reel content. One helpful tip is to use the “Entrepreneur account”.
Other business accounts do not often have full access to the Instagram music library. One workaround to this dilemma is to edit outside Instagram using a third-party application. However, that can hinder your reel from reaching a lot more people. It is because your reels are also categorized based on what audio you have used from the Instagram music library. And using trending audio can help you go viral quickly!
Tips for Creating Effective Insta Reels:
1: Carving out a Niche
Regarding reels, carving out a niche for yourselves becomes essential, especially if you’re planning a content strategy for your brand. Once you figure out your style that fits your brand image, you’ll have an easier time creating content regularly for a long time. Another tip is to schedule your videos in advance to avoid any last-minute hiccups.
2: Engaging Captions
Make your captions as engaging as possible. It is where you can include a CTA. Thus, the viewer should stop and look at the caption at all costs. Try puns, humor, and relevant information to capture your audience’s gaze.
3: Hashtags and Locations
Hashtags help categorize content for the Instagram algorithm. With hashtags, the algorithm can identify your content (in this case, reels) and float them to users actively engaging with that type of content. Therefore, if you use hashtags related to sports, your reel will be visible to people who spend more minutes consuming sports content and those who actively seek out sports content on Instagram.
Thus, if you have your target audience figured out, you can easily grow your brand in that dimension by using hashtags smartly.
Another way to categorize your reels is to make use of locations. Some viewers also search for content based on its location.
4: Please the Algorithm
Ultimately, it all boils down to pleasing the ever-elusive Instagram algorithm. The algorithm decides whether your reel will blow up or not. Thus, here are small tips that can help your content in terms of reach:
– Avoid recycled videos from other apps such as TikTok. The Instagram algorithm doesn’t prioritize videos edited on a different platform.
– Avoid low-quality videos as the algorithm will not float those to new audiences. Moreover, it would help if you kept the recommended dimensions in mind (vertical, 9:16 aspect ratio, and 1080 x 1920 pixels).
– Keep an eye on what’s trending. Try to get inspired by those reels. It’s always a great idea to see what the algorithm is pushing. You can also go for similar Instagram reel templates and increase your chances of going viral.
Instagram Analytics
Perhaps the metrics are the most important aspect of Instagram reels that gets overlooked far too often. You must keep an eye on what kind of content is working out for your page. You can access the metrics via two areas – on individual reels and by selecting the Instagram Insights Tab.
After accessing the personal insights of a reel, you can see how that particular reel has performed in terms of the number of plays, accounts reached, saves, shares, comments, and likes. On the Instagram Insights Tab, you can better understand how your reels are doing compared to one another. Expert social media marketers often recommend that your content strategy keep evolving based on the feedback you collect from Instagram metrics.
In the end, creating highly effective Instagram reels is very nuanced. To understand more about it, you should keep on researching. Because you’ll find something new every time, you read up on it.