By this time I’m sure most of you have seen an Instagram reel if you use Instagram. They are a popular tool for businesses trying to market their product or service to new audiences. They are short videos that are up to 60 seconds long and allow for a great amount of organic reach on Instagram because it will be shown to anyone the platform deems relevant. 

The cool thing about Instagram reels is anyone can make them! Instagram makes them very easy to film on your phone but using higher-quality content can help you to stand out ;)!

Credit: Instagram

Facebook introduced this tool back in August 2020 to combat the loss in users they were experiencing from those switching to Tiktok. 

TikTok's algorithm was allowing users and businesses to be shown to anyone curating it based on what they watched most. It allowed for a much greater organic reach in a world of visual saturation. 

Although Instagram Reels does not have the same capabilities as Tiktok, it has one significant advantage, the number of people on the platform and their age demographics.

The Audience

Credit: Hootsuite

Instagram has over 1 billion users, with 500 million accounts actively viewing Instagram stories every day. Canada alone has 15 million active users. On Instagram, people aged 25-34 years old represent the highest proportion of marketable users, with 15.1% female users and 16.4% male users within that age range– closely followed by people aged 18-24 years old.

Making Instagram reels a very effective tool to reach millennials—  so keep this in mind when creating your reels. 

The idea!

The first step toward creating an Instagram reel is coming up with a concept for the short video. Whether the purpose is to showcase your company, grab attention, show your process, have customers talk about your product or service, or showcase your brand – you can use it for any of these! If your idea is going to need to help to execute and film, write it out and create a storyboard. 

Audio

First, let's start with the most effective strategies for Instagram reels music: 

Original Audio

Original Audio means using the audio from the video you import or using a voiceover. If captioned, original audio can do exceptionally well. Instagram prioritizes original content and learns based on viewing patterns if it should show your video to more people. 

Nigel Hinds, our creative director, tosses papers away and then swipes away the microphone as he introduces the reel's purpose. 

Popular or Trending Songs

Using popular or trending songs in your Instagram reels can also help you show more often. Open Instagram reels in the app and scroll until you hear a song that sounds catchy or you hear a song multiple times. You can click on the song at the bottom of your phone, select save audio, and use it in your next reel. Song trends change quickly, so make sure you don't wait too long to use it. 

Captions

If anyone is speaking in the video you HAVE TO HAVE captions! Over 80% of the video is now viewed without audio.

The Video 

I broke down a few important aspects of creating an Instagram reel video:

The Hook

Start with a visually stimulating action to get your audience's attention. 

Movement/Transitions 

Creating camera movement and different angles can help keep the audience engaged. 

The Length

When in doubt, keep it very short, 5-15 seconds, allowing users to play it multiple times before swiping to the next reel and play numerous times in the background if they go to the comments section. 

But! Longer content means your audience will have a higher chance of remembering your video if they watch it all the way through. If you get their attention, they may click through to your profile to watch more of your reels which may lead to more follows— so make sure you mix it up!

Aspect Ratio

9 x 16 is the ideal format to have Instagram reels, keep this in mind when you are creating your video to ensure the best experience for the viewer. Ensure important elements are not cut off and the video makes sense. People can tell when you didn’t properly format the video and it will sometimes result in lower view counts. 

Getting the best results

Post it to your story and feed, and optimize for it! Posting it everywhere allows you to increase your organic reach.

Thumbnail Photos

Look through the video you have created and see if there is an attention-grabbing snapshot you can use or you can create your own. Make sure it displays well in a 9-by-16 format and 1-by-1 grid format. 

Drive Engagement by Re-Engaging 

The more you respond to comments, the more likely people will comment and like your reel– thus increasing the amount of time they spend engaging with your content.