What Are Instagram Reels?Why Instagram Reels Matter for Business Shopping Is Coming to Instagram ReelsHow to Create Instagram Reels Best Practices for Creating Instagram ReelsIn Conclusion Show
 Table of Contents What Are Instagram Reels?Why Instagram Reels Matter for Business Shopping Is Coming to Instagram ReelsHow to Create Instagram Reels Best Practices for Creating Instagram ReelsIn Conclusion Want to receive the best of our blog every single month? Yes, I’m in!Instagram Reels keep garnering more attention all the time. But how should social media managers approach this unfurling feature of Instagram? Sharing photos, liking, and commenting on photos was just about all you could do on Instagram in the early days. But Instagram has come a very long way since then, partially by checking out what the competition does well—”borrowing” those features or strategies, and even improving them. A prime example of this was Instagram’s Stories feature, which it took straight from Snapchat. Likewise, Instagram Stories usage has skyrocketed past Snapchat’s. The feature has become so popular that it has been adopted by Facebook and even YouTube. In this post, we’re going to go over everything you need to know about Reels, including what they are, whether they really matter for your brand, and how to use them. What Are Instagram Reels?Early in 2020, Instagram released its Reels for Stories, snagging a use case from the increasingly popular platform TikTok. Instagram Reels allows users to create engaging, fun, and short videos using a catalog of music and user-generated Reels media on Instagram. Reels are 15-second, multi-clip videos that can have sound, effects, and music added to them. (So pretty much exactly what you can do on TikTok.) Instagram Reels has an extensive music catalog that you know and love from Instagram Stories already, including modern top hits and established artists. These videos are meant to be fun and creative, which does work with the more casual or quirky style that Stories sometimes have (especially since they were originally inspired by Snapchat). The primary purpose of Reels, outside of being a direct competitor with TikTok, is to entertain. Instagram knows that this is a popular feature on another platform, so they wanted to integrate it here. Why Instagram Reels Matter for BusinessReels open Instagram up to a surge of interest, new users, and new business. This popular feature is what launched TikTok’s astronomical success, so why not provide the option to create and enjoy similar content on Instagram? VisibilityAfter all, Reels is more than just a cool sticker you can use to embellish your Instagram Story. Reels do have outstanding visibility. The top video on many “explore” feeds is currently almost always Reels content, which is displayed much larger than the rest of the posts on the page. The Explore section is used to discover new brands and content, which they’re eager to do on Instagram, with more than 70% of users following at least one brand on the platform. Instagram has also just announced that they’ll be creating a dedicated “Reels” tab. This won’t simply be a tab addition to the Explore section, as had previously been theorized. Instead, Instagram Reels will actually have a clickable button on the new Instagram homepage. Some users already have this, but it may be rolling out for some users. You can see it in the picture below from Instagram, with the reels icon in the very center of the bottom navigation bar on the home screen: Think how visible and central to usage Stories are now, and even how IGTV has strong, heavy integrations through the app. They’re trying to do the same thing for Reels, especially since they’re trying to get users to spend more time with them than on TikTok. They’re well aware that offering an all-in-one platform can help with that. We can expect that there will be a big push to promote and encourage the usage of Reels moving forward, and users will likely participate on some level. That means that you can connect with some of your target audience here. Fun and personableInstagram Reels are a fun great addition to Instagram. However, remember that this is only part of the platform. (Stories may be more impactful in regards to connecting with your audience.) Some brands will struggle to incorporate music content, especially silly or entertaining, into their Stories strategy. That’s totally understandable … If something isn’t true to your brand voice, skip it. It’s not worth compromising your brand experience to hop on the latest bandwagon. Stories are more significant to the platform overall. Remember, too, that if a significant number of your audience members are on TikTok, using Reels exclusively isn’t going to get you any closer to connecting with them. While it may fade into obscurity like many other platforms that came before it, it certainly won’t be doing so anytime in the immediate future. If you want to reach more users with TikTok style content, by all means, create Reels, but go ahead and get on TikTok, too. In many cases, users are reposting TikTok videos on Instagram, including in Reels. So, if Reels isn’t for you, take a deep breath and don’t worry. You have other ways to show up in the Explore tab, including with Stories, IGTV videos, and in-feed content. Adding relevant hashtags to your posts can also help boost visibility, as can working on UGC and influencer campaigns. Shopping Is Coming to Instagram ReelsThough the Reels feature isn’t necessarily offering anything new to the Instagram platform overall, the good news is that it will hold its own.
The reason this is most significant at the moment is that they’ve beaten TikTok, which is currently working with Shopify to set up an integration to offer something similar. Though TikTok can still put you in front of new audience members, this does give Reels a nice advantage for brands. How to Create Instagram ReelsYou’ll create Reels from your Story creation screen. Go to create a Story, and then select “Reels” (as opposed to “live” or “story”). Create with Reels You’ll then record a 15-second video. Note that if you pause the video before 15 seconds, you’ll restart to shoot another clip to fill in the remaining time. Recording an Instagram Reel Once the video is shot, you can edit it, similar to how you’ll edit a Story. You can trim the different video clips during the creation process. You can also add emojis, draw directly onto the video, and add stickers. To add a custom voiceover, click on the microphone icon. You can add your voiceover in real-time, ensuring that it syncs up with the video. You can also add music, mixing the audio to create that iconic TikTok-styled (or, ahem, excuse us, “Reels-styled”) content. Mix audio in Instagram Reels Consider adding in transition overlays and any graphic details that could make your Reels content more engaging. Add a caption to your video, and then choose to publish it either to Stories or Reels. Add caption in Instagram reels. At this point, Reels still isn’t quite as powerful as TikTok in terms of tools and edits. But those improvements are in the works. It’s easy to create your own Reels in Stories. Quick overview of stepsFollow these basic steps:
At this point, Instagram Reels still isn’t quite as powerful as TikTok in terms of tools and edits. But those improvements are in the works. Instagram reels are now available in your Agorapulse social media inbox, social media listening, and publishingReels Reporting is coming soon! Please note that this new feature is not available in legacy plans. If you want to have access to Instagram Reels from your Agorapulse account and you are a Legacy plan user, please get in touch with our Customer Success Team. They can help you to pick the best plan for you within the new plan structure. Best Practices for Creating Instagram ReelsReady to get started rocking those reels? (Sorry, we can’t help a great alliteration.) While it’s still a relatively new-to-Instagram feature, there are a few best practices that you can use to make the biggest impact with this content. These include the following: Consider creating super-short tutorials & resourcesLightning-fast tutorial videos paired with a relevant soundtrack (aka 15 seconds of a song) can go over extremely well on Reels. You can show people how to make a great cheese board like the example below, or even “answer” a single question like “how to get a business credit card.” Remember that you can tackle legitimate content; just pair it up with some fun music. Get the audio mix rightAre you creating a voiceover central to the video? You don’t want the background music drowning it out. Use the “mix” feature to choose the audio levels for the background narration and your music. Create a strong caption that incorporates hashtagsStart with a strong lede to capture your audience’s interest, and put in plenty of relevant hashtags to increase your potential visibility. Remember that only the first few words will be displayed on Reels without users clicking on the “show more” tab, so choose wisely. Have a sense of humorRight now, humor can take you a long way on Reels, especially since it’s the most common approach to content creation. You don’t need to go over the top, but try out some relatable funny anecdotes and see how it works for you if it aligns with your brand voice. In ConclusionReels presents a unique opportunity for Instagram to compete with TikTok—and for Instagram users who prefer the platform to keep more of their content marketing efforts centralized there. For many brands, Reels is a fun tool, but not necessarily one that has been disruptive or significantly impactful the way that Stories or Shoppable posts have been. We recommend testing it out and trying to incorporate Reels into your content at least once a week to see how well it works for you and your audience. Track engagement on the Reels videos, but also keep an eye on your reach and impressions to see if it’s making an impact. Get started on saving time and energy on your own social media management! Check out our free trial of Agorapulse to help you schedule, track, and measure all your social media efforts. What is the point of a reel on Instagram?What are Instagram Reels? Reels are entertaining, immersive videos where you can creatively express your brand story, educate your audience, and get discovered by people who may love your business. People come to Reels to participate in cultural trends, collaborate with the community and discover new ideas.
What is the difference between story and reel Instagram?Additionally, reels exist indefinitely on your feed, while stories will disappear after 24 hours (unless you save them). Intent: Reels are ideal for discoverability, but stories are great for connecting with the audience you already have. Casual updates and quick, simple posts are common.
Is a reel just a video on Instagram?Instagram Reels offer a more immersive and entertaining way to watch and create video, so we're now bringing a full-screen experience to your video posts to create one simplified experience. In the coming days, new video posts under 15 minutes will be shared as reels.
What are Instagram reels and how do you use them?On top of sounds, Reels can include multiple video clips, filters, captions, interactive backgrounds, stickers, and more. Reels are different from Instagram Stories. Unlike Stories, they don't disappear after 24 hours. Once you post a Reel, it's available on Instagram until you delete it.
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What is a Reel on Instagram
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