Hi! I’m Kelsie, Fesyk Marketing’s Social Media Specialist, and I’m excited to share all about my new favourite tool to boost your Instagram reach, showcase your product or personality, and connect with your audience in a whole new way.
Yep, I’m talking about Instagram Reels!
What are Instagram Reels?
If you’ve ever fallen into the black hole of scrolling through TikTok for hours, Instagram Reels will make you feel right at home. Instagram Reels are short videos, 60 seconds or less, often set to a song or a sound created by other users.
You may be familiar with Instagram’s other tools like Stories, IGTV, and your Feed posts. What sets Reels apart is that they allow users to stitch together multiple video clips into one content piece within the app. Plus, you can use effects like filters, music and other sounds, or changing the video speed. Before Reels, the only way to create such a video would be with a tool like iMovie (which takes a fair bit of video-editing knowledge).
Unlike Stories that disappear after 24 hours, Reels live forever in the Reels tab of your profile. And while IGTV is ideal for long-form video or an episodic series, Reels are limited to a maximum of 60 seconds.
What makes Instagram Reels so great?
What really pushes Reels over and above other existing tools, is that your content is promoted to users across the entire platform through the Explore Feed, instead of just to your followers or to people following the hashtags you used. Rumour has it that Instagram’s algorithm gives priority to creators who use Reels as an incentive to get more people creating with the tool. I’ve heard anecdotes from my social media marketing colleagues reporting more than 200% increases in their analytics after incorporating Reels into their strategy. That’s huge!
Despite TikTok’s popularity, Instagram still has nearly twice as many users as TikTok. Now that many users repost TikToks to Instagram Reels, Instagram users are more likely to stay and scroll through Reels, rather than going to a different app. That means more opportunities for users to stumble across your content and decide to engage, follow, or buy from you.
Another benefit of Reels is that the time investment for the user is low, so it’s more likely that they will stick around to watch your full 15-60 second clip than they might be if your video was 5 minutes or more. Attention spans are getting shorter, and if you can grab your audience in the first few seconds of your Reel, they’re more likely to watch the full video, and check out the rest of your content while they’re at it.
Finally, one of the best things about Reels is that they are low-risk. Users aren’t looking for totally polished, high production quality videos on Reels. The more authentic your video, the better it will perform, so have fun and lean into it.
Are reels right for your business?
As always, before you jump into a new tool, the first question you should ask yourself is: is the audience I’m trying to reach using this platform? (If you’re not sure, check out this blog post about deciding which platforms you should be using for your business!)
If your business is geared toward a younger Gen Z audience, you may be better off taking the leap into TikTok, where the largest percentage of users is between ages 10-19 (25%) and nearly half are under 30. But if you’re marketing towards Millennials, you may have better luck on Instagram where the demographic trends slightly older (62% of users are aged 18-34).
Another thing to consider when it comes to creating Reels is how comfortable you are with the Instagram platform, and video editing in general. While the method of creating a new Reel can be pretty intuitive once you get into it, there is a bit of a learning curve. It’s not uncommon to end up spending upwards of an hour tweaking and fine-tuning, all for a 15-second video. If you’re not familiar with the app, spend some time playing around, testing the tools and figuring out how it works before you dive into a strategy of posting multiple Reels per month.
Okay … I’m ready! How do I use Instagram Reels?
The technical steps to making a Reel are pretty straightforward — check out this blog from Later for a step-by-step explanation.
Now, the concept and planning of a good Reel is where it takes a bit of finesse.
First, think of the overall goal of your Reel. Are you hoping to showcase a product? Share your expertise through advice? Show off your personality by jumping on a current trend? Deciding what you want your Reel to accomplish is step one.
If you’re feeling stuck, scroll through the Reels tab on Instagram and look for inspiration. This is a channel where putting your own personal twist onto an existing video style or topic is not only acceptable, but encouraged. Take note of the Reels that draw you in, that make you want to watch the whole way through, that make you feel entertained or interested. Then, think of how you could do something similar, but tailored to your business and your audience.
(Looking for some insider tips? Check out this post from Instagram where they share do’s and don’ts for creating Reels that will do well in the algorithm.)
Next, you want to get an idea of what shots your Reel will include. Trust me on this one — you want to have a storyboard or outline of the video BEFORE you start to film. Jot down some short, point-form notes of what shots you want to take.
Then, film! You can film your Reel directly in the app, or film clips using your phone’s camera and stitch them together in Instagram after the fact. Be sure to film with your phone vertical (portrait mode), and in a well-lit area so the video looks good.
When you have all your video pieces, you can use the Reels editor to tweak or trim the clips, add sound, stickers, text, and effects until you’re happy with the final video. One thing to consider is if you are using any voice-over or if you are talking during the video, adding captions to the Reel is a great way to increase the accessibility of your video, and make users browsing without sound on more likely to stay and watch.
Then… it’s time to hit post! Pro tip: be sure to share the Reel to your stories to boost it’s reach even more.
Have fun with it!
Instagram Reels may feel daunting at first, but once you dip your toes in, you’ll love this new way of connecting with your audience. If you’re feeling nervous to take the plunge, get in touch with us and we can help!
About Fesyk Marketing
We’re a boutique agency that believes great relationships are the key to having a successful and sustainable business. And we see opportunities for connection and collaboration everywhere!
Our amazing team specializes in creating content and leveraging social media to help our clients strengthen relationships, increase referral rates and attract new business. As a vision based company we create bespoke marketing plans with the end goal in mind and then work right alongside you to make it happen.
One of our favourite mantras is, “If you can dream it, you can do it.” and have proven time and time again that authentic, meaningful content is the foundation for building a community of loyal customers.
Does this sound interesting to you? Send us an e-mail to connect and learn more about how relationship marketing can help your business.