Social Rocket
What are Instagram Reels?
Mainly, Instagram Reels are a way to share short, entertaining videos.As mentioned, clips of 15-30 seconds can be shared there, and they appear in the feed, on the Explore page and also in a dedicated Reels tab on the user profile. Instagram itself is very keen to push this newest feature, and it sits directly and centrally in the bottom navigation bar. This means users are only one click away from an almost endless stream of entertaining videos.
You can't escape Reels on the Explore page either, and they always appear at the top: Although nobody knows exactly how the Reels algorithm works, it will likely be very similar to the Explore page: depending on location, the topics you interact with and the accounts whose posts you like, a selection of matching Reels is presented. And very probably far more is relied on machines and less on people than at TikTok. There, they even appear as moderators for ordinary content: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kk7WvlPrFvIBut if you take a look at the Reels that get suggested, you quickly notice a few characteristics that they all share:
- They are entertaining: that means they make people laugh, are elaborately produced or simply surprising
- They follow a trend: what could be better than recreating the same content again with minimal changes?
- They are controversial: it is not always just about positive reactions, and controversial topics often drive lots of comments and shares.
- They are creative: using the various lenses, camera effects and more can make a video impressive
- They are filmed vertically: nobody wants to see 16:9, 4:3 is rare, but this is easily corrected with a caption and a few bars
- They use music or trending sounds from popular Reels
As with TikTok, you can select the sound on every Reel, reuse it, and discover posts that use the same sound.
That way you can view other videos with this sound, and the most popular posts for a particular trend are easy to find. Ideal for gathering inspiration and taking part in the trend too.Why did Instagram launch Reels?
As so often, Instagram/Facebook did not want to miss the latest trend, and in the past they have succeeded to a greater or lesser extent. For example, when they adopted Stories from Snapchat, the feature was used widely and is still extremely popular today. IGTV videos are another case: they were not a total flop, but they could not keep up with the competitor YouTube in terms of content, features or, most importantly, active users. With TikTok's growing popularity, Instagram has now created its own short-video feature. The odds are clearly better for Instagram this time than with IGTV, because nobody opens Instagram to watch videos lasting many minutes, and even less often to learn something. Most people simply want quick entertainment, and that is exactly what Instagram offers with Reels.How to use Instagram Reels best for your business
Instagram Reels are great for gaining reach and building your Instagram account. You can share original or trendy videos with your community, with a good chance of reaching entirely new users who did not know you before. Mainly, though, Instagram Reels serve to build your account and increase your brand awareness. Hardly anyone opens Instagram with a purchase intention, and even fewer will buy products they see in Reels. It is much more about being present and getting into people's heads, so that your brand is the first one they think of when they think of your niche. But what should your content look like?Create authentic content
When you use Reels, you have far more opportunities to show your personality than, for example, with an Instagram picture. Show your humour, be honest and create content you can stand behind yourself. Instagram Reels open up new ways to bind your fans, as was previously possible only on YouTube. TikTok has opened an entirely new path to reach your fans. If you cultivate an authentic presence, you will also find it much easier to sell your products to your followers. The best part? At the end of the day, there is no better way to win new followers than Reels, because a good video can be suggested to thousands of users who do not follow you.Share interesting content
On the one hand, you can make entertaining posts, but to reach in particular people who fit your niche, you can create specific, interesting videos. What does that mean? Videos like the 5 biggest myths about... or 5 facts about... or 5 tips on... Again and again, Reels show not only entertaining content but also educational content, and this is exactly where you have the chance to win new, targeted followers for your profile. So be creative and design short, informative Reels that bring your topic closer to users. @Leasingmarkt, for example, reached 290K views with this short video!View this post on Instagram
Showcase your products
Ideally, you should not simply post advertising now; instead, the goal is to show how useful your product is in an entertaining context. That way you have the chance to achieve high reach and get people interested in your product. Creativity pays off here too!
Conclusion on Instagram Reels
Instagram Reels are a great way for brands and influencers to reach a large audience by producing high-quality content.It will be interesting to see what relevance Reels will have on Instagram in the future, but looking at TikTok, it will probably only become more and more important to use them, and to use them properly.