The popularity of Instagram reels has spread like wildfire & the buzz around reels is increasing each day!
61% of GenZ Tiktok users are inclining towards Instagram reels & monthly 169,000 Google searches took place for the term 'Instagram Reels.' Since its launch in 2019 in Brazil, Instagram reels have become a composite part of the Instagram eco-system.
Nowadays Instagram reels are a golden opportunity for brands & businesses!
But to make your business visible using reels it requires having unique ideas & a well crafted storyline.
A systematic & well-executed Instagram reels strategy can boost your business visibility sky-high!
In this guide, we have discussed all vital aspects of Instagram reels, encompassing ways to create your first reel, reels ideas for businesses, how to access reels insights & Instagram reels FAQs.
Dive deep & craft a blueprint for the perfect Instagram reels strategy for your business & reach out to new prospects, engage your audience & pump up the sales funnel!!
- What Are Instagram Reels?
- Instagram Reels Algorithm
- How To Make An Instagram Reel
- Instagram Reels Analytics
- How To Use Instagram Reels For Business
- Instagram Reels FAQs
What Are Instagram Reels?
In general Instagram reels are easy-to-digest short forms of video content. With a similar format like Tiktok, Instagram users can shoot reels up to 15 to 60 seconds. You can record & edit the video clips & can share reels in Instagram stories, the Reel tab on your profile & explore tab.
Instagram Reel tab is filled with the trending reels & reels from the popular accounts. Reels can be filmed on the spot, or you also can upload a pre captured & pre-edited video from your camera roll. Reels support Instagram native stickers & text tools.
Instagram reels camera & editors are comprised of features such as transition, augmented reality effects, video speed up or slow down. In the audio attribution, users can go with the native audio & can overly the respective audio in the video. The Instagram app credits the original user’s account only.
Furthermore, Instagram reels allow users to share a long take video, or you can share a video of a combination of quick takes. The privacy setting of your profile affects who can view your reels. If you have a public profile, reels will appear on the explore tab along with the Reel tab.
Instagram algorithm display reels based on your location, people you have followed & the similar content you have recently engaged.
Reels on Instagram are an excellent opportunity for businesses to reach engagement via video explaining your product line or services. Since it appears in the public area brands have a high chance to gain more new prospects with Instagram reels.
However, though Instagram reels & story sounds almost similar, don’t get confused between them. Both of these two Instagram features have significant differences:
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Reels provide users various creative tools such as speed controls, AR effects, unlike Instagram story. Furthermore, you can have the option to align multi-clip videos for cleaner transitions in reels which are not available in the Instagram story feature.
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Unlike Instagram story, reels can be featured in explore tab. Besides, you can post a reel on the feed and share it as a story post.
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Story disappears within 24 hours, but all your reels appear in a dedicated section of your profile, just like IGTV posts. Your original audio is attributed to you & others can use it to create new reels.
Instagram Reels Vs. TikTok
Though Instagram reels are almost same as TikTok, yet specific differences make these two rival formats differ from each other. Let's check out:
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The kernel of Instagram reels & TikTok is similar as both of the formats aids users in offering the space to create & share short creative videos. Reels & TikTok both helps the users to display & deliver the message of the video through motion & audio.
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But Instagram reels & TikTok significantly differ in their fundamental identity,i.e., reels are a part of the Instagram eco-system; it is a feature. But TikTok is an entire platform.
- Another difference between Instagram reels & TikTok is the time limit they offer. The maximum time limit of Instagram reels in 2021 is 60 seconds, but TikToks’ time limit is up to 3 minutes.
Suggested Read: Top 20 Instagram Followers Apps That Might Be Stealing Your Data
How Does Instagram Reels Algorithm Work?
Instagram is constantly investing in reels & it has become a flagship feature of the platform. To leverage the use of Instagram reels utmost, it’s crucial to understand how Instagram reels work & how the app recommended reels to its users. Let’s roll to the key takeaways of Instagram reels:
Instagram Reels Algorithm Signals
The objective of the Instagram reels algorithm is to engage users while watching the reels. To demonstrate which reels to surface to users Instagram algorithm considers the parameters such as if a user likes a real, commented as it is funny or entertaining, watched the entire reel, visited the audio track page to make their own reels.
Note: Each reel has a unique page where Instagram users can visit & get the audio if the creator has not disabled this feature. Using that a new reel can be created with the same video. When you create a reel with a highly shareable sound clip, the recommendation algorithm will push your reel more & you can expect more engagement.
Instagram gather all crucial information about the content creator; the most vital signals for the reels recommendation algorithm are as follows:
Instagram User Activity: As per the Instagram algorithm user activity is a crucial signal in recommendation reels. The algorithm tracks the type of reels users has engaged in the past & if they had any direct communication or interaction with the reels content creator. Interaction includes DMs, Tags, responding to comment, interacting with your followers’ aids to propel your content in users’ feed frequently.
Details About The Reel: The algorithm tracks all required information such as the audio track & assesses the video based on the whole frame and pixels.
Creators Infomation: Instagram chokes out details about the creator of the reels, who they are & how users have interacted with the reels, such as if people have like shared or commented on your reels.
Irrespective of the fact that how popular a reel creator is or the engagement in the reel, Instagram does not advocate certain reel content: low resolution or watermarked content or political video content etc.
If you aim to use reels to propel your business reach enure to use high-quality original content. Besides, refrain from using any copied or watermarked content as Instagram won’t get your content surfaced in users’ feeds if they don’t directly follow the creator. Furthermore, reels aim at engagement, so keep the brand message in the reels in light & friendly way.
Suggested Read: How To Avoid Getting Blocked Or Banned By Instagram
How To Make An Instagram Reel
Sensing the capability of the reels to reach the target market, top brands like Louis Vuitton, Burger King, Sephora, NBA Franchise are prevalently using reels & gaining success.
Are you planning to create your first reel? Let's ponder upon certain know-hows before moving into the activity.
There are three various ways to access & create your Instagram reels. You can access reels from the home screen or create them from the Reels Tab or the Instagram Story camera.
Instagram reel natively offers diverse creative tools for editing aiding you to customize your videos according to your requirements:
Audio Library: On Instagram Reels, you can choose a song from the music library & inculcate it into reel to make it more dynamic. You also have the option to choose only that section of the song that goes with the content, or you can record your own song.
Adding audio to reels makes it more engaging & pleasant to watch. Just make sure that context of the video & the reel music align when you make Instagram reels for your business. Also, focus on beats & lyrics as well to make it more aesthetically pleasing.
Effects: Users can choose AR Effects or special effects from Instagram's gallery. Both the users & Instagram created these effects across the world. You can capture diverse clips that imply different effects. However, do not meld too many effects as it can hamper in delivering the underlying message of the reel.
Speed: Instagram reels allow you to change the speed of your video. To align with the music, you can slow down or speed up the video. While playing up with speed ensure to maintain a speed where the message amalgamated with the video is aptly delivered to your followers.
Timer: Instagram reels offer a timer feature so that users can capture the videos hands-free. On pressing the record button, you get a countdown up to three before the camera starts recording the video.
How To Use Reels On Instagram
Let’s check out how to use reels on Instagram:
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To access reels through the Reels tab, tap on the camera icon present on the top right corner.
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You can access Instagram reels through the Instagram home screen. Open the app on your phone & then tap on the plus sign ‘+’ present on the top right corner & then scroll to the bottom of the screen to the Reels tab.
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To create reels through the Instagram camera, open the camera & you’ll find the reels icon positioned between the normal mode & create mode, or you can find it near ‘Story’ in the bottom menu.
If you are wondering how to do reels or how to post reels on Instagram, follow the step-by-step guide discussed in the next section. We have mentioned all the steps on how to create an Instagram reel utilizing the Instagram Story camera.
Now to create reels, log in to Instagram and open Instagram camera & choose Reels.
Option 1: You can press & hold the record button. Upon doing so you can capture footage for your video.
Option 2: You can find pre-recorded videos from your camera roll & can upload them. You can record series of video clips, i.e., one clip at a time, or you can record all at once.
Steps To Create Your First Reel
Step 1: Go to the Instagram story camera menu & scroll to the bottom of it. And tap on ‘Reels.’
Step 2: On the same screen, you can find the music icon; click on it you’ll lend to the Instagram music library. Now choose the song of your choice & select your favorite part.
Step:3 Decide how long you want your reel to be. Accordingly, tap on the timer & choose reel duration. In 2021 Instagram reels’ maximum length can be 60 seconds. When You press the icon, you can shuffle between 15 seconds, 30 seconds & 60 seconds.
Note: You can use the timer option as well for hands-free capture. The Instagram timer allows users to choose between 3 seconds to 10 seconds countdown before start recording. Further, you can use the effects to your Instagram reels video. You have the option to choose any previously saved filter or to choose a new filter scroll to the end of the filter menu & tap on ‘Browse Effects.’
Step 4: Once all set, tap on the record button to capture the clips or upload a video from your phone gallery. Press & hold the ‘Play’ button; you can record & stop multiple times as per your content format & needs.
Note: While you are recording multiple times tapping the start & end button, an ‘Align’ button appears, aiding users to line up the objects of capturing before recoding the next clip. Aligning is particularly helpful in creating seamless transitions for reels like adding new music, changing outfits etc.
Step 5: To watch, trim & delete any of your recorded clips, tap the back arrow to the right of the record button. Now press on the individual clips. To trim it, tap the scissors.
Step 6: Once you are done with recording & editing, you can use the draw & text tool to add captions, or you also can add several Instagram Stickers.
Note: While creating reels, if your video has a voice-over or dialogue, ensure to add captions to your videos. Adding a caption helps to understand the reel better. Besides, even if the reel sound is off in users’ phones, they get the message simply by reading the captions.
While adding text into your videos, maintain the text placement to avoid any vital text cropping. Because upon sharing reels on Instagram feed, Instagram crops it to 4:5 dimensions. The best practice is to place your text closer to the middle of the screen.
Step 7: Lastly, edit the cover photo with a video thumbnail, or you can add it from the camera roll. While creating reels for brands, choose to upload an on-brand image to continue the aesthetics coherence in the reels.
How To Add Music To Instagram Reels
Music is a crucial part of Instagram reels. Instagram allows saving audio from other reels as well. When you find any of your favorite audio clips or a song, tap on the music & choose ‘Use Audio.’
In the recent evolvement of Instagram, it aids users to search for the particular audio clip, making it easier to follow the trend.
Note that sometimes Instagram features do not work on specific accounts. When you face such an issue, simply record your audio or music, or else you can also edit your video outside the Instagram eco-system. Edit, trim or align your clip, adjust the video speed and add AR effects.
Congratulations! You now know how to create Instagram reel. Let’s explore how can you share the reel with your followers:
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Cross-check the reel & if you are satisfied with the outcome, tap the Next button to access the Share page.
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Follow the step by tapping on Cover. Edit a cover photo with a video thumbnail, or add a reel cover from your gallery.
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You now have two options: you can directly publish the reel or save it as a draft to post when your followers are most active on Instagram. In that way, your reel can get maximum reach.
While sharing the reel note that
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Instagram reels allow you to share the video clip to the Reels tab. Your followers can access it in the Reels tab in your account.
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The Instagram algorithm may also pick up the clip & suggest it to users in the Instagram main discovery Reels tab.
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Ensure to share your reel at the feed as well. When you share it on the feed, it will appear on your profile grid along with your other posts.
What Should Be The Instagram Reel Size?
If you are creating reels using the Instagram camera or if you are creating video clips on a single take, you need not worry about the file size.
But if your reel has footage from the phone gallery or any uploaded images, ensure to check the file size.
Instagram reels are designed for the entire vertical screen as they are a mobile-first format, just like the Story feature. The recommended size for Instagram reels are 1080 x 1920 pixel & the recomended aspect ratio for reels is 9:16.
Not using the correct file size & dimension can result in a blurry video. Besides, if the size is not accurate, you may end up with an awkwardly cropped reel which hampers the reach & your brand image.
Instagram Reels Analytics
Measuring the insights of your reels is a factor that helps in understanding if the reel can hit your target audience & engage them or not. Insights aid you with all data from account reach to like, saves, shares to comment & plays.
Assessing the data together, you can get the idea of what works for you & where you need to improve.
Instagram allows Business and Creator accounts to access reels analytics natively in Instagram Insights. Instagram Reels Insights comprises of:
Instagram Reels Reach Metrics
Accounts Reached: It is Instagram reels metrics that offer you data about the total number of unique Instagram users who saw your reel at least once.
Plays: Plays are the metrics that aid you with information about the number of times your reel has been played.
Your number of Play can be higher than the total number of accounts reached as it also calculates if a users watch a reel more than once.
Instagram Reels Engagement Metrics
Comments: Comments are the metrics that provide data about how many comments an individual reel has received.
Likes: It offers you data about the total number of users who liked your reel.
Saves: The total number of time user bookmarked your reel.
Shares: It tracks the number of times Instagram users shared your reel on the story or sent it to another user.
How To Access Instagram Reel Insights
Consider following the steps to access Instagram Reels Insights:
Step1: Open the Instagram app & tap the Insights button located below the bio section.
Note: Instagram Insights are only available for professional accounts. So to get the insights go to the ‘Account Settings’ & switch your account to a Creator or Business account.
Step 2: In the Insights tab, head toward the overview section to get the data on ‘Accounts Reached’.
To aids users in a better understanding of the effectiveness of reels, reels analytics are now included in the Reach breakdown.
You can get insights into specific reels & total performance metrics as well:
Scroll down to reel Insights located in the overview section & tap the arrow present next to the number of reels. You can avail all your reels performance metrics in one place.
To monitor the performance of any specific reel go to your profile. Open the reel & tap on the three bar icons presents at the right corner & tap on Insights.
An in-depth analysis of Instagram reels analytics can help you to make informed decisions & assist to build a strategy to create more engaging content. Furthermore, it empowers you to know your target audience better & invest your marketing efforts to enrich conversion effectively.
Reels analytics is an essential section of Instagram Insights & you should ensure to include it in your Instagram report. Leveraging Instagram Insights can boost your brand growth.
Suggested Read: How To See Post Insights On Instagram
Statusbrew Reports Lab
Statusbrew newly launched report features are a massive one with 180+ metrics. The new report brings metrics, customization & sharing features. You can quickly create, share & export reports with highly customizable widgets.
Along with displaying configurable information, the widget also supports dimensions such as social profile, sentiment, language & more. Further, it works in a cross-network way, i.e., you can gather data from social networks such as Instagram & Twitter in the same widgets.
Widget is your new elixir that can be resized, reordered & repositioned by dragging & dropping. Team collaboration also becomes easy with the Reports Lab, as you can share a live data link with your team who do not have access to Statusbrew. Further, it also offers data-rich tamplates.
Using Statusbrew reports you can draw on-point Instagram data such as: Instagram Email Metrics, Instagram Followers Metrics, Instagram Audience Demography, Instagram Customer Action Metrics & Instagram Profile Metrics.
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How To Use Instagram Reels For Business
Instagram reels are an impactful way to deliver a brand or product message to the audience through a quality & easy to digest content format.
Top brands such as the fashion giant Luie Vuitton get an average of 7 million views in their reels.
Renown makeup brand Sephora has been using reels to display product demos, makeup tutorials, and user-generated content & they are getting an average of 453,000 views on each of their Reels.
Red Bull is another brand that successfully leverages the reel's benefits for brands' visibility; their top-performing reels are getting more than 2.4 million views.
Are you seeking ideas on how to do reels for your brands? We have heard you. Check out our top tips to create engaging reels for your business.
Before going into the details, let us update you that successful reels are visible on the explore tab, & monthly 50% of users use the Explore tab for discovery. Hence reels displays on that page have a massive chance to expose your brand to new prospects.
Convinced already? Then let's roll down to the tips:
Display Your Product
Users can find reels in the explore tab & in the Reels Tab. Hence reels are a gold mine for your brand to get the attention of new prospects. Shoot product videos & meld them with the right hashtags, texts, infuse a descriptive caption to grab the attention of the target audience market. Use emojis if required.
Suggested Read: 300+ Best Hashtags For Instagram In 2021
Share Tutorials
Tutorial or educational reels are a great way to provide your audience a tour of your product & services. You can share products feature & how they can benefit your audience. For example, if you are clothing merchandise, you can share tips on how to style a top or how to dress for a festival. Share information as much as you can & attract your audience to learn a new skill with you.
Instagram Reel Ads
Instagram reels now offer ad space. The ad placement supports a total of six ad objectives such as Brand Awareness, Reach, Traffic, App installs, Video views & Conversions. With Instagram reels ad you can reach your target market & you can engage with the audience while they are scrolling through the reels.
Suggested Read: The Ultimate Guide To Instagram Ads
Announce New Launch Or Offers
Use Instagram reels to make new product announcement. Its video format makes content easy to understand. Ensure to be creative in a way that the reel content can resonate with your audience. You also can announce offers through your reels. However, ensure to maintain a balance; being too promotional may negatively impact the engagement. Do it in a subtle way focusing on the need of the target audience & their social behavior.
Share Company Culture
Reels are a great way to display what your company is about, who you are. Share behind-the-scenes to craft a credible relationship with your followers. They can get a sneak peek of what are you selling, who you are & connect with you on a personal level. It is an excellent way to win prospects' trust. Also displaying a healthy company culture helps in talent acquisition. Share your brnad story, day-to-day activity, how you choose a product, etc.
Instagram Reels Best Practices
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Try to maintain a level of authenticity in your reels. Enure to make it fun but maintain the quality of the video.
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Highlight brand individuality through your reels. It can make you stand out from the crowd, making your brand visible.
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Humanize your brand through music and motion. Choose the correct audio as it leads to high engagement for your reels.
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Think out of the box, play around, create challenge videos. Aptly place hashtags, text & captions. Research what is in trend & creatively bring that into your brand niche.
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Explore, save & edit. Monitor what your competitors are doing. Tactfully use camera effects & camera angle.
Suggested Read: 350 Best Instagram Captions For 2021
Instagram Reels FAQs
How Long Instagram Reels Can Be?
Wondering how long Instagram reels can be? During the time of launching the length of Instagram reel was 15 seconds. But on July 27th, 2021, Instagram improvised the reel length & now the maximum size of Instagram reels is 60 seconds. You can choose the timing 15 seconds, 30 seconds, or 60 seconds.
What Is The Best Time To Post Reels On Instagram?
According to Influencer Marketing Hub, the best time to post reels on Instagram is:
- Sunday: 7 AM, 8 AM, 4 PM
- Monday: 6 AM, 10 AM, 10 PM
- Tuesday: 2 AM, 4 AM, 9 AM
- Wednesday: 7 AM, 8 AM, 11 PM
- Thursday: 9 AM, 12 AM, 7 PM
- Friday: 5 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM
- Saturday: 11 AM, 7 PM, 8 PM
To calculate the best time to post reels on Instagram, consider the factors such as where your audience is located & when your audience is most active. You can rely on Statusbrew reports to minute details on your audience demography & other metrics. Also, using Statusbrew Planner, you can schedule your reels to post at the time when your audience is most active.
Suggested Read: The Best Times To Post On Social Media In 2021
How To Download Instagram Reels?
For Instagram reels download you can take the help of different video downloaders for Instagram. Open play store & download video downloader of your choice. By posting the reel link on the downloader, you can download Instagram reels.
Summing Up!!
Irrespective of the fact that if your brand is an Instagram loyalist or you are new to Instagram, don't be afraid & refrain yourself from testing new reel ideas!
Be adaptable! Do experiment, asses & observe what works and what doesn't work. Closely monitor your audience as well.
Hop onto the Instagram reels bandwagon & take advantage of the short video & craft creative thumb-stopping content!
Explore Statusbrew Instagram reports to build an impactful team collaboration & to demonstrate a plausible Instagram presence.
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