It’s Time to Get Reel
You’ve faithfully posted photos to your Instagram feed for months, but is it enough? If you take away anything from this post, it’s that it’s time to start producing Reels as a part of your social media strategy.
We’ve seen it coming for well over a year. Back in June 2021, Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram said, “We’re no longer just a square photo-sharing app.”
A later study showed that the engagement rate for feed posts has decreased by 44% since 2019. This downward trend was consistent with the more traditional Instagram posts, including photos, carousels, and videos.
People visit Instagram to be entertained. Yet there’s stiff competition with TikTok, YouTube, and other video-sharing platforms. So Instagram found a way to give visitors more of what they want.
Most of that coincides with the introduction of Instagram Reels in August 2020. Growth has remained consistent for those content creators that have pivoted to adding more Reels into their posting mix. Later has continued to see a 500% increase in its engagement rate since incorporating Reels into its social media strategy.
If you’re creating your Instagram content strategy and influencer marketing budget for the coming year, you should include Reels as a part of your strategy. Here’s how to do it.
5 Ways To Include Reels In Your Strategy
If posting photos is easy for you, transitioning to video may seem a bit intimidating. You can create content regularly for your feed with a few simple tips.
Keep it short and sweet
Reels share short bits of information. Don’t overthink what you’re creating. Keep it simple. Not everyone wants to watch long videos – this is about scrolling, being entertained, and moving on. While Instagram allows Reels up to 90 seconds, shorter is better.
See what’s trending
The only way to get better at posting Reels is to be present on the platform. What’s trending? What do you see a lot of? What seems to be working for others? Inspiration can come from anywhere. Spend time scrolling the feed, just observe and don’t feel like you need to recreate the wheel when it comes time to make your Reel.
Start with a hook
Hooks not only give you a place to start as you’re beginning to film your Reel, but it also gives the viewer a reason to stop scrolling and watch your video. Right off the bat you tell the viewer what they are about to see/learn, but you don’t give away all the secrets just yet – they’ll have to watch the full Reel for that! A few examples include:
- “5 Ways to…”
- “The secret to…”
“You’ll never guess what someone just asked me…”
It’s all about the sounds
Trending sounds come in all shapes and sizes. Original audios, remixes, popular songs, voiceovers… finding the right sound can make or break your Reel. Not only do sounds bring another layer of entertainment to your Reel, but trending sounds also feed the algorithm and help increase the virality of the post. Sounds that are beginning to trend will have an up arrow symbol next to the sound. This is a signal to use this sound!
Not all sounds are available to Business Accounts due to music rights (sorry, no Harry Styles for us) but not every trending sound is necessarily a popular song on the radio (ex: remember that adorable kid whose song about Corn went viral?) The search for trending sounds can be an art and a science, but the best rule of thumb: if you find a sound that might work while scrolling, SAVE IT! Even if you don’t have an idea for the sound just yet, the inspiration may come and you’ll be glad to have the song saved in your Saved Audio.
Repurposing
Using original content is king. But don’t hold back from using things that have worked in the past. User-generated content or influencer content is better than no Reel content at all!
Get Started On Reels Today
If you haven’t created a Reel yet, make today the day. If you aren’t sure of where to start, clip together a slideshow of images and turn it into a Reel. You’ll be surprised at how easy it is to add this element to your marketing strategy.
Skip the pressure. Reels are meant to be fun. Like TikTok, Reel content is intended to be authentic, genuine, organic, and fun. Just post … and see what happens!