How to make engaging Instagram Reels for your business (and why you should)
Image via Mikhail Nilov
If your business spends time and money on Instagram, it’s essential to keep up with the latest features on the platform. Being an early adopter can help you connect with your audience in newer, more relevant ways and increase your chances of going viral. By now, you’ve probably heard all about Reels, Instagram’s TikTok-style feature for short-form videos. Launched nearly a year ago, today Reels is a popular marketing tool among businesses of all sizes. If you haven’t tried it yet, now is an excellent time to jump on board. You’re not too late to reap the benefits of Reels.
What is Reels, exactly?
Per Instagram, Reels is a video tool that enables users to record 15 or 30-second multi-clip videos with audio, effects, and other creative tools. You can share Reels on your feed, or if your account is public, make them visible to a broader audience through the Explore page, which 50% of Instagram users visit every month to shop and discover new creators. Watching Reels feels and looks similar to TikTok’s For You Page in that you continually swipe up through an endless stream of videos selected for you by the algorithm.
Why you should add Reels to your Instagram marketing strategy
Aside from being the trendy new feature among influencers, Reels can benefit your business in several important ways.
Potential to go viral: Even on accounts with under 1,000 followers, it’s common for a well-made Reel to hit 1,000 views within hours of posting. That matters because 83% of Instagram users discover new products and services while scrolling through the app. So if your Reel lands on the Explore page or ranks high for a relevant hashtag, you’ve got a good chance of going viral and attracting new customers.
Trust builder: Video can help you make a more personal connection with your audience. Putting a face and voice to your brand helps people get to know you and sets you apart from competitors who don’t use video.
Cost-effective: Just like TikTok videos, Reels are short and casual. They don’t require fancy edits, equipment, or video creation experience. As a result, you can make an engaging Reel in under 30 minutes, even as a complete beginner.
Highly visible: On the Explore page, Instagram devotes more screen space to Reels than any other type of content. Your Reel may appear as much as four times bigger than image-only posts.
Permanence: Unlike Instagram Stories, which disappear after 24 hours, Reels live on your profile permanently. You can share them to your grid as well as your new Reels tab, which will appear after you post your first Reel.
Follow these best practices to turn your Reels into followers:
Image via Mikhail Nilov
If you’re curious about trying Reels, but you’re not sure where to start, these tips will get you up and running in no time.
Be authentic. The first thing many business owners say when faced with making a Reel is, “But I don’t want to dance on the internet!” Luckily, you don’t have to dance or lip sync to succeed at Reels. Instead, show up as your genuine self and educate your followers in a way that feels true to your brand. For example, make a behind-the-scenes look at your workday, a clip of you sharing helpful tips, or even a screen recording.
Use trending audio. Just like on TikTok, catchy pop songs often trend as audio for Reels. Unfortunately, due to copyright issues, business accounts don’t have access to the most popular tracks. So instead, use popular creators’ spoken-word audio for your Reels (a common practice on TikTok). To do it, find a Reel you like, tap the audio title at the bottom of the screen, and select “Use Audio.”
Add captions. Captions make your content accessible for those with disabilities, as well as those who prefer to watch without audio. For example, a 2019 survey by Verizon Media found that 69% of people watch videos with the sound muted in public places, and 25% keep the sound muted in private, too. Further, 80% of those surveyed said they’d be more likely to watch a video all the way through if it had captions.
Open with a strong hook. Eighty-one percent of Instagram users and 36.2% of B2B decision makers search Instagram for products and services to buy, but first, you need to get them to stop scrolling. Make your Reel engaging right from the start by leading with an impactful statistic, a relatable story, or a question.
Show your face. You’re not alone if the thought of being on camera makes you cringe, but overcoming that fear can result in more impactful Reels. According to a study in the Journal of Neurophysiology, humans are hardwired to search for faces. Moreover, thanks to the Mere Exposure Effect, we also tend to like stimuli we see repeatedly. Together, these findings suggest that regularly showing your face on video can foster a sense of trust in your brand.
Plan your main points. You don’t need a script to film your Reels, but jotting down the main points you want to cover will keep you on track. With only 30 seconds of runtime, it can be easy to run out of time and have to reshoot. A little planning will also result in more precise messaging overall.
Use hashtags. The right hashtags can propel your Reel to the top of individual hashtag pages, where it could stay for days or even weeks. In addition, many users follow hashtags directly, meaning your Reel could show up in their feeds even if they don’t follow you yet. Advice about the correct number of hashtags varies, but you can experiment with up to 30 per post.
Make it shoppable. Instagram reports that 130 million users click on shopping posts every month, so add your shopping link to your Reels when relevant. Doing so will add a “View products” button to the bottom of your video that takes viewers directly to your shopping page.
Five great marketing Reels to get you inspired
Image via Mikhail Nilov
Ready to make your first Reel? Check out these five effective marketing Reels for inspiration. You can try them out for yourself or use them as a springboard for your own creative ideas. Rest assured, none of these videos require you to dance unless you feel like it.
User-generated content: Reels are already a quick way to produce video content, but you can make the process even faster by sourcing user-generated videos from your audience as testimonials.
For example, the hair care brand Hairstory collects user-generated Reels from brand ambassadors and other followers.Explainer videos: Education is one of the most valuable things a company can provide on Instagram. In fact, 94% of people report watching explainer videos to learn more about a product, with 84% being swayed to make a purchase. Screencasts are a handy way to show an online process step-by-step, and you don’t have to be on camera to create one.
This Reel from Adobe is a screen recording showing how to create a color palette. The process might be hard to explain without a visual aid, but this on-screen demonstration is easy to follow.Slideshows: This is another wise option if you don’t want to be on camera. You can upload images to the Reels editor and arrange them into a slideshow. Then use the text and audio tools to add captions, music, voice narration, or other edits.
This Pride Month Reel from Getty Images garnered nearly 2,000 likes and 79 comments without anyone filming new video clips.Fun with edits: If you’re ready to run with Reels editing tools, you can try creative tricks like filters, video layouts, and TikTok-style jump cuts, as seen in this Zulily Reel.
With a few quick edits, the baby’s outfit appears to change seamlessly. Add in a catchy song, and this Reel meets the criteria for a fun viral post and reached 35,000 views.Casual chat videos: As mentioned above, you don’t have to go overboard with fancy edits and performance to make a good Reel. Often, looking into the camera and speaking directly to your audience is enough.
This Reel from Google features an employee sharing a mental health tip. The message is simple, relatable, and genuine. At nearly 40,000 likes, it resonated with Google’s audience.
Now that you know what it takes to make an impactful Reel, you’re prepared to connect with your audience in a newer, more relatable way. If you're a business or brand, you’ll value the ability to create compelling content quickly and under budget. Good luck!