Instagram reels are taking over the social media world – like we’ve mentioned in our previous blog, a predicted 80% of content will be video-based by the end of THIS year.
Reels can be fun and entertaining, with short clips catching your attention instantly. They can also be informative, with many platforms opting for a Reel as their output of information rather than a wordy graphic.
Here’s our beginner’s guide to nailing Instagram Reels, and don’t forget to tag us in any that have been inspired by our blog @getmyaudience.
BE ENTERTAINING
It’s an unwritten rule that you must grab your audience’s attention within the first 3 seconds of a Reel – or you can kiss your engagement goodbye.
The truth is, we are ‘scrollers’, we like the scroll past content that we don’t find entertaining without a second glance. So it’s extremely important to make sure that your Reel is packed with entertainment from the beginning.
Think critically about your video – if it doesn’t inform, entertain or persuade, then it won’t benefit your business or your audience.
DON'T FORGET CAPTIONS
Captions are super useful, not only for the ease of having subtitles in videos but also for including the deaf and hard of hearing community in all content.
There has been plenty of moments we, at Audience, can think of when we’ve scrolled past a video with no sound and relied on captions to guide us through it.
Creating captions that are accurate and easy to read is simple, and it can help your audience understand your content in a largely clearer way.
USE POPULAR SOUNDS
Trending sounds are key when making a Reel, as they are usually what will boost your engagement and hopefully get your content plenty of likes and views.
Choosing popular sounds can be difficult, as you need to find a relevant one with not too many videos under it as your content can then get lost and no longer have a chance of thriving.
Popular sounds can be hit or miss for that reason, but selecting a range of both extremely popular sounds with a lot of Reels under them, and one that is up-and-coming, would be ideal.
ADD SHORT CLIPS
Let’s face it, attention spans are shortening as life gets busier every single day. We all have a lot on our plates, and for most, scrolling through Instagram Reels isn’t a priority.
Therefore, it’s key to ensure your clips are short and snappy – a current trend is to have a high number of short (1-1.5 seconds) clips, and bundle them up to create a 15-30 second Reel.
Short clips are great for the attention span and will constantly keep your audience entertained, so make sure that your content is constantly evolving to maintain engagement.
USE TEMPLATES
Templates are the new saviour of Instagram Reels, and it makes life a whole lot easier for content creators that are only just starting on the platform and video content.
Reel Templates can be found on most influencers’ pages, or through your Reel feed, and they allow you to insert your own clips into the format of someone else’s video, which is very useful when using popular sounds as you don’t need to do any editing.
Inserting your clips directly makes it easier to edit and publish the Reel as you don’t spend any time adjusting the timings of the clips to match the sound, that has already been established for you.
Instagram Reels are the future – so get to know them as soon as you can!
With short, snappy clips and entertaining concepts, making a Reel is not as difficult as it sounds (especially when using a template).
If you still have questions about navigating Instagram, or any extra social media help, email us at hello@getaudience.co.uk.