You may have heard through the grapevine that Instagram Reels are the next big money maker. Instagram Reels have been shown to increase engagement by 22% compared to regular videos, and Meta also indicates that 675.3 million users can be reached with ads on Instagram Reels.
These are some big numbers, so it’s worth rethinking your Instagram content strategy and leveraging Instagram Reels to grow your business in 2024!
We love Instagram here at Plann and want to give you the tools to skyrocket your growth and success on social media. We’ve collated all the top tips and insider insights you need to take your Instagram Reels from good to great.
Ready to get started? Let’s dive in.
What are Instagram Reels?
Instagram reels are 60-second videos that sit front and center on the Instagram app. This content placement gives brand and creators that creative scope to experiment with new ideas.
In fact, you’ll find travel, lifestyle, comedy, dance, food and more varied topics on Instagram Reels. Some videos show incredibly video footage while others pair photos or behind-the-scenes footage with catchy audio.
Instagram Reels were released in 2020, and their popularity hasn’t slowed since. 81% of people use Instagram for research on companies, products, and services, and with Reels sitting front and center on the Explore Page, there’s no better time to tap into this percentage of consumers.
Instagram recently announced that the app is going “full-screen”, will Reels being favored over other types of content on the app, with the layout looking suspiciously like its competitor TikTok.
If you haven’t already, now is the time to experiment with Reels and tap into their potential to get your brand discovered on Instagram.
How to Make Reels on Instagram
Now for the fun part: creating Reels. There are a few different ways to create Instagram Reels, but the most essential step before you begin filming is making a plan, better known as a ‘storyboard concept’.
A storyboard is a graphic organizer that plans a narrative. It gives you a frame-by-frame plan for what will be included in your video, right down your text overlays, transitions and video footage. With this plan in place, you’ll be able to save time during your filming process and reduce the time it takes to create high-quality Reels.
Now that you’re ready to film, you can record your Instagram Reel in a few different ways, including:
• The Reels tab
• Your Instagram home screen
• The Instagram Stories camera
Option 1. The Reels Tab
Tap the Instagram Reel tab located in the middle of your home screen. Then once you’re in the Reels section, you can click the camera button in the top right corner.
Option 2. Your Instagram Home Screen
To create a Reel from the home screen, you’ll need to tap on the plus button in the right-hand corner. This will bring up your camera roll and content. You’ll see the options Post, Story, Reel or Live in the bottom right-hand corner. Click Reel!
Option 3. The Instagram Stories Camera
The last option is from your Instagram Stories. At the bottom of your Instagram Story screen, you’ll see Reel. Click on this tab to enter the create mode.
If you have created your content outside the Instagram app, you can click the “+” button in the left-hand corner to upload it from your camera roll.
Otherwise, if you’re ready to film your content from Instagram, here is an easy step-by-step guide to creating an Instagram Reel from the app.
Creating an Instagram Reel: Step-By-Step Guide
Step 1. Hold down the record button on the Instagram Reels tab – for hands-free filming, take advantage of the timer and countdown feature.
Step 2. You can also choose a series of speeds that you’d like to film your video from the left sidebar. You’ll also have the option to select the speed of your video (the default is 1x) from .3x, .5x, 1x, 2x, 3x, or 4x.
Step 3. You can add your own audio to your video or choose from your saved library, or discover a vast range of different genres.
Step 4. You can record a series of different clips for your videos and edit the length once you’ve stopped filming.
Step 5. You’ll need to click on three little stars above the record button to access Effects, and this will bring up a library of hundreds of different effects you can add to your Reel.
Step 6. Once you’ve completed filming, click Next. In this step, you can edit your clips. To easily trim, reorder, or add additional clips, tap “Edit clips”. And to delete any clips, long hold it and press the minus icon.
Step 7. Once you’re happy with the final edit, you’re ready to publish! You can preview your Reel with the Preview button before sharing with the world, too. Click on the Next button to add your caption, preview the feed, and hit Share.
You’ve just uploaded your first Instagram Reel! There’s no stopping you now.
How to Add Audio to Reels
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Adding Audio to Instagram Reels may seem daunting without first knowing how to add, save or share your favorite sound bites. Here is a quick guide to finding and saving your fave audio.
• Hop into the Reels tab. Once you start scrolling through Reels, you’ll notice a song title moving along the bottom of the screen next to an arrow. You want to click on this audio, which will bring up the audio. You can click save or scroll through the other videos creators have made.
• Once you’ve made your Reels, you can add audio directly into the creation process. On the left-hand side, you’ll see a feature menu with Audio, Timer, Layout and the like. You’ll want to click audio, which will bring up the Audio library. Here you’ll see a range of different genre options and your saved audio.
Did you know you can now import your own audio directly into Instagram Reels? Take your content to the next level with bespoke, customized audio.
What are the best hashtags for Instagram Reels?
Since their release a decade ago, hashtags have helped users gain maximum exposure on social media, Hashtags are still being used in full force to help creators and brands reach their audience far and wide.
So when you’re coming up with a witty caption, you’ll want to pair it with a few hashtags to ensure as many people see your content as possible. Hashtags help your business to:
• Boost engagement
• Increase brand identity
• Communicate your brand values
• Target the right audience
Here at Plann, we’re committed to helping your content reach the most valuable audience possible. That’s why you can score hundreds of industry-based hashtag sets directly within the Plann platform to help your Reels stand out from the crowd.
Our tip? Use up to 20 hashtags in the caption of your Reels and ensure you tailor these hashtags to the topic of your video!
How to Access Instagram Reels Insights
Posting content is an important fir step. But if you want to have an impact on Instagram, you’ll want to pair it with data to ensure your social media strategy isn’t going to waste.
Analytics helps you to figure out what isn’t working and what is! So accessing various Instagram insights will help you continue to refine your Reels and attract the right audience.
By using Plann, you can upload, schedule and track your analytics right at your fingertips! Discover your engagement rates, likes, comments and top Reels to inform your social media strategy.
You can also access analytics from the Instagram Insights tab to quickly review how your Reels are performing on the fly.
How the Instagram Reels Algorithm Works
As a content creator, you’re always trying to outsmart the algorithms. Unfortunately, most of us don’t have hours on end trying to decode a series of ultra-smart computers.
But there are ways you can create content that competes with the best of the best. Instagram Reels has its own algorithm. Yep! To compete with the likes of TikTok and YouTube shorts, Reels has been designed to be a stand-alone feature.
The Instagram Reels algorithm looks at content in a couple of different ways, such as how likely someone is to:
• Watch a Reel the whole way through
• Like or engage with a Reel
• Comment or share the Reel
• Head to the audio page to make their own Reel
The algorithm considers which Reels have the highest engagement and whether the user has any direct interaction with the content creator. That means responding to comments, DMs, and tags can push your Reels and content higher in people’s feeds.
Here are the main Reel algorithm signals the app looks for in your content:
1. User activity: Including recent engagement with Reels and interactions with content creators.
2. Information about the Reel: Such as its popularity, its audio track, and understanding of the video based on pixels and whole frames.
3. Information about the creator: Including who they are and how other users have interacted with them.
Hot Tip: To give your content the best chance of being seen by your audience, you’ll want to make sure that it’s a high-quality video, it’s not watermarked, covers interesting topics and doesn’t show explicit content.
What Are Instagram Reels Bonuses?
Instagram Reels have many more advertising capabilities than TikTok, so it just seems fitting that Instagram also offers a “bonuses” programme where creators can earn money from their Reels.
Incentives have consistently proven successful at getting people on the app, especially for Gen Z creators looking at multiple income streams.
According to Instagram, “Reels Play bonuses are opportunities for creators to earn money directly from Facebook and Instagram for creating content that their communities love.”
So there’s no better time to hop onto the Reel train and release some of your favourite content! You could even get paid for it.
7 Things You Need to Know When Creating Instagram Reels
Now that we’ve covered all of the juicy goss to creating scroll-stopping reels, you’re probably thinking, “how do I stand out from the crowd?”.
Well, with these seven clever hacks you’ll be able to create engaging and viral-worthy content:
1. Share educational content that has a Hook, Offer and Call-to-Action.
2. Use audio that has under 10,000 plays. This will ensure fresh content gets pushed to the top.
3. Familiarize yourself with the Tools bar. This nifty bar on the left-hand side of Reels has many great features to help you record a high-quality reel.
4. Post original content. Whilst this may seem obvious, there are many false accounts portraying people, so to eradicate this issue, Instagram favors all original content by creators and brands.
5. Make sure to use up to 20 hashtags to ensure the highest reach.
6. Hop onto timely trends. The world of social media moves quickly, and any piece of content can go viral in a day, so keeping aware of the latest trends means you’ve got a better chance of connecting with your audience.
7. Provide value. In an over-saturated market filled with products and services, it may seem like an impossible task to communicate with your audience. But providing real value will win users over time and time again.
Level up your Instagram posting strategy with Plann
Now you’ve heard gotten to the inside scoop on creating Reels, hacking the algorithm and some clever Reels tips, it’s time to get the tools in place to supercharge your social media strategy. And what better way to do that than with your ultimate all-in-one social media suite, Plann!
Go on, redeem your 7-day free trial of Plann Plus. If you don’t like it, keep using Plann for free!
