If you enjoy reading our blogs and Instagram posts, you will know by now how much we love and love to talk about Instagram Reels but are you using them yet?
If not, why not? đ
Itâs okay weâll le you off (this time), thereâs no time like the present to create your first Reel and with Instagram announcing yet another new feature recently, itâs time to get started.
Before we get onto that new addition â called âRemixâ â we want to tell you about all the other features that weâve been loving and fine tuning since the introduction of Reels back in August 2020.
The first question you may be asking is why should I be using Reels? The simple answer is because Instagram loves them. From including an icon on its homepage to being heavily featured on the Explore page, the Instagram algorithm is showing Reels to a lot more people than they may show your News Feed posts, so you need to be where the buzz is.
What kind of things should I be posting?
- Content that is entertaining and fun will be looked on fondly by the algorithm
- Be inspiring to your followers and the Instagram community
- Use music in your Reels (more on that shortly)
- Use vertical video!
- Take advantage of the features within Reels (more to come on that too)
- And finally experiment! Be true to your business, have fun and see what works for you đ
What shouldnât I be doing?
- Posting blurry or low-resolution content
- Posting videos with borders around them
- Re-purposing TikTok videos â the Instagram algorithm doesnât look too kindly on the TikTok watermark being posted on its platform and it will punish you for it
- Whilst text is a great feature to use on Reels, donât cover your video in it!
- And finally⌠make sure that youâre abiding by the Instagram Community Guidelines
Got that all noted down? Yes? Letâs get onto those all-important and very exciting features! đ
Length â You have two options when it comes to the length of your Reels, 15 seconds or 30 seconds. If you do opt for the latter, make sure you change that within the Reels area because if not, it will automatically select 15 seconds for you. If youâre recording a Reel on-the-go rather than uploading a previously produced video, you will have the option to trim clips and also delete them if you make a mistake.
Music â We would highly recommend that you use music in all your Reels. Whether that is original video that has been produced outside or Instagram or selecting from the royalty free music available if you are a business account. Not only does it make your Reels more entertaining but it will also make your Reel more discoverable when people are looking through all the Reels created with that specific track.
Speed â Whether youâre juggling your product or you are taking people for a look around your factory, you have the option to speed up or slow down your content. Have a play with this feature and youâll definitely have some fun⌠even if you donât end up using a really slow-mo version of you opening a bottleâŚ
Effects â Again have a play around with all the different effects provided to you by Instagram. You never know, you may stumble across something that just completes your video. Thereâs so many to choose from!
Touch Up â Want to sharpen up your content just a little bit more to make it extra sexy? Toggle with the âTouch Upâ feature until you are happy with the final results.
Video Layout â This feature allows you to simply mix up how your video looks. Whether you want to split the screen into two parts, three parts, or just keep it as the one, thatâs entirely up to you, but have a play around and see what works for your videos.
Timer â The final feature is the timer. This allows you to set a timer of either 3 seconds or 10 seconds before your video starts recording. Remember once your clips are recorded, you have the option to trim them and delete those that may not go as planned.
NEW FEATURE ALERT â We said the timer was the final feature but due to the newest kid on the block that is no longer true! Say hello to âRemixâ⌠if you know your TikTok, it is basically the âDuetâ feature, allowing you to record content while interacting with and responding to other creators from all around the world.
For example⌠you may see a video of a butcher in Denmark doing something really cool in his shop. You can now Remix that video, so you are recording something that stands alongside the butcher in Denmark doing his thing! Awesome right?
Once youâve got a hang of all those and added them to your video, youâre ready for the next step, where you have the option to add text to your Reel and make any final drawing additions. If you are adding dialogue to your content, weâd definitely recommend writing and adding some captions.
All done?
You can now add post copy to your Reel (including hashtags), choose whether or not to share to your feed (we would always suggest doing this to let your current followers know about your new Reel) and add a cover image for your Reel.
Now you can easily select a section of the video that you want to use as a cover or you can upload your own. Just make sure however, that if you are using any text on your Reel throughout or on the cover, that it is included in the middle.
What? Check out this graphic below for all the guidelines đ
All done? Post, post, post! If youâve followed all the tips above, you should see those Reel views go up and up⌠checking them can become quite addictive but youâll get used to that đ
