Instagram Reels - What They Are All About?

Instagram Reels are everywhere, and that’s for a reason. They have only been introduced by Instagram in August of 2020, but something that users have probably been craving for since a long time.

After TikTok becoming a massive hit, it was only obvious that a similar functionality in Instagram would become very popular.

Instagram Reels are a quick, easy and effective way of gaining a lot more exposure than you may be able to do with traditional posts.

With that said, let’s jump in.

What Are Reel Videos?

Instagram Reel videos are basically TikTok videos with a new touch. They are short video clips between 3 to 15 seconds in 9:16 portrait mode with lots of editing features.

Unlike IGTV, however, they have been integrated within the Instagram platform itself, which is what makes them an effective marketing tool for businesses as well.

You can create Reel videos from right within Instagram as well as upload them from your smartphone. They can only be uploaded from a mobile device, though.

Another interesting thing about Reel videos is that you can either create the entire video at once, or in multiple parts and then use the editing features to stich them together.

Similarly, the reason Reels are all the rage on Instagram right now is because they get a lot of exposure from users in pretty much every area of the platform.

You can find them on your homepage feed, on a user’s profile, under their Reels grid where you can find all the Reel videos they have uploaded so far, as well as even on the Explore page. You can recognize them by the icon either on the lower-left corner or the upper-right corner of the post, depending on where you find them.

That being said, remember that the perception of users is going to be same. If you have numbers to show on your Instagram account, they are going to consider engaging with your Reels too.

This is the reason we recommend purchasing high-quality Instagram followers to get an initial boost that can make your Reels campaigns more successful.

How to Use Reel Videos for Businesses?

Now that you know about Instagram Reels and what they are, let us guide you on how you can use it as a business.

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First things first, you will definitely need to think of an idea that lets you add an element of fun to your video, regardless of what it’s about.

Second, those quick product tutorials or step-by-step videos are going to be a good idea. While most Reels are either about music or dancing, you will have to use your creativity here as you won’t get the option to use music as a business account.

In addition, you could also do some reels where you try to show a behind-the-scenes story of your business. These types of reels go viral often, and they are a great way to attract people to your brand.

Some businesses are going to have an easier time using Reels as a marketing tool on Instagram than others. Businesses in the fashion industry, for one, are definitely going to have a lot more ideas to work with, such as those cool clothing combination videos.

The stop motion videos are particularly good when it comes to getting more exposure to your videos, where you have one scene jumping in on the other. These videos are easy to make using the Reels tools Instagram offers right within its platform.

Something to keep in mind here, however, is that you won’t have much to gain with the captions. Not many users read captions of the Reels they watch, so if you have a CTA or a caption-like message that you want to get across to your viewers, you need to either include it in the audio or put it as a text overlay on your video itself.

Make sure it’s not too long and doesn’t interfere with the main content of the video though.

How to Create an Instagram Reel as a Business?

It’s important to get a feel of what’s working in your niche and what and how others are doing to create reels successfully before jumping right into creating one for your business.

Just go the Explore menu and check out the reels that your competitors or other brands in your industry are doing and how it’s working out for them. Take ideas from there, see which ones are useful to you, and then how you would like to do them in your own way.

You can create a Reel from the Stories camera. To get there, swipe right when you’re on the homepage.

Once there, you will see three options, Stories, Live and Reels. Scroll to Reels.

You will see many tools on the left side of the screen, and a settings icon on the top-left. The settings are going to be the same for both your Reels and Instagram Stories.

Now, remember that you need to choose the editing features and effects before you create the video. Once the video has been recorded, you will not be able to edit it or add effects to it.

As a business account on Instagram, you will be able to choose the speed of your video, pick all the effects you want, as well as set a timer that lets you record your video in a hands-free way.

The large shutter button at the bottom allows you to record the video. Hold it when you’re recording and release when you stop or are done recording.

As mentioned earlier, you would be able to capture multiple clips and put them all together to make your video. This functionality allows you to be a lot more creative if you use it the right way.

Once you’re done creating your reel, you can replay it to see if it came out the way you wanted. From there, you can either trim it or even discard it. You will find these options there.

If you want to upload a video stored on your smartphone and create a reel out of it, click on the small square icon at the bottom-left of the screen and then the upload button at the top-right.

If your video is longer than 15 seconds, you will have to crop it.

There are more settings and functionalities that you will have to play around with a bit to understand what they do and how you can use them.

A Final Word

That’s all, folks! That’s how you can create Instagram Reels easily, either from within Instagram or by uploading a video clip from your smartphone.

Once you get a few Reels up, you will gain a much better understanding of what your audience likes and what’s working for you that you need to do more of.