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Marketing & Social
Five top tips for using Instagram Reels
by Team Holly & Co
When Instagram launched Reels back in August 2020, hot on the heels of the worldwide video-sharing phenomenon TikTok, many people took a giant gulp (and perhaps even swore a bit). We’d only just mastered stories, which consumed more of the day’s oxygen than the simple grid post, and now we were expected to become superstars of the medium overnight. With many of us having precious little video experience, knowing what works here, can seem a bit like the social media equivalent of acrobatics — something we’d never be able to land without breaking something. The truth is though, Reels are cutting through and they are gaining traction. It remains to be seen how well they’re converting but they are pushed harder and shown longer than anything else on Instagram. They will surface your Reel to new people for up to six weeks (for comparison, a grid post will be pushed for around 24 hours). So if you want to reach more people and cement the relationships you have with your current following, these 15-60 second short-form videos might just be the answer to getting new eyes on your content and helping to boost your engagement — but are they right for you and can you create them in a way that still feels authentic to who you are?
Reels actually do not need to be overcomplicated. With the right equipment and guidance, they will be no more of a pain to produce than any other social media content (and the results are likely to be significantly more rewarding, too). If you’re a consumer of this channel yourself, you might be fretting that you’ll be required to don fancy dress and dance around like a wild thing to get seen. However, thankfully this is not a requirement for success; you can tailor them to suit your brand and still get the best response from the algorithm.
We caught up with Reels experts Andie, founder of Dahlia Beach, who grew her new flowers business with zero marketing budget and entirely through social media, and Kirsty, founder of Rebuildagram (an Instagram marketing agency helping home and garden brands). They shared how they utilise this social platform to its full benefit, to give you all the secrets.
Top tip 1: You don’t need too much gear… just some ideas
The first thing to remember is that your Reels do not have to be as polished as an Oscar-winning feature film. Authenticity can help with engagement, but it’s important to remember that blurry Reels, or ones with choppy cutting (if someone clicks and it takes a matter of seconds to reach the next frame) are a technical no-no. Creating your Reels in the Instagram app can be challenging, especially if you’re trimming and cutting clips. So Kirsty and Andie swear by an app called Inshot (Andie creates 80% of her Reels on there in fact). Make sure that when you create yours, you’re using the TikTok frame so that you don’t have any ugly border lines when you are ready to upload.
You won’t need a van packed with camera equipment to create your Reels, either. Your mobile phone will be perfect, but if you want to showcase products and wish to capture flat lays (an image shot directly from above), then investing in a desk mounted, long arm tripod will make it a breeze (though try not to be put off by the fact it looks like a painful medical instrument).
Top tip 2: Capture attention quickly
This doesn’t mean flashing or dressing up as Madonna, but it does mean that whatever the contents of your Reel, it’s vital to make the first two seconds as engaging as possible. As viewers, we can be time-poor and, therefore, ruthless about deciding what is and isn’t worth watching. For those scrolling without sound, you could try using text to signal what is coming up: ‘Five things I can’t live without’, ‘This desk organiser will change everything’, ‘Three helpful embroidery hacks’ — but only if that feels right for you.
Also there are so many different types of Reels; some are fun and frivolous, others are relatable and even educational. Consider what style would suit your brand personality so that when your content does reach your viewers, it is consistent with your overall messaging.
Reels are cutting through and they are gaining traction. It remains to be seen how well they’re converting but they are pushed harder and shown longer than anything else on Instagram. They will surface your Reel to new people for up to six weeks (for comparison, a grid post will be pushed for around 24 hours).
Top tip 3: Think about your transitions
Transitions are the part in between video clips where one frame changes into another. You might have come across these before (the ‘finger-click’ transition or the ‘hand over the lens’ transition are incredibly popular amongst Reels creators). By using some creativity, you can generate maximum excitement. It looks like magic, but it’s pretty simple to create using Inshot. You can take a standard video on your camera and cleverly cut it to create all kinds of illusions. It takes minutes, so it’s worth having a play around to see what you can come up with.
Top tip 4: Remember, music matters
Have you ever noticed the little arrow symbol in the bottom left-hand corner of a Reel? It means the audio used (whether it be music or voiceover) is trending. Keeping your ear to the ground (or the phone) of what is popular will help stimulate ideas, but even more importantly, using trending audio is imperative if you want the content to be pushed by the algorithm. You can check how many Reels have been created using a particular track — if it’s two million, it’s likely you’re too late to make an impact, but anything around 20,000 is a brilliant time to jump on the bandwagon as the trend grows, and you’ll be pushed out to even more viewers. To ensure you have access to the licensed music library, check your Instagram settings and make sure you have a creator account (it’s different from a personal or professional account, and is considered by many to be the best for those who generate content).
Top tip 5: Check the clock
When your Reel is finished (congratulations by the way), it can be both exciting and intimidating to send it out into the world. But don’t just pop it up once you’ve had a glass of something to steady your nerves; take a look at your Instagram insights to see when your followers are at their most active. A Reel posted in the morning compared to the evening can greatly vary the number of people watching at that time.
Don’t make the mistake of not posting your Reel to the grid either, as this will significantly affect its exposure. If you’re concerned about the aesthetic, you can create a beautiful cover that matches your brand visuals in the graphic design platform Canva. Make sure you maximise reach by using your brand-specific hashtags, and have you considered your Facebook audience? You can also share your Reels on their platform with the touch of a button (they have 2.5 billion users, so that’s a no-brainer).
Also there are so many different types of Reels; some are fun and frivolous, others are relatable and even educational. Consider what style would suit your brand personality so that when your content does reach your viewers, it is consistent with your overall messaging.
We’re living in a video era, and moving images allow you the opportunity to capture the imagination of your customers like never before. Not only are Reels used as a tool for inspiration, but they apparently are driving viewers to purchase too, with 96% of customers finding videos helpful when making purchasing decisions online¹. So, now you know the apps, the equipment and the top tips to bring your Reels to life, you can really start to make the most of them. Just don’t feel the pressure to do yours in the same way that everybody else is doing theirs, and remember that they are still just one of many mediums at your disposal.