Instagram Reels

At the start of August Instagram announced the rollout of Instagram Reels. This new feature is a new way to create and discover short, entertaining videos on Instagram.

Reels is here for you to create fun videos to share with your friends or anyone on Instagram. Kind of like TikTok, you record and edit 15-second multi-clip videos with audio, effects, and new creative tools added to this new Instagram platform. You can then share reels with your followers on your feed and stories, and, if you have a public account, you can make them available to the wider Instagram community through a new space in Explore. This gives you a huge audience to get in front of, which can lead to an increase in followers and sales. Reels offers anyone the chance to become a creator on Instagram and reach new audiences all around the world. Here you can see trends and discover new content creators, make new business connections, and network with others in your field. On my personal account (I don't have music on ZINCs Instagram account) I have uploaded a new video each day, one video which was posted 1 day ago already has 6k views, this is all organic new reach!

How it Works

Creating Reels

Select Reels at the bottom of the Instagram camera where you go to post your stories. You’ll see a variety of creative editing tools on the left side of your screen to help create your reel, including:

• Audio: (Some business accounts still do not have the music feature) Search for a song from the Instagram music library. You can also use your own original audio by simply recording a reel with it. When you share a reel with original audio, your audio will be attributed to you, and if you have a public account, people can create reels with your audio by selecting “Use Audio” from your reel.

• AR Effects: Select one of the many effects in our effect gallery, created both by Instagram and creators all over the world, to record multiple clips with different effects.

• Timer and Countdown: Set the timer to record any of your clips hands-free. Once you press record, you’ll see a 3-2-1 countdown, before recording begins for the amount of time you selected.

• Align: Line up objects from your previous clip before recording your next to help create seamless transitions for moments like outfit changes or adding new friends into your reel.

• Speed: Choose to speed up or slow down part of the video or audio you selected. This can help you stay on a beat or make slow-motion videos.

Reels can be recorded in a series of clips (one at a time), all at once, or using video uploads from your gallery. Record the first clip by pressing and holding the capture button. You’ll see a progress indicator at the top of the screen as you record. Stop recording to end each clip.

Tip:

Make sure to plan your content. Practice what you are going to say or do. Make sure your lighting is good and if your recording your own audio make sure your mic is picking you up well.

Sharing Reels

With Reels, you can share with your followers and can be discovered by the huge, diverse Instagram community on Explore.

• Public Account: You can share your reel to a dedicated space in Explore, where it has the chance to be seen and discovered by the wider Instagram community. You can also share your reel with your followers by posting it to your Feed and also on your stories. When you share reels featuring certain songs, hashtags, or effects, your reel may also appear on dedicated pages when someone clicks on that song, hashtag, or effect. Using trending songs, hashtags and effects will help your video been seen by more people.

• Private Account: Reels follows your privacy settings on Instagram. You can share to Feed so only your followers can see your reel. People will not be able to use original audio from your reels, and people cannot share your reels with others who don’t follow you. You can still have fun and keep your privacy.

Once your reel is ready, its time to move onto the share screen, where you can save a draft of your reel (this is great for when you're doing transformation videos), change the cover image, add a caption and hashtags, and tag your friends/businesses. After you share your reel, it will live on a separate Reels tab on your profile. If you also share to your Feed, your reel will appear on your main profile grid, though you have the option to remove it.

Whether you have a public or private account, you can share your reel to your Story only, close friends, or in a direct message. If you do so, your reel will behave like a regular Story — it will not be shared to Reels in Explore, it will not appear on your profile, and it will disappear after 24 hours. I would recommend keeping your reels saved in the new reel tab and share to stories once posted.

Watching Reels

Explore showcases the best of trending culture on Instagram. If you want to keep up to date with the latest trends, watch 5-10 minutes a day of reels on the explore page, this can help you discover new trends and sounds to use on your own videos. Interaction with reels is the same as grid posts, you can easily like, comment or share it with your friends. Share the love!

You’ll also see some reels with a “Featured” label. If your reel is featured in Explore, you’ll receive a notification. Featured reels are a selection of public reels chosen by Instagram to help you discover original content we hope will entertain and inspire you. GOALS!

Reels give you and you're brand new ways to fun market online, discover more of what you and your target audience love on Instagram, and help your business take center stage.

If you would like more information on Reels or want to book in a strategy session to plan and explore what reels can do for your business, you can contact me here. I look forward to seeing you all having more fun online and with your marketing.