Are you trying to take your Instagram strategy to the next level? Well then if you haven’t already you need to get on the Reels bandwagon. Released a little under 2 years ago, Reels have gotten social media users and marketers excited about their content. Borrowing the format from TikTok, people are finding new and creative ways to share ideas, information and opinions. Because of this Reels have exploded in popularity on Instagram quickly becoming the preferred way to share content. This means it’s important to come up with Instagram Reel ideas that will stand out and help increase your reach.
Just like with the rest of Instagram’s content Reels can be used by everyday users and marketers alike. And if your goal is to increase your reach with Reels the way in which you go about it is shared. Having not only unique Instagram Reel ideas but knowing how to use growing features within the app is key. Especially if you’re looking to stand out against others.
READ – Instagram Reels and Live Insights: All You Need To Know
That’s why we’ve put together our best tips, tricks and advice for coming up with Instagram Reels that will help to increase your reach. Use this guide as a tool to help you beef up your Instagram strategy, regardless of your purpose.
What Is An Instagram Reel?
Instagram Reels are 30 second multi clip videos, similar to TikTok. Instagram provides a bunch of creative tools to add things like audio, text, emojis and other edits to create your videos all within the all itself. The main differences between TikTok and Instagram is the 30 second time limit for content, among a few other things. However the essence and even look of the two are extremely similar. This makes it easy for those used to TikTok make the transition over to Instagram Reels.
Instagram Reel Tips
There are a few ground rules you should always keep in mind when creating Reels. Consider these tips more of a must have vs. a nice to have. Meaning if you want positive results from your content it’s important to consider these 3 things:
- Create Engaging Content – Your top priority should always be to publish unique content that’s engaging. This means you should focus on creating content that’s entertaining, inspiring and relevant. For users that might be comedic skits, dance videos or your take on the latest trending challenge. Brands on the other hand might turn to tutorials or product demonstrations with a fun twist to educate their followers.
- Post Consistently – You can’t expect to gain any traction without some consistency. You also can’t expect for the first Reel you publish to go viral immediately. So it’s important to be dedicated and patient with your content. Not only should you be posting Reels consistently, but also other content like Stories. And should you have no content to publish, being active daily by engaging with others is an added bonus. Instagram rewards authentic activity.
- Follow Instagram Recommendations – Instagram is always releasing features like editing tools and effects to compliment you content. And while these aren’t must-use things, they certain help your Reels stand out and improve your chances of engagement. And as we all know, engagement is one factor that helps to boost your reach.
Reach Increasing Instagram Reel Ideas
Before & After
Everyone loves a good before and after reveal. Not only are they super intriguing but they can be quite satisfying to watch. This means not only are your chances of catching their attention high, but so is keeping it. And this is such a versatile Instagram Reel idea that can be re-purpose multiple times in different industries. Those in the beauty industry for example might do a before and after of a huge hair transformation, or a stunning makeup application. Another example is an interior decorator sharing a before and after of a huge remodelling project for a client.
Hop On A Trend
One way to improve the odds of getting attention on your Reels to to hop on a trend. This can be a dance, challenge or a comedic skit that is gaining traction on Instagram. There are a couple things to keep in mind when it comes to recreating trends to your benefit. First off they come and go quickly so you need to be monitoring Instagram closely to catch these trends. The sooner you can create your own version, the better. You also want to avoid a lack of creativity. Meaning you don’t want your version of a trend to be the same as everyone else. Find ways to make your Reel unique to help you stand out from the crowd.
How To Tutorial
Whether it’s for entertainment or education, everyone loves learning something new on Instagram. So sharing your knowledge in a Reel with tutorial or how to video is a great way to help boost your reach. Not only will your target audience find the content interesting but they are also more likely to share or re-post it to their stories. Just like with before & after Reels, sharing tutorials is an endless option for content. As a brand you might want to demonstrate how a product or service works, or maybe a cool life hack using your products. Content creators might look to share fun recipes, a skincare tutorial or their steps for editing content. A great way to make brainstorming content easy is to create a tutorial series where you share your knowledge with others regularly.
A Day In The Life/Mini Vlogs
A big favorite of content creators and influencers is to share “A Day In The Life” vlogs to their Reels. This is similar to a behind the scenes type video, but instead of sharing the process of something you’re taking your audience through your daily routine. Some take this idea and customize it to a particular event like a trip, attending a festival or even just content throughout a time period. These are generally called mini vlogs, and follow a similar format to “A Day In The Life” vlogs. A tip is to continuously document things throughout your day or event and then pick the best ones to compile into a Reel.
Use Trending Audio
Similar to trending Reels audio on Instagram can also be trending. This just means that the particular sound or song is currently popular and being widely used. While there is no direct evidence that Reels with trending audio get a boost by Instagram, it can only be assumed. However, if you’re using audio that is being widely used, users can click on that audio and see all the recent content that’s been published with it. The bonus of using trending audio is you can fit it over a wide range of Reel ideas including those we’ve mentioned above. So it provides you with the freedom to create while also helping you improve your reach.
