Recently, Instagram has taken the world by a storm with the launch of its latest feature called Instagram Reels. It was so much fun playing around with the new feature and just sharing things that I love to share with you.
So what is Instagram Reels? According to Instagram, Reels is a new way to create and discover short entertaining videos on Instagram. All you have to do is a record and edit 15-second multi-clip videos with audio effects and new creative tools.
The feature is now available in Australia and it’s being made available across 50 other countries. So if you haven’t gotten the feature on your app, then just wait because Instagram is slowly rolling out the feature to all of the 50 countries. You can try switching to a “creator” account, wait for a few days and see if that works for you.
And just to put it out there, you don’t have to dance to create a video, you can still create content that educates, inspires and entertains. So don’t wait to start incorporating Reels as part of your Instagram strategy.
HOW TO USE INSTAGRAM REELS
The first step is to open up Instagram stories and how you locate that is by tapping on the camera icon that is located on the top left corner on the Instagram platform.
Step two, locate the Reels feature. At the bottom right, look down where your camera button is and you can locate the feature Reels that is next to the story feature.
Step three is select the audio. If you would like to add music to your video, just select the audio and pick the music you would like to use. There is a search music option for you to find the music or you can record your original audio using your own voice if you’re looking to talk in the video.
Some accounts may not have the audio feature, what you can do is switch your account to a “creator” account and wait for a few days.
Step four, you can select the speed. There are five speeds to choose from.
Step five is to select an effect. You can tap the filter effect and you can choose the effects that are located at the bottom just like you would do when you are doing Instagram stories.
Step six set a timer. The timer allows you to record hands-free, otherwise, you have to hold down the button during the time of the recording. This is not so ideal if you actually need to use both hands in the video.
Now the timer is only available at three seconds and you can choose how long you want to record this clip for.
Step seven, this is the time when you get down and start recording your video. You need to hold down the centre button with the reels icon to record and simply release it to start recording.
Here’s a tip, use the timer feature so that you don’t have to hold down the button. I find that it gives me more flexibility when it comes to recording videos because I tend to use both my hands and it’s a little bit tiring to stretch out your arm in a selfie mode and try to record a 15-second reel.
Step eight is to start editing. You can add stickers and draw as you would normally do on an Instagram story. You can save the video down but here is the downside to it.
When you save down the video, there will be no music. This is my worst nightmare because what I really want to do when I save down the video is to repurpose the content. I don’t want to have to recreate the content.
Say, for example, if I’m on Tik Tok which I am, I do not want to have to recreate the video on Tik Tok just to be on both platforms. And I know you must be thinking I can create the video on Tick Tock and save it down and repurpose it on to Instagram.
If you are Instagram, Would you like another platform’s video to appear on your platform? If you upload a Tik Tok video on Instagram, I have this feeling that Instagram is going to give you a lower organic reach because with the videos on Tik Tok, there is a logo stamp of Tik Tok on it. So this is a way of Instagram encouraging you to create content natively on your platform.
Note: I have recently discovered a tool to download a Tik Tok video without the logo to repurpose it onto Reels. Check out https://musicallydown.com/
This helps you create and use the features on Tik Tok and be able to upload onto Instagram without the fear or lower reach or being penalised by Instagram. And, you get to be on 2 social media platforms to reach more of your audience. But, if you’re not on Tik Tok, create your Reels natively on the platform.
This is the only downside on Instagram reels where you can’t save down the video and repurpose the content onto your other social media platforms.
Now I came up with the idea that I can save Reels down and just add in the music when I upload it onto Tik Tok but here’s the thing when I tried to upload the saved video onto Tik Tok, a little note popped up from Tik Tok. It says that the format is not supported on the Tik Tok platform. So there you go. I couldn’t repurpose my Instagram Reels content on Tik Tok.
If you are looking to batch create your content on Reels, you can save your reels as drafts if you need to edit at a later stage.
You can locate your drafts by simply navigating to the Reels tab on your profile page.
And the last step is to share your Reel. So as usual, you can add caption hashtags and edit your cover photo if your feed has a theme, you can put in a cover photo. you can select the frame from your Reel or add an image from your camera roll.
There are a few ways to share your Reels and just get your Reels out there. You can either share it onto your feed or onto your Instagram stories or send it to your friends in a direct message.
And if you don’t want to put it on your feed, then you can choose not to but personally, at this point, I would love to share my Reels on the feed page simply because you want your audience to know that you have bite-sized videos to share that they are able to take away from.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN REELS AND TIK TOK
There’s so much talk in the social media world that Reels is just another take of Tik Tok. And it’s really similar. So there are only one or two differences.
I would say that it is the time when you can only create 15-second videos on Reels. And in Tik Tok, you can record videos up to 60 seconds. That is only the difference that I see at the moment and I’m sure that with Reels in the future, they are going to be updating the feature and giving more sort of functionality to the feature.
HOW are REELS DIFFERENT FROM INSTAGRAM STORIES
Instagram stories are only available for 24 hours unless you save them on your highlights. Instagram Stories is more of a raw and edited content that you share with your audiences.
But with Reels, you can actually edit and put in music. So it’s like a little mini-movie clip of what you are sharing with your audience. So here comes the REEL question.
HOW DO I IMPLEMENT REELS INTO MY BUSINESS AND CONTENT MARKETING STRATEGY
You can create fun bite-sized valuable nuggets to inform, educate and engage further with your audience.
In the upcoming weeks, I will be sharing more about implementing reels into the business and how you can incorporate it into your content marketing strategy. Do tune in in the next few weeks more Reels content.
WHY NOW IS THE TIME TO GET ON REELS
Instagram is pushing out Reels simply because it is a new feature and wants to encourage you to use more of it. The feature allows you to connect with an audience that you already have. So if you’re thinking between Reels and Tik Tok, Tik Tok is a completely different social media platform, you have to build your audience from scratch again on a new platform, whereas Instagram Reels is a feature within Instagram.
If you’re really on Instagram and you have been killing it on Instagram, then Reels is a no brainer for you to use. Cut, that Instagram is just another cut. It allows you to connect with an audience that you already have. So if you are already on Instagram, then Instagram reels is simply another feature for you to use.
And with it being a new feature, you get more reach and visibility, which cut, which means attracting more audiences. And if you head over to the Explore page, and if you notice, it takes up almost three-quarters of the page.
This means that Instagram is really pushing Reels out there. And you’re going to get organic reach and visibility through the Explore page. With reels, it also showcases your personality and the fun side of you. You can just be you on Reels because people want to get to know you, the person behind the business.
You’ll be able to build a relationship with your ideal client because when they get to see the REEL you (pun intended), that’s where you build the know like and trust.
With all of the three factors added in together, you will be able to grow your business with ease and flow.
And there you have it, Instagram Reels for business. Now if you have been using Instagram Reels for your business, tag me on Instagram because I would love to see what you’re sharing on Reels.
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