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Email marketing is one of the oldest and best tricks in the communication playbook, and newsletters are an excellent tool for brand awareness, audience engagement, and lead nurturing. But newsletter planning is challenging. Coming up with and delivering fresh ideas...
Jan 29, 2024
Ready to jump into the world of Instagram videos and learn how to make Reels?
You’ve heard all about Instagram Reels, you’ve watched hundreds, but you’re not sure where to start with creating them. Or even why you need Reels in your Instagram content strategy.
We’ve put together this guide for beginners on creating Reels to help you get started. It contains instructions for how to make Reels on Instagram, and how to schedule them ahead of time.
Contents
Instagram Reels are short video clips of up to 90 seconds. They are full-screen vertical videos usually accompanied by audio. They are a powerful content format that combines a visual journey with related audio.
Launched by Instagram in August 2020, Instagram Reels have become a significant player in the short-form video category. Together with TikTok and YouTube Shorts, Reels have delivered on our thirst for the fast-paced consumption of engaging video content.
Instagram Reels educate, inspire and entertain viewers, and they certainly deliver on this objective. Stick with us. They will for you too.
Like all video content, Reels tell stories and build connections better than any other form of content. Adding Reels to your Instagram content calendar is currently the easiest way to reach out to new audiences. Reels have turned this social media platform into a lively, entertaining, and enticing conversation.
And that’s why they need to be embraced as a key part of your Instagram marketing strategy.
On your Instagram account, you will see a Reels tab to house your own Reels, plus a Reels icon at the bottom of the screen where you can view all Instagram Reels.
Let’s dive straight into how to create Instagram Reels.
View this post on Instagram
View this post on Instagram
Now that you have done the planning, it’s time to create a Reel. You can do this in a few ways.
To use existing video, upload video clips from your camera roll into the Reels app using the load media button. You can select a single piece of video or multiple video clips, which will be stitched together with seamless transitions.
To use existing still images, use the load media button to upload photographs. When uploading images or video, make sure that they cover the full height of the screen. Look out for the scale button. Note how the image of the mug needs to be scaled as it’s currently showing black borders, top, and bottom.
To film new video, you can record directly using the Instagram camera in Reels or outside of the app e.g. directly into your smartphone camera. You can then upload the video clips to Reels in the Instagram app.
To film directly on Instagram, from your Instagram profile, tap the + button to create new content. Select Reel. You will see a round button at the bottom of the screen. To record videos tap this button to start recording and tap again to stop recording. You can film one video or multiple clips. Just tap again to record the next clip. Filming is very similar to using the Instagram stories camera.
Use the creative tools on the left-hand menu. You can select audio from Instagram’s music library and add effects from the effects tray. There are a number of other tools too.
On the audio screen, you will also see ‘Saved’. This is where any tracks you have saved while scrolling Reels or the explore page can be found.
You can also use your original audio. For example, talk to the camera as you record the video, record a voiceover in the Reels editor on the next screen, or import your audio from any video stored on your camera roll.
Pro tip from our Social Media Expert, Andreea Coroian:
When it comes to Reels, practice makes perfect. The more you create, the better you get at it. Think about how you can keep the viewer watching your video for a longer. The tricks I use most are starting with a hook, keeping it short, and creating dynamic videos with different angles. These are key to capturing and maintaining viewers’ attention, the fundamental goal of Reels.
Now that you have uploaded your video or filmed it using the Reel camera, you are ready for the next step. The fun bit is where you bring the video to life and edit clips. Tap next to access the Reels editor, where many unique editing tools are available.
You could post your Instagram Reel in its current format. But there are a number of steps you can take to improve your Reel and increase its opportunity to perform.
If you didn’t add music on the first screen, tap the audio icon to add it.
TOP TIP. Once you have put the work into creating and finessing your Reel, we recommend that you always download Instagram Reels to your phone to have a backup copy.
You now have a Reel, and it’s almost ready to be posted to the Instagram feed! Before posting Reels, tap next to access the final screen, where you will add a written caption, hashtags, topics, and a cover shot.
With Planable you can schedule Instagram posts, Reels and Stories ahead of time. By planning and scheduling your Instagram content in advance, you’ll have your Reels organized in one place together with the rest of your content to be posted to up to 8 social media platforms. Clients can approve or comment on Reels at the same time as approving other content.
Reels vs TikTok – which one should you choose?
Amongst the millions of Reels shared on Instagram, and an audience consuming information at lightning speed, it’s essential that you do everything you can for your Reel to stand out and grab attention. Here are a few ways to do this:
Even with Instagram’s recent admission that they leaned too far into video in 2022, video is where it’s at if you want to make a significant impact to your Instagram results.
Commit to making Instagram Reels a core part of your social media strategy. Be brave, press the buttons, explore, and have fun embracing this exciting chapter of short-form video. Reels can actually be a lot of fun and do many positive things for your account.
Whilst viral Reels are out of your control and not a dream to be chased, you never know when the Instagram Reels algorithm might send one flying.
Sarah is a Content Specialist and Instagram trainer who dedicates her days to making sure no business ever runs out of ideas for marketing themselves online. She’s a career marketer, having worked for big brands in Australia and the UK before setting up her own content-focused social media business in 2013. She offers 1-1 training, group courses and content management.
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