Learn how to promote your brand, reach new people and engage your audience with Instagram Reels, the alternative to TikTok.
Instagram Reels is a content format that allows you to create and share short engaging videos that — unlike Instagram Stories — don’t disappear after 24 hours.
Despite originally being criticized as a “TikTok copycat,” Instagram Reels has gained positive responses from influencers, brands and users. Many creators embraced Reels while also growing their presence on TikTok. Brands like Sephora, Walmart, and Beardbrand are already using Reels.
So, what is Instagram Reels? How does it work? How can you, as a brand, use it in your marketing strategy? We have the answers to all of your questions below.
Bonus: Download the free 10-Day Reels Challenge, a daily workbook of creative prompts that will help you get started with Instagram Reels, track your growth, and see results across your entire Instagram profile.
Instagram Reels are videos that can be up to 60 seconds long.
Similar to TikTok, Reels offer a set of editing tools that allow users to create engaging and fun video footage. Reels can include multiple video clips, filters, captions, interactive backgrounds, stickers and more.
A scrollable tab full of trending Reels (a.k.a. Instagram’s version of the TikTok For You page) can be accessed through the Reels icon at the bottom of the Instagram app’s home page:
An individual user’s Reels can be viewed in a dedicated tab that can be accessed above the account’s Feed:
Reels are also heavily featured in Explore. If you’d like to set your Reels up for success with this powerful discovery tool, check out our guide to getting your content on the Instagram Explore page.
Since Instagram Reels is TikTok’s rival, it’s worth discussing how they’re similar, and how they are different.
The essence of Instagram Reels and TikTok is the same: providing users with a creative space to create and share short videos with others. They come with creative options, allowing users to make their best possible clips.
However, they also have significant differences, as shown below:
| Instagram Reels | TikTok |
| A feature inside the Instagram ecosystem | A platform |
| Video time limit up to 60s | Video time limit up to 3 minutes |
| Reels shared to Stories will disappear after 24 hours | All videos stay on TikTok |
Don’t get confused between Instagram Reels and Instagram Stories. Even though they sound a lot like each other, they have some key differences:
Now that you understand what Instagram Reels are, let’s move on to how to use them in your marketing strategy.
If you’re familiar with Instagram and/or TikTok, you’ll find it easy to create videos with Reels.
To access Reels, simply open the Instagram camera and choose REELS.
You’ll work with this button to create a Reel.
Instagram Reels gives you two options to create a Reel:
Reels can be recorded in a series of clips (one at a time), or all at once.
Follow these six steps to create your first Reel:
Step 1: Scroll to REELS at the bottom of the screen and tap it.
Step 2: Use tools to prepare for your recording. Tap Audio (1) to select audio from the Instagram music library and add it to your video. You can even choose to add your favorite part only.
Tap Speed (2) to change the speed of your video, tap Effects (3) to apply special effects, and tap Timer (4) to determine how long your video will be.
Step 3: When you’re ready, tap, and hold the record button to record a clip. If you set a timer early on, there’s a countdown before the hands-free recording starts.
During the recording, you can tap the record button to end a clip, and then tap it again to start a new clip. Then, the Align button (5) will appear, allowing you to line up objects from the previous clip before recording your next. This is useful to create seamless transitions for moments like changing outfits, adding new music, or adding new friends into your Reel.
If you want to watch, trim, or delete the previous clip you recorded, you can tap the clip (6) and edit it.
Step 4: Once you’re done with recording, you can add stickers, drawings, and text to edit your Reel.
For a crash course in Reel’s creative editing features, download our free 10-day Reels challenge:
Bonus: Download the free 10-Day Reels Challenge, a daily workbook of creative prompts that will help you get started with Instagram Reels, track your growth, and see results across your entire Instagram profile.
Done! You’ve known how to create a video with Instagram Reels. Let’s move on to find out how you can share it with your followers.
Once you’re satisfied with your clip, you can tap the Next button (7) to access the Share page. Then, tap Cover (8) to edit the cover photo with a video thumbnail or add a cover from your camera roll. You can write a caption, too. If you don’t want to publish the clip right away, you can save it as a draft.
When you’re done with sharing, you’ll see your Reel like these:
As of August 2021, all Instagram users can create Reels up to 60 seconds long.
If you’re creating Reels on the go and recording your video footage using the Reels camera, you don’t have to worry about file size. However, if your Reels include uploaded footage, make sure your files are the correct size and dimension to avoid a blurry and awkwardly cropped end product.
Bonus: Download the free 10-Day Reels Challenge, a daily workbook of creative prompts that will help you get started with Instagram Reels, track your growth, and see results across your entire Instagram profile.
Get the creative prompts now!Like Stories, Reels are a mobile-first format, designed to take up a full vertical screen. The recommended aspect ratio for Reels is 9:16 and the recommended size is 1080 x 1920 pixels.
To understand if your Reels are hitting the mark and engaging your audience, you should keep track of their performance. Instagram makes this easy — Business and Creator accounts can access Reels analytics in Instagram Insights.
Reels-specific performance metrics include:
In Insights, you can look up the performance of individual Reels as well as see how the format is contributing to the overall performance of your account.
Source: Instagram
To learn more about Reels analytics and how to use them to create better content, check out our complete guide to Reels Insights.
When Instagram Stories was first launched in 2016, it was called a Snapchat clone. But Stories quickly surpassed Snapchat in daily users and have become an effective channel for brands to build their audience.
With that in mind, brands should grab the opportunity to engage new audiences with Reels—people who prefer quick-and-easily-digestible content. Reels are also a great platform for collaboration with creative talent.
And, one more thing: successful Reels are likely to be featured on the Explore page—a place that more than 50% of Instagram accounts use for discovery every month. If your Reel is shown on this page, you have a huge chance to expose your brand to new followers.
If big names like Maybelline, Sephora, or Louis Vuitton have been using Reels from day one, and if you’re already using Instagram for your business, why not give Reels a try?
Convinced? Then, here are five ways you can use Instagram Reels in your social media marketing strategy:
Creating educational content is a great way to start on Reels. Top 5 skincare routines, a secret to make delicious pancakes in 10 minutes, or 5 tips for styling a skirt—there are so many things to share with your followers that can help them learn a new skill.
Rena Awada, the owner of Healthy Fitness Meals (@healthyfitnessmeals), used Reels to share delicious, healthy, family-friendly recipes made with real food.
Her video was short, simple, and easy to follow, which explains why it gained in popularity. She also included several relevant hashtags like #healthy, #snack, and #lowcarb.
I’ve said it before, but let me repeat it again: users can find Reels in the dedicated Reels tab and on the Explore page, meaning Instagram users who don’t follow you will see your content—this is gold!
To help the algorithm understand what your content is about and serve it to the right audiences, use hashtags, text overlay, and descriptive captions. Below is a good example from @elfcosmetics. Notice how the brand focused on the benefits of their Luminous Putty Primer and used emojis to show them clearly.
Another example is from Deborah Ruiz. She used her personal Instagram account to post a Reel demonstrating how she wore lashes from her small business @deborahcosmestics.
Besides, you can collaborate with Instagram influencers to promote your product, as FLOWER Beauty and Revlon did:
Behind-the-scenes content helps your Instagram followers understand who you are and why you’re selling whatever it is that you’re selling. It’s personable, it gains trust, and it builds relationships.
Take a look at two examples below. Fast and Food shared a moment of their staff preparing food for guests during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Benefit Cosmetics US created a Reel to show how a day in the life of their graphic designer.
Some behind-the-scenes ideas you can try:
How about using Reels to announce your sales and exclusive deals? IT Cosmetics US and Tarte Cosmetics applied this tip successfully, as they gained a lot of engagement from Instagram users.
Bonus tip: Stay genuine, and don’t make your content too explicitly salesy!
Think this way: many brands have been successful on TikTok because they show their human side and give up being perfect all the time, which is exactly what TikTok users want to see.
So, try to maintain the same level of authenticity in your Reels. Focus on originality and fun, rather than the quality of your videos. It could be highlighting staff individuality or bringing an ordinary aspect of your brand to life through music and motion. Doing this will lead to high engagement for your Reels videos.
As of June 2021, Instagram advertisers can choose Reels as a placement for their Instagram ads. The placement supports 6 advertising objectives:
Reels ads offer brands a new way to reach targeted audiences when they are scrolling through Reels in the mindset to engage with content. It’s no wonder that many brands are already experimenting with the ad placement. Here’s an example from Canadian supermarket chain Superstore:
To learn more about how to set up your first campaign on Reels and how to make your creatives stand out, check out our guide to Instagram Reels ads.
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