We know that the world of Instagram Reels, TikTok and video content marketing can be so daunting... And, before you ask, no it’s not just for Gen Zers and dancing on the internet!

If your audience are spending time one these platforms (see more about understanding your customers in Scarlett’s recent blog post) then creating short-form video for your business can be one of the best ways to increase your engagement and h

ave your content seen on Instagram right now.

We recently delved deep into the world of short form video, Instagram Reels and TikTok with Chris Howell and Issy Roughan of Howell Media on their podcast, Looks Like We Made It. You can listen to the podcast below and keep reading for more info! 👇

We explored all sorts of aspects of short form video content, including the power of Instagram Reels, why you should be using short form content and its important when it comes to connecting with your audience, and other important topics like being caught in a zombie apocalypse… So, here are some of our top tips for creating Instagram Reels!

Join in with trends

Trending content on Reels comes and goes quite quickly; often blowing up for a couple of weeks but soon becoming old news. So, it’s important to join in with a trend before its past it’s best!

To get inspired and see what’s popular, take a few minutes to scroll through the Reels tab - is there anything that seems to appear frequently, like a particular audio clip? A funny trend?

Scroll through the videos to get an idea of what the trend is, and see how you can put your own spin or take on it.

We find this blog by Later which is updated weekly and filled with the hottest content really handy for keeping up to date with trending songs and reels.

Be original

Now, this one might seem contradictory after our last point, but while making use of popular sounds and trending topics is important it’s also key to be original! If you can put your own spin on a trend or make it relevant to your business, you're onto a winner.

Consistency is key

It’s important to be consistent with your Reels, that’s within your niche, style and posting. It’s really important to make sure your content is consistent and in line with your brand persona and sector, as well as your style, as this all helps to increase your brand awareness and recognisability. 

Plus, people often mistake consistency for frequency, we don’t mean you have to post everyday! Just aim to create and stick to a posting schedule - that could be once a week or once a day, just as examples. 

Quality

The quality of your video is a huge success factor when it comes to Reels. In fact, Instagram’s algorithm deprioritises low-quality video content, as well as content that is clearly recycled from other apps, like TikTok! So, it’s best practice to create Reels content on Instagram rather than TikTok.

When it comes to quality of your video content, there are some quick wins for you:

• Make sure you’re filming with your phone portrait! Reels are designed to be vertical, so don’t use landscape videos in your content
• Make sure your lens is clean for a crisp capture. Before recording, wipe your phone’s camera lens with a soft cloth to get rid of any dust
• If your hands are shaky, try a mobile tripod or prop your phone up somewhere safely so you can go hands free and avoid giving viewers motion sickness! 

In addition, two tips we got from Jade Beason (who has a really handy YouTube video here) to help to improve the quality of your upload are:

• Shoot in 4K - Head into your phone’s settings, go to camera, and make sure your videos are set to record at 4K
• Turn on ‘High quality-uploads’ - Go to your Instagram settings, head to account then data usage, and toggle on ‘High quality-uploads’ 

Be mindful of the safe zone

In order to keep the quality of your Reel at its highest, you must consider the ‘Safe Zone’! Now, don’t panic, this isn’t something from a sci-fi movie, but simply the space of the video that is visible to the user. Once uploaded to Reels, Instagram adds your caption to the bottom of the video as well as buttons for users to interact with your content on the right hand side of the video. This means that any content in this space is likely to be hidden.

Another notable thing to mention is that Reels are shared in the main feed too, yet the default view is not your entire video, but rather just a portion of your video. Keep the focus of your video in the centre of your screen as much as you can! 

Use captions

Using closed captions in your videos help to make your content much more accessible by assisting viewers who have hearing loss and/or associated disabilities to understand your content. But, it’s not just those with impairments or disabilities that benefit from closed captions - did you know it is estimated that up to 80% of Instagram users watch videos with the sound off?

So, it’s super important to add closed captions to your Reels, especially if you talk in them or have a voiceover, as otherwise the key messages and the content of your video are lost to so many users!  Plus, with closed captions your Reels become more searchable. Users can search for keywords that appear in the closed captions rather than being limited to hashtags or picture captions!

It’s also important to make sure your closed captions are visible in every part of the Instagram app, as mentioned in our previous point, whether that be in Reels or the feed by positioning them centrally. 

Add hashtags

Like most content on Instagram, it’s important to use hashtags to help your content get found! Adding at least 5 hashtags to your Reel is great, as not only does it help your content be found, it also helps the algorithm understand your content and push it out to those users who may be interested. 

Include a clear CTA

The best way to drive traffic from Reels or get users to take an action after watching is by including a clear call-to-action (CTA) that encourages people to do something. This could be with an on-screen caption, via a verbal direction, or included in your video caption (or all of these). It might seem obvious for people to go and look for a link in your profile bio, but with people’s short attention span and the high volume of content they’re consuming, users need a clear and engaging call to action to stop them from simply scrolling to the next video.

 

Taking note of these tips and actioning them in your Instagram content can help you to develop an effective short-form video strategy that appeals to your audience. The more you can create engaging Instagram Reels for your business the more likely you are to have your content seen, engaged with, and shared.

If you’re keen to get started with Reels but need some inspiration, our blog on short-form video has lots of simple ideas to help you get stuck in!