- If you want to maximize the growth
of your Instagram following,
this video was made specifically for you.
Reels is Instagram's biggest focus,
and if the social media giant
is publicly letting us know how important
this short video format is to them,
you can bet it's the best format to make sure
you're including in your content calendar
to help you grow your own following.
By the end of this video,
you'll know what Instagram Reels are,
how to create your own Reels
and the best types of content to post using Reels.
Let's take a look.
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With the options to create single posts, carousels,
stories and Reels on Instagram, it can be a bit confusing.
So what exactly are Instagram Reels anyway?
From a perspective of a content creator just like you,
Reels are short 15 second to one minute videos
that you can film, cut, and edit with audio,
graphical, and effect-based add-ons
all from inside the app.
Reels is Instagram's core focus
because the format is optimized to encourage users
to spend as much time as possible staring at their screens
with an endless uninterrupted flow
of automatically scrolling content.
So unlike regular posts where a user taps it to view
and interact, Reels just keep going
with the algorithm predicting what each user
will most likely want to continue watching.
Why this is so important to you
is that since Instagram is so dedicated to Reels,
it means that the likelihood of your Reels content
being served to users who don't know about you
is so much higher.
This is called discovery content,
where people don't need to know about
and search specifically for your profile
in order for you to be potentially discovered
by Instagram's 1.3 billion and growing user base.
The biggest benefit to you
is that Instagram serves your Reels in the Reels feed
to everyone whose browsing history and engagement
preferences match the kind of content you create.
So, if the content you create is focused
on healthy home cooking,
Instagram will automatically serve your Reels
to people who have a habit
of following and engaging with healthy home cooking content.
In other words,
Instagram is helping you promote your content
to the exact types of people you want to gain exposure to.
And if you're running an e-commerce business,
like all of Shopify's powerful social integrations,
you can tag your products
and enable viewers to shop directly in Reels
by tapping your product tag and buying
right then and there without even needing to leave
the Instagram app.
Even if you don't have a store set up yet,
the ability to shoot and edit with a wide range of filters,
effects, music, sounds, text, and graphic overlays
means you can create hyper engaging videos
that Instagram wants to serve to its users in no time.
The first time you choose Reels
under the create button on the top right of Instagram,
you will be greeted with this little blurb.
Tapping the Get Started button
will take you to the Reels creation view.
And as a side note,
another popup will show up called Introducing Remixing.
Remixing is where other Instagrammers
can take a part of your Reels clip
and add it to their Reels.
This is often how Reels trends like dances,
challenges, or reactions go absolutely viral
on the platform, which can of course, really help you grow,
but the choice is entirely yours.
In your Instagram account settings,
you can choose to block people
from remixing any and all of your Reels
or you can keep the function on
and choose whether or not to let people remix
each time you create a new Reel.
When it comes to making an Instagram Reel
that is primed to go viral,
a lot of the same principles apply
to successfully making TikTok videos.
Here are five tips to use in your next Reel.
One, start your video off
with a hook that captures curiosity.
You can do this by starting with a bold statement,
starting in the middle of the action at a dramatic moment,
or asking a question but withholding the answer.
Two, make fast-paced edits.
Instagram Reels should be dynamic.
They need to give the viewer a constant feeling of novelty.
Three, tell a story.
The human brain is hardwired to respond to stories.
Use a story to package information with emotion,
and let details unfold bit by bit
to keep the viewers tuned in.
Four, ask yourself,
what job is the video going to do for the audience?
Are they going to learn something?
Are they gonna be entertained? Feel inspired?
Make sure you are providing value.
Look at trends on Instagram and TikTok
and add your own spin.
Make sure they align with your audience's interests.
Whatever you do, don't just blindly follow trends.
People can spot inauthenticity or copycats miles away,
so be original.
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Now, I'll make a sample Reel for Instagram
so you can see all the cool features
and options available to you when creating your own.
There are so many cool features with Reels,
and looking at the left-hand creative menu
before you even start filming your first one
can be a bit overwhelming.
Me, I like starting with choosing the maximum duration
and with the sample Reels I'll be creating,
I'm going to limit myself to 30 seconds since shorter Reels
generally have better retention and engagement.
So the simple Reels I'll be making
will be sharing three productivity tips for entrepreneurs,
and we'll be using all of the robust creative tools
in Reels to help us out.
I'll go and tap this Layout tool,
change the layout to this top and bottom split,
where I can first film my face saying the tip to the camera.
Then flip the camera and demonstrate the tip
on the bottom half.
Tapping Next on the bottom right
allows you to edit your Reels
and this is where I'll be able to add a soundtrack
and sound effects from the Instagram
music and sound library, add text and graphics,
and even add cool effects and filters onto my clips.
With all the editing done,
let's take a look at the final product.
Here are three productivity hacks to help you
get into the zone and accomplish more.
Tomorrow's productivity starts tonight.
Before you go to bed,
jot down the three things you must accomplish tomorrow
so you're ready to go with confidence.
Schedule your procrastination.
Put 15-minute time blocks every two hours
into your calendar specifically to get distracted.
When you schedule distractions,
magically, you stop getting distracted.
Motion creates motivation. Move your body every hour.
Blood flow clears the mind and resets your focus and energy.
What's your top productivity tip?
As you saw through that quick demo,
there are so many fun and powerful tools
that can enable your creativity and imagination
to come to life, and most importantly,
engage with and grow your audience and brand.
With so many features
the best way to learn about all of them
is to just start creating
and let your imagination guide you.
But if your imagination is stuck, no worries,
because I'm about to share the best types
of content ideas to start trying out with Reels.
Whether you're a creator
who's looking to increase your influence
or you're an e-commerce entrepreneur
looking to increase sales.
But before that,
if you want to learn how to create irresistible content
and blow up your Instagram following,
I recommend you download this free social media template.
It's designed to help you create a rock solid
social marketing strategy.
Learn how to create content
that breaks through all the noise,
provides value to your audience
and impacts your brand's bottom line.
You can get to it
by clicking the link right up here
or down in the description below, and don't worry.
It won't stop this video.
It'll just open a new tab
so you can have it ready when you're done watching
right over here.
Going back to the best types of content
to start experimenting with Reels,
there are three I'd recommend starting with
and the first one are how-to videos.
Whether you're an entrepreneur with your own product
or you're an influencer using other companies' products,
how-to Reels are effective
because they enable viewers to quickly understand
how something works.
When we're making a purchasing decision,
it might be painstaking to read through a bunch of reviews,
but oftentimes the most powerful way to decide
if something is right for us is to just see how it works
in real life being used by a real person,
and the short format and editing capabilities
of Instagram Reels means you can distill
even complicated tutorials with multiple steps
into a super quick and easy to digest how-to tutorial.
Next up are inspirational clips,
and I don't mean motivational speech type stuff,
although of course you can absolutely create those as well.
But I'm talking about idea inspiration.
Similar to the how-to type of videos,
this can work whether you're an e-commerce business owner
or a budding influencer.
I mean, if your content you post
is primarily about indoor gardening,
you can create a Reel
with a few different indoor garden setups
featuring easy to care for plants,
but that same Reel is just as effective
if you own a business that sells
home gardening tools and seeds.
The idea here is to show your viewers what's possible
and inspire them to take action to yield results you share
in your Instagram Reel.
The third type of Reel
that you can start experimenting with are behind the scenes
or teaser videos.
If your Instagram account is for your business,
you can get unplugged and raw
with some of your Instagram Reels
to really build a human connection with your audience.
They may be used to only seeing super polished product shots
on your main page,
but using Reels to introduce your audience to the real you,
maybe the type of coffee you enjoy,
or perhaps introducing them to your pet,
or hey, giving them a super sneak peek
into an upcoming product launch,
are all ways to peel back the curtain
and let your audience feel more connected,
and therefore, more invested in you and your business.
The same goes for you even if you don't have a business yet.
Your main Instagram page might be full of super polished
well-edited photos of you, but you can take your viewers
to a whole deeper level of engagement
by sharing snippets from your life
that you don't typically post.
Maybe you're a travel influencer,
but share some simple meals you cook when you're at home.
Perhaps you use Reels
as a way to answer some frequently asked questions
that show up in the comments of your posts.
You might be planning a collaboration
with another Instagram personality
and drum up some hype by posting some Reels
of you and your new collab buddy putting in work.
If you are looking to grow your following
and presence on Instagram in a serious way,
Reels must be a part of your content strategy.
Instagram is taking Reels so seriously that look,
it's got its own dedicated icon in the main navigation menu
of the app and its front dead center.
In order to get what you want,
you need to find those that can give you what you want,
figure out what they want,
and give it to them, and they'll pay you back handsomely.
And if what you want is to explode your following
on Instagram, you need the help of your target audience
and you need the help of Instagram's algorithm
to serve your content to your target audience.
Giving your target audience what they want is simple.
After all, they're your target audience,
so you know the types of content they're after.
So go out there and create the best quality
and most engaging content you can
to appeal to your target audience.
Giving Instagram what they want
is equally as simple in theory.
Instagram wants people to spend as much time as possible
on their platform consuming content all day and night.
The social media platform has publicly said
that they are investing heavily on Reels
to help them achieve this goal.
So make sure you're creating the very format
the algorithm wants you to create.
As long as your content is educational, entertaining,
or better yet, both,
and is created in a way to be engaging
to your target audience, you will grow your following,
your influence, and your sales as well.
And speaking of sales,
if you are looking to start a business
and haven't taken the first steps yet,
I welcome you to sign up for a 100% free,
no strings attached trial to Shopify,
where you can set up an online store in a matter of hours.
You can access your free trial
by clicking the link right up here
or down in the description below.
We have been chatting about the importance
of Instagram Reels for growing your following,
but if you are also curious about how to create
and manage ads on Instagram
to really supercharge your results,
you'll definitely want to check out this video
right over here.
While you're deciding whether to watch that now
or save it for later,
let us know in the comments what types of Reels
you'll be posting to in Instagram.
Don't forget to subscribe and hit that bell
so you'll be notified the moment new videos
just like this one drop.
But as as usual, thanks so much for hanging out with me
and I'll catch you in the next one.
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