Instagram Reels have been around for almost a year and have been dominating the algorithms, yet many people haven’t quite jumped on board. This is likely for many reasons, but most of the small business owners I’ve talked to about it come to one conclusion: “I’m trying to run my business, not be a professional video editor”. #fairenough
So rather than a tutorial on how to create a specific type of video, I’m here to give you some quick and easy tips that will improve ALL of your video content. Here we go:
First things first, if you’re just getting started with Reels, don’t stress yourself out over it. Set a goal of posting one Reel per week as you get used to it. If you’re already posting some video content, but you’re ready to step up your game, aim for 2-3 Reels per week.
The best way to get started creating content is to spend some time browsing other user’s Reels or TikToks. You can save your favorite Reels for inspiration by tapping the ellipsis at the bottom right of the video and then choosing Save.
Reels are a majority of what you’re seeing when you’re scrolling, so start paying attention to the audio that’s being used and save it for later by tapping the square photo in the bottom right hand of the Reel. This will take you to the page for that audio and give you the option to save it for later. Here’s how to use it when you’re ready:
Go to your page
Tap the three horizontal lines icon in the top right corner
Tap saved
Tap the audio collection
Tap the audio you’d like to use
Tap Use Audio at the bottom of the screen
Reels have a 9:16 format, so make sure that you’re holding your phone vertically when you’re recording to get the best results. 9:16 is also the same size as Instagram Stories, which you’re probably pretty comfortable with. Don’t overlook their usefulness in Reels, as well! You can create awesome cover photos and more for your Reel just by creating a Story and saving it to your phone. To save a story to your phone, tap the arrow pointing down icon at the top of the editing screen.
Before you take off work to be locked in your room recording yourself for several hours, consider this: You don’t need video content to create awesome videos. You can create beautiful Reels just by compiling photos you already have! Try an app like Splice or InShot to upload photos that can be added together with music to create a photo compilation that only takes a few minutes to make.
Photo compilations are usually the easiest Reel content to make when you’re first getting started because you’re more likely to have usable photos than usable videos, so you likely already have the content you need. This is also a simple type of video to start with as you get used to trimming clips, adding audio and text, etc. Once you’re ready to move on from photo compilations, try a video of you pointing to text!
No matter what kind of Reel you create, you’ll always add text as the last step. Make sure all of the clips are edited exactly the way you want them before you worry about adding and setting the duration of each text.
Another tip that our clients love: Keep It Simple. You’re right, you’re not a professional video editor. Don’t feel pressured to film and edit incredibly precise and high-level content. Your followers just want to connect with you. Find short, simple ways to connect with them by giving them information about your business or industry, making them laugh (about something related to your industry), or helping them get to know you (and ultimately trust you) more. This is how you turn followers into customers.
Remember, no matter what kind of video you’re making for your company’s social media, always include the company logo as the last slide. This will help viewers connect the content to the brand and more easily recognize your company in the future.
Our last and most important tip: Just Post It. Everyone is cringey at everything when they first get started. You just need to get started. I promise that the quality of your Reels will improve as you continue playing around with recording and editing. You can go back and delete your old Reels later if you really hate them or you can take a page out of our book and make an Instagram Guide of our cringiest posts from when we first got started!
If you find that creating Reels isn’t conducive for your team’s schedule, but you still want to incorporate them into your marketing strategy, send us an email! We’re happy to help!
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