What I Wish I Knew Before Creating Instagram Reels
Reels are still the latest and most popular form of content on Instagram, so if you haven't experimenting with them yet, it's time to start! Reels are essential for newer accounts trying to grow, and they’re also a great way to create engaging content to grab the attention of a potential client.
There's a lot to know before you start so you don't have to spend hours editing and re-filming and tweaking your Reels to get them perfect, so here's a few tips to make your Reels experience streamlined and successful
Batch Content
One of the best things you can do to be successful with filming Reels is to batch your content! Choose one day each week or month on which you'll set aside a few hours to plan and film all of your reels content for the coming week or month. Here's a quick step-by-step guide for batching:
Decide how many Reels to create and write out your concept for each
Either research and save trending audio or write out your script if you'll be doing the talking
Plan any outfit changes or props needed and lay them all out near your filming area
Start filming!
SAVE your completed Reel to your phone in case Instagram loses the draft (you'll have to re-add audio upon re-uploading if it's not your own)
Design On-Brand Covers
Don't just upload your Reels with whatever blurry shot Instagram picks from your video! Creating a unique cover will help maintain a cohesive and high-quality grid for your profile. I like to open Instagram Stories and take a photo of myself posing in the outfit I'm wearing for the given Reel, then use Instagram's fonts to add a title so it matches the style of the captions and other text in my Reel.
You can also design something in Canva, but I definitely recommend including title text on your cover image to encourage people to click and watch.
Balance Trends with Value
Filming funny Reels that follow popular trending audio is fun and a great way to boost your impressions, but it's doesn't provide much value to your audience. If you really want to leverage Reels to grow your business, I recommend balancing trendy Reels with really informative, helpful ones that serve your followers! You can even add a trending song in the background of you talking and turn it down quiet to still get some reach from the trend, or keep it loud and point to informative text instead of talking yourself.
Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment
Try new things! Explore new ways of creating content and see how your audience responds to it! If they like it, do it more. If they don't engage much, maybe try it again another day or tweak it slightly to see if that makes a difference (sometimes they would love it, but just didn't see it).
The most important thing with Reels is a willingness to step outside of your comfort zone and do it. Your first few might be terrible and you may archive them in a few months, but you have to start somewhere!
If you want to see how I'm leveraging Reels to grow my business on Instagram, go follow me! I also share lots of other social media and blog writing tips on there, and I love connecting with fellow content creators looking to share their story and their mission with the world!
