ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT INSTAGRAM REELS
With TikTok generating the most downloads ever for an app in Q1 2020, it’s little wonder that Instagram have released their own counter-solution to short-form content. But can the Facebook family ward off pesky TikTok? Is TikTok to be trusted? Here’s our guide to Instagram Reels, and everything you need to know to get started.
What is/are Instagram Reels?
First and foremost, Reels is an addition to the Facebook family as audiences were getting complacent and bored of their previous offering. Reels is supposed to be the cool, fun, comedic cousin to Stories – after little sister IGTV failed to really make her mark.
Apart from a grammatical dilemma, Reels is the latest extension of Instagram that allows users to record, edit and post clips up to 15 seconds. Sound familiar? It’s certainly had the same chorus of criticism that Instagram received when Stories were first added – “COPYCAT!”. The question is, will Reels go down the route of Instagram Stories (now considered indispensable by influencers and advertisers alike), or that of IGTV (still widely considered a difficult and inscrutable vertical)? Furthermore, will it be able to satisfy those who crave (having seen TikTok’s offering) more creativity and comedy from short-form video?
Reels are housed on a creator’s page in a newly added tab. This hasn’t moved over to desktop as yet, but you can still view Reels posted as a grid video. To create a Reel, you can shoot new video or upload clips to use. Internal editing features currently include Music, Speed and Effects and a Timer (which will undoubtedly develop further – we predict in a similar manner to how Snap Inc offered branded filters and solutions to advertisers).
How does the algorithm work?
The algorithm of the Reels Explore feature hasn’t been fully established yet, but it effectively uses machine learning from what you engage with to serve you more, similar content. What this means in simple terms: whilst it offers a creator a new audience, their content will only be seen by audiences who have previously demonstrated an interest in the kind of content the creator produces. So it’s not a instant “spray and pray” solution – those in Performance Marketing should it align it alongside advert retargeting in terms of capabilities and measurement.
When browsing in the Reels feed (rather than your own home feed) content won’t necessarily come from accounts you already follow. While this sounds risky from a creator’s perspective, ultimately this means that clips will be served to people Instagram knows will like it – a win-win, really. As Instagram have put it, “Reels in Explore offers anyone the chance to become a creator on Instagram and reach new audiences on a global stage”. However what we suspect is that audiences will see content from those they follow over those they don’t in the feed, once the platform has monitored their preferences for a while. What we’re saying here is; a user is still more likely to see content from those they follow and engage with – it doesn’t overrule the necessity of following an account.
As a Reels user, if you don’t enjoy content you’ve been served, you can tell Instagram you’re not interested by clicking the three dots at the bottom left hand corner (next to the comment bubble). Instagram are currently encouraging users to explore Reels with their Featured feed, which seeds in select videos considered to be high quality. This is quite clever on Instagram’s part as it’ll mean their first set of credentials (which will be used to encourage commercial deals) will be based on a pre-selected, premium stream of video.
Who is it for?
Creators: We’re seeing influencers asking why they should be adding it to their verticals, particularly if they haven’t connected with TikTok or see the value in pivoting towards it. To that we say, it’s just short form content, you *don’t* have to dance if you don’t want to. In the same way that Twitter still serves as a worthy platform for some, you don’t have to be everything to everyone. If you do think you’d enjoy creating funnier, snappier, more creative content then see Reels as an opportunity to reach new screens with your content. Think about what drew followers to your content in the first place and make content that fits those principles. There’s a beauty to being straightforward and as always, it’s about where you can bring value to your audience.
Viewers: The native audience of Instagram is older than TikTok so they’ll be exposed to many of the quintessential types of content for the first time, to adopt or reject as they choose. For the moment, we see Reels as an alternative to TikTok for those who were unsure of adding yet another app to their phone. Reels should hopefully prevent someone from needing to use TikTok (and we’d imagine this is Instagram’s wish). The reality is that a lot of creators will probably post the same content on Reels and TikTok – so it’ll be down to you, the audiences, to determine which one maintains the engagement.
What content should influencers be posting on Reels?
Like content anywhere, a Reel needs to communicate ideas, provoke an emotion or engage viewers. Ideally all three. In this way Reels is just the same as a YouTube video …the difference is that while YouTube videos have around 6 minutes to fully engage with someone watching, the length of that engagement period (when you need to lock in the viewer) is much shorter for a Reel. You effectively need to shock the user out of their scrolling pattern. When creating for Reels, this has to be the most important consideration.
Remember to think about how people will be discovering the content, and adapt your strategy to fit. Other Instagram content (Stories particularly) don't have the discoverability of the Reels Explore page, which Instagram are working hard to populated with creative, vetted content. Reels have got to be entertaining enough to catch people's attention that have no established connection to the creator.
Some ideas of where to start (with examples):
Be authentic. Answer a question you frequently get asked, or share what makes your feed different. Chances are new users will wonder too and it’s the perfect introduction to your channel, or for followers that haven’t taken a deep dive into the rest of your content.
Mollie Campsie: I’m a UK Size 20? https://www.instagram.com/p/CDjAQlLjoOg/
Educate. Reels are the perfect space to share quick tips, strategies or something you’ve recently learned. Keep it succinct with clear takeaways for the most effective penetration.
Vix Meldrew: 3 Things to Post on Reels this Week https://www.instagram.com/p/CERfyMhB319/
A Perfectionist Concedes: How to Examine Your Breasts by a GP https://www.instagram.com/p/CEW5tmXn_74/
Showcase. The capacity for new exposure to your content is exponential, so whether you have your own product line or want to sell your expertise, Reels is a fantastic way to challenge yourself to create within the limits.
Anna Cascarina: Leather Bag Worn Four Ways: https://www.instagram.com/p/CD4SZQqlsUn/
What do brands need to know?
Brands are likely to be more confident investing in Reels over TikTok, which still feels like a volatile space compared with Instagram – a platform that many companies feel like they have a concrete strategy for (and manage to derive value and ROI from).
However, when we wrote about the opportunities for brands on TikTok a few months ago, (Reasons You Should Be Thinking About TikTok), we advocated for the magic of quickfire, raw and real content over formulaic strategy. It’s a format to introduce new followers to products, ideas and solutions, not necessarily convert them. Reels is set up to house creative, viral content, so brands should be thinking what value they can offer to their communities and letting that lead the content they post. For now, it’s not a game changer but that’s not to say it won’t become one.
What Reels cannot do (much to the disdain of those looking for the perfect performance solution) is predict or provide analytics. We doubt this will be this way for long; hence our earlier comment on Instagram driving users towards premium content as it sets a benchmark, but you cannot gather or create any form of analytics for Reels as yet.
What’s next for Reels?
Internally, Reels has been branded as ‘inspired’ by TikTok (rather than a wholesale copy like Stories/Snapchat) but ultimately the success of Reels is dependent on mimicking what TikTok does well if Instagram wants to cement it in the minds of influencers and their clients as a viable way to drive revenue. The addition of Reels show the platform wants to cover all bases and retain as many users as possible – after all, the average age of TikTok’s usership has been getting older (it’s certainly not just for Generations Z and Alpha any more) and naturally Instagram/Facebook see that as an infringement on their core demographic.
It’s hard to say for sure right now, but the natural step would be to monetise Reels, rolling out ads and paid content. As to how and when that comes in, best guess would be look at the time periods that Snap and TikTok achieved similar developments. After all, TikTok has a native marketplace, where they centralise creating and managing the relationships directly between brands and creators, which feels cutting edge in such a valuable space. It’s a huge undertaking, but could serve to connect the dots between creating effective strategy across all facets of Instagram if rolled out correctly.
If it feels like there are still some questions unanswered, you’d be right. Instagram have intentionally left some features of Reels open-ended, so no doubt there will be adaptations, improvements and updates over the months to come. We will be sharing the details and updating this guide, so make sure you’re subscribed to our newsletter here to get notified when there’s something new introduced.