PSA: Individuals watch 138.9 million Fb and Instagram Reels each minute.
Instagram Reels continues to be the platform’s fastest-growing function, so if you happen to’re seeking to get in on the engagement motion, the time is now.
Whether or not you’re new to short-form video creation otherwise you’re seeking to step up your technique to get extra views, shares, and saves, we’ve put collectively the last word information to Instagram Reels.
Maintain studying for a step-by-step information to creating Reels that folks truly wish to watch. We’re additionally sharing expert-backed finest practices and real-life examples from manufacturers who’re utilizing Reels to amplify their social presence.
Bonus: Declare your pack of free animated Instagram Reels templates created by Hootsuite’s skilled designers. Simply customise them in Canva, and take your Reels recreation to the following degree as we speak.
What’s an Instagram Reel?
An Instagram Reel is a short-form vertical video shared on Instagram. Like TikTok, Reels means that you can report, edit, and sew collectively a number of video clips and pictures.
You too can add results corresponding to unique audio, like voiceovers, music, textual content overlays, stickers, and extra.
What’s the distinction between a Reel and a TikTok?
Each Reels and TikTok are short-form video platforms with comparable options, however there are just a few key variations.
For starters, TikTok is a standalone app whereas Reels is a part of Instagram’s — and finally Meta’s — ecosystem. Reels are served to Instagram customers throughout numerous contact factors on the platform, from Discover to Tales to their house feeds. Whereas TikTok movies are proven in a consumer’s FYP or following feed.
One other key distinction between a Reel and a TikTok is the size. You possibly can add movies on TikTok as much as 10 minutes lengthy and as much as three minutes lengthy on Reels.
Here’s a breakdown of the primary variations between a Reel and a TikTok:
| Instagram Reels | TikTok | |
|---|---|---|
| Most size | 3 minutes | 60 minutes |
| Audio | Unique audio, music | Unique audio, music |
| Results | Visible and sound results | Visible and sound results |
How lengthy can Instagram Reels be?
In 2025, Instagram Reels may be as much as three minutes lengthy.
Head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, shared this much-awaited replace earlier this yr, and the response from creators was largely optimistic. Beforehand, the max size for Reels was 90 seconds.
Instagram Reels sizes and specs
Like TikTok, Reels ought to be vertical, full-screen movies. Listed here are the precise sizes and specs for recording and importing Instagram Reels:
- Side ratio: Between 1.91:1 and 9:16
- Decision: Minimal of 720 pixels
- Body charge: Minimal of 30 FPS (frames per second)
What can you employ Instagram Reels for?
You should utilize Instagram Reels for a variety of short-form video alternatives. Assume: behind-the-scenes content material, product tutorials, interviews, or entertaining movies.
Right here’s a listing of codecs to strive in your subsequent Reel:
- Earlier than and afters
- Behind-the-scenes
- Instructional content material (tutorials, how-tos, and many others.)
- Trending audio
- Day-in-the-life movies
- Bulletins
- Shareable content material
- Interviews
- UGC
- Showcasing merchandise
How does the Instagram Reels algorithm work?
Based on Meta, Instagram’s algorithm is now primarily based on an AI system to find out rating moderately than an algorithm.
For Reels particularly, Meta says that the AI system that handles Instagram Reels Chaining “robotically determines which Reels present up, and in what order, by predicting what you’re most certainly to be taken with or have interaction with.”
The system gathers about 100 Reels and ranks them primarily based on how possible you might be to remark, share, or observe the creator, as an illustration.
You possibly can learn extra about how Reels determines its rating elements right here.
For social media managers who’re chargeable for crafting partaking Reels on the common, these rating elements can really feel slightly arduous to pinpoint — we get it.
In the event you’re on the lookout for fast insights into how one can get extra attain in your Reels like, now, Adam Mosseri lately shared 5 fast ideas:
- Don’t use watermarks or logos
- Maintain Reels lower than 3 minutes lengthy
- Use audio and trending music
- Publish constantly
- Experiment by utilizing trial Reels; this function means that you can share Reels with individuals who don’t observe you first, then improve to your profile and followers if it performs properly
You possibly can watch his full breakdown under:
create an Instagram Reel
In the event you’re able to dive into the world of short-form movies, observe these steps to create and publish an Instagram Reel.
Step 1: Choose or report a video
Out of your feed or your web page, faucet the + button to create a brand new put up. Then, choose Reel from the choices to create a brand new Reel.
From right here, you may both hit the report button to create a video instantly throughout the app, or select a premade video out of your digital camera roll.
Reminder: You possibly can add a video as much as three minutes lengthy.
Step 2: Edit your video
Subsequent, you should use the built-in video modifying instruments so as to add layers, transitions, and results to your recording.
Listed here are some modifying choices:
- Minimize out silences
- Add and rearrange a number of video clips
- Add voice overs
- Alter the pace
- Crop the clips
- Add audio or visible results, like textual content and stickers
Step 3: Browse trending audio
Instagram’s music library is a treasure trove of unique audio and trending songs.
Select from the record of curated audio from the For you tab, or see what’s trending. The inexperienced and crimson arrows let you realize which sounds are gaining or shedding recognition amongst customers. You too can save audio to make use of later.
Step 4: Add or edit your Reels cowl
Your Reels cowl is the very first thing customers will see after they’re searching your feed. It’s vital to make use of a graphic that grabs their consideration and lets them know what the video is about.
You possibly can choose a canopy picture from the video — let’s say, a body with textual content overlay that describes what the video is about. Or you may select a particular picture out of your digital camera roll you wish to use for the Reel.
On this step, you may also see what the duvet will appear like in your profile grid.
Step 5: Publish or save as a draft
Lastly, it’s time to get your Reel able to publish. Right here you’ll see a preview of your Reel cowl, and might edit it if crucial.
You’ll additionally must add a caption. Instagram Reels captions may be as much as 2,200 characters lengthy (the identical as an Instagram put up).
You too can add:
- Hashtags
- A ballot or immediate
- Location tag
- Person tags if you happen to’re collaborating with one other account
On desktop
Whilst you can’t report an Instagram Reel on desktop, you may add, edit, and publish one. The steps are primarily the identical, aside from the total suite of modifying choices.
- From the left menu, select Create, then Publish
- Select choose from pc to add a prerecorded video
- You possibly can trim the start or finish of your clip
- Add a cowl picture out of your system or by selecting one from the clip
Free Instagram Reels templates
Templates make the method of making and sharing partaking Reels quite a bit simpler. Right here’s a bonus from our group that provides you with a jumpstart: totally customizable Reel templates that may assist you to stand out in busy feeds.
Bonus: Declare your pack of free animated Instagram Reels templates created by Hootsuite’s skilled designers. Simply customise them in Canva, and take your Reels recreation to the following degree as we speak.
schedule an Instagram Reel: 2 strategies
Scheduling your Instagram Reels is a game-changer for busy social media managers and creators.
You possibly can schedule your Reel instantly within the app, or use an all-in-one scheduling device like Hootsuite. We’ve put collectively the step-by-step course of for each choices.
Schedule an Instagram Reel on Instagram
To schedule an Instagram Reel on Instagram, create your Reel following the steps we shared above.
When you’ve made it to the publishing step, as a substitute of hitting Share, scroll right down to Extra choices.
Subsequent, toggle on the choice to schedule this Reel.
You possibly can schedule your Reel as much as 75 days prematurely.
You even have the choice to edit or reschedule your Reels.
Out of your profile, faucet the three strains to get your settings. Then go to scheduled content material. You possibly can handle your entire scheduled posts right here, together with Reels.
Schedule an Instagram Reel with Hootsuite
We is perhaps biased, however we expect Hootsuite is one of the best ways to schedule Instagram Reels (together with the remainder of your Instagram content material!).
Right here’s the right way to do it:
1. Save your video to your system.
2. In Hootsuite, faucet the Create icon, then faucet Publish.
3. Choose the Instagram Enterprise account you wish to publish your Reel to.
4. In the event you add a single video to a put up, it should robotically publish as a Reel. You too can choose Publish Within the Content material part to be additional certain.
5. Add your saved video. Movies should be between 3 seconds and quarter-hour lengthy and have a side ratio of 9:16.
6. Add a caption. You possibly can embody emojis and hashtags, and tag different accounts in your caption.
7. Preview your Reel and click on Publish now to publish it instantly, save as draft, or…
8. … Click on Schedule for later to put up your Reel at a unique time. Manually set a publication date or select one of many advisable days and instances to put up.
Your Reel will present up within the Planner, alongside all of your different scheduled social media posts.
From there, you may edit, delete, or duplicate your Reel, or transfer it to drafts. It can robotically publish in your scheduled date!
When you publish your Reel, it should seem in each your feed and the Reels tab in your account.
#1 Instagram Reels scheduling
Plan, handle, and schedule your Instagram Reels for optimum engagement and minimal effort. It’s really easy.
When is the perfect time to put up an Instagram Reel?
Based on Hootsuite analysis, the perfect time to put up an Instagram Reel is Tuesday at 7AM.
Listed here are just a few different instances when Reels carry out properly:
- Sunday between 6-7PM
- Wednesday between 4-7PM
- Friday between 7-10AM
3 finest practices for creating a fascinating Instagram Reel, backed by consultants
Making a Reel is one factor, however making it partaking? That takes experimentation.
Listed here are three ideas that social media managers advocate to create partaking Instagram Reels.
1. Give attention to the intro
The quickest solution to lose your viewers’s consideration is by drawing out the intro of your Reel.
If you wish to cease folks from scrolling and improve your probabilities of engagement, hook your viewers as shortly as doable.
Jeannie Assimos, Head of Content material and Communications at beverage firm, mainelove recommends introducing your view topic inside 5 seconds.
“Interact folks instantly with no matter you’re sharing,” she says. “The arrange is vital — don’t use title playing cards or sluggish intros, otherwise you’ll lose an viewers used to a fast content material type.”
Under is an instance Assimos shared of one of many model’s high-performing Reels. The video introduced the corporate’s sponsorship of Maine’s first skilled soccer group, The Portland Hearts of Pine.
“We put collectively a sizzle Reel of gamers on the sphere with the announcement,” says Assimos.
“This video did extraordinarily properly as a result of the subject material is fascinating to our audience in Maine, and we broke the information inside 5 seconds. We now have 30k views on this video for a really new Instagram account which has been round lower than eight months — and it’s all been natural attain.”
2. Don’t be afraid to suppose outdoors the (business) field
Whereas your audience is probably going taken with no matter your corporation is promoting or representing, that doesn’t imply you may’t enchantment to their different pursuits.
Think about creating Reels about subjects that don’t appear instantly associated to what you do, so long as it is sensible in your viewers. Reels are sometimes seen by individuals who don’t already observe you, so tapping into bigger conversations on the social media platform is an efficient solution to improve your attain.
This tip may be significantly useful for the extra “critical” model accounts — those in industries like monetary or skilled providers, schooling, healthcare, B2B, or the nonprofit sector.
Silvija Kemeraite, Social Media Supervisor at software program firm Omnisend suggests pondering outdoors of your business to have interaction your viewers.
“Don’t be scared to put up content material that’s indirectly associated to your corporation,” says Kemeraite. “This doesn’t imply fully ditching your space of enterprise experience, however at all times take into consideration your viewers and what can be fascinating for them to observe.”
3. Embrace partaking CTAs
Not like different put up varieties or advertising and marketing channels that encourage customers to take motion elsewhere (e.g., “go to our hyperlink in bio” or “subscribe to our e mail record”), your Reels CTA ought to give attention to protecting your viewers engaged with the video.
Saves and shares are indicators that allow the algorithm know your content material is partaking, so the extra shareable your content material is, the higher.
Your CTA may be so simple as “ship this to a buddy” or “go away a remark letting us know what you suppose.”
Want inspiration? Listed here are some partaking CTA concepts:
- “Save this for later”
- “Tag somebody who wants this”
- “Drop a remark if you happen to agree”
- “Ship this to somebody who ought to see this”
Consider, not each Reel wants a CTA. For instance, if you happen to’re utilizing a trending audio then that ought to be the main focus.
CTAs are nice for academic or informative Reels that share helpful info, spark a dialog, take customers via your course of, or showcase your merchandise.
4 inspiring examples of Instagram Reels advertising and marketing
Trying to see Reel-life (get it?) inspiration? These inventive movies illustrate the right way to take advantage of out of your Instagram Reels advertising and marketing.
1. Kosas: Product tutorials
Magnificence model Kosas commonly shares Reels demonstrating how its merchandise work. These movies aren’t solely useful for anybody interested by making an attempt the model, however they’re additionally an effective way for Kosas to showcase new and signature merchandise.
Plus, the movies usually function Kosas’s founder, which helps personalize the model’s content material.
Professional tip: In the event you don’t have a founder or spokesperson who’s snug getting in entrance of the digital camera, contemplate working with influencers or content material creators. You too can repost natural UGC movies that showcase your model or product properly.
2. Penguin Random Home: Shareable content material
As we’ve talked about, the Instagram Reels algorithm takes shares and saves into consideration when rating your content material.
The important thing to creating shareable content material is to maintain it quick. Give attention to one key message and pair a brief video clip with a trending audio.
This Reel shared by e-book writer Penguin Random Home is a good instance of shareable content material. Not solely is it related to the writer’s book-loving viewers, nevertheless it additionally features a CTA within the caption, prompting folks to share the Reel with their buddies.
3. Framebridge: Buyer interviews
Whereas short-form movies carry out finest on Reels, that doesn’t imply you may’t produce one thing extra substantial.
Framing firm, Framebridge used Reels to provide an interview collection for Mom’s Day to focus on the other ways mothers have framed their recollections and milestones.
This marketing campaign is a good instance of the right way to incorporate your prospects whereas showcasing your merchandise.
When you’ve got the finances to create produced movies like this, be sure that to maintain the clips on the shorter facet in order that they’re optimized for probably the most engagement and attain.
4. Notion: Tiny mic moments
Love them or hate them, tiny mic interviews are a preferred format on Reels for a motive.
Whether or not you’re interviewing workers or focusing on strangers on the street, a tiny mic second may be a fascinating solution to educate or entertain Instagram customers whereas additionally letting them know what your model does.
Within the case of software program firm, Notion, this Reel highlighted a sizzling matter — the variety of unread emails in our inboxes — and positioned the corporate’s upcoming e mail device as an answer.
Instagram Reels FAQ
Are you able to see who watched your Reel?
Whilst you can’t see which particular person customers watched your Reel, you may see what number of views your Reel has acquired.
Are you able to obtain an Instagram Reel?
Sure, you may obtain a Reel from public Instagram accounts if the account has enabled downloads. In the event you don’t need customers to have the ability to obtain your Reels, you may change your settings by toggling off the Enable folks to obtain your Reels possibility.
What number of Reels ought to I put up?
The quantity of Reels you must put up is determined by your model’s common engagement charge and the posting frequency inside your business and amongst opponents. Finest apply is to create a constant schedule and use a scheduling device to keep up your posting frequency.
When is the perfect time to put up an Instagram Reel?
The perfect time to put up an Instagram Reel is Tuesday at 7AM, based on Hootsuite analysis.
How do I get extra views on my Instagram Reels?
To get extra views in your Instagram Reels, optimize your content material for the algorithm. Create Reels that align with the algorithm’s rating elements by making them lower than three minutes lengthy, utilizing trending audio, not utilizing watermarks or logos, and posting constantly.
How do I delete or archive a Reel?
Go to Choices (the three dots) within the backside proper nook of your Reel. From right here you may completely Delete the Reel or go to Handle then Archive.
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