Instagram reels have become a popular way to create fun, entertaining yet educational videos that can help you genuinely engage with your audience. With Reels, you can record and edit multi-clip 15-second videos with audio, effects, and new creative tools. You may share reels with your feed followers and, if you have a public account, make them available to the whole Instagram community via the ‘Explore’ section of the application. Reels in Explore gives everyone the opportunity to become an Instagram creator and reach new audiences on a global scale.
If you have been trying to garner views and followers on Instagram by creating reels and still have no success, we’ve got you covered. This article shares 5 epic hacks that will help you achieve maximum results with Instagram Reels. Read further to unlock each hack.
Hack # 1
Harness the power of closed captions.
According to Buffer, 85% of videos on Facebook platforms such as Instagram and Facebook are watched without sound. What does this mean for you?
The first hack is to include closed captions in your Instagram reels. Adding subtitles and text on the screen will help you retain the attention of audiences. Moreover, by adding text on screen you not only cater to viewers who want to watch it without sound but also provide value to people with hearing disabilities.
The best part about adding captions and subtitles to your video is that you don’t have to edit the video manually. You can do this within Instagram itself. Once your video is ready, go to the “sticker option” on the reel and select “captions.” Instagram will automatically transcribe your audio and add the text to your video.
This is a simple and easy way to increase viewership through your reels on Instagram.
Hack #2
Pay attention to the algorithm.
It is common knowledge that the best way to entice your audience is by sharing valuable content. However, Instagram updated its algorithm in 2022 to include two key things:
- Extending the duration of reels from 60 seconds to 90 seconds
- Pushing original content to the top of users’ feeds.
Now you may think that this contradicts the concept of trends that go viral on Instagram through reels. However, what you are missing is the audio and videos that become trending are first, original content pieces. The reason they become a trend is that the engagement of such reels with the audience is high. As a result, Instagram does best for what it is known for, showing you more of what you like, and eventually making the original content a trend.
Therefore you need to first focus on creating original reels that are valuable and have a high potential of being likeable. Instagram’s algorithm will push this original content to the top. Once your reel has a high level of engagement, it will show it to more people with similar interests, thus increasing your viewership.
You can always take the help of a social media agency to help you understand and crack the algorithm for a better reach on Instagram.
Pro tip: You can always encourage your audience to bookmark a video so they can refer to it later. This also counts as a tactic to increase engagement for your reels.
Hack #3
Reshare your reel as a brand new story.
You may know that reels are considered “fresh” by Instagram for only a couple of hours. There are many reels that are posted on Instagram on a minute-to-minute basis. Therefore, the reels you make get lost in the crowd easily and quickly. This is why it is a great practice to share your reels as your Instagram story as well. However, you need to do it the right way.
By resharing a reel on your story, Instagram treats it like a brand new content piece. So you have a chance to use your reel as “fresh” content as your story. Therefore, make the most of it.
Running out of ideas to create new content for your Instagram? Take the help of a content marketing agency to brainstorm ideas for trending content!
Don’t just simply share your reel as your story by using the little paper plane on the bottom right corner and post it. If you want to increase your chances of gaining your viewership on your reels, share it by covering half your reel with a sticker. This way you evoke curiosity among your viewers who can tap on the reel in your story and watch the whole reel.
Pro tip: Share and pin the reel to your Instagram profile as well. This way, a person visiting your page for the first time will look at the pinned reel first, before moving forward. This will massively increase the visibility of your reel.
Hack #4
Focus On Good Presentation & Production
The production of your reel matters. Spend some time pulling together good lighting, a presentable backdrop, clear audio and a good camera to record your reel. If your reel uses a low-quality camera with improper lighting, chances are that your viewer might not be interested in watching the reel till the end. A reel with a good production quality is an incentive for the viewer to watch the reel till the end.
Hope these 4 epic hacks help you attain high engagement and great results while creating and posting reels on Instagram.
All the best!
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