With the growth of social media influencing how consumers engage with brands online, Instagram’s full-screen video format Reels is a great way of holding user attention in a leaned-in environment. According to Demandstage, 2.35 billion people interact with Instagram Reels monthly, getting 22% more interaction than standard video postings on average. Despite being four years old, the expansion of Instagram Reels onto Facebook in 2022 and the recent increase to a maximum duration of 90 seconds suggest that there is an appetite for continued growth within this feature, encouraging more advertisers to start investing here.
So how can brands best make use of Instagram Reels? As of July, Instagram has shared some key tips for using Reels to help brands and advertisers better tailor their approach when activating in this environment.
The first 3 seconds are key
Like many other video formats, there is only a small window of time to engage the user before they scroll past your ad. Instagram recommends sharing something “funny, relatable or unexpected” within the first three seconds to hook in and entertain the audience from the beginning. This helps create a more authentic connection between both parties and thus increases the likelihood of higher dwell times.
Encourage direct engagement
Post engagement such as likes, shares, and comments contribute to campaign success via incremental value. Creating content that users want to share and react to will help brands reach a larger audience and open up the opportunity for fame-driving moments.
Duration is important
Despite extending the maximum run time to 90 seconds, Instagram suggests that Reels between 30 and 60 seconds “get better engagement and are shown to more audiences”. In the advertising space, short-form content is king, so testing 10-15-second creatives is a good way of introducing new users to the brand before exposing them to longer-form content as the audience grows. Brands must balance the need for concise messaging with the desire for innovative content to drive performance results.
Engage with trends & conversations
Promoting content with trending visuals and audio can increase campaign relevancy, but it must be done in the right way. Brands need to maintain an authentic presence in this environment whilst also being reactive when trends appear. Jumping on trends too late could generate negative engagement, so it’s important for brands and marketing teams to stay up-to-date with conversations on Instagram.
Overall, as brands increase investment in Instagram Reels, we hope to see this feature evolve further. Although these recommendations can be universally applied, individual brands must cultivate their own unique presence in this space to build and maintain an authentic connection with their audience.
