How to Create and Post Your First Instagram Reel

If you’re a creator and you’re not taking advantage of the Instagram Reel feature, you may want to learn how to create and post Reels to Instagram. As you make more, you’ll get better at it and create more dynamic and engaging content. For now, we’ll give you some helpful tips to get you started off on the right foot!

What are Instagram Reels?

First things first. What are Instagram Reels anyway? If you haven’t been checking out the Reel section of Instagram, you may have missed out on this TikTok-inspired feature. 

Just like TikTok, Instagram reels are in a vertical format and can be scrolled endlessly in a feed. These short videos can be anywhere from 15 to 60 seconds long. You can add music, audio clips, filters, text, emojis, and more to customize your clip and set it apart. 

Instagram Reels also are based on an algorithm that will suggest clips to users based on their interests and preferences. For creators, that means you can target your demographic and reach a new audience by tailoring your reels.

In short, if you haven’t jumped on the Reel wave yet, it might be time to start.

Why you should use them

A better question might be, why shouldn’t you be using them? Instagram has a massive user base, and Reels have the potential to reach a large portion of that audience. Reels are also entertaining and engaging, and they can quickly communicate an idea that might be difficult to get across in other formats.

Reels are so short that they can usually hold someone’s attention for their entirety if they scroll and happen upon your video. It would definitely pay off if you can get people to pay attention and take notice of your Reels.

How to record a video

Recording a video on Instagram is easy. Simply open your app and click the plus icon. Choose Reels from the options and the camera will open. You can then record your Reel and make edits before posting it, adding options like filters, music, text, and even stickers.

Tips for making effective Reels

Making a Reel is easy, but making an effective Reel can be difficult. There are certain things you’ll want to keep in mind to make your Reel stand out from the crowd. We have some tips for making your Reel pop.

Create quality content

Content is king when it comes to winning the Reels game. Before moving on to any other tips, you need to make sure you’re creating high-quality content that is clear and concise. This means ensuring your phone is steady while shooting, making sure the angles and framing are good, and creating videos that actually resonate with your audience.

This also means making sure your content is original and fresh. If you’re copying someone else’s Reel identically, it might be difficult for you to stand out. That doesn’t mean that you can’t follow trends, but your video shouldn’t be an exact copy of the others. Create something that hops on the trend while still being unique to you and add your own spin!

Essentially, you want your Reels to be something you think is worth watching. If you’re just doing the same thing over and over again, with bad angles and framing, and you’re copying other videos, people are going to lose interest. Make sure you’re engaging your audience, not just serving them content.

Find trending audio

An important part of Instagram Reels is the music and audio you use in tandem with your video. Instagram has a library of music you can choose from, or you can create your own audio. This is especially effective if you’re using audio and songs that are trending.

It’s a good idea to do some scrolling of your own to see what the trends are and what audio is currently being used by top creators for their Reels. Just hop on the Instagram Reels section and watch some for a while. This can give you some inspiration and help you pick the right music and audio clips for your next Reel.

Use transitions

Good transitions should be part of your repertoire as you learn how to make quality Reels. A transition should be eye catching and engaging to create interest and get users to watch your entire clip.

Fun transitions can build a little suspense and keep your audience engaged throughout your Reel. You can watch some popular Reels to get good inspiration for transitions of your own.

Get to the point

Reels are meant to be short and entertaining. That means you want to get to the point as soon as possible. Keep in mind that short attention spans aren’t looking to Reels to get a full dissertation. They want bite-sized clips that will grab their attention and provide them value in less than 60 seconds.

While we’re at it, avoid adding a lengthy and wordy caption to your Reel. Your Reels should grab users’ attention with the video content. Hardly anyone is going to read a long caption on a Reel. Save those captions for your Instagram posts. If you want to include text or explanation in your Reel, it should be in the video.

Add a call to action

Once you have people’s attention, you want to make the most of that attention and include a clear call to action that will bring your page more traffic. A link in bio plug is typically the perfect way to get people to go from your Reel to your page.

There are a number of ways you can do a call to action in a Reel. You can include text at the end, shout it out with your own audio, or briefly mention it in your caption. Using a link in bio tool like Beacons will help you make the most of this traffic.

Tell a Story

Remember, you want to tell a story in your Instagram Reel. Your messaging should be clear, consistent, and easy to understand. It helps to outline your Reel before you shoot it, so you can make sure you’re hitting all the points you want to hit.

Whatever type of Reel you’re wanting to make, it helps to storyboard it and outline what you’re wanting people to get from watching it. Do you want them to learn more about your brand? Share your content? Follow you? Having these ideas in mind will help you create a Reel that actually does what you want it to do.

Grow your brand and create viral content

When you create viral content through Instagram Reels, you can truly grow your brand and expand the reach of your social media account. Although every Reel you make probably won’t go viral, you never know what video could take off next, so keep at it! Just have fun, be yourself, and keep the above tips in mind. You’ll be making quality Reels before you know it.

Join Beacons today!

Join Beacons if you want to earn as much money through your social platforms as possible and monetize your audience like never before. Using our website builder and link in bio tool, you can funnel all of your fans to your Beacons page. With links to all of your pages, your fans will be able to find your content, learn how to pay you, and much more. Join the thousands of top creators who are already using Beacons, and sign up for free today!