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Let’s Get “Reely” Into Instagram Videos! By: Ariana Gillooly, Regional Account Manager with GIT Florida Title Services
W
hat are Instagram Reels? They are Instagram’s take on TikTok. You can record and edit multiple 15, 30, or 60-second videos set to popular songs or sounds. Recent studies have shown that “Reels receive 22% more engagement than regular videos and 9 out of 10 users watch Instagram videos weekly.”1 Your Reels can show up on the “Reels page” on Instagram. That means, if your account is public, that even people who don’t follow you can see and engage with your Reels – that’s a major engagement hack and a huge opportunity to grow your following!
CREATING REELS STEP 1: CHOOSE A SONG/SOUND
Choosing a trending audio is best. The easiest way to do this is to scroll through your “Reels tab” for 10-15 minutes a day and look for trending sounds you want to recreate. You will know if they are trending by seeing an arrow next to the beginning of the song title on the bottom of the screen. If you would like to use that audio, tap on the audio title. You can either use it now or save it for later. If you choose to use the audio, the screen on the left will pop up. It will tell you how long you have to record to fulfill the full audio. If you choose to save the audio, it will go into your Saved audios. You can access that by tapping on the music button on your Reels screen. You can choose which part of the song you would like to use but I wouldn’t worry about changing it because Instagram always chooses the most popular part of the song for you. STEP 2: RECORD
There are a few different kinds of Reels. The easiest ones are lip-syncing and the pointing to text bubbles ones. That’s a perfect way to start out if you are a beginner to Instagram Reels. For lip-syncing ones, always put the speed on 2-times speed. This 26 | ELEVATE [ APRIL 2022 ]
slows down the audio, making it much easier for you to align your lips perfectly with it, - it also speeds up the final product. Always save to camera roll after each take with the download icon. The effects icon is where you can add filters. The sticker icon is where you can add stickers, gifs, captions, etc. The music icon is where you can edit the sound and volume of your voice if you are talking in a reel and add voice effects. The brush tool icon is where you can draw on your Reels. The text icon is where you can add text to your Reels for those people who watch without sound. In the article, The Complete Guide to Using Instagram Stories for Business, Hootsuite stated that, “60% of people watch Instagram Stories with the sound on and 40% watch with the sounds turned off.” I would recommend always using subtitles on your Reels! STEP 3: POST
Once you are happy with everything, hit “next.” Choose the cover thumbnail from the video (or upload your own). Write your caption and include up to 30 hashtags, and always include the hashtags #reel and #instagramreel, these will increase your following on Instagram and help group content. Always make sure “also share to feed” is toggled on. Also, always tap “Crop Profile Image” and adjust what it will look like as a square on your Instagram grid. Tag any relevant people. Always add a location. Get as specific as you can! Always save the final version to your camera roll. It saves without audio but it is a lot easier to find the audio again than remake the Reel. Drafts get deleted often. STEP 4: BECOME INSTA-FAMOUS
Only kidding! But if you do, be sure to thank me when you make it big! I hope this quick guide helped those of you who are Instagram Reel rookies. At the end of the day, just be yourself and have fun with it! Good luck! • Sources:
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17 Amazing Instagram Reels Statistics: What Marketers Need to Know by Tomislav; 35 Instagram Stats that Matter to Marketers in 2022 by Stacey McLachlan. https://blog.hootsuite.com/how-to-use-instagram-stories/ https://tomislavhorvat.com/17-amazing-instagram-reelsstatistics-what-marketers-need-to-know/
