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There’s no denying that Instagram Reels is quickly becoming a great way to build your brand’s presence online. The TikTok competitor has become popular with Instagram lovers who are wanting to take advantage of the community they’ve already established on the platform.
I’ve previously shared a few Instagram Reels ideas to help inspire the content you create and share there. But if you’re on the hunt for some Instagram Reels tips that will boost your engagement, you’re in the right place. After all, everyone wants more likes, shares, and comments. Right?
You never know if the content you worked so hard to create will find a coveted spot on the dedicated Reels page within the Instagram app. However, if you follow these Instagram Reels tips, you’ll be much more likely to boost your exposure and generate more engagement.
1. Be Willing to Experiment With New Ideas
The great thing about Instagram Reels is that it encourages brands to have fun with their content. They can participate in the latest trends (more on that in a moment) or they can come up with their own unique ideas. And who knows, that idea could take off and become a trend of its own! That’s definitely a win for any creator.
Just make sure you consider two key things. What would your audience like to see from you? And what can you share that will allow your strengths to shine? Come up with ideas that play to both of these areas and you’re sure to create content that resonates and stands out from the crowd. But if something doesn’t perform as well as you hoped, don’t get discouraged. Just come up with some new ideas and keep creating.
2. Take Advantage of Trends
Probably the most important of these Instagram Reels tips is to pay attention to the trends. This allows you to see what’s popular on the platform in terms of types of videos and specific sounds. Then, you can create content following this format and you’ll be more likely to see a boost in both views and engagement. The key is to jump on the trends fast.
My best advice for being ahead of the game on Instagram Reels is to pay attention to what’s happening on TikTok. A scroll through your For You Page (FYP) will help you spot the latest trends on the platform. Those trends usually take a little bit before they start appearing on Instagram Reels, allowing you to get a head start on creating content before everyone else.
3. Always Include Captions
Everyone is always in such a rush to get their content out there that they sometimes forget to add captions to their videos. But the thing is, this is no longer acceptable. There are likely people in your audience who are hearing impaired and cannot actually listen to what you’re saying. That means they can’t enjoy your Instagram Reels unless you include captions. Plus, you have to consider that sometimes people scroll through their feeds with the sound off.
Instagram has made this easy for creators, allowing you to add the captions sticker to your Stories and your Reels. Simply place the captions on your video in a place that it won’t be obstructed by the caption or other button on the screen. And if you notice any mistakes in these auto-generated captions, take a minute to correct them for clarity.
4. Don’t Upload a Video With the TikTok Watermark
When you’re building a brand, you obviously want to work smarter, not harder. So, if you’re using both Instagram Reels and TikTok to grow your online presence, you’re probably tempted to film the video once and upload it to each platform. It’s smart, because it’s obviously going to save you plenty of time. However, you don’t want to film the video in either of those platforms because it’ll be saved with a watermark.
Instagram has already made it clear that their algorithm won’t promote Reels with a TikTok watermark on them. This means you’ll need to film and edit your video in the native camera app and then upload it to each platform. The other option is to record the video in TikTok and use a tool to remove the watermark.
5. Share Reels to Your Instagram Feed
This is one of the simplest Instagram Reels tips that you just can’t overlook. In order to generate more engagement, you need more people to see the Reels you post. As you go to post your Reel, Instagram will give you the option to share it to your main feed. Make sure you do this because it increases the chances of more people seeing it.
After you’ve shared it to your feed, you can also share it to your Stories. Actually, you can share it on your Stories more than once if you feel called to do so! The more eyes on your Reels, the better it’ll perform in the long run.
6. Write a Short & Sweet Caption That Includes Relevant Hashtags
A lot of creators are writing long captions for their Instagram Reels, however it’s not ideal. You see, Instagram will only show viewers the first 55 characters of the Reel. After that, they’ll see “…more” and will have to tap to view the rest of the caption. Many people simply aren’t going to bother to do this. That’s why it’s best to keep the long captions to your main feed.
Keep it short and sweet on Reels. And make sure you use the allotted characters to include relevant hashtags. This will help you get your video in front of the right community.
7. Post New Reels Consistently
And the last of my Instagram Reels tips is one that always comes up when talking about content creation… Be consistent. The best way to grow your brand and gain recognition as a thought leader in your field is to show up and show up often. You have to make sure you’re staying top-of-mind for your audience by giving them fresh, valuable content to consume.
So, if you’re serious about using Instagram Reels as part of your content strategy, do it consistently. It’s the best way to ensure you’re seeing the results you want in terms of growing your Instagram presence. That means you can’t give up after posting a couple of Reels and assuming they flopped. Keep going because you never know when one might go viral.
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