However you feel about the latest Instagram update, there is no hiding the preference towards Reels.

Instagram’s advice on Reels

Instagram allows you to add music, effects, and voiceovers to the Reels your record all in-app.

You can also manage who sees your reels and utilise your own audio. For a full guide, click here.

How are brands driving higher reach and engagement?

Since the record-breaking success of TikTok, a ripple effect can be seen by other platforms that are now looking to increase engagement with their audience through video content.

Instagram chief, Adam Mosseri, said that the way audiences are interested in content on Instagram is changing. Reels already account for 20% of the time people spend on Instagram- according to Mark Zuckerberg.

Taking these facts into account, it is no surprise that brands on Instagram are gaining amazing engagement rates and reach by posting Reels.

In Q2 2022, Emplifi data showed that almost half of the brands on Instagram published at least one Reel. To put that into perspective, this was 30% a year ago. However, Reels still make up a minority of brand content on Instagram (7.5%), yet it is growing rapidly.

Emplifi data also demonstrated that the media interaction counts for Reels was almost 40% higher versus traditional videos.

Since the start of 2022, Reels have become the most engaging post type on Instagram.

Whilst organic interactions on Instagram have been steadily declining, Reels have declined a lot slower (10%) than static images (41%).

Should brands drop static images on Instagram?

When we see data like that above, it can be understandable to think that we need to drop all static image posting and focus on Reels. But we definitely do not advise doing that. Brands that post a variety of content seem to gain the most engagement. So, keep posting your images and carousels, as well as Reels!

What brands can I take inspiration from?

Social media managers who want to see some great examples of how brands utilise Reels can head to these ten accounts, recommended by Emplifi.

New Reels features

In 2022, Meta rolled out new Reels features on Instagram and Facebook.

  • Add Yours- The most notable feature was the ‘Add Yours’ sticker on both social networks. This sticker allows users to respond to other users’ Reels in their own way, following a prompt or topic.
  • Stars- Now, virtual items are available for fans to express their support for their favourite creators on Facebook Reels.
  • Cross-post Reels- Creators can now easily post Reels from Instagram to Facebook. Creators can then build communities on both social networks and participate in monetisation programmes.
  • Insights- Meta is allowing new insights to help creators identify which Facebook Reels are performing well. New metrics are now available such as Reach, Minutes Viewed and Average Watch Time.

New ways to collaborate and create with Reels

Instagram is expanding its tools for the Remix feature, including:

  • Remix for photos- Photos can be remixed to provide limitless inspiration to create unique reels.
  • Expanded Remix layouts- New features such as green screen, horizontal or vertical split-screen, picture-in-picture view and video commentary have been added.
  • Add your clip- Rather than having your remix appear at the same time as your original reel, you can now add the clip after the original, so it plays sequentially.

Templates

Instagram is also expanding access to Reels templates which can help if you are unsure about what to post. These are based on popular content formats in the app. Users can see a frame-by-frame process so the creative framing can be handled for you.

The takeaway

Reels are a great way to improve your engagement rates on Facebook and Instagram and there are so many editing features available for you to take inspiration from. Make sure you are keeping your content varied with a lot of different post types, but Reels should be an important part of that.

How many Reels do you currently post per month? Are you considering changing that anytime soon?

Tinisha Osu is a Marketing Executive with two degrees in Psychology. She is the first-author of a published psychology paper and is beginning her career in marketing through blog-writing, creating social media content and running marketing campaigns.