Written by Ivana Kotorchevikj Social Media / Instagram
Have you ever swiped through some super creative reels and thought, “Wow this is so cool? But how do they do it?”
It’s no secret that the Instagram algorithm loves Instagram Reels and they are the recipe for creating viral and super engaging content. But starting with such a creative tool can seem a bit intimidating.
Not to worry, because no matter if you are an Instagram Reels beginner, or have had some practice, in this article we’ve put together everything you need to know about Instagram Reels.
Instagram Reels is a great way you can make fun and engaging content for your Instagram account. They are 15 to 60-second video clips you can post on your main feed, Reels feed, Stories and Explore Feed. The best thing is that you can also add music to them to add that extra layer of engagement.
Instagram describes Reels as, “a new way to create and discover short, entertaining videos on Instagram.” And as they offer only 60 seconds of content to satisfy users’ need for short and fun videos, you should use them wisely and pack your content in a way to either entertain, inform, or provide value in some way to your audience. And if you are thinking, Instagram Reels feel like TikTok moved to Instagram you are correct!
As TikTok skyrocketed in 2020 with its short-video format just as everybody was looking to be entertained scrolling through their social media, it quickly climbed to the top of Instagram’s radar, and they decided to do something about it.
In order to adapt to the changing needs of the audience and bring back traffic to its channel, Instagram introduced Instagram Reels.
What’s great about Reels is that instead of only seeing Reels from accounts you follow, you can also discover Reels from popular and trending accounts on Instagram, similar to the For You page on TikTok.
So apart from seeing Reels on the new Reels tab, you can also find Reels on the Explore page.
So now that we’ve seen what Instagram Reels are and where you can find (them), let’s explore how you can make them.
When you want to create an Instagram Reel, you can choose to film video clips on the spot or upload a pre-edited video from your camera roll.
You can access and create Reels in three different ways:
To access and create Instagram Reels through the Reels tab, tap the camera on the top right.
To access Instagram Reels through the Instagram Home Screen, tap on the “+” sign on the top right and scroll to the Reels tab at the bottom of the screen.
Creating an Instagram Reel from the Instagram Story camera involves several steps that we’ll explain below:
👉 Explore how to recover your disappeared draft Reels on Instagram.
As we mentioned previously, Instagram Reels requires the videos to have certain specifics. Below you’ll see some video specs you should follow in order to create the optimal Instagram Reels video:
TIP 1: If you’re creating a video with a voiceover or dialogue, make sure to add closed captions to your videos. It helps the people watching your video without sound, and also helps with greater accessibility for people with hearing impairment.
TIP2: If you are adding text to your Instagram Reels video, place it in the middle of the screen to avoid your text being cropped. This is because Instagram crops it to 4:5 dimensions when you share an Instagram Reel to the feed.
Here’s a helpful video tutorial about Instagram Reels Video Dimensions You Need To Know:
Instagram Reels videos have a 60-second max length, which was increased from the previous 15 and 30-second max length. Instagram made the announcement on July 27th, 2021 via their Twitter handle.
Bonus read: How to follow and unfollow hashtags on Instagram.
But what if you discover that the Instagram Reels feature is not displaying or working? No fret, we’ve also got it covered in this article. Read on to discover how to fix the issue:
6. Report the problem to Instagram. From your Instagram profile, go to the top-right hamburger menu > Settings > Help. From there, go to “Report a Problem” and describe the issue, for e.g. “Unable to see or use the Instagram Reels feature.” You can also take a screenshot of the problem. Finally, tap on the “Submit” button, and wait for Instagram’s response.
Bonus: How to Delete Reels Drafts on Instagram
Instagram Reels is a great feature that enables you to create and share short engaging videos that, unlike Instagram Stories, don't disappear after 24 hours. You can share content about day-to-day life, create short narrative-style videos, or just amusing clips. In case you choose to use it, this tutorial provides you with all the necessary information to start creating Instagram Reels.