3 Instagram Reels Hacks You Need to Follow
Since its initial launch in August of 2020, Instagram Reels has constantly been updating, changing, and adding new features to compete with TikTok. Despite being competitors and trying to play catch up, Instagram Reels can still be a challenge to navigate and create content on. Features that are available to some may not be available to others and the overall user interface differs from TikTok quite a bit.
Still, we’re big proponents of Instagram Reels and using the platform to build your brand. One huge advantage of Reels is that it’s part of a platform you’re likely already using and familiar with. Some people don’t like the idea of having yet another account and app to manage and with Reels, you don’t have to! Reels is a fantastic way to educate and entertain your audience which will in turn help you build a loyal following and customer base.
If you’re ready to jump into Reels or improve your skills, check out our top 3 hacks below!
Hacks for Instagram Reels
Save Other People’s Music
One thing that can be frustrating about Reels is the lack of music. Some users have no issue accessing music while others find they have limited options. One way around this is to save music from other users’ Reels.
To do this, find a Reel that uses music you like. Click on the name of the song in the bottom left corner and then click Save on the new screen. That’s it! You’ll now have the song available for you to use in your videos.
Remove the TikTok Watermark
About a month ago, Instagram announced that Instagram Reels with the TikTok watermark will be less visible on the Explore tab than content that’s original to Instagram. We’re all for creating unique content, but what we’re not for reinventing the wheel. Creating content for each specific platform is great, but we also know that sometimes you have content you want to share in multiple places!
If you want to share your videos to both platforms you can crop out the TikTok watermark before sharing it to Reels. All you have to do is screen record your video on TikTok before you post it. Then, when you go to share the video on Reels simply crop the beginning and end of the video so it’s just the TikTok.
Optimize Your Text Placement
This is a growth hack you’re not going to want to miss out on!
When you share an Instagram Reel to your profile (which you should always be doing) your video will be cropped from 16:9 to 4:5. What this means is that text that’s on the top or bottom of the screen will not be visible to users who are viewing your content from your Instagram bio or their feed.
Make sure you’re placing text more towards the center of the screen, as well as the most important bits of video (i.e. don’t crop a person’s head off). Reels that have the text visible even when cropped to 4:5 outperform Reels that don’t since users are able to understand what’s going on and are more likely to watch the entire video.
Above all, Reels should be a creative outlet that you enjoy using and creating content with. The more you enjoy making and publishing Reels, the more your followers will enjoy watching them.
Want to discuss Instagram Reels strategy? We’re all ears! Drop us a message and let’s chat.
