Everything You Need to Know About Instagram Reels and How They Compare to TikTok
Instagram’s latest feature, Reels, was officially released on August 5th, 2020, and is giving us major TikTok vibes. What are Reels, and how do they compare to TikTok? We break it all down for you!
What are Reels?
Reels are a new way to create video content. These videos are 15 seconds long and can be made up of multiple clips, one single clip, or videos uploaded from your camera roll. Reels closely resemble TikTok videos in terms of formatting and editing tools available to users. Users can set Reels to music, adjust the speed of a video, add stickers, texts, and effects, as well as use the timer and countdown features. Users can also tag each other, create captions, and add hashtags to Reels, allowing them to expand their video's reach.
How do you use Reels?
To access Reels, open Instagram Stories, and in the camera bar, there should be a new option called 'Reels,' which will be next to the 'Live,' 'Normal,’ and 'Boomerang' settings. Once a user makes a Reel, there are a couple of ways they can share it. They can post it to their story (where it will live for 24 hours), share it with other users through DMs, post it to the new Reels tab on their profile, or add it to the Explore Feed. If a user has a private Instagram account, they can share their Reels to their Feed, where just their friends will be able to see it. If they have a public account, they not only can share their Reels to their Feed, they can share it in a new section called the Explore Feed. The Explore Feed features popular and trending Reels that Instagram's algorithm has picked out (similar to TikTok's For You Page), and the Feed is vertical, like TikTok's layout. This is huge because the Explore Feed actively encourages community and exploration, as it helps accounts looking to grow and expand their reach do so organically on Instagram.
Who can use them?
As of early August 2020, Reels are in their first stages of testing. This means that this feature has only been made available to select users in over 50 countries (Tech Crunch). But the good news is that Instagram estimates that Reels will be made available to all users by the end of the summer of 2020.
Why are Reels important?
This new feature is exciting because it gives Instagram users a new way to go through video content quickly. However, there is speculation that Instagram created this feature in response to reports that TikTok could possibly be banned in the United States, and hopes Reels could act as an alternative. As TikTok has received backlash regarding user's privacy and sound ownership/quality, Reels were created with these concerns in mind. Reels feature an in-depth audio catalog of licensed songs and sounds that users can add to their videos. As a result, it is unlikely that Reels' sounds will be banned or taken down in the future due to copyright violations (a common occurrence on TikTok)
What do you think of Instagram Reels? Could they replace TikTok? Let us know in the comments below!
Written By: Leah Ross, AMR Digital Marketing, Copywriter