Why you should jump on the Instagram Reels train and what to post about.

Sometimes I feel like I am screaming from the rooftops saying reels, reels, reels, but the proof is in the pudding.

Reels are Instagram's shiny new object that they want all their users to be using; implementing them into your 2021 Instagram strategy is a must. Plus, they have a longer shelf life than feed posts, so you get more bang for your buck. Lol, wow, I'm using all the puns today.

This isn't to say stop posting feed posts; this is to swap out a few of your feed posts with Reels. There are some accounts that only post Reels now, but if you want to continue building your brand, having both is the way to go. Feed posts can be reserved for your longer-form caption storytelling posts as appose to Reels is a way to share micro-video content.

Reels is another way to show off your personality, too, because, oh snap, there are some fun audios to use! Speaking of fun audio, how do we find those?

The easiest way is through the Reels screen itself. When you are scrolling through the Reels screen, you can save sounds along the way. If you find one you want to use, simply click on the scrolling sound at the bottom, and it either says use audio, or you can click save. The next time you record a Reel, click on your audio section and on the right-hand side, you will see a button that says saved. Voila, they live there!

If you are finally convinced to dip your toe into Reels, you may be asking yourself, "what type of content should I use for Reels?"

I always tell people to start with the most popular content they have already created for Instagram. Figure out how you can turn that static content into a video.

For example, if I have a carousel post on '3 tips to create content,' that is my Reel right there.

Opening hook -> 3 tips to create content

Tip 1

Tip 2

Tip 3

See done! There is no need to reinvent the wheel. If you've been in the online space for a while, guaranteed you have a content bank to pull from.

What to post about?

• What questions do you get asked in the DM's the most?
• Comments on your most popular posts.
• Day in life of ______
• How you start your day?
• Books that have made an impact. 
• Your favourite quote. 
• 3 ways to x, y and z.

Still, struggling for ideas? Scroll the Reels tab to get inspired or TikTok. This is to say copy to get inspired and see how you can tweak it to fit your industry and niche.

The more you create, the more you will see what you like creating and what your audience enjoys watching. Unfortunately, we don't have insights for Reels, so we have to guess what is deemed a good Reel. Obviously, we can look at view count, but for me, I look at the comments! I could have a Reel with 10k views, but 20 comments but has 4k views but with 50 comments. Well, to me, the 50 comments are the winner there. Creating those convos on your content will always reign in my books.

Here's another question I get asked on the regular. Do I have to dance? Nope! But if you want to do it. Whatever will get you to start posting and start creating is the best strategy.

Do I need a cover photo? Again personal preference. If you've been to my profile, you can see I love them. But it is not necessary. I thoroughly enjoy creating and making my feed look fly. I create mine in Canva, but you can easily create them right in Instagram stories too.

What about hashtags? I use all 30! But I know a lot of people who have successful Reels and don't use all 30. My philosophy is Instagram lets us use all 30, so we might as well use all 30!

If you want to know more about Reels, here's a guide I put together for my clients. -> Download here

Or my Let's get REEL mini-course is perfect for anyone who wants to learn the in's and out's of creating + publishing Reels. Find out more here!

Sometimes I feel like I am screaming from the rooftops saying reels, reels, reels, but the proof is in the pudding.

Reels are Instagram's shiny new object that they want all their users to be using; implementing them into your 2021 Instagram strategy is a must. Plus, they have a longer shelf life than feed posts, so you get more bang for your buck. Lol, wow, I'm using all the puns today.

This isn't to say stop posting feed posts; this is to swap out a few of your feed posts with Reels. There are some accounts that only post Reels now, but if you want to continue building your brand, having both is the way to go. Feed posts can be reserved for your longer-form caption storytelling posts as appose to Reels is a way to share micro-video content.

Reels is another way to show off your personality, too, because, oh snap, there are some fun audios to use! Speaking of fun audio, how do we find those?

The easiest way is through the Reels screen itself. When you are scrolling through the Reels screen, you can save sounds along the way. If you find one you want to use, simply click on the scrolling sound at the bottom, and it either says use audio, or you can click save. The next time you record a Reel, click on your audio section and on the right-hand side, you will see a button that says saved. Voila, they live there!

If you are finally convinced to dip your toe into Reels, you may be asking yourself, "what type of content should I use for Reels?"

I always tell people to start with the most popular content they have already created for Instagram. Figure out how you can turn that static content into a video.

For example, if I have a carousel post on '3 tips to create content,' that is my Reel right there.

Opening hook -> 3 tips to create content

Tip 1

Tip 2

Tip 3

See done! There is no need to reinvent the wheel. If you've been in the online space for a while, guaranteed you have a content bank to pull from.

What to post about?

• What questions do you get asked in the DM's the most?
• Comments on your most popular posts.
• Day in life of ______
• How you start your day?
• Books that have made an impact. 
• Your favourite quote. 
• 3 ways to x, y and z.

Still, struggling for ideas? Scroll the Reels tab to get inspired or TikTok. This is to say copy to get inspired and see how you can tweak it to fit your industry and niche.

The more you create, the more you will see what you like creating and what your audience enjoys watching. Unfortunately, we don't have insights for Reels, so we have to guess what is deemed a good Reel. Obviously, we can look at view count, but for me, I look at the comments! I could have a Reel with 10k views, but 20 comments but has 4k views but with 50 comments. Well, to me, the 50 comments are the winner there. Creating those convos on your content will always reign in my books.

Here's another question I get asked on the regular. Do I have to dance? Nope! But if you want to do it. Whatever will get you to start posting and start creating is the best strategy.

Do I need a cover photo? Again personal preference. If you've been to my profile, you can see I love them. But it is not necessary. I thoroughly enjoy creating and making my feed look fly. I create mine in Canva, but you can easily create them right in Instagram stories too.

What about hashtags? I use all 30! But I know a lot of people who have successful Reels and don't use all 30. My philosophy is Instagram lets us use all 30, so we might as well use all 30!

If you want to know more about Reels, here's a guide I put together for my clients. -> Download here

Or my Let's get REEL mini-course is perfect for anyone who wants to learn the in's and out's of creating + publishing Reels. Find out more here!

Sarah Huguet | Social and Stuff