5 tips to make your first video a success

Instagram reels are among the hottest content formats. But although the reach is large, the hurdles for creators and business accounts are high. That’s why we have five tips for you so that your first reel doesn’t become a flop.

17.6 million hours of Instagram Reels every day

It’s only been a few weeks since Instagram Reels celebrated their second birthday. In August 2020, the social network introduced what was then a new content format.

The management level of Instagram itself says that there is still “room for improvement”. However, 17.6 million hours a day is not a bad value. That’s exactly how long the users look according to an internal evaluation Instagram Reels every day.

Instagram Reels vs Tik Tok: An unfair comparison

The reels are well behind the 197.8 million hours that users spend on Tik Tok every day.

However, it’s important to note that reels are just a small part of Instagram. Stories, videos and normal posts play no role in this comparison. Accordingly, the Instagram Reels are by no means a flop format.

Creating Instagram Reels: 6 tips to make your first reel a success

The reels offer an incredibly high reach, especially for company accounts and influencers. As with many new formats, this opportunity only exists for a while. At the moment there is still a chance to quickly attract a lot of attention with Instagram Reels.

However, there is often a big hurdle between the desire to create Instagram Reels and the implementation. That’s why we want to give you a total of six tips for getting started with Instagram Reels, which we collected while working with the Instagram format.

1. Learn from the best

This tip sounds trite at first. However, we can only urgently advise you to heed it. Before you create your own Instagram Reel, you should definitely take an hour or two and look at the reels of successful accounts.

In this way, you will be able to gain initial insights and get a feel for the somewhat different content format. Also, as always, there’s no shame in learning from the best accounts. After all, these are not successful without reason.

2. Use the templates to create Instagram Reels

Of course you can simply use the implemented function to record the reels for your first Instagram reel. With a lot of work and patience you will also achieve a respectable result.

However, it is much easier to start with if you use templates for existing Instagram Reels. To do this, simply look at a reel with your business account and click on “” above the title at the bottom of the screen.Use template“ and you get the time and length distribution as a template.

So you don’t have to determine the length yourself in a complicated and cumbersome way, but you can use the work of successful Instagram accounts for free.

3. Prepare well

Once you have found the right template, you can start planning. This step is critical to the success of your reel. Before you get started, it’s important to take a look at how many video snippets you need to collect for your reel template.

You should also urgently consider a small screenplay for your reel. That means: Think about what you want to show in terms of content in your first Instagram Reel. If you have a clear picture in your head, it will be much easier to shoot the videos.

4. Produce (too) many videos

Nothing is more annoying than a successful shooting date for a video – or an Instagram reel – only to find out that crucial content is missing. That’s why it’s essential for getting started with the reels on Instagram that you bring enough video material with you.

For example, if you need 15 snippets for your reel on Instagram, you should ideally shoot 30 videos. It is very helpful as a small, supplementary tip if there are two of you and you are filming with two smartphones. This greatly increases the likelihood of getting the right shot.

5. Decide on a meaningful cover photo

The best content is worthless if nobody sees it. What applies to articles in journalism and videos on YouTube also applies to Instagram Reels. Conversely, this means: Take your time and choose a meaningful title picture for your reel.

Your users and potential new fans will see this cover photo on the Instagram Explore Page and on Facebook. Your cover photo should therefore arouse curiosity and draw attention. People and faces work particularly well because they create a personal relationship.

Conclusion: Create Instagram Reels

If you want to create Instagram Reels, you ultimately hope for a lot of attention for your own content. Accordingly, you should use all the functions available to you.

In the case of Instagram Reels, this means: Allow Instagram to display your video not only on your profile, but also on the Explore Page and in the Reels area on Facebook. This increases the target group for your Instagram Reel enormously.

With the right preparation, it is definitely not proverbial rocket science that you too can create successful Instagram Reels. Instead of just getting started, you should take some time to get to know the format beforehand.

It is also essential that you become aware of your goals and desires. Ask yourself: what do I want to achieve with Instagram Reels? What should be on my Instagram Reels? Once you’ve found the answers to these questions, you’re good to go.

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