Instagram regularly explains what it wants from us. Some recommendations are vague, but some are quite specific. Those of you who‘ve followed me for a while know that I’m an Insta geek and that I share my infos with you.
Here‘s Instagram‘s advice for reels:
1. Upload videos in high resolution. Make sure the text doesn’t take up most of the screen. Avoid low quality and watermarked videos.
My tip for you: Instagram especially dislikes the Tiktok logo and editing apps.
2. Be brief. The recommended length of reels should not exceed 90 seconds. The algorithms want users to watch as many videos as possible, so short videos are shown more often. But don‘t make them too short either: a video of 5 seconds is also not likely to go viral.
My tip for you: 30 seconds is good, 10-25 seconds is optimal.
3. Focus on the very first impression. You only have three seconds to capture the audience’s attention.
My tip for you: if your video is skipped in the first 3 seconds, then it will lose reach.
4. Make sure to use the caption and hashtags.
My expert tip for you: the description and hashtags help the algorithms to find those who are interested in your video immediately. Instead of showing the video randomly to everyone, the algorithms will immediately target the right „your“ audience. Use 30 hashtags ONLY in the caption.