Instagram Reels might always be considered the ugly stepsister of TikTok in some quarters, but nobody can deny that the results it’s getting are encouraging for Meta.

According to the platform, 20% of the time spent on Instagram is done watching Reels – and now brands are starting to believe in the power of short-form video too. Furthermore, research published on a Meta help page indicates that more than 45% of Insta users interact with a Reel at least once a week. That’s a big audience just waiting for you to entertain it.

All of this means there’s an opportunity for brands to increase engagement through the use of Reels, which brings us to the following…

How are brands now using Instagram Reels?

According to a report from Emplifi, almost half of brands on Insta published at least one Reel in Q2 2022 – a 20% increase from 12 months ago. More than 60% of sports brands share Reels, closely followed by entertainment, media and celebrities.

Emplifi’s research found that Reels don’t form a huge part of brands’ content at just 7.5%, but that number is growing fast. The reason that so many brands have taken their time moving to Reels could be that marketers didn’t properly understand where it fits in the content mix, or brands lacked the resources to produce videos.

Traditional content still rules

Despite the recognised power of Carousel posts, they only make up 20% of brand posts. Most of the content posted by brands in Q2 2022 is good old-fashioned images and videos.

It’s proven that Carousels and Reels get a lot more engagement than your normal posts. So, if you’re a social media manager and you haven’t tried either of them out yet, make sure that you make it a part of your content plan moving forward.

Reel-ly good

And if you don’t want to trust me on this, Emplifi has the numbers to back it up. In Q2 2022, medium interaction was 40% higher on Reels compared to regular videos.

That’s an incredible number – most of which boils down to how they can be shared with friends. Reels are a lot more shareable than ordinary videos because they can be sent via Stories – and as a bonus, they show up in the Explore page more frequently than videos.

Which makes sense, right? Insta put all its eggs in the Reels basket so it’s going to do everything in its power to make sure Reels is the top dog on the platform.

By the way, Carousels gain the second largest median post interactions.

That said, it’s never a good idea to abandon all other forms of content in favour of what’s hot right now. Reels have its place in a well-considered content mix, as do Carousel posts and single videos or images.

Follow the top dogs

We’ve already seen some of the biggest companies in the world embrace Reels. Outfits like Netflix US gathered a median Reel interaction of 155,202 – while Nike (89,445) and Lamborghini (143,471) have a strong Reels presence. Nobody beats beauty brand Pleasing (158,172) though. And if it works for them, it can work for you.

Instagram’s recommended best practices for Reels

Tempted to transition to Reels but not sure where to start? Then you need these recommended best practices.

• Engage your audience quickly! But here comes the tricky bit, do it while keeping your objective in mind. Also, keep it short and sweet. People want short-form, so give it to them.

Facebook for Business

“Keep brand objectives in mind—if brand lift is your aim, highlight your brand in the first few seconds of your Reels. If the intent is conversions, showcase your product or service in action.”

• Have creative transitions. Use transitions to entertain viewers and show off your personality. Feel free to dive into features such as augmented reality and custom audio.
• Use music well. Sync your music with your video – good sound will grab and hold a user, plus over 80% of Reels are viewed with sound on, so go for it! Oh, and use auto-captions.
• Harness trends. Use the latest effects, jump on the bandwagon and make the most of trending topics. Take part in challenges and dare your audience to join you. The world is your oyster.
• Use collaborations. Partner with influencers to help tell your story – it really works.
• Be yourself. Nobody likes a faker, so keep it real.