Tips to Get More Views on Instagram Using Reels
Updated: Jul 11, 2023
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Instagram Reels have quickly taken over the platform as the most popular content form being consumed by users — and it’s no surprise as to why.
The rise of video in nearly all social media channels has driven marketers to gear their social media strategy towards a more dynamic form of engagement.
As a small business owner, understanding how Instagram Reels can increase your visibility within your target audience as well as the tools necessary to achieve this is imperative. If you are still learning about Reels, you might find the Reels for beginners article useful first to start with.
These tips will help you leverage Instagram Reels to increase views and the overall reach of your business. Let’s dive in!
1. Create Engaging Content
Photo by RODNAE Productions
This may seem like a no-brainer but creating engaging content has a different meaning for every business. Try not to make every Reel a marketing commercial that is blatantly selling a product as people can be easily put off by constant advertisements.
Try not to make every Reel a marketing commercial that is blatantly selling a product
Instead, keep up with trending news, holidays, celebratory days, and any other topic that may cause conversation. Give planet Earth a shout out on Earth Day or celebrate World Pizza Day by sharing your team’s favorite pizza toppings!
Having real people sharing real stories, whether it be your employees or satisfied customer testimonials will not only add a human touch to your social media content but will also increase engagement.
2. Use Instagram Reels Templates
Photo by Hookle
Instagram recently introduced a great new feature: Instagram Reels Templates. Templates provide time-stamped templates to guide your content creation (1).
You can copy anyone's Reel that has a "Use template" sticker icon available as a template for your own Reel (2). This is a great way for you to learn how to create engaging reels and get more views.
You can also discover ideas from templates available within the Video Editor of the Instagram app (3).
See also these three examples of brands using reels.
3. Select Relevant Hashtags
Photo by Katie Harp
Think of hashtags as the primary keywords in an SEO strategy. Instagram users utilize hashtags to search for specific topics that they may be interested in consuming content for.
Therefore, selecting the appropriate hashtags that immediately relate to your business offerings is important. Think quality not quantity.
Although Instagram allows up to 30 hashtags per post, social media experts recommend inserting no more than 11 to avoid going too overboard. Other prolific ways to select the best hashtags are to observe what hashtags your competitors are using and to explore the hashtags your target audience is interest in.
4. Use Trending Sounds and Audio
Photo by Alexander Shatov on Unsplash
Want to know an easy way to go viral on Instagram? Join in on the fun of popular audio tracks.
When creating a Reel, you are given the option of keeping your original audio or selecting one from Instagram’s extensive sound library.
But rather than just scrolling through a plethora of songs, you also have the option of picking trending sounds, phrases, and audio clips from well-known movies and shows.
Trending soundtracks can get millions of views at the peak of their popularity
These trending soundtracks can get millions of views and engagement almost instantaneously at the peak of their popularity. Bonus points if you can find a track trending within your specific market!
5. Get Creative with Captions
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Although some might think of captions as irrelevant when it comes to Reels, they are just as important as the video content itself.
Reels often lead viewers to the caption to learn more about the content
Yes, your viewers will likely be more interested in watching your video before scrolling to the next one, but engaging Reels often lead viewers to the caption to learn more about the content.
The caption should offer some value to your audience, whether it be in the form of information or entertainment. Encourage interaction by asking relevant questions or starting a discussion within the comment section.
The more engagement in a post, the more likely it will be shared within the platform and increase your account’s visibility.
6. Keep Track of Analytics
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With a business account, Instagram users have access to helpful analytics that can help you keep track of customer engagement and interactions.
This information can help you determine the type of content that your viewers are interested in and how they are interacting with your content to help you establish a more prolific social media strategy.
In addition, you’ll also be able to access audience demographics such as age, gender, and location which will allow you to tailor the content to a more specific audience.
You can also track all your social media platform's analytics and progress easily with helpful social media manager apps. These apps can help you and tell how to use social media statistics to grow your business’s impact the simple way.
7. Establish A Consistent Posting Schedule
Instagram Reels are consistently being updated with new user experience features and technical elements that are constantly changing. Maintaining a consistent posting schedule is important in keeping up with these updates and encouraging more exposure for your business or brand.
Posting more Reels also increases the viewership of your content by reaching Instagram users that are not already following your business account. As you expose your content to more people, the greater the likelihood they will seek more content in your profile and give you a follow.
But with such a busy schedule, how can you keep up with consistent social media posting?
Well, there are plenty of social media scheduling apps, which you can use to schedule not only Reels but also your feed posts in advance.
Scheduling apps, such as Hookle, are great as they allow you to schedule posts to all other social networks and Google Business Profile in one tool. That's an awesome time saver!
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