Instagram Reels are a powerful social media marketing tool, whether you’re an influencer, small business owner, or e-commerce site manager. Regardless of why you want to grow your followers on Instagram, you can and should use IG Reels to grow your followers.
More followers translate to:
- more customers
- increased sales
- additional revenue
- more clout
- bigger and better brand deals
It’s a no-brainer that more followers are better for business—so let’s dive into how to use Instagram Reels to grow your followers!
What are Instagram Reels?
Instagram Reels are short-form videos on Instagram that mimic TikToks. Instagram released Reels in 2020 in response to the massive surge of attention TikTok received.
Instagram Reels are different from a regular Instagram post or IGTV post. They are portrait-style videos that only last for 15-30 seconds on average.
Adding these short-form videos to Instagram was a great decision for their company—and it poses benefits for you, too.
54% of consumers actively desire more video content from the brands they support and follow, and with IG Reels, you can provide what the people want.
How to create your first Instagram Reel
To create your first Instagram Reel, tap the camera icon on your IG homepage. You’ll find it in the top-left corner of the screen. This will open the Instagram Stories camera. From here, swipe left on the text “Story” to shift into “Reels” mode.
From here, swipe up to upload a video you already have. Or you can start recording a new video for your IG reel.
On the left side of the screen, you’ll see four icons that control your video. To record a new Instagram Reel, you’ll want to know what they do.
Music. Trending audio and high-quality music can help your video grab attention, entertain viewers, and even go viral.
Playback. The playback feature allows you to add slow-motion and fast-forward effects to your video.
Effects. Instagram provides a complete library of backgrounds, games, filters, and effects that you can use to keep your audience’s attention and generate new content.
Timer. For hands-free recording, use the timer feature. It will automatically end your video at your chosen length of time.
Now you’re ready to shoot your first Instagram Reel!
The Best Strategies to Use Instagram Reels to Grow Your Followers
To use IG Reels to grow your followers, you’ll need a solid social media strategy—and with these 12 tips, you have one!
Post captivating content that users enjoy.
Remember those four icons? Use them to your advantage. You have less than 9 seconds to capture your audience’s attention, so you’ve got to make them count.
Always post captivating content on social media that your users enjoy watching, and avoid methods that leave users feeling bored or disgruntled.
Maintain audience attention with transitions
Once you’ve got your Instagram audience’s attention, make sure you don’t lose it.
To do this, use clever transitions and video editing. A transition resets your audience’s attention span, which makes them more likely to finish your video to the end.
Follow these basic rules.
If you want your Instagram Reels to grow your followers, then you need to know the basics of recording and posting reels.
Follow these basic rules for every Reel you shoot.
Always take videos vertically in portrait mode. Never shoot a landscape IG reel. It’s bad form, and users are more likely to skip past your video.
Don’t use frames or borders. It looks bulky and unprofessional. If you want to add graphics, use text or emojis instead.
Provide high-quality audio. Whether you’re speaking or playing music, ensure that your audio is high-quality.
Add captions. If there’s an essential dialogue in your IG Reel, it’s important to add captions. Captions make your video more accessible, and when you consider the fact that 69% of consumers watch videos without sound, it’s obvious that captions are a strong tool to reach your audience.
Create Reels on Instagram first to make your video go viral.
The Instagram Algorithm knows whether your video is an IG original or imported from another platform—and it strongly favors videos created on Instagram.
It’s impossible for your IG Reel to go viral on the general community search page if it is repurposed or imported content from another social media site. So, if you want to gain followers, be sure to always create Instagram originals for your IG Reels.
Stay on brand.
Your target audience wants to see relevant content, so stay on brand and don’t stray too far away from your niche.
Post Instagram Reels frequently and consistently.
Other than posting high-quality content, this is the golden rule of social media marketing. Aim to post a new IG Reel 3-4 times a week. Every other day is a great goal.
Let hashtags help you.
Use hashtags in your IG Reels to help more people discover and hopefully follow you.
Post IG Reels on your Instagram Story.
Posting your IG Reels on your story will ensure that your reels reach people who already follow you and watch your story.
Aim to share content here that is especially sharable—whether it’s funny, informative, topical, or entertaining. Your followers may share it with a friend and land you a new follower!
Use on-screen text strategically.
You should always be mindful of how you use on-screen text in the images and videos you post on social media—and this is still true if you want to use IG Reels to grow your followers.
So, ensure that your on-screen text is thoughtful, well-placed, and legible.
Create an educational series.
Instagram Reels are very short, so you can only fit a small amount of information into each one. But with a series, you can expand your ideas endlessly.
The key to using a video series on Instagram Reels to grow your followers is to tell users something they’ll want to hear more of naturally.
Include a “part 3” teaser text to let users know that there’s more, but be sure that each individual video can stand alone as great content—this is important.
Do not leave users exasperated and disappointed at the end of any video – that’s a sure-fire technique to lose followers.
Plan videos by plotting.
In the same vein, try to create videos with plots. When you tell a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end plus a climax and resolution, users are more likely to stay engaged and follow for more.
Use CTAs to get followers to promote your content.
Finally, use calls to action in your IG Reels to get users to promote your content for you.
When your followers engage with posts by liking, commenting, tagging friends, or resharing videos, you’ll become connected to their friends and followers—who might follow you.
You can even create an incentive by offering things like:
- Freebies through giveaway contents
- Coupons to your online store
- Shoutouts in your IG Reels
- Custom content or product offers
Final Thoughts: How to Use Reels to Grow Your Followers
If you want to use your Instagram Reels to grow your followers, you’re in luck. With these 12 tips for managing your Instagram Reels, you’ll see an increase in followers over time.
But if you want to see results fast, consider booking a professional promotional package with Managergram, one of the leading social media promotion companies.
With Managergram’s Instagram promotion services, you’ll see results as soon as you need them, and you can control the type of engagement you want to see. Interested? Learn more about Managergram’s affordable and professional services here.
The Top 12 Most Effective Ways To Use Instagram Reels To Grow Your Followers
Instagram Reels are a powerful social media marketing tool, whether you’re an influencer, small business owner, or e-commerce site manager. Regardless of why you want to grow your followers on Instagram, you can and should use IG Reels to grow your followers.
More followers translate to:
It’s a no-brainer that more followers are better for business—so let’s dive into how to use Instagram Reels to grow your followers!
What are Instagram Reels?
Instagram Reels are short-form videos on Instagram that mimic TikToks. Instagram released Reels in 2020 in response to the massive surge of attention TikTok received.
Instagram Reels are different from a regular Instagram post or IGTV post. They are portrait-style videos that only last for 15-30 seconds on average.
Adding these short-form videos to Instagram was a great decision for their company—and it poses benefits for you, too.
54% of consumers actively desire more video content from the brands they support and follow, and with IG Reels, you can provide what the people want.
How to create your first Instagram Reel
To create your first Instagram Reel, tap the camera icon on your IG homepage. You’ll find it in the top-left corner of the screen. This will open the Instagram Stories camera. From here, swipe left on the text “Story” to shift into “Reels” mode.
From here, swipe up to upload a video you already have. Or you can start recording a new video for your IG reel.
On the left side of the screen, you’ll see four icons that control your video. To record a new Instagram Reel, you’ll want to know what they do.
Music. Trending audio and high-quality music can help your video grab attention, entertain viewers, and even go viral.
Playback. The playback feature allows you to add slow-motion and fast-forward effects to your video.
Effects. Instagram provides a complete library of backgrounds, games, filters, and effects that you can use to keep your audience’s attention and generate new content.
Timer. For hands-free recording, use the timer feature. It will automatically end your video at your chosen length of time.
Now you’re ready to shoot your first Instagram Reel!
The Best Strategies to Use Instagram Reels to Grow Your Followers
To use IG Reels to grow your followers, you’ll need a solid social media strategy—and with these 12 tips, you have one!
Post captivating content that users enjoy.
Remember those four icons? Use them to your advantage. You have less than 9 seconds to capture your audience’s attention, so you’ve got to make them count.
Always post captivating content on social media that your users enjoy watching, and avoid methods that leave users feeling bored or disgruntled.
Maintain audience attention with transitions
Once you’ve got your Instagram audience’s attention, make sure you don’t lose it.
To do this, use clever transitions and video editing. A transition resets your audience’s attention span, which makes them more likely to finish your video to the end.
Follow these basic rules.
If you want your Instagram Reels to grow your followers, then you need to know the basics of recording and posting reels.
Follow these basic rules for every Reel you shoot.
Always take videos vertically in portrait mode. Never shoot a landscape IG reel. It’s bad form, and users are more likely to skip past your video.
Don’t use frames or borders. It looks bulky and unprofessional. If you want to add graphics, use text or emojis instead.
Provide high-quality audio. Whether you’re speaking or playing music, ensure that your audio is high-quality.
Add captions. If there’s an essential dialogue in your IG Reel, it’s important to add captions. Captions make your video more accessible, and when you consider the fact that 69% of consumers watch videos without sound, it’s obvious that captions are a strong tool to reach your audience.
Create Reels on Instagram first to make your video go viral.
The Instagram Algorithm knows whether your video is an IG original or imported from another platform—and it strongly favors videos created on Instagram.
It’s impossible for your IG Reel to go viral on the general community search page if it is repurposed or imported content from another social media site. So, if you want to gain followers, be sure to always create Instagram originals for your IG Reels.
Stay on brand.
Your target audience wants to see relevant content, so stay on brand and don’t stray too far away from your niche.
Post Instagram Reels frequently and consistently.
Other than posting high-quality content, this is the golden rule of social media marketing. Aim to post a new IG Reel 3-4 times a week. Every other day is a great goal.
Let hashtags help you.
Use hashtags in your IG Reels to help more people discover and hopefully follow you.
Post IG Reels on your Instagram Story.
Posting your IG Reels on your story will ensure that your reels reach people who already follow you and watch your story.
Aim to share content here that is especially sharable—whether it’s funny, informative, topical, or entertaining. Your followers may share it with a friend and land you a new follower!
Use on-screen text strategically.
You should always be mindful of how you use on-screen text in the images and videos you post on social media—and this is still true if you want to use IG Reels to grow your followers.
So, ensure that your on-screen text is thoughtful, well-placed, and legible.
Create an educational series.
Instagram Reels are very short, so you can only fit a small amount of information into each one. But with a series, you can expand your ideas endlessly.
The key to using a video series on Instagram Reels to grow your followers is to tell users something they’ll want to hear more of naturally.
Include a “part 3” teaser text to let users know that there’s more, but be sure that each individual video can stand alone as great content—this is important.
Do not leave users exasperated and disappointed at the end of any video – that’s a sure-fire technique to lose followers.
Plan videos by plotting.
In the same vein, try to create videos with plots. When you tell a story with a clear beginning, middle, and end plus a climax and resolution, users are more likely to stay engaged and follow for more.
Use CTAs to get followers to promote your content.
Finally, use calls to action in your IG Reels to get users to promote your content for you.
When your followers engage with posts by liking, commenting, tagging friends, or resharing videos, you’ll become connected to their friends and followers—who might follow you.
You can even create an incentive by offering things like:
Final Thoughts: How to Use Reels to Grow Your Followers
If you want to use your Instagram Reels to grow your followers, you’re in luck. With these 12 tips for managing your Instagram Reels, you’ll see an increase in followers over time.
But if you want to see results fast, consider booking a professional promotional package with Managergram, one of the leading social media promotion companies.
With Managergram’s Instagram promotion services, you’ll see results as soon as you need them, and you can control the type of engagement you want to see. Interested? Learn more about Managergram’s affordable and professional services here.
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