Instagram Reels are a relatively new feature on the platform that allows users to create and share short, catchy videos set to music. They have quickly gained popularity and for good reason. In this blog article, we’ll explore the benefits of creating Instagram Reels and why they’re important for growing your audience in 2023.
First, let’s start with the basics. Instagram Reels are short video clips that can be edited with various effects and set to music. They can be accessed through the Instagram app and are located in a separate tab on your profile.
Why are Instagram Reels so important for growing your audience?
Here are a few reasons:
- Reels are highly shareable. One of the key features of Instagram Reels is the ability to share them across the platform. When you create a Reel, it’s automatically added to a public feed where other users can discover and share it. This means that your content has the potential to reach a much wider audience beyond your own followers.
- Reels are attention-grabbing. With the rise of social media, users are constantly bombarded with content. It’s important to create content that stands out and grabs their attention. Instagram Reels do just that – they’re short, catchy, and often feature visually appealing effects. This makes them more likely to be watched and shared, which can help to grow your audience.
- Instagram Reels give you the opportunity to showcase your personality and creativity in a fun and engaging way. Business, influencer, or hobbyist, the format fits. Reels help you connect with an audience on a deeper level.
So, if you’re looking to grow your audience on Instagram in 2023, consider incorporating Instagram Reels into your content strategy. They grab attention, certainly. They also showcase personality and creativity, which brings more engagement and followers.
How to Make Reels That Actually Get Watched
Reach is only half the equation. The format rewards a specific kind of craft. Most brand accounts lose viewers in two seconds, usually to a logo, a slow pan, or a title card. Lead with the payoff instead: show the result, state the claim, or start mid-action, then explain. Shoot vertical and burn in captions for sound-off viewing. Keep it short enough that the loop restarts before attention drops. All of this matters more than polish.
Consistency beats intensity. Three modest Reels a week beats one ambitious video a month. The algorithm needs repeated signals to learn who your content suits. Treat the first two weeks of any new series as data collection rather than performance, and judge it on watch-through rate and saves rather than raw view counts, which flatter far more than they inform.
Fitting Reels Into the Wider Strategy
Short-form video works best as one input among several rather than the whole plan. Use Reels to reach people who do not know you yet, and lean on other formats to deepen the relationship once they do. The creators who consistently outperform brand accounts are worth studying, and often worth partnering with, which is why micro-influencers and user-generated content tend to appear in the same strategies as a serious Reels effort.
Keep an eye on where the format sits relative to everything else, too. The wider social media trends shift quickly, and the case for being on TikTok often overlaps with the case for Reels, since the same clip can usually serve both with minor edits. Meta publishes current specifications and best practices in its creator resources.