Instagram Reels Blueprint For 2022

The tectonic plates of digital marketing are shifting quick and often, which makes it hard stay up to date on best practices within places like Facebook and Instagram.

As of July 2022, placing a video on Instagram has changed for better or for worse. But it’s safe to say you’ve probably noticed recently that your feed is full of videos now.

Not everyone has welcomed this change with open arms, savvy marketing agencies understand that this displays an opportunity for growth through video content.

But before we get started, Meta would like to lay down the ground rules.

HOW LONG INSTAGRAM REELS NEED TO BE IN 2022

It’s confusing, but the fact is that all new videos posted to Instagram under 15 minutes will show up under reels.

LET’S TALK TEXT AND CAPTIONS

You have 2,200 characters to caption your Reels post, and those captions can be eaten up fast so use them judiciously. AI Content creation can be your friend here.

Pro Tip: Use text and closed captions on your videos to account for the large volume of users out there who browse content with audio off or for those who have difficulty hearing. But make sure the text isn’t at the top or bottom of your reel, so it doesn’t get cut off. And if you’re thinking about re-purposing TikTok content on Instagram, Instagram’s algorithm will punish you if TikTok’s watermark is present in you video.

WHERE CAN I PUT LINKS?

In the bio section. Instagram doesn’t allow for direct linking expect within the bio. So, make sure you’re driving your call to action to direct viewers to your bio.

EXPERIMENTING AND TRACKING BEHIND THE SCENES

Before you start maniacally creating and scheduling Reels, think about what your goals and metrics of success are. This can help steer the type of content strategy you end up deploying. Reels are all about “discoverability”. With a wider audience, views and engagement are always great starting points. View duration and clickthrough rate are also important is your campaign goals are leveraging links.

GET INSPIRED BY TRENDS

People like what they like, and when people in mass like something, that’s where trends are born. We’re not saying that you need to master trick-shotting or cobble together the most satisfyingly satisfying content but gain inspiration from what’s trending to leverage your already-existing strengths. For example, pressure washing videos are disturbingly satisfying to watch, so if you’re a pressure washer, or maybe a painter, time lapse yourself performing your service. If you’re a handyman, handy how-to tips for the homeowner always tend to pace well.

DON’T GIVE UP!

Social media is like a bamboo tree. You put all this love and attention into it, and while you don’t see the growth above ground, rest assured there’s growing underneath the surface. Keep watering and investing time and you’ll see growth in performance. So, keep posting consistently. Get a feel for what is working for you and what isn’t and experiment to optimize.

SO, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Video content is on the rise. It’ll evolve, no doubt, but it’s not going anywhere. But with intentional, consistent content, you can leverage Reels to grow your audience in a targeted way. If you’re looking to take your digital marketing to the next level, contact us to get started!