The essentials to produce a successful Instagram Reels video.

The future of Instagram lies in “reels”, their term for short videos. While modern digital devices enable a user to shoot, edit, and upload a video of a dance move or a practical joke in minutes, crafting a reel to promote a product or service is like making a very short feature film, requiring considerable time and effort in pre- and post-production as well as the shoot itself.

Here are the essential steps of producing an effective promotional reel:

Know What Works

Millions of videos are uploaded every day on social-media, but only a few survive the dreaded left swipe. Social-media posts go viral for a reason, and most popular reels have a strong hook, ear-catching music, and punchy images. As a writer should read a hundred books to write one, a content creator should spend much of their time viewing videos to see what works at any given moment.

Plan Your Campaign

Social-media posts are social themselves, and will wither away if not in the close company of similar images or reels. A promotional campaign must post frequently, with similar (but not identical) content. Devising and adhering to a strict posting schedule is a key factor in growing and keeping an audience. ]

Less Is More

With only two seconds to hook the viewer and five more to draw them into the story, reels live or die on narrative economy. A promotional reel should be no longer than 15 seconds; and within that narrow time frame grab the viewer’s attention, convey all necessary information, elicit an emotional reaction, and present a call to action. This is as difficult as it sounds, and requires years of experience and an innate talent to do well.

Following Up

A reel is not a bird you release into the wild and hope for the best. Views of every reel must be monitored to determine reach, viewing time, and number of reposts to generate the metrics needed to refine the campaign. Automated apps can perform most of these functions, but it often takes an experienced eye to spot an emerging trend that the campaign can use to expand reach.

Posting a reel of your teenager celebrating their high-school graduation is no more than point, shoot, upload. But if you want to sell enough of your product or service to pay for their college, then you will need professional assistance.

For more information on how to get the results from Instagram promotional reels, contactus@wndmarketing.com