June 12, 2021 | 9 Min Read
Creating Instagram Reels for your insurance brand can be one of the most effective and least cluttered ways to increase your Instagram followers and engagement — in fact, they are a real growth hack right now!
From helpful hints to our favorite editing tricks, we are sharing our favorite Instagram Reels hacks that will make your videos stand out from the crowd.
Instagram Reels Tip #1: Create Original Creative Content
Creating original content is essential if you want to appear on the Instagram Reels tab. With thousands — if not millions — of creators sharing Instagram Reels daily, coming up with original ideas is a tall order.
Fortunately, when it comes to planning your Instagram Reels, you do not have to completely reinvent the wheel. The most important thing is to create content that is both educational and entertaining — but with your own unique spin. Since Insurance content can be ‘boring’, the key is to really focus on the ‘entertaining’ angle when it comes to packaging content.
Instagram Reels Tip #2: Include Closed Captions
It goes without saying that creating video content, whether for Instagram Stories or Instagram Reels, is one of the most effective ways to make your content more accessible.
Because 85 percent of video on Facebook is watched without sound, adding subtitles to your videos is a no-brainer if you want to reach more people. Furthermore, subtitles are not only beneficial to those who watch without sound, but they are also beneficial to those who have hearing difficulties.
Instagram Reels Tip #3: Keep your captions brief and to the point.
Long educational captions on Instagram have their time and place (hello, Instagram feed posts!), but due to the dimensions of Reels, short and sweet captions are the way to go.
The first line of an Instagram Reel can be up to 55 characters long. When you exceed that limit, your caption is followed by “… more” to encourage viewers to tap and read the rest. When they click the “…more” button, the Reel does not pause. Instead, it expands the caption, darkens the video, and makes it more difficult for your viewers to read the text or see what is going on in your Reel.
Tip: Include a call to action (CTA) in your Instagram Reels caption! Encouraging your audience to comment on and interact with your videos is a great way to expand your reach.
Instagram Reels Hack #4: Get a Head Start on Trends
Trends on Reels, like TikTok, come and go quickly. Take a few minutes each morning to scroll through the Instagram Reels tab and other creators’ profiles to see what they are sharing to get in on a trend before it becomes old news.
Is there anything that seems to keep coming up — a particular song? Is that an audio clip? Is there a dance craze?
Instagram Reels Hack #5: Improve the Placement of On-screen Text
Whether you’re adding closed captions or additional text, the location of the on-screen text is critical. If your audience can’t easily read the text, they’re likely to skip right past your video, which can be a major engagement killer.
When adding text, keep it within 4:5 dimensions, especially if you’re going to share it on your feed. The text will be visible when a user clicks on your Reel in-feed. While this may not appear to be a big deal, carefully curating your text placement makes your audience’s experience much more enjoyable.
Instagram Reels Hack #6: Share the Reels to Your Story
Finally, don’t forget to share your Instagram Reels on Instagram Stories. It’s a good idea to share your Reel in as many places as possible if you want to expand your reach. Furthermore, you can always cover a portion of your Instagram Reel with a GIF or image (such as the one below) to entice your audience to click and watch the full video.
Making Instagram Reels is one of the most effective ways to increase your following right now.
With these top six tips, you will be able to stand out from the crowd, carve out a niche, and reach new audiences.