Dos and Don’ts for Creating Instagram Reels According to Platform Creators

We all are aware of the popularity of Instagram and we are aware that the platform is continuously evolving. More and more features are being added to make it more engaging and people do love the platform as it is.
Getting popular on Instagram requires you to explore all the available options like stories, posts, and much more and you must be doing all of that already. However, Instagram has recently launched a new platform called Instagram Reels and if you are not yet using it, you are missing out on a lot of opportunities.
You can use Instagram Reels for greater reach and visibility. It is a perfect platform for engaging the audience and building a base. This blog will explore Instagram Reels in detail and give you some key dos and don’ts of the platform so that you can create content that actually ranks well.
Before getting into details and complexities of how to make your Reel content engaging and more attractive, here is a quick introduction of what Instagram Reel really is.
For the people who have heard this term for the first time or have come across it but were too lazy to search it up, Instagram Reels are short 20- or 30- second videos that play on a loop and can also be dubbed with music like TikTok. These videos play on loop, repeating again and again, until the viewer scrolls away.
Instagram launched this new feature at the start of August last year with the purpose of capturing tween and young adult audience, which it did successfully, but lately; it has become the center of attraction for entrepreneurs who are leveraging the platform to serve as a lead generator for their brand.
Whether you like it or not, Instagram is eager to get more and more audience to its Reel feature,and to pursue that, Instagram has made some amendments to its already existing marketing strategy. You might have noticed that there is less reach with your regular Instagram posts than there normally is.
Some Social Media Marketing Agency experts have even theorized that the launch of this new feature and Instagram's yearning need of getting the creator community as well as the audience to this platform has reduced the reach for other content formats in Instagram. Now, there is only one possible way to negate it and that is to create Reels instead of only focusing on usual formats.

Tips From The Platform Creators Themselves

If you are planning on expanding your Instagram reach, here are some of the tips from the Instagram creator community to get you started with this feature. You should keep these tips in check while creating content for Instagram reels and you will be on your way to having a greater reach and audience.

The Dos to Your Reels

These are the dos for you to focus on in order to expand your reach and increase engagement.

➣ Do inspire creation, giving a sense that anyone can join in and create.

This is true for all kinds of content creation but especially for Instagram Reels. People will follow you and your work only if you inspire them through it. Instagram motivates you to create content that's not only creative but also inspires more and more people to engage as well as create such content.

➣ Do share genuine and original content created with the Reels camera.

Who do you think would succeed? The one who introduced a fresh concept and trend or the one who simply follows old trends? Yes, you got that right. People love authentic and newer concepts. Also, Instagram encourages you to come up with more fresh content that engages people and creates value for the audience.

➣ Do use the Reels music library & audio tools.

Although you can use music and audios from outside of the Reel music library but Instagram encourages you to use the in-built music library and audio tools. It will not only save you time and energy but will al slower the risk of the video clip getting rejected only because the audio or the music playing in the background is not aligned with Instagram policy.

➣ Do stay relevant to cultural moments & topics.

Only the content that is up to date with the happenings and newer trends gets the audience hitched. Instagram encourages you to stay updated on the latest viral trends and interests of people and create content accordingly.
Moreover, try to stay focused on the topic. The whole point of these 20 to 30 secondary is to provide directed entertainment or information without distracting the audience with the sideline information.

➣ Do have a WOW or LOL factor.

We know that only the content that has a certain kick to it gets viral. Either it should have some valuable and impactful information or it should have something so exciting that makes people go wow. Try to create content on these lines in order to make it go viral.
Do not create bland content that bores the readers without adding enough value in any form. Focus on creating excitement and not just creating content for the sake of it.

➣ Do try and quickly pull the viewer in – The more fascinating the better.

Your content should be such that it instantly catches the interest of the viewer and intrigues him to watch the whole content. These can be done by creating a sense of something big coming next. It can be some really valuable information or something really exciting.
As the Reel videos are short, it gets a bit challenging for the content creators to create content that is informative, intriguing, and worthy of getting more views, and that too in such a limited time and that is the thing that you are going to have to manage.

➣ Do have a fun surprise or twist.

Instagram motivates you to create content that has a certain twist to it. Content with twists and surprises tend to get more attention than linear, and informative content. Take the same content and put some twist to it using curiosity element and then sit back and watch it get the audience count it is worthy of.

➣ Do follow Instagram community guidelines.

All online platforms have certain sets of rules and guidelines which you need to follow in order for your content to make it to the platform. Guidelines like "original content", "follow the law", "no spamming", "no nudity" and "no hate content" hold great importance and Instagram will take action against your content if it contradicts these guidelines.
Your content may also get removed from the platform altogether depending on the severity of the violation of the guideline. It is always better to be on the safe side and follow the guidelines in the first place in order to avoid any kind of inconvenience later.

The Don’ts to your Reel

Here are a few don’ts that you need to avoid in any case so that you don’t get penalized and your content gets ranked well.

➣ Don't add music that's not from Instagram Library (unless you have the appropriate license).

Have been through the painful experience of reposting your content again and again because it gets taken off by the concerned authority just because you used the information (music, audio, video) without the consent of the owner or without the proper license to post it?
Well, to put an end to this misery, now the apps offer in-built choices of audio or music that you can use without getting a license or consent form from the concerned party.
Instagram is highlighting this very fact in the heading or pointer. You can use music outside of the app suggestions, but you will have to get a license or permission form for that otherwise it will get taken down from the platform.

➣ Don't lack a storyline.

A strong storyline is the key to keep the viewers hitched and not let them lose interest. What is the point of watching or reading something that does not have a sense and symmetry to it? Make sure that your content has a certain plot to it or the viewer will lose interest in the content and scroll right away.
Instagram highlights the fact that good content should have a strong and defined storyline as it is really important for catching the attention and maintaining the interest of the audience.

➣ Don’t try to jump on already outdated trends

Instagram is a fast-paced platform and trends change pretty quickly. You need to always be on the lookout for newer trends to follow and also to create trends of your own instead of following outdated trends because that is not going to get you where you want to be.
Be a trendsetter and start something of your own. You never know when some of your videos go viral and people start following your trend. So, keep being creative and keep creating contemporary, creative content.

➣ Don't create content that goes against community guidelines (example: hate speech, graphic violence, etc.)

As mentioned earlier, certain rules and guidelines need to be kept in mind and followed for your content to make it to the top. No kind of hate speech, violent content, or graphicsare allowed by Instagram and strict action will be taken against those content creators who don't follow these guidelines.
Some people might get away with policy violations every once in a while. However, if you want to build an audience and get bigger, you will have to keep the guidelines in check because you do not want to get penalized.

Now, the fact is, you get better Reel education when you watch the Reel content. So, watch what people are posting and stay up to date with the latest trends. To watch Instagram reels, just tap on the "Reel" tab on the Instagram app and scroll through to analyze what type of content is getting more engagement these days. It is quite clear that Instagram wants Reel to succeed and might be providing, even more, reach to this platform in the future than it already has. That's why Instagram Marketing Agencies categorize it as an important platform for maximizing Instagram engagement in 2021.
This is it for today’s blog. I hope that you enjoyed reading it and learned a thing or two about Instagram reels. Do share your feedback and if you any questions, write to me and I will get back to you as soon as possible. Don’t forget to share it with your friends so they can also learn. Thank you.