By now you probably know that Instagram Reels are THE best way to grow your reach and following right now. If you didn’t know? Now you do. However, the feedback seems to be the same. Those who aren’t using Reels are simply afraid or lost on how to start.
Getting over the fear
Honestly? Video is my least favorite type of content to create because I’m a perfectionist. I will spend hours filming something over and over again until it’s perfect or until I get frustrated enough to stop. If you are like this too, you might be associating that frustration with all video content. Yes, video takes longer to create but when it comes to Reels, it has so much opportunity for a big payoff. It’s worth the time and effort.
Remember a few things:
1- You don’t have to do some complicated, overly edited video. Below I’ll share some simple ways to get started today.
2- You will get better with time. Everyone’s first few videos are the worst. You might cringe at them later. We’ve ALL been there.
3- Find a way to reward yourself for conquering a fear!
The “techy stuff”
Everyone has their own process of creating content. This is simply what works best for me, and I think it’s a great place for anyone to start. If you don’t have a tripod for your phone already, now is the time to get one!
I don’t like making Reels with the Instagram Reels editor unless it’s a one-take type of video that doesn’t require me to add clips together. Here’s an example of a one-take video. Here’s an example of a multi-clip video. I’ve accidentally deleted things too many times and I get more frustrated when I do everything within Instagram. Here’s my process:
1- I record the video clips on my phone, not within an app.
2- Once I have the clips done, I upload them into the Splice app. It’s free! Make sure you use the 9:16 ratio so that nothing gets cut off in the final product. I think Splice is SO much easier to use and there’s an undo button so if you do make a mistake, it’s not gone for good like it would be within the Reels editor.
3- Trim the clips, add transitions, etc. You *can* add text within Splice. I personally skip text and add it within Instagram right before I post.
4- Export the video and upload it into the Reels editor. This process is just like as if you were uploading a video to your story.
5- Add text and music. I always add music from IG.
6- Either upload your own cover image or choose a still image from the video. Whatever you want!
7- Post
What do I post?
Now that we know how to do it, what are you going to post? As you start, don’t reinvent the wheel here. Go scroll through Reels until you find a sound that you like – maybe it’s funny, educational, relatable, whatever YOU like. I don’t like having to memorize a lot of words so I purposely choose sounds that are short and not too wordy. Once you have the audio you want, SAVE it.
When you have it saved, you can easily find it later. Copy a current trend, put your own spin on it using the same audio, this is where you can be as creative (or not creative) as you want. I almost NEVER create my own audios. I have to have inspiration to start and there’s nothing wrong with that!
We’ve covered the what, the how, so now all that’s left is for you to do!