How To Create an Oscar-Worthy Instagram Reels

With over one billion active users on Instagram, brands and businesses all over the world are doing all that they can to attract and captivate the platform’s audiences in fresh new ways.

Launched in 2020, the Instagram reel is one of the newer kids on the block- disrupting the status quo and challenging brands to think outside the traditional video format box.

This ground-breaking new feature invites users to create and edit fun, bite-size videos, spanning from 15 to 60 seconds, before sharing their masterpieces with friends and other fellow Instagram users. From gender reveals to quirky dance routines, and product promotions to sale announcements, businesses and everyday users alike have long been letting their creativity run wild with this feature.

And with these masterpieces whipping up far more engagement than traditional Instagram videos, you’re missing a trick if you haven’t hopped on the Instagram Reels train.

To shoot your Reel footage via the Instagram app, select the Reels icon in the centre of your navigation bar and press the camera icon located on the top right of the screen. Alternatively, tap the “+” on the top right of the Instagram home screen before selecting the Reels icon.

To start recording, hold down the recording circle in the middle of the screen. Or, if you’re going for a hands-free set-up- make the most of Instagram’s handy timer and countdown feature by selecting the timer icon. After shooting your reel clip(s), Reels offer users a plethora of effects and editing tools that help users add a sprinkling artistic flare to their creation and bring their Reels to life to keep users hooked.

As a word of advice, try adding some extra flare to your creation with the draw tool or by adding music to your footage from the Instagram music library. Or perhaps you’d like to swipe left to access filters to add to your Reels or Search from Instagram’s endless gallery of AR effects, created by Instagram and creators around the world.

Reels also allows you to trim, reorder or add additional clips without a second thought by tapping “Edit clips”. Switch up the video playback speed for a sprinkling of comedic effect by selecting the x1 icon located on the left sidebar. And for a snazzy backing-track or voiceover- tap the audio icon to browse Instagram’s vast catalogue of hits or go bold and start recording your own audio on a separate Reel.

Note: When you share a Reel with your own audio creation, your audio will be attributed to your account. Remember that, if you have a public account, other users will be able create their own Reels with your original audio by selecting ‘Use Audio’ from your Reel.

If you’re looking to master your transitions and edit content to a specific beat- you may find it easier to save your Reel footage to your camera roll before editing using a third-party editing app such as Splice or InShot. To add external clips from your camera roll to your Instagram Reels, select the “+” icon in the bottom left corner. However, if you’re opting to go down this route- watch out for the pesky Instagram algorithm.

Instagram’s algorithm is known to deprioritize content that appears visibly recycled from other apps, such as TikTok. That means they’re less likely to appear in the Instagram Explore Page and the Reels tab. You can cosy up to the Instagram algorithm by adding any on-screen text or audio in the main Instagram app after uploading your edit.

Although, if you’re really chomping at the bit to reuse a masterpiece that has kicked up a storm on your TikTok account, enlist the help of a third-party watermark removal app to get rid of that pesky TikTok watermark. However, bear in mind that such apps can compromise somewhat on the video quality.

So, with the basics covered- what exactly are the tools required to whip up some pro-level Oscar-worthy Instagram Reels?

This guide will take you through everything you need to know about producing Reels content that stands out from the other nominees and gets you noticed by both new and existing followers.

As the old saying goes, behind every great Instagram reel is a great plan.

To really engage your audience and freeze those scrolling thumbs, you’ll want your reel to appear cohesive, flow nicely and tell a story.

Some questions to consider when devising your Reel plan:

o What is your reel going to be about? Which topics would make the most sense for your business? Makeup hacks? DIY?

o What are you trying to achieve? Increased website traffic? Follower engagement?

o What will your followers get out of watching it? Entertainment? Education, perhaps?

o How are you going to ensure your Reels appear coherent with your existing social media content?

o Can you define your target audience?

o What sort of content is most likely to resonate with your audience? A behind-the-scenes sneak-peak? A fun tutorial?

Whilst it can be tempting to skip right ahead to the shooting phase, ironing out these details can help to better inform those all-important decisions during the creative process and can ultimately make the difference between a shining success and a fruitless dud.

With 85% of Facebook video watched without sound, adding on-screen text and subtitles or closed captions to your videos is a no-brainer when it comes to reaching more users.

On-screen text is not only great for people opting to watch without sound, but they’re also an invaluable tool that makes videos more accessible to a wider audience – notably those with hearing difficulties.

To add video subtitles, use Instagram’s closed caption sticker by tapping on the sticker icon and selecting ‘Captions’.

However, if you’re going to use text, you’ll need to make sure that incoming visitors can actually read it properly- particularly from your feed view.

If your audience can’t clearly see the text- they’re much more likely to skip right past your video, which can be a major engagement blocker.

Ergo, you’ll want to avoid displaying text – as well as other important visual elements in your Reel- within the bottom fifth of the Reel covered by the video caption.

That also means that you’ll always want to make sure it’s within 4:5 dimensions to enhance visibility, especially if you’re sharing it to your feed.

Much like the all-too-familiar fan-fave, Instagram Stories- Instagram Reels are intended to be viewed on a mobile screen, vertically and full screen.

That means you’ll want to use your full screen to record and shoot your reel in portrait mode to get the most out of the Instagram algorithm.

And not to mention- shooting in this fashion will also help you to gauge a better understanding of the viewers’ perspective and should better inform creative decision making when shooting and editing.

Note: Yes, that also means no frames or square formatting.

Furthermore, it’s most effective to create Reels content with an aspect ratio of 9:16, and with a size of 1080 pixels x 1920 pixels.

Hint: Simply shooting and editing directly on a mobile phone is a simple and easy way to stick to these dimensions.

Whilst this all might seem like a load of pointless hassle, keep in mind that you always want your Reels to appear native to the platform i.e., content created specifically for use on Reels, to really play up to the Instagram algorithm and give your Reels the best fighting chance.

The best way to drive traffic from Reels is to include a clear call-to-action (CTA) encouraging viewers to head to your link in bio.

You might do this using on-screen text placement, a verbal call-out, or perhaps a few words in your caption.

But without a proper link in your bio too to guide your followers and help them to seamlessly navigate through your different projects, users would soon give up on their search and retire back to Instagram’s home page- which means that going through the effort of including a CTA would probably be somewhat pointless.

Obtain more value from the link in bio and the enhance the effectiveness of the call-to-action on your Reel with the help of a link in bio tool, such as Mona or Campsite, to create a mini landing page with multiple link buttons and clickable images.

And don’t worry- this is a one-off job and shouldn’t take too long to set up.