There are plenty of ways to garner attention from your followers but keeping your page dynamic with multiple forms of media is imperative to keep engagement high. Videos and animated posts catch the eye of social media scrollers, so creating content such as Reels can provide the extra push that your page needs to stand out. Reels are relatively new to the social space, debuting on Instagram as a way to keep up with the popularity of TikTok and Snapchat stories. These are short, entertaining videos that usually combine multiple clips to total a maximum of 60 seconds. Seems simple, right? Well, there’s more that goes into Reels than meets the eye. Here’s a step by step on how to create an Instagram Reel:

Step One: Pick a topic
When creating a Reel, it’s important to choose a topic that can easily translate into a video format. Topics that are too nuanced or require extensive knowledge of industry jargon will fall flat as viewers will simply scroll by most content they don’t immediately understand or relate to. It will also make it more difficult for you to come up with images to film if your topic is too complex. Videos can be both entertaining and educational — it’s about finding the balance!

Step Two: Plan it out
Once you know what information you want to turn into a Reel, you get to be creative! Decide what locations or people you want to showcase in your videos and what you want them to elicit to your viewers. Does your location bring meaning to your topic? Does including people in your videos complicate or emphasize your topic? These questions are a great place to start when planning out the location and structure of your Reel.

Step Three: Film, Film, Film!
Now it’s time to whip out your camera and start filming! You can film directly from the Instagram app or onto your camera roll to edit later. Make sure to get multiple clips, such as changing locations, people and ideas in your shots, as this is what makes a Reel stand out when compared to a regular video. A video that is too static won’t be as interesting to watch as a Reel with quickly changing scenes. However, remember to be careful as too many transitions can become distracting and confusing. Try to film multiple takes of each clip so when you’re editing it, you have options to choose from.

Step Four: Edit and add music
When your clips are ready to organize into a Reel, you can begin the process right inside the Instagram app. Click on the same button you would as if to post a regular picture and choose the ‘Reels’ option in the lower right corner. This is where you can film directly or pick out your videos from the camera roll in the left corner square. Choose the videos in the order you’d like them to appear in the app and you can add music for entertainment and text boxes to help describe your topic or points of each clip.

Step Five: Post!
Once your Reel is finished and you are satisfied with your message – hit that post button! It’s time to share your information with your followers in this new, fun and dynamic way.

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