Instagram reels haven’t been around even for a year, but they are already being successfully used by brands and influencers alike to achieve even more engagement and growth.

Business owners can also benefit from them a lot, so here is everything you need to know about Instagram reels and tips on how to use them for small businesses.

Instagram Reels

5 Tips For Small Businesses

Photo by TheDigitalArtist – Pixabay

#1 Plan Out Your Reels

First and foremost, you need to plan out your reels. This will prevent you from making simple mistakes and forgetting to include important elements in your videos.

If you have tried scripting videos for social media before, this won’t be very difficult for you. But if you are new to the whole thing, you can start out small.

As Daniel Anderson says,

“It’s a good idea to start with the outline first because it will give your video its backbone. Then, if you feel that you need more planning, you can write a script. Moreover, you can even work on some storyboards if the video is too complicated, but make sure that you have a balance of the effort you put into the making of your reels and the actual effect they make afterward.”

#2 Adjust the Recording Speed

The next thing you can do already once you start posting your videos as Instagram reels is adjusting the recording speed. Of course, you can do this before you actually start uploading the reel itself (so, this would need to be done while editing), but because Instagram lets you edit the speed during the uploading process, it might be easier to do it while uploading the reel.

To put it simply, Instagram offers slow motion and speed-up effects in reels that can make your videos look more dynamic. Indeed, both slowed down and sped up pieces of video can work together to make your videos more impactful, so don’t just use one of the two options. Try to experiment and see what works in which situation.

#3 Add Background Music

Another way to significantly improve your Instagram reels is by adding background music to them. This will make your videos more entertaining and less boring. In addition to that, if you prefer to use text in your videos instead of voiceover, using music is a must. Otherwise, the videos will seem plain and even raw.

As Kate Potter puts it,

“The biggest issue that many users encounter is that you can get your videos taken down on Instagram because of copyright claims. The trick is to stick with free music or music available for commercial use. This can be found on many different websites and platforms dedicated specifically to posting such music”.

Alternatively, you can use our multimedia catalog to discover dozens of resources for music backgrounds.

#4 Experiment with Effects

When Instagram introduced its Reels feature, they immediately announced that users will be able to use effects on them, but some people forget that stickers are also available to be used in reels.

In fact, experimenting with effects and stickers can give your videos a completely new look and maybe even save them from being bad if you feel like the reel you made recently isn’t up to the same quality that your regular reels and videos have.

Perhaps the most interesting effect to try out is the AR Effects feature. You can choose from hundreds of effects created both by Instagram developers and by users uploading their own designs.

When it comes to stickers, they are pretty much the same as the ones available on Instagram Stories making it easy to navigate the variety and choose the ones you need.

#5 Change the Cover

Last but not least, changing the cover of your Instagram reels can help you make them stand out more and attract more attention. This is crucial for the success of your reels because most people will decide whether they want to watch your reels judging by the covers they have. If the cover isn’t eye-catching, informative, or intriguing, your potential audience will be less likely to click on them and watch your reels.

As Thomas Richardson notes,

“To design a good Instagram reel cover, you need to look at the core of your video. What is it about? What is its purpose? What is its hook? What is its title? Answering these questions will help you decide what needs to be put on your Instagram reel covers and what should be left out.”

Final Thoughts

To sum up, using Instagram reels successfully can be quite easy once you have mastered the basics.

Use the tips from this article to create your own Instagram reels that will help you increase engagement on and growth of your channel.