So, you're adding video content into your Instagram social strategy, but haven't received a lot of engagement or even increased your reach? You are not alone. While sometimes a single Instagram Reel can go viral or reach thousands on its own, most of the time, you need a strategy to get your video in front of people. 

It's fantastic that social media is free as It allows all users to create and engage with content without a fee. However, for businesses, investing a little into social media will reap big rewards. By creating a social media marketing budget that includes promoting content, you can maximize your reach and leave less up to chance. Essentially, you can put more power in your posts. In this article, we are going to laser focus on Instagram Reels and look at how to promote them. Why Reels? As we’ve talked about recently, video is where it’s at on social media!   

Why You Should Promote Reels on Instagram 

For starters, posting Reels increases your audience reach. Reels are available on the Instagram app to users in more than 100 countries. Instagram knew what it was doing when launching Reels as statistics show that users jumped from around 1% growth each month to more than 4% once Reels was available - people like short-form video content! You may be wondering why we need to post Reels when we can simply publish a video as a post to our feed. The answer is reach and engagement! Reels are proven to perform better than regular video posts – 22% better if you like statistics. Are you convinced that investing a little time, and money, in Instagram Reels is a smart social media move? Good! Let’s dive into more details!

We can start with the basics and go over how to access Reels from the Instagram app. 

How to Use Reels On Instagram 

To create your short, fun videos directly from the app, click the Reels icon at the bottom of the home screen. You can also click the plus icon at the top and select Reels from the menu of content options. Then, in the top right corner, click the camera icon. From here, select the music, the video duration (up to 90 seconds) as well as other formatting features such as face and hand effects. If you are recording yourself, you can set the self-timer to allow you time to get into position. When you are ready, click the record button at the bottom of your phone. 

After the clip has been recorded, you can edit it by adding text, polls, graphics and more. When you are happy with your Reel, click “done” and it will be published. 

Now, let’s take a look at how to promote a Reel.

Related: Instagram Reels: Tips & Tricks to Making Engaging Content

How to Promote Instagram Reels

Businesses can now boost their Reels and turn them into ads, reaching even more people than ever before. Here are the key facts for boosting your Reels:

1.     You need to have a business profile.
2.     Reels must be 60 seconds or less.
3.     Reels need to have a 9:16 aspect ratio (i.e. filmed vertically)
4.     Only Reels with original music and other copyrighted intellectual property can be boosted.

To boost your Reels, after you have published it, locate it in your profile and click “Boost Post.” It’s that simple! 

Here are some specifics to keep in mind with creating Instagram Reels ads. 

1.     Sound ON. Instagram reports that approximately 80% of Reels are viewed with the sound on. 
2.     Caption it. For the 20% watching Reels with no sound, make it an inclusive video with captioned text. 
3.     Use the fun effects provided by Instagram. Features such as green screen can really create an impactful Reel. There are also other popular tools available that help create the mood and vibe of the Reel.
4.     Be authentic. This isn’t a buzz word, it’s for real! Ads with a personal connection can have a 25% increased click-through rate than those without a person in the video. 

Related: Instagram Ads: How to Promote Your Business on Instagram

When creating your Reel as, be mindful of Instagram’s rules such as the prohibition of certain content such as illegal products or services, discrimination, tobacco-related products, weapons and adult content. 

Now, let’s look at a great brand example for inspiration. 

The French retailer, Carrefour, created Reels ads with the help of a well-known local food expert. Their goal was to raise brand awareness as well as be able to test the action taken with the Reel. Their strategy worked well for them. Think about the ways you too can work with others in your community and collaborate on hyper local, effective Reels ads. Keeping it fun and relevant is the foundation for a successful Reels ad. 

When deciding which content to promote, while Reels are proven to perform very well, the thing about social media is that it is audience specific. This means that some businesses might find that their audience is more engaged with static posts. How do you know what your audience prefers? Test it. When developing your social media strategy, include paid promotions for both Reels and static posts and then measure the performance. Data is key to a successful and profitable social media marketing plan. Look at trends but only follow those that are relevant to you. PLANOLY has a new trends feature that will help you plan your ads and follow certain trends. 

 With PLANOLY’s weekly video trends feature, you arrive to the party just on time with growing trends even before they’ve saturated social media platforms and become dated.   Every week, PLANOLY links to three social trend recommendations consisting of trending audio, video ideas, and/or video transitions that you can repurpose into Instagram Reels for your brand. You can access this feature by logging into your paid PLANOLY account and click, “See What’s Trending.” You can learn more and get started here.