At Squirrels&Bears we believe in simplicity and we like to provide clear answers to your questions. In our #howitworks series we focus on simple explanations of various aspects of marketing, highlighting the basic facts, what works and what doesn’t work. And we hope to make your life a little easier.

The Basics

• Instagram Reels is a way for users to record 15-30 second videos set to music and edit them however they like. They are similar in a lot of ways to TikTok videos.

• You will find the Instagram Reels tab in the centre of the Instagram navigation bar at the bottom of your screen. This will take you to an explore page with reels tailored to suit you.

• To create your own, you can click the camera icon at the top right when watching reels. Alternatively head to the home page and click the plus icon top right and choose reels from the list bottom right of the screen.

• You can share your reels to both your stories and explore feed for added exposure.

Do:

• Make your reels entertaining and attention grabbing. The algorithm for reels isn’t as advanced as it is for usual Instagram content so this will help your reel be seen.

• Come up with clever ways to engage more people, whether that be through a challenge or just a new hack that others can try and share. The more relevant to your brand the better.

• Film in vertical and make use of all the tools available to you. Feel free to get creative with the camera effects and include music where possible.

• Get involved in other challenges that have become a viral trend. This is a great way to get exposure, you just have to make sure your attempt is original and unique to you and your brand.

Don’t:

• Upload low quality or blurry content. If your resolution looks poor for whatever reason, it may be easier to re-do the video with a better camera. Or look to video editing platforms to improve the quality prior to uploading.

• Overdo it with the effects or filters. There is a lot to play with and it might get tempting to try a bit of everything! But remember it needs to look engaging and instantly recognisable in order to grab viewers attention.

• Recycle content from other platforms, especially if it belongs to someone else and you are looking to claim it as your own. If you want to reshare something, make sure any watermarks are removed (from own content) or this may be hidden by Instagram. Any re-sharing of other’s content should be properly credited.

• Go against the Instagram Community Guidelines! This could result in your video being taken down, but it could also bring negative attention to your entire profile if it continues to happen. Which, in the long run, could lead to your account being shut down.