How to Make a Reel on Instagram

The secret behind successful Reels is just like any other content, let the voice and values of your brand guide you. When creating your plan, you should consider the following:

Set the Goals for Your Instagram Reels

Think about how Reels on Instagram can fit into your overall social media goals.

What do you want to accomplish? Increase your engagement? Reach?

When it’s time to create Instagram Reels, knowing the answers to these questions will help guide the types of Reels you create for your Instagram accounts.

Know Your Target Audience

Your audience should be the inspiration for your content. Think about what topics, sounds, and styles would appeal to them. Making viral reels starts with understanding what users want to see!

Look at Trending Reels for Content Topics

Instagram Reels don’t need to involve dance trends but should be entertaining videos. Your Reels can be educational, dramatic, funny, or comical video content. Begin by looking at your highest-performing content as well as other Reels to help determine what topics and themes work best for your audience.

Research Viral Instagram Reels

Do your research. How does your competition go about creating Reels, and what gaps can be filled?

Once you have a clear understanding of what your Instagram Reel will be about, you can know what content you need to film and how you will piece it all together.

When you begin posting your Instagram Reels, you can check your analytics to see what Reels perform best. You can see how your Reels perform with reporting tools such as Kiopi. 

To begin your Instagram reel, you obviously need to film a video clip.

You can film multiple video clips or a single clip or record videos externally and upload it to your Reel.

If you’re filming externally using your phone camera, you can add video clips by selecting the “+” icon in the bottom of the screen on the left-hand side. From there, you can select multiple clips from your camera roll. 

You can also film the video using the Instagram app. If you’re using the Instagram app, you will begin by holding down the round white record button.

Press the double arrow icon to flip the Instagram camera facing you to create a Reel filming yourself or what’s in front of you. While you’re filming, a pink border will appear around the white button. This will show how much of your Instagram Reel you’ve filmed so far. 

You can film and upload your Instagram Reel using the app in several different ways.

Below are the three avenues that you can use when you create a Reel. Once you’ve selected which option you will use to start with, it’s all the same process to record. When you’re ready to film your video, select and hold the white record button.

Using Reels Tab

1. Open the Instagram app. 

2. Tap the Reels icon at the bottom of the screen. (It looks like a director’s board.) 

3. Select the camera icon in the upper right corner and choose “Reel.” 

Using Instagram Home Screen

1. Select the “+” on your Instagram homepage at the bottom, middle of the screen.

2. Then, from the bottom menu, select “Reel.”  

Using Instagram Stories Camera

1. Open the homepage of your Instagram app. 

2. From there, you’ll swipe left on the Instagram Stories Camera and select “Reel” from the menu at the bottom. 

If you want to upload a previous clip that you’ve already recorded, you’ll select the “+” icon in the bottom left-hand menu. From there, you’ll choose the next clip you want to add to create the Reel. This is generally the same step, no matter which avenue you use to make Instagram Reels. 

Instagram’s music library makes it easy to add music or your own original audio to your Reel. You can make your music selection before you start filming, or you can add it after you’ve recorded your footage. 

To add music, select the music note icon or audio icon on the left side of the screen. That will take you to the Instagram music library, where you can search for music and audio clips to add to your Reel. Once you’ve selected your audio, you can choose which part of the song or audio clip you want to include in your Instagram Reel from the edit screen.

If you want to add your own audio, click “Import” and upload it once you select the same icon. Your original audio will be credited to you, and other users will be able to add your original audio to their own Instagram reels. 

Once you’ve filmed and edited your video clip into an Instagram reel, you can select from the wide array of creative tools and effects to add to your Reel to make it unique. 

Use some (or all) of the following tools to add special effects to your Instagram reels.

Instagram Stickers

To make your Reel more interactive, you can add polls your users can vote on. You can also add stickers, gifs, and animations to the clip.

Instagram Filters

We all know how filters can make our selfies look, but you can add filters to your Instagram Reels. When searching for filters, you can see which Instagram filters are trending, which can help boost your Instagram Reel’s visibility. Filters can also help you achieve the aesthetic you want your video posts to have without using fancy gadgets during filming. 

Sound Effects

If you’re looking to emphasize a particular part of your video, you can add a sound effect in addition to your audio. For example, you can add a laugh track if you have something funny on your Instagram Reel. 

Templates

Instagram offers a variety of templates that you can choose from to create Instagram Reels. You can feel like a professional and create Instagram reels worthy of viral status. When using templates, once you select the one you want, just select your clips, and the filters and effects will be added automatically.

Now, you’re in the final phases of creating Instagram Reels. Think of this as the post-production phase, like on television and movies. You’ve made the Instagram Reels content and added bells and whistles; now, you tighten everything up by adjusting the time, speed, and layout.

You can adjust the time on your Reel by either speeding it up or slowing it down. If a fast-moving vibe is more fitting for the post you want to make, you can increase the speed of your video.  

The timer feature on Instagram allows the content creator to film their video without worrying about including the footage of them adjusting their phone. All you have to do is set the time, get ready, and film.

Another setting you can adjust on your Instagram Reel is the cover image on your Instagram feed. By selecting your cover image, you don’t have to worry about the first thing people see as random space or something else that won’t catch their attention. This also allows you to adjust your personal Instagram feed to fit an aesthetic that fits your brand. 

Sidenote: If you’d like an extra touch, you can use Kiopi’s AI Instagram caption generator, one of the top AI tools for marketing before publishing from the platform!