Nine in ten doctors may not say this, but we do know that Reels can help grow awareness and interest for your brand!
Hi, I’m Thomas, and today, I’m going to show you how to create a fun-to-make, fun-to-watch reel that boosts your brand while providing value to your audience. Sharing expert tips from your industry and showing the realness behind your business is a great way to build credibility and trust. Plus, it’s a fantastic format for highlighting your product’s features or benefits.
For example, let’s say I run a charming little plant shop with a beautiful collection of plants. I’ll create a pro tip reel on how to keep a hoya plant happy.
Did you know that most people watch reels with the sound off? So, let’s make sure our content works for both sound-on and sound-off viewers. I’m capturing a variety of shots here. Notice how I end my second clip and start my third with a smooth transition, keeping things interesting. It’s important to think about how you transition between clips to maintain engagement without distracting from your story.
Next, I’ll add a voiceover: “Make sure your hoya leaves are healthy and green by watering every one to two weeks when the soil is dry. And there you have it—a happy hoya!”
For my sound-off audience, I’m going to add auto-captions, encourage interactivity with a call-to-action in my caption, and tag my location.
1.How-to videos
Now that you’ve met Thomas and learned more about creating educational reels, let’s dive deeper into each of the topics he covered. From crafting engaging content to adding voiceovers, transitions, and captions, we’ll break down the steps to help you create reels that not only boost your brand but also engage and educate your audience effectively. Let’s get started!
2.Voiceover
Here’s how to keep your hoya plant happy:
- Healthy Leaves: Make sure the leaves are vibrant and green.
- Watering: Water the plant every one to two weeks when the soil feels dry to the touch.
- Sunlight: Provide indirect sunlight for the best growth.
And there you have it—a happy hoya!
3.Share tips
When coming up with ideas for your reels, always consider what your audience will gain from watching your video. Sharing industry tips not only promotes your brand but also provides valuable information to your audience. Think about what you can offer from your unique perspective, based on your expertise in your field—you’re the expert, after all!
This format is great for building credibility and trust with your audience. It can also be used to highlight the features and benefits of your products, which helps generate interest and position your product as a solution. These ideas can inspire creativity and get you started on making engaging content that builds awareness and connects with your audience.
4.Create transitions
Reels isn’t just a video format—it’s also an editing tool! Surprise, you’re a video editor now! One of the most useful skills to learn as an editing newbie is mastering transitions. With Reels, you can combine multiple clips or photos into one video, and how you transition between them is key to keeping your audience engaged without distracting from your story.
In our demo reel, we used the “dip in, dip out” transition. To recreate this, start a few feet away from your subject. Record as you move the camera towards them until the screen goes dark. For the next clip, begin with the camera pressed against your subject, with the screen dark just like the end of the previous clip. Then, pull the camera back a few feet. You’ve now created a seamless “dip in, dip out” transition!
This is just one type of transition. Another common method you’ll see in Reels is the “cut on action” technique, which involves matching the movement of two clips to hide the cut. This creates a smooth transition, especially when there’s a continuous action between the clips. Try it out yourself.
5.Add a voiceover and captions
One great way to personalize your reels is by adding a voiceover, making you the narrator of your story. After recording your reel, tap the button to start your voiceover. Hold to record, and you can use the slider bar to adjust where you want your voiceover to begin. Once you’ve finished, you can also adjust the volume of your voiceover and camera audio for balance.
Since many people watch reels with the sound off, it’s smart to add captions as well. Instead of typing them out manually, you can use auto-captions. Tap the stickers button, select captions, and they will automatically generate for your audio. If needed, you can edit the captions by tapping on the text and making any changes. You can also adjust the text color to fit your style.
If you want a voiceover but don’t want to use your own voice, no worries! You can use the text-to-speech tool. Add text to your reel, tap the text bubble, select the three dots, and choose “text to speech.” From there, you can select the voice option. You can leave the text on-screen as captions or drag it off if you don’t want it visible.
That’s it! Now you’re ready to create engaging reels with voiceovers and captions!
6.Add a call to action and geotag
Captions are a great way to boost audience engagement. You can encourage viewers to tag their friends, ask questions for them to answer, or prompt them to share their thoughts. Responding to comments is also important, as it shows that you value your audience’s input and care about building a connection.
Additionally, you can add a location tag to your reel by tapping the location button and searching for your desired location. This is perfect for tagging your shop, so people know where to find you, or if you’re filming at a special destination, to let your audience know where you are.
Try experimenting with different types of captions, and track how they perform to see which ones resonate the most with your audience. This can help you refine your approach and create even more engaging content in the future.
Key takeaways:
To make your reels more engaging and valuable to your audience, follow these tips:
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Share Industry Tips: Use your expertise to provide helpful advice or insights related to your field. This not only educates your audience but also builds trust in your brand.
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Use Engaging Transitions: Create smooth transitions between clips to keep the flow interesting and seamless. Experiment with different transition styles to find what works best for your story.
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Add a Voiceover: Personalize your content by narrating your story or explaining something in your own voice. This adds a personal touch and helps connect with your audience on a deeper level.
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Include Automated Captions: Since many people watch reels without sound, adding auto-generated captions ensures your content is accessible to everyone. You can also customize these captions for better clarity or style.
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Write a Caption That Encourages Engagement: Ask questions, prompt viewers to tag friends, or invite them to share their thoughts. This invites interaction and increases the chances of your content being shared.
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Use Geotagging in Your Caption: If relevant, tag your location to let your audience know where you’re filming. This is great for local businesses or when shooting in interesting locations.
Go behind the scenes with your brand on Reels
Want to see one of the world’s greatest reels? Spoiler alert: you haven’t made it yet, but you’ll know how after watching this!
Hi, I’m Luqman, and today, we’re going to create a reel that helps you connect with your audience. Sharing behind-the-scenes content, such as a day in your life or your creative process, is a great way to make yourself or your brand more relatable.
Let’s say I’m an interior designer working on a living room. Using just my smartphone, I can create a simple yet engaging reel while I work.
Many smartphones have a time-lapse feature that allows me to capture the passage of time. I find the best light in the room and set up the shot wide enough to capture the whole area I’ll be working in, making sure not to bump into the camera. You can also move the camera around periodically to capture multiple angles. Finish strong by showing the completed project, and consider adding a special effect to highlight it.
Once I’ve imported all of my time-lapse clips and the final shot from my camera roll, I can trim them, add music, or even incorporate text or a voiceover. To make the reel even more attention-grabbing, I’ll change the cover photo to an existing image.
In my caption, I’ll talk about my day-to-day process or the service I offer, including a call-to-action to encourage engagement. Once everything is set, hit Share and watch your views climb!
1.Create behind-the-scenes content
Making videos with Reels is a fantastic way to showcase what makes your brand unique: you. As people get to know you better, it helps build trust with your audience and makes both you and your brand more relatable and authentic. One of the best ways to do this is by taking your audience behind the scenes and showing them what you’re up to. People love getting a glimpse into the daily lives of individuals and brands—it’s like getting a peek behind the curtain.
Here are some ideas for behind-the-scenes Reels to get you started:
- Show your day-to-day process, just like we did in the demo reel.
- Give a tour of your workplace, stockroom, or creative space.
- Pass the mic to your employees or collaborators and let them introduce themselves or share their experiences.
The key is to experiment with what works best for the story you want to tell, but always remember to keep it simple and authentic.
2.Create a time-lapse reel
One great way to grab someone’s attention is by using a time-lapse video – it’s always a crowd-pleaser! Time-lapse is when the capture rate of individual frames is much slower than the video playback rate, making action appear to happen much faster than in real life. Many smartphones offer a feature similar to time-lapse called Hyperlapse, which you can easily access through your phone’s native camera app.
You can use time-lapse to capture a wide range of scenes, such as:
- Showcasing your creative process
- Demonstrating the creation of a product from start to finish
- Documenting a shop location going from empty to full
Think about how you can apply this concept to your own brand. Whether you’re creating art, building something, or setting up a space, time-lapse can help you tell a compelling story. Remember, start with the basics, and keep experimenting to see what works best for you!
3.Add effects
Instagram offers a variety of editing tools to help level up your Reels, and adding effects is one of the most fun ways to showcase your creativity! You can use filters and augmented reality (AR) effects to change your videos’ colors, lighting, and add special effects, all while making your content more engaging.
Here’s how to explore and use effects in your Reels:
- When recording your reel, click the effects button to browse the available effects. Just tap on one, and watch how it transforms your screen.
- Explore the different tabs to discover all the effects available. Some are trending, so you can participate in the trend by using popular effects.
- If you see an effect you like in another reel, you can save it for later. Just tap the icon on the effect and then save it. You’ll be able to see all the reels using this effect.
- To use the saved effect, go back to the effects tool, click the icon, and you can apply it to your own reel.
With so many effects to choose from, you’ll never run out of creative possibilities. Have fun experimenting with different looks and trends, and make your Reels even more captivating!
4.Change a reel cover photo
Before sharing your reel, you have the option to customize its cover photo, which is the thumbnail people will see first on Instagram. This is a great opportunity to give a sneak peek of your reel’s content and capture your audience’s attention.
Here’s how to change your cover photo:
- After creating your reel, go to the preview page and tap the cover photo icon.
- You can either choose a cover photo from the reel itself or upload a picture from your camera roll.
- We recommend uploading a custom image that aligns with your brand’s aesthetic to create a consistent look across all your reels.
- If you’ve already posted your reel and want to change the cover photo later, don’t worry! Go to your published reel on your profile, select Edit, and tap the cover photo icon to make the change.
Customizing your cover photo ensures your reel stands out and encourages more people to watch.
Key takeaways:
- Create behind-the-scenes footage to give people an inside look at your process, making your brand feel more relatable and authentic.
- Use time-lapse to capture a workday or production process, showing the passage of time in a fun and engaging way.
- Add effects to make your content more creative and visually appealing, and don’t forget to
- choose a great cover photo to grab attention and make your reel stand out.
Add an element of surprise to your reels.
Since your reels are competing with other content, it’s important to grab attention quickly. Adding an element of surprise—whether it’s a twist in the story, an unexpected visual, or a unique transition—can help keep people engaged and encourage them to watch until the end.
1.Grab attention
Capturing attention in the first three seconds of your reel is crucial. Think of Instagram’s Explore tab like a newsstand, and your reel is a magazine cover. It’s surrounded by other content, each offering a unique perspective, so your job is to make it easy for people to see what your reel is about and spark their interest right away.
After those first few seconds, keep them engaged by adding surprises—like creative transitions or unexpected visuals. In the demo reel, bold visuals and fun transitions helped maintain attention. Your goal is to show your products or passions in an exciting, relatable way, keeping your audience curious and engaged. Remember, it’s not about going viral, but rather about getting your reel seen by the right people.
2.Use Align to create fun transitions
The Align tool is a game-changer for creating seamless transitions in your reels. It lets you line up objects or yourself from your previous clip before recording your next, making it easier to create smooth transitions—like the demo reel’s outfit change or adding new people to your video.
Here’s how to use it:
- Set up your phone (use a timer if you’re shooting selfie-style so you don’t have to hold the button).
- Record your first clip and end with a clear transition, like a foot stomp, jump, or spin.
- Tap the Align button and you’ll see a transparent image of the final frame of your first clip.
- Trim your first clip if needed to ensure that the last frame is perfect.
- Align yourself with that transparent image and record your second clip.
This tool is great for making objects appear or disappear, showing different variations of the same thing, and much more! Get creative with it, and combine it with other features like songs, sound effects, stickers, and transitions. Check out the Explore tab to see how others are using it for inspiration.
Go ahead and try it out for yourself—your next reel is about to get a lot more magical!
3.Add interactivity
Experimentation is key to discovering what resonates with your audience. Don’t worry if you don’t get it perfect right away—figuring out what doesn’t work is just as valuable as finding what does.
Here’s how you can experiment:
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Interactive Stickers: Add stickers like polls, quizzes, emoji sliders, or “Add Yours” to engage with your audience. For example, ask which product or creation they’d like to see next or their opinion on a specific topic. You can compare how reels with interactive stickers perform vs. those without.
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Syncing Music: Try syncing your video with music. In our demo, we synced the music with a foot stomp. You can add music with a distinctive beat and adjust the slider to align the rhythm with your video. Music that’s in sync makes your reel feel more dynamic and intentional.
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Templates: You can also use templates to take an existing reel with synced music and drop your own photos or videos into it. This is a quick way to try out trending sounds and formats while personalizing the content to your brand.
Keep experimenting, analyze your results, and keep refining your approach based on what works best for your audience!
4.Add mentions in your captions.
Your caption is your final chance to make an impression, so use it wisely! Here are some tips for creating an engaging caption:
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Be Creative & Have Fun: Inject some humor or personality into your caption. Don’t be afraid to be playful, and make sure it aligns with your brand’s tone.
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Ask a Question: Encourage engagement by asking your audience a question. This invites comments and helps build a conversation around your reel.
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Mention Collaborations & Influences: If you’ve worked with someone or been inspired by another brand or person, mention them in your caption. Use the “@” symbol to tag them directly.
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Tagging: Don’t forget to tag relevant accounts, especially if you have collaborations or partnerships. If it’s a paid partnership, use the “paid partnership” label to keep things transparent.
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Use Hashtags: Add one or two relevant hashtags. It’s great to include trending hashtags or those related to your content theme so that your reel reaches the right audience.
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Be Authentic: At the end of the day, being yourself is the best way to connect with your audience. Stay true to your brand and let that shine through your caption!
Experiment with different caption styles and track which types of captions get the most engagement. Then, use that info to guide your future posts.
