Instagram Reels is a new way to create and discover short, entertaining videos on Instagram. They officially launched on August 5, 2020, in selected 50 countries including the United States, India, Germany, France, U.K, Japan and Australia.
It was tested for 9 months in Brazil before its official launch. The launch was announced after India banned the short video app TikTok in their country.
This is not the first time that Instagram got its inspiration from another app. In August 2016, they launched the “Story” feature to compete with Snapchat, the original creators of disappearing videos. Instagram Stories too only had a lifetime of 24 hours. After a few months, Instagram Stories surpassed Snapchat in popularity.
TikTok has grown a lot, especially given the quarantine, due to many people being at home and trying to find ways to occupy their time.
It’s no coincidence that Instagram has rolled out this feature now, given the popularity of TikTok and it’s current battle with the Trump administration over the lack of clarity surrounding data privacy issues.
What are reels?
Instagram Reels lets people record and edit 15-second videos with audio, effects and new creative tools.
The best way to describe them is like TikTok for Instagram.
They’re different from Instagram stories which disappear after being viewed and they’re different from IGTV, which is better suited for long-form content and live events.
Unlike stories, users can pause clips however due to their short duration, users aren’t able to rewind or fast forward like they can with IGTV posts.
Similar to IGTV posts users can leave comments, see how many views your video has, share or like your Reels as well as find your content using the EXPLORE page and HASHTAGS.
Why should I start doing reels?
Not only are Reels are FUN to make & ENGAGING, but you can attain a competitive edge if you take advantage of reels. This is because Instagram is super excited about this new feature so they’re making reels more visible than other types of content on their app!
Get the full rundown on Instagram Reels in the latest video I made! I go through all the basics, from creating to sharing and all the technical bits.
Stay competitive and utilize the latest strategies by tuning into my @babeeinbusiness video series.
