If you haven’t seen them in your Instagram feed yet, you will soon. Or maybe you’ve seen them and didn’t realize what they were. “They” are posts on Instagram Reels. Instagram rolled out these short (15 second) videos set to music in more than 50 countries this month after testing in Brazil last November, and in India, Germany, and France last month.

If you haven’t been using TikTok for any number of reasons, you can obtain many of the same features—and possibly capture a new audience—by turning to Reels. And before you reject the idea, we should tell you that brands like Maybelline, Walmart and Louis Vuitton have already jumped on board the Reels bandwagon to market their products.

 

How Reels works

You can spot Reels by the icon in the lower-left corner of the video in your own feed. Also, the same icon appears in the upper-right corner of an Instagram profile or in the feed of someone you follow.

The feature is built into the current Instagram interface and can be accessed from the same camera you use for Stories. Users can record a series of individual clips or can import video uploads from their gallery.

In addition, Instagram uses its algorithm to show you Reels you might be interested in based on your viewing history whenever you check out the Explore page (equivalent to TikTok’s For You page). So instead of seeing only Reels from accounts you follow, you can view trending and popular Reels on Instagram.

“If your Reel is featured in Explore, you’ll receive a notification,” according to Instagram. “Featured Reels are a selection of public reels chosen by Instagram to help you discover original content.”

Reels are designed to be uploaded solely on mobile devices, specifically iOS and Android.

 

How Reels differs from TikTok

The biggest difference between Instagram Reels and TikTok is the latter is a stand-alone platform, whereas Reels is integrated into an existing platform.

Using Reels helps alleviate the controversy surrounding the TikTok platform, which has encountered cyber security concerns recently. Also outright bans in some countries makes TikTok’s future uncertain.

Yes, it was inspired by (or “borrowed,” if you prefer) from TikTok, just as the Instagram Stories idea was lifted from Snapchat. But there’s no denying Stories quickly soared in popularity, with currently 400 million active users, far surpassing Snapchat’s 190 million.

We predict Reels will see the same success, simply because it’s embedded in an app that over one billion people worldwide already use.

 

How Reels differs from Stories

If you embed your Reels into your Instagram Stories, they will disappear in 24 hours, just as Stories do. If you post them to your feed, however, they will remain indefinitely on your main profile grid. Your Reels will also be permanently accessible in a dedicated section of your profile.

Reels also provides several editing tools, like speed controls and AR effects, which are not available on Stories.

Plus, any original audio you create for your Reel will be available for other users to embed as part of their own Reels, similar to TikTok.

 

How to use Reels for marketing

Because Instagram Reels can be shared to the greater Instagram community by posting to the Instagram Explore page, as well as with followers, they offer you the opportunity to have your videos seen by a global audience.

They may not be appropriate for every brand, but Reels, like Stories can help build relationships with your audience. This is especially true if you’re looking to appeal to millennials and Gen Z, who have been the primary users of TikTok.

Just like with Stories, use Reels to be creative and fun. This helps engage users by providing appealing content. You can build on your brand, showcase your personality and increase fan engagement.

Although Reels differs from Stories in the ways we mentioned above, you can employ many of the same concepts to market your product or service through the feature.

For example, you can:

  • provide quick behind-the-scenes looks at your staff or operation
  • offer educational content such as recipes or how to assemble a product you’re promoting
  • give quick tips in your product or service area or just information your audience might be drawn to. Think: how to clean face masks, how to clip a kitty’s nails, how to repot a plant
  • showcase featured products
  • generate buzz around upcoming sales or a new product release

If you think Instagram Reels might be a tool you want to add to your marketing arsenal, let our social media marketing experts show you how to get the most out of them.