Video content is queen on social media, and Instagram Reels are one of the best ways to connect with your audience, grow your reach, and showcase your brand’s personality. But what makes a reel stand out? 

Here are our top tips for creating engaging, high-quality reels that captivate your audience across all platforms:

Tell a Story with Reels

At the heart of every great reel is storytelling. Connecting with your audience through an interesting and engaging story helps keep viewers hooked. Sharing real-life experiences, challenges, or behind-the-scenes moments creates a human-to-human connection that resonates. Focus on making your content relatable and authentic. This is what makes people stop scrolling and start engaging.

Use Auto Captions on Reels

Including captions is a simple but powerful way to elevate your videos. Not only do captions help viewers understand what’s being said more easily, but they also make your content more accessible for people with disabilities. With so many people watching videos on mute, captions ensure your message comes across loud and clear.

Add Effects and Visual Elements to Reels

Humans have an attention span of about three seconds…yes, three seconds! Keep viewers engaged by layering in visuals that align with your video’s message:

• Overlays: Add clips that visually support what you’re talking about.
• Stickers or Text: Use these sparingly to highlight key points.
• Sound Effects: A funny sound effect at the right moment can add personality and keep things lighthearted.

These small additions make your videos look polished and professional, helping your content stand out in crowded feeds.

Master the Logistics of Reels

To take your reels to the next level, pay attention to these technical details:

• Quality Matters: Always shoot in the best quality possible. A blurry or poorly lit video is an immediate turn-off.
• Platform-Specific Formats: Make sure your video dimensions fit the platform you’re posting on. Vertical formats (9:16) are ideal for most social media reels.
• Trending Sounds: Incorporate trending sounds whenever possible. Even if you’re not using the sound prominently, adding it and lowering the volume can give your reel a boost in the algorithm.
• Keep It Short: Aim for videos that are 1 minute or less. Short, snappy content aligns with viewers’ short attention spans.

Stay Consistent with Posting Reels

Reels are about more than just one great post. Consistency is key to building momentum and keeping your audience engaged. Post regularly, experiment with different styles (hint: Instagram’s new trial reels feature is great for this), and analyze your performance to see what resonates best with your audience.

By focusing on storytelling, accessibility, visual engagement, and technical details, you can elevate your reels and create scroll-stopping content that truly connects with your audience. Whether you’re building a brand or sharing your expertise, these tips will help your videos shine.

Pro Tip for Making It Happen

We know – you are busy running your business and this all feels like… a lot. It is. However, dedicating time to learning how to do reels, making a few, and getting into a routine will pay off in more ways than Instagram engagement. Reuse the videos you create as YouTube Shorts, TikTok videos, and short-form videos on other platforms. You can really extend the mileage of your efforts by creating a series of Reels (like FAQs) and then creating a blog post that links to the videos after answering the question on your website.

Need help? 

strategysmith marketing is ready to work with you and your business on content marketing and social media marketing, as well as to provide valuable insights into the best practices for incorporating storytelling into your digital marketing strategy. 

Contact us so we can help you embrace the power of storytelling and unlock the potential to captivate your audience, differentiate your business, and drive the growth of your small business.