New Instagram Updates and The Push of Reels!

By Natalie Starr
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Instagram is constantly making changes to add new features in order to help businesses and users with their brands.  There is almost one new feature being added every week, making it hard to keep up with all the updates.  If you want to keep your business account growing and trending, it’s important to be aware of new features and when to best implement them into your social media strategy.


A key element you want to focus on that Instagram has incorporated is Reels. Reels are short 15 - 90 second clips of video and audio that get put on a discoverable feed on both the Reel section and Explore page on Instagram.  Reels are a great way for brand awareness and can significantly grow your social following. By posting Reels, your chance of being on the Explore page is significantly higher than just posting a photo or story.  Reels are different from stories, in that they don’t disappear after 24 hours, they stay up until the creator decides to delete them.  The Instagram algorithm has completely changed and has put Reels as the highlight feature.  Reels is the one feature that can reach an endless amount of people and reach high engagement with other users quickly.


It is essential to use Reels as a way to grow your business and it’s not too hard to manage!  One way to optimize your Reel is to include relevant hashtags.  Using hashtags that align with the topic of your Reel will help you reach your target audience.  In addition, you want to use a trending audio sound that can go along with your Reel.  By using a trending audio sound, it is likely your Reel will reach more people and be higher up in the feed.  You also want to be sure to be consistent and post often.  Instagram favors accounts that regularly post Reels, so it would work in your favor to develop a schedule to post your Reels as well as engage with other Reels.  By posting consistently it also allows you to feel out your Reels and gain insight to which ones are favored and getting noticed more.


If you qualify, you actually have the chance to get paid for posting Reels! This is a new feature Instagram unlocked called Reels Play.  This allows business accounts with less than a million followers in the US to get paid for the amount of plays their Reel gets.  Reels Play is another way Instagram is encouraging the use of Reels from professional accounts and users.


Overall, Instagram Reels are a creative and fun way to reach and engage new users to your brand.  Through the use of Reels you can grow your audience, build a relationship with customers/users, improve your brand awareness, and stay relevant in the social media world.  Reels is a great way to establish and showcase your brand’s personality.  With the new Instagram algorithm, you should definitely implement Reels into your social media strategy to become a successful brand and make connections with both old and new users!