Instagram has added a new feature to their app: Instagram Reels. The concept consists of short clips of up to 15 seconds to which you can add music, filters and other effects. Feel like you’ve heard this before? You’re right! It’s Mark Zuckerberg's response to TikTok.

The launch of Instagram Reels is not surprising. The situation is very similar to when the tech giant launched Instagram Stories - in response to Snapchat at the time. With Reels, Instagram is acknowledging how much of a threat TikTok is, and that's not too surprising. If there is one app that has taken off like a rocket in 2020, it’s TikTok (although, it seems there may be trouble in paradise, with bans impending in multiple countries).

Enough with the background information: we're going to talk about how to use Instagram Reels to keep your event’s visitors engaged.

How do you keep your visitors engaged with Instagram Reels?

The possibilities are endless with the technology available to us in 2020. You can create geofilters with Snapchat, an artist profile on Spotify and there are plenty of ways to enhance your visitors’ experiences throughout your event.

Instagram Reels is the new kid on the block.

In this blog, you’ll learn:

• How Instagram Reels works.
• Why you should use Instagram Reels.
• What goals you can choose using Instagram Reels.

How does Instagram Reels work?

As you read in the intro, Instagram Reels consist of short videos that can be up to 15 seconds in length. You can edit these clips to your heart’s desire. But how do you make one of these clips?

1. Open Instagram and swipe to the right. You’re now in a menu that allows you to use Instagram’s features.

2. At the bottom, you’ll see ‘Reels’. If you navigate there, you can create your first clip.

3. You can add audio to the clip on this screen. You can either use Instagram Music’s database or instead; you can add a custom audio file.

4. Use the speed to determine whether your video is accelerated or slowed down.

5. Decide on the length of your clip by using the timer. You can also set a countdown before you start recording.

6. Instagram wouldn’t be Instagram if you couldn’t add a filter.

7. Press ‘Record’ in the middle of your screen. Just like when you use TikTok, you can stop recording within the 15 seconds and pick up again at a later point.

8. Once you’re happy, you can start adding aftereffects and text to the clip. Next, you can share the clip through Stories, the Feed, or the Reels tab on your page.

What goals can you achieve with Instagram Reels?

1. Creating authentic content that will make your target audience recognise you.

Instagram Reels provides a wide range of options to make your short clips feel fresh. There are a ton of editing possibilities; effects and filters that make your content feel alive and authentic.

This freedom provides you with a great opportunity to create more ‘human’ content. Less editing and less perfect clips are an excellent way of garnering a strong(er) bond with your visitors.

2. Sharing educational content.

Instagram Reels is perfect for sharing educational content. If you’re hosting workshops, you can give your participants a preview of what to expect. If you’re organising a food festival, you can give an impression of how the food was made. The Parisien ‘thesocialfood’ is already doing this:

Dit bericht bekijken op Instagram

sauce tartare @matshisauce 100gr de mayonnaise 4 dash de matshi sauce 1 cac de persil haché 1 cac de cerfeuil haché 1 cac d’estragon haché 1 cac de câpres 1 cac de cornichon #recipe #food #matshisauce #hotsauce #saucepiquante #reelsfood

Een bericht gedeeld door The social food (@thesocialfood) op 5 Jul 2020 om 1:32 (PDT)

3. Give your visitors a peek behind the screens.

Visitors often only see the façade of an event and have little to no understanding of what happens behind the scenes. Instagram Reels allows you to highlight parts of your day, such as brainstorm sessions, the daily life at the office, or some behind the scenes footage of your event’s production team in action.

EVENTIX TIP: Engage your visitors! Engagement is the main factor that Instagram’s algorithms consider. If you can get your visitors to engage with your content by asking questions and responding to comments, this will increase your post’s performance.

4. Show off your merchandise.

If you have merchandise to show off, you’ll want to highlight it as well as possible. Instagram Reels can help bring your merchandise to life. This is because you can pause a clip, change the angle or backdrop and continue at a different point. You can see how this is done in Sephora France’s clip:

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Tag une personne qui rêve de faire du shopping comme ça! 😂 #sephorafrance #reels #shopping #makeup

Een bericht gedeeld door Sephora France (@sephorafrance) op 29 Jun 2020 om 9:27 (PDT)

Good luck messing around with Instagram Reels!

Want to know more about keeping your visitors engaged? Let us know through the chat in the bottom-right corner of your screen or through info@eventix.io.