To round out our series on Instagram Reels, this week’s episode is on Types of Reels. There are a couple types of reels I am going to talk about, and then I’m going to give you some tips on filming reels.
Talking Head
On this type of reel, you talk directly to the camera for the video footage. These types of reels are great to build trust, because they are more personal. Don’t forget from last week’s episode to start with a strong hook. You only have a split second to get the viewer’s attention, so it’s not recommended to start with “Hi, I’m so-and-so…” You just need to jump straight in with your hook. Don’t talk to slow either. You want to be enthusiastic, and you want to edit out any pauses.
You want to include closed captions. This refers to the words on the screen, not the caption below the video.
Then you will use trending audio as your background, on a low volume, not so high that it distracts from your voice.
Always include a title on your screen with your cover photo. The title can be the same as the hook that you use to start your video.
B-roll Footage
This type of reel is background content that you use as the video for your reel. This is a very popular type of reel, which is good because it means less work for you. Or if you’re like me, you might struggle with B-roll content. It is easy because it’s less time-consuming, but sometimes you might overthink it.
But some examples are you sitting at a table working, you pouring a cup of coffee or making your protein shake for the day, you putting out your outfit for the day, a short clip of the sunset… They can be random things in life, and usually, you can collect them throughout your day. Try collecting 5 to 7 second clips throughout your day, or designating one day a week to collect them and use them later for your reels.
You again want to use trending audio. And that’s basically any audio that Instagram has highlighted as popular. Using a trending audio is key, if you want to reach more people, because Instagram is going to push out those trending audios. You want to use audios with less than 10K to 15K uses, and even better the original video has more than 1M views, with recent comments from the last few days.
Obviously, you don’t want to spend too much time looking for these trending audios. In the bottom left corner, where you see the title of the audio when you’re looking at a reel, you will see a little up arrow if that particular reel has a trending audio. Then you know you found one. See the screenshot below, so you can see what I am talking about.
A Few Tips for Filming Reels
Font choice and branding
You want to make your font easy to read. But you also want your font choice to coordinate with your brand. Make it as close to your brand fonts as possible. Keep this in mind with colors as well. If you are using Instagram to edit your videos, and they don’t have your exact brand colors, just get as close as possible.
Your video length
Most of your reels need to be very short. You don’t need to make them too long. Try not to do too much, as I shared in last week’s episode. Just focus on one thing.
Filters
Obviously, you don’t want to overuse filters. You don’t want to make your screen too dark to read the text or have too much text.
Text location
Make sure your text is in a place where it is easy to read, and it isn’t covered up by your username, the start of your caption, or any of the graphics that you’ve put on your screen or the icons on the right side of the screen.
Learn more about how to make reels and how to be successful with reels with my Complete Guide to Reels here: https://alyssaavantandcompany.com/product/a-complete-guide-to-reels/
STAY CONNECTED
I have a Facebook group for Christian authors, speakers, and coaches. It’s called The Christian Business Advantage, and each month I do a FREE training around the third Thursday of each month. Please come join our group, and you will learn tips and tricks for your business.
