The Latest Update on Instagram Reels
Instagram Reels were launched on August 5th, 2020, in over 50 countries (The Verge). And even though this feature has only been around for a few months, it has been getting a ton of attention. Here is everything you need to know about Instagram Reels, including new features, user's experiences, and predictions for the future.
New Reel features
Since the original launch of Reels, there have been three key features added:
Originally, these short videos were limited to only 15 seconds. But with the latest Instagram update released in mid-September, Reels can now be up to 30 seconds in length (Cnet).
The timer used when recording on Reels has also been extended to up to 10 seconds. This feature allows users to use a timer to record video clips for a specific length of time (Ad Week).
And various new tools have also been added to make it easier to trim individual clips. These can be found in the editing section when creating a new video.
How Reels compare to TikTok
Since Instagram released Reels, it has received significant backlash from many claiming that it copied one of its top competitors – TikTok, which allows users to upload videos up to one minute in length.
There has also been speculation that Instagram launched Reels as an alternative to TikTok. And the fact that Reels were released when there was lots of uncertainty about the future of TikTok (more on this here) only supports this idea further. It is hard not to notice the similarities between the two platforms as both allow users to record and edit short video clips and add music, effects, filters, and emojis. Whether this was Instagram's intention, users will likely never know for sure.
Users' experience
Many Instagram users' have heavily focused on comparing Reels to TikTok. And based on our research at AMR, we've noticed that users usually fall into one of two camps – they either love or hate Reels. So who fits into which category?
We are seeing that Instagram users that are loving Reels are generally those with a well-established community/ following, like influencers. And these are the types of users whose Reels are performing the best! Why is this? Instagram's algorithm determines who to show a Reel to and how to categorize it partially based on the past performance of that user's previous posts, their follower count, and who follows them. This means that if a user has a well-established platform on Instagram, their Reels will likely perform consistently well. Additionally, because Reels are one of Instagram's latest features, the platform actually prioritizes them in its algorithm, meaning that it is pushing this kind of content to users more so than it does with traditional posts.
The downside of Instagram's algorithm using a user's past performance to determine how it will rank new content is that it's hard for smaller users to go viral. And because so many Instagram users are also on TikTok – a platform notorious known for allowing smaller users to have a significant impact – they do not experience the same results as they have come to expect from TikTok on Instagram. As a result, many of these users' have embraced TikTok further.
Future Predictions
As of now, Reels are only available to users in select countries. While Instagram has not confirmed if Reels will be made available to additional countries in the future, we believe that it is just a matter of time before they do so. This is because many social media platforms make features available to different locations on a rolling basis (think of TikTok and the Creator Fund!).
We also predict that Reel's time limit could be further expanded past the current 30-second mark. As of right now, the main difference between Reels and TikTok is the time limit (30 seconds vs. 60 seconds). And many Reels' users have voiced that they wished Reels could be longer. Since Instagram already doubled the maximum length of time within just a month of releasing Reels, perhaps they will do this again. However, if Reels and TikTok had the same time limit, this would likely further contribute to the argument that Reels are a "TikTok Copycat" (CNN). A key reason why Instagram may be wary of making Reels 60 seconds is that it would mean that users could easily reuse and repurpose the exact same content across both TikTok and Instagram meaning, less originality on both platforms.
Not sure what your business should be posting on Reels? Check out these five content ideas today! And be sure to follow us at @amr_digital to see all of our latest Reels!
Written By: Leah Ross, AMR Digital Marketing, Copywriter