Instagram Reel
Short-form vertical video content on Instagram, discoverable beyond your followers through the Reels feed.
Instagram Reels are short-form vertical videos (15 seconds to 90 seconds) on Instagram that are designed for discovery and entertainment. Reels appear in a dedicated Reels feed and are pushed beyond your followers to non-followers through Instagram's recommendation algorithm.
Reels were launched in 2020 in direct response to TikTok's explosive growth, and Instagram has given Reels significantly more algorithmic distribution than regular feed posts since then. For accounts wanting to grow their Instagram following, Reels are the highest-leverage content format.
Best practices: hook viewers in the first 2 seconds, use trending audio, add captions (80% of Reels are watched without sound), and post consistently.
Related Terms
TikTok
A short-form video platform known for its powerful interest-based algorithm that surfaces content to non-followers.
Short-Form Video
Video content typically under 60 seconds designed for quick consumption, as popularized by TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts.
Algorithm
The set of rules a social media platform uses to decide which content to show users and in what order.
Reach
The total number of unique people who saw your social media content during a given time period.
Frequently Asked Questions
- How long should Instagram Reels be?
- Reels between 15-30 seconds tend to get the highest completion rates, which boosts algorithmic distribution. Longer Reels (60-90 seconds) can work for more in-depth content, but you need a very strong hook to retain viewers.
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