Instagram Reels: how to use it? [Complete Guide 2023]

Instagram Reels is the most delivering and engaging content resource on Instagram.

Combined with feed and Stories, Reels becomes a new option for you to create unique content and, best of all, go viral. Rivaling TikTok, Reels is ideal for creating short videos from 15 to 60 seconds.

And do you know the main difference between that and Stories? Reels content does not disappear after 24 hours!

That is, all your Reels will be stored and available in your feed, without the need to create highlights in your bio for Instagram. This feature will allow you to create timeless content, that is, a post that is valid regardless of when your Instagram followers accessed it.

Still not sure how to use this feature? Need help creating posts on Instagram Reels? Or want to watch some before you start creating?

Check out our full Reels guide below!

Where To Watch Instagram Reels?

The first point to entering the universe of Reels is to follow the trends. And this is only possible by watching other users’ Reels.

Due to its extreme importance currently on the platform, Reels currently occupies a prominent space in the Instagram menu.

However, it is still not possible to post them through your computer, without using other tools external to Instagram. That is, even if you prefer to use Instagram on your computer, you can only post Reels if you use the mobile app.

One of the perks of Instagram Reels — and what makes it a strong rival to TikTok — is that you don’t have to see Reels just from who you’re following. It is very easy to watch the various content made on the platform without having to pause.

To learn how to do this, check out the next snippet of our complete guide!

How To Watch Instagram Reels?

Now the real step-by-step begins!

To watch Reels, open the Insta app, and in the lower main menu, you will see the symbol in the middle of the screen.

By clicking on the icon you will have access to the videos of profiles you follow, but not only them, the application will bring you videos that it thinks are interesting for you.

You can also access Reels through Explore by clicking on the magnifying glass and opening the menu.

There, for sure, some suggested Reels videos will appear, just look at the Reels symbol, as highlighted below. If only an arrow symbol appears, such as the “Play” sign, this post is a video, not a Reels.

Also, you can search for a specific topic or person in the Search bar and find matching Reels.

Click on the Reels you want to watch and it will be on your full screen. After watching the full video, drag the screen up to move to the next title. If you don’t like it, you can just swipe down and see another one.

How to interact with Instagram Reels?

Did you like one specific Reels and want to interact with the user who created it? See below where you can tap to interact and then what each button means.

• 1 – Use your camera to make a new Reels – here it is worth mentioning that the audio of the Reels you are watching goes with it as a suggestion;
• 2 – Interact with Reels by liking, commenting, and sharing
• 3 – Get access to information such as reporting, copying the link, sharing outside the app, remixing the Reels, and even classifying it as not interested, so that the Instagram algorithm understands your tastes and does not recommend Reels from this profile or with these characteristics, to you;
• 4 – Access the Instagram bio of the person who created the content;
• 5 – Read the subtitle of the video;
• 6 – Access the audio information of these Reels.

TIP: When this little white arrow appears before the name of the song it means that this is a song that is trending on the platform right now. It’s really worth creating your Reels with songs that are on the rise, as the likelihood of your content being delivered to more users is huge.

By clicking on the audio you will have the possibility to Use audio or Save it to use later and you can see all the Reels that are using that song and get very interesting ideas from there.

Want to see someone’s Reels in particular? Then see below how to find Reels from users you follow on Insta!

How to find Reels from users you already follow?

Don’t want to see content from random users, but from people you follow and trust? You can access all of that person’s Reels and “binge-watch” all the content they have posted.

To do this, return to the Explore tab. Instead of clicking on Reels like last time, tap on the top bar and enter the username of the person you follow. When you find it, just click to access the profile.

Then tap the button shown in the screenshot below.

From here, you can select any Reels already published.

Alternatively, you can click on the first Reels and watch until you see all the content your favorite influencer has published so far.

Want to create your own content for Instagram Reels yourself? Then learn how to create your own in the next step-by-step of this article!

How to create your own Reels?

Enough watching and let’s create! Reels can be created by accessing the platform in the following ways:

• On the main page of the app, click the “+” in the top menu and then Reel
• Via the menu on your profile, click the “+” in the top menu and then Reel
• Or by dragging the home screen to the right and swiping the bottom bar until you find Reels

See below:

Now you can upload a video from your camera roll or record it directly from the Reels menu.

We will teach you some tricks below.

Recording your Reels

To start a reel and record it directly on your phone, open the app and follow the instructions above to open the Reels screen.

With the screen open, it’s time to record your video. In this main screen, you can now define the filters, songs, and masks that you will use in your production. See what each option in the menu on the left will allow you to include even before recording videos!

• 1 – Choose a song to play in the background or to lip-sync;
• 2 – Timer, set the duration of the video, which is a maximum of 59 seconds. You can use the countdown feature to start recording your video, for example.
• 3 – Choose the speed at which the video will be played;
• 4 – Select a layout to insert videos or on-screen photos for your video;
• 5 – Align – this tool allows you to align your videos, that is, after recording the first part of your video, tap the align button to start recording the next part, overlapping the videos.

In addition to all these options, there are still possibilities to add effects, just click on the “star” button, on top of the main screen button and choose your preferred filter, scrolling the bar to the right, or clicking and opening the menu.

Did you choose everything you needed to start recording? Then click the center button and record your first Instagram Reels!

From here, you have three options: cut any snippets you didn’t like before publishing, discard your recording, or edit and publish your Instagram Reels. See how to do the first two in the next section.

How to Discard a Video from Instagram Reels?

Didn’t like the video you recorded? No need to log out of the app and log back in to fix it. Just click on the X located at the top-left corner of your screen.

Then click on Discard video to delete it.

How to publish content?

Did you like the recording? Now you will be able to include more elements, such as music, audio with effects, GIFs, and interactive stickers like the ones from Instagram Stories and texts.

It is worth mentioning here that texts can be entered and you can determine the duration of each text by controlling the lower time bar, as shown in the image on the right, below.

The pre-recording options are still available here if you want to change anything.

Once done, tap Next, write your Reels caption, enter the hashtags that are related to your video, and insert a cover for your video.

To insert the cover, select as shown below. You can choose to take a moment from the video itself or choose an image from your gallery.

Remember that the cover is a fundamental item for people to see your Reels in the feed and want to click to watch. A good title or flashy image is essential!

Okay, now just click Share to publish your Instagram Reels!

7 Tips to Make Your Reels Rock!

Our first tip is: bet on authenticity. Like Stories, the Reels’ short video format also favors authenticity over production. This means being fun is essential as most users are looking to Instagram Reels to entertain themselves.

On the other hand, this does not mean that you should stop publishing educational or helpful content. In fact, content that is fun and teaches something is key to getting your Reels off the ground.

This brings us to the second tip: don’t be afraid to post timeless content. As we already mentioned in the article, your posts on Reels are not deleted after 24 hours, as with Stories on Instagram.

The third tip also relates to the previous one. Because you can create timeless content, think of your Reels as a running story, with posts that are connected to each other.

In this way, you will create a network of content that will keep your follower’s attention. This means more time watching and interacting with your content, which increases your chances of being featured in Reels in the Explore tab.

To do this, follow our fourth tip: plan your content in advance! This way, you avoid running out of things to post, and it’s easier to create cohesive content that makes sense and encourages your Instagram followers to engage with your content.

Didn’t think the content was good? Don’t be afraid to delete and redo it! In addition to consistency, it is important that your content has quality.

Publishing content daily just for the sake of publishing might cause your numbers to soar at first, but they will certainly stagnate if you don’t create anything that inspires your followers to engage. Better to bet on quality, even if it means a lower frequency.

Finally, try out all the tools and elements! At first, you have no way of knowing what types of content will resonate with your followers or users who find you.

So, don’t be afraid or ashamed to test everything the tool offers you. Whether it’s lip-syncing a song, trying out some of the hundreds of masks available straight from the platform, or applying edits that increase the quality of your content.

It’s also worth testing some apps for editing Reels and then posting directly to the platform, but try to use viral audios within the app itself, preventing your songs from being barred and your content vetoed.

Test a lot and when you’re done, test even more!

Closing with our seventh and final tip: produce content on Instagram Reels! It may be more comfortable to continue creating content for the feed, or Stories, but this content tool is here to stay and, as the platform itself has already highlighted, Reels has a much greater delivery.

That is, you are likely to see your number of followers and engagement increase.

That said, don’t waste time and start producing Instagram on your profile now!

What do you think about Instagram Reels?

What do you think of Reels? Did you adapt well to this tool or are you struggling to produce content?

I hope our tips are helping you to unlock the potential of Instagram Reels and also to bring more followers to your profile.

In addition to Reels, we also recommend using a tool to manage your profile: Stim.

This platform has features that go beyond what you can do in the Instagram app. For example, you can use it to schedule feed and Stories posts right from your computer. Only Reels are not available, as they are too new.

Stim also has automatic interactions. Here, you can define a set of hashtags, competing profiles, or locations for the Stim algorithm to automatically search for. When finding posts according to these filters, the tool automatically follows the content creator, as well as leaving a like on the post.

It’s one of the best ways to increase your exposure on the social network and increase your chances of gaining new followers!

In addition, Stim also allows you to create automatic message templates, which are sent as soon as your new followers arrive.

All these actions can be followed directly by the platform’s reporting tool, which shows you how many automatic actions were taken, as well as the growth of your profile.

Best of all, you can try Stim for FREE for 5 days! Just click on the link and register right now!