Mastering Reels For Growth

Different types of reels

There are a few MAIN types of reels you can create for your IG account.

  • B-roll: This is content that you film 'as if you were just doing your normal day to day things'. For example, walking, working, cooking, sitting on your sofa, on the phone, making your bed, working out. This is current one of the most popular types of content on the platform as it's easy for people to record and is engaging if you have a connection between the video and the hook. See an example of b-roll content here.

  • Talking to the camera: This is content where you actually film yourself talking into the camera. So you would spend 30 seconds or longer talking about a specific topic relating to your niche. This is a great way for people to see your energy, your personality and builds connection with your audience. See an example of talking to the camera reel here. 

  • Trends: This is where you jump on particular 'trends' on social media. It could be a popular lip sync, or a trending dance, or a trending audio where you have to mimic a particular action. These are NOT compulsory so if they don't fit with you and your business, don't worry about doing them. But they can be really good at showing YOUR PERSONALITY and building more connection. See an example of a trending video here. 

  • Transitions: Transitions used to be really popular on IG, but we don't see them as much anymore. However they can be good to add a different type of content and mix it up within your feed. There are many different transitions you can do from jumping and changing into different clothes, getting ready and covering the camera with a make up brush, walking through a door and switching destination. They take longer to film and typically need more practice to master. You can see an example of a transition reel here. 

  • Screen recording tutorials: Tutorials won't work for every niche, but if there is a tutorial that you can show which gives your audience step by step on how to do something, it works well. I'd suggest starting by talking to the camera and giving a solid intro on what the reel is about, followed by the tutorial. You can see an example of a tutorial reel here. 

  • Pointing: Not as popular but also an additional type of content to switch things up on your feed. You point in time with the beat of the music and touch different points to sync it with the text as they appear on screen. You can see an example of mine here. 

Best Practices for reels

Here’s a checklist that you can use to make sure you’re filming reels to the highest quality:

  • Wipe your camera lens before filming (seriously, it helps a lot!)

  • Film in portrait, not landscape

  • Be mindful of proximity to the camera - don't film too close or too far away

  • Film in natural lighting, rather than in dark rooms with a light on

  • Upload straight to Google Drive to avoid it compressing and losing quality if you need to send to another device (don't send via Whatsapp or another messaging channel)

  • Use original content - not from TikTok / Canva or with any effects on

  • No watermarks from other platforms

  • Only video footage for reels - no photos

Educational hook ideas:

  • If you are currently [niche journey], this video is for you.

  • I'll show you how to [desired result] in X time (7 seconds, 1 minute etc)

  • 5 [niche] hacks

  • Here are 4 ways that you can [insert desired transformation].

  • 3/5/7 [insert X] if you want to [insert the desired result].

  • This is probably why you’re unable to [insert desired result].

  • Here is what to do if you [a problem your audience often runs into]

  • Without these 3 things, I wouldn't have been able to [achieve audience desire]

  • How to [insert desired result]

  • The best [insert what you're teaching]

  • Your 5 step plan to achieve [insert desired result]

  • If you do [insert action they need to take], you’ll have [desired transformation] result by [insert time frame].

Structure your caption:

  • Follow this process when writing your captions:

    • Hook: Start with a STRONG FIRST LINE. When your audience see your reel on their feed, they'll also see the first line of the caption too. You want this to be intriguing so people want to click the 'see more' and read the rest of it. Good hook ideas for your caption include  

    • Body: You want to add MORE context or information to your post, rather than just repeating the same information twice as this isn't going to encourage people to read it if they notice it's just the same thing. You could add a few more points of value, or share a personal story. Either way you want people to have a reason to read it rather than just scrolling past. 

    • Line breaks: Don't just add your whole caption together as a huge block of text. Space things out after every 1 or 2 sentences to make it easier for people to read. 

    • Tone of voice: Show your personality! What emojis can you add to give it your vibe? What language do you use which makes it unique to you? 

    • Keywords: Add keywords that are relevant to your post to make the most out of the SEO on IG. Make it make sense! Don't just use a bunch of keywords in a row, add it within your sentences so it flows and sounds good. 

    • CTA: What do you want your followers to do? Follow? Save? Share? Comment? Like? You can put your CTA at the bottom but also under the hook as well. 

    • Hashtags: Use 5-15 hashtags which are relevant to your niche and industry. 

     

    You can also keep the caption brief and short BUT you want to optimise the caption as much as you can with keywords to make it more SEO friendly.