Instagram Reels, Instagram’s answer to TikTok, premiered on August 5, 2020, in 50 countries across the world, so you’ve probably been hearing a lot about it. While Instagram has been relatively secretive about user data thus far, we have discovered some interesting metrics for Instagram Reels.
Let’s make sure we’re all on the same page on what Instagram Reels are and how they increase engagement before diving into the numbers.
What exactly are Instagram Reels?
Instagram now has a way for users to make and share short videos with the new Reels feature. Like TikTok, Reels enables you create 15-second movies, customise them with music and other effects, and then broadcast them to your followers or, if your Instagram profile is public, the whole Instagram community via the Explore page.
How do Instagram Reels actually function?
Select the Reels option at the Instagram camera’s bottom to begin creating Instagram Reels. The Reels editing tools will appear on the left side of the screen. Some of the tools used for editing are:
Find and select an audio clip from Instagram’s extensive music library. Recording a Reel of live audio is another option for using custom audio. Remember that if you upload original audio to a shared Reel, other users can use that audio in their own Reels by selecting Use Audio from your Reel (if you have a public account).
Instagram’s effect gallery features a number of augmented reality (AR) effects from which to pick. Instagram and its users all around the world work together to create these effects, which may be used to record several video with unique visual styles.
You can film your Instagram Reels videos hands-free thanks to the app’s timer and countdown features. Once you press the record button, a three-second countdown will begin before the camera begins recording.
Use Instagram Reels’ awesome align function to perfectly match shots from one reel with those from another before you hit record. This allows for smooth transitions while changing clothes (a common TikTok effect) or when introducing new people into your Reel.
Instagram Reels allow you to speed up or slow down specific segments of video or audio. You may use this to create slow-motion films or to keep time with the music.
The Instagram Numbers You Must Know
Now that we’ve covered Instagram Reels’ capabilities and functionalities, we can dive into 2022’s Instagram Reels data. These can be used to enhance your content strategy and give you ideas for more effective Instagram marketing campaigns.
One of the most popular apps nowadays is still Instagram
In the final three months of 2021, the social networking app jumped from sixth to first place in terms of downloads. In terms of current social media popularity, Instagram is so dominant that it has even surpassed TikTok. In the first three months of 2022, though, TikTok regained the upper hand.
Brazil was the first country to introduce Instagram Reels
Over 150 countries now have access to Reels, but it all started in Brazil. Between October 2019 and November 2019, Reels increased its Instagram following by 4.34 percent, up from a monthly average of 1 percent.
87% of millennials think that Reels and TikTok are “basically the same”
Reels has a clear advantage over TikTok. According to SMPerth’s analysis of the platforms’ respective user bases, 87 percent of Gen Z users who have tried both apps say that Instagram Reels is “basically the same as TikTok.”
As Instagram has more advertising, shopping, linking, and marketing options than TikTok does, this could be excellent news for the industry.
Compared to typical Instagram video postings, interaction with reels is 22% higher
Users interact more with videos in Instagram’s Reels area than with Instagram’s standard videos. While videos and photos are combined on the Explore page, the Reels tab has its own dedicated page for discovery.
Instagram highlights are longer than those on TikTok
Instagram highlights reels provide you a larger canvas than TikTok videos by at least 8 percent. Tiktok’s right sidebar is rather large and distracting. Instagram has hidden this away towards the bottom of the screen so that you can see everything. The number of people who actually watch your videos will increase thanks to this seemingly insignificant change.
A TikTok Alternative: Instagram Reels
Before we wrap up, it’s necessary to compare Instagram to the short-form video powerhouse it was created to compete with: TikTok. Many TikTok stars would probably switch to Instagram Reels if the app suddenly disappeared, given that they already have an audience there.
But if there’s one thing we’ve learned from targeting Generation Z consumers, it’s that they like to do things their own way. Generations X and Y, who have found a home on TikTok, may migrate to Instagram Reels, while Generation Z may choose another option to TikTok (or discover something new).
Conclusion
You can share your Instagram Reels with the whole Instagram community if you have a public account, which is a great change of pace from Instagram Stories, which are solely visible to your followers.
It will be fascinating to see how marketers and influencers use Reels to capitalise on Instagram’s growing popularity as the feature develops. Brands are already experiencing increased engagement as a result of adopting the Reels feature, as we’ve demonstrated with the NBA, but there is a serious dearth of hard data to back up these claims.