avatarPriscilla Writing

Summary

The author expresses enthusiasm for Instagram Reels, finding it an addictive and efficient tool for content creation, particularly appreciating its ease of use and built-in features that simplify the process of making engaging short videos.

Abstract

The author of the article shares their positive experience with Instagram Reels, describing it as an addictive platform that has quickly become integral to their content creation routine. They highlight the convenience of creating content on the go, even in challenging weather conditions, and the efficiency of producing and posting content within a short bus ride. The article emphasizes the benefits of Reels for millennials who prefer not to engage with TikTok, the platform it was designed to compete with. The author appreciates the simplicity of Reels, which allows them to avoid managing multiple social media apps and the complexities of the tech industry's competitive landscape. They praise Reels for its user-friendly features, such as easy access to popular music, high-quality audio without the need for expensive equipment, and filters that enhance appearance, making content creation more accessible and enjoyable.

Opinions

  • The author finds Reels to be a superior alternative to traditional Instagram posts and Stories, particularly valuing the ability to tell a story through video rather than static images.
  • They appreciate the ease of adding background music from a recognizable library, saving time compared to sourcing royalty-free music for YouTube videos.
  • The author notes that Reels reduces the need for high-quality audio recording equipment, as the format often relies on music rather than spoken words.
  • They are impressed by the editing capabilities of Reels, which make the process of creating polished content less time-consuming.
  • The author acknowledges the benefits of filters in Reels, which can enhance their appearance without heavy reliance on makeup or extensive preparation.
  • While recognizing the potential for irresponsible content creation and the rapid pace of information flow, the author believes that Reels can reduce stress and inspire excitement among content creators.
  • The author advocates for responsible marketing and content creation, suggesting that Reels encourages more thoughtful and skillful content compared to Instagram Stories.

I Made My First Reel Yesterday and I Am Already Addicted

Why Instagram Reels is the next big thing for content creators

Photo by Andrew Kondrakov on Unsplash

Walking in classic coastal rain and wind, I took out my phone five times and made film clips of a few seconds each and immediately shoving them back in my pocket to keep warm.

I showed some sexy landscape of the Brighton sea, of me walking up a hill and the crazy will blowing my head off, and finally happily settled in a bus.

Then during that 15-minute bus ride, I picked the audio, added a filter, edited the clip, and posted it on Instagram. My social media goal was done for the day before I even reached my co-working office.

There’s nothing not amazing about Reels, a competing function Instagram created to combat against Tiktok. As a Millennial who refuses to use Tiktok (like almost every other millennial), this is fantastic.

Let’s talk about Reels, from a content creator perspective (i.e. not techy!)

What is Reels

inc. magazine summarises Reels in the most precise way:

A new feature of Instagram that lets you record 15-second videos, set them to music, and share them as an Instagram Story, Reels can also be found in a special section of the Explore tab in the app.

In almost every functional way, Reels is TikTok, but built into Instagram.

It’s true. Reels is a clone of Tiktok and people in tech are laughing at Facebook (the owner of Instagram) for how unoriginal they are.

But for me, as a millennial who’s sick of the number of social media apps out there, I don’t mind having one app that satisfies everyone at all.

As a content creator, I’m also happy not to manage yet another app. I’m done with the tech industry’s competition, and I’m sure my audience, clients, and customers are too (P.S. it’s not that I don’t care, Facebook should have been banned from buying Instagram and Whatsapp, and things are changing and should change faster).

So I really don’t mind Instagram rolling out Reels.

Why I love Reels more than Instagram Feed and Story

Here’s why I love Reels:

1. Photography is hard

Storytelling with photos is hard. Unlike writing and filming, where we can build up context, background, and ambiance with as many words and clips we need, there’s only one shot for photos and art. I’m not Ernest Hemmingway, who mastered telling a story with the fewest word possible.

I have enough on my plate and I just don’t can’t add taking and editing better photographs to my endless list of to-dos and to-learns.

Reels help me to stay current on Instagram, and it’s fun to make.

2. Background music is lit

One of the things I spend the most time on when making YouTube videos is finding free royalty-free music that fits the beat and the style of my content. It’s honestly a pain in the ass (although I have discovered fantastic artists and had a lot of fun). It’s time-consuming, to say the least.

With Reels, you can pick the background music and it could be songs everyone knows. It takes away the ‘indie’ element if your brand is to be current and relatable.

3. No more troubles with audio quality

Reels don’t really record our voice (unless you don’t have music). This takes away the requirement to have top-notch audio set up, which is often hard to control and involves pricey equipment. Audio is important in any film context.

I live in Brighton, and the wind is enough to distort my entire audio track.

Obviously, if your content involves a lot of chatting, then Reels doesn’t get rid of the problem.

4. Editing is swish-swish

It’s understandable why TikTok is so captivating. Just look at Jessica Alba dancing with her kids and friends, it’s so flawless (both the editing and herself).

Filming is hard, and editing is harder. The real gold is in editing, that’s how Avengers become so exciting and Bridgerton becomes so sexy. I post a video on YouTube every week (on top of my job and my writing), which means hardcore burning of the midnight oil.

Instagram is my promotion tool to stay current, the quicker I can get my news across with engaging content the better. And Reels really easy to achieve that with the music, the short clip, the filter, and the alignment function.

5. I look hot in Reels

Don’t laugh at this. Men can do everything without makeup on, but women content creator needs to look good all the time. It’s so not fair. But guess what, Reels have those filters that make my skin smooth and eyes define (not too over-the-top), and I have made Reels without makeup on before and I still looked hot.

I’m a one-man-band. Setting filming angles, writing scripts, editing, I really have so much to do to meet my publishing schedule, so don’t laugh at me if I use filters that make me presentable instantly!

Responsible marketing

Instagram starts with being a photographer’s app, and its Story function is their response to Snapchat. Instagram Story helps to satisfy our ego and need to get the public’s attention constantly because it provides quick content that disappears almost without a trace after 24-hours.

Reels at least require us a bit more effort and skills in storytelling and content creation.

Of course, it’s always the responsibility of content creators to be more responsible in what they create and for marketers to harness social media responsibly. But functions like Story are simply toxic (that’s also why I never liked Snapchat after receiving dick pics).

Reels won’t slow down the speed of information flow, nor help with lengthening attention span which the modern world desperately needs. However, I believe it will ease the stress and ignite excitement for some content creators.

I write about intentional living and as a content creator, being more intentional on the internet can’t be ignored. Here are more related content I wrote in the past:

Technology
Instagram
Social Media
Content Marketing
Women In Tech
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