Since its launch in 2010, Instagram has grown into one of the largest social media platforms for sharing photos and videos.

Over 1 billion people across all demographics around the world use this platform every month.

In addition, it has become a powerful social media tool for both individuals and businesses.

With its focus on images and video, Instagram is great for creating brand awareness and building customer loyalty.

Over the years, brands have successfully used Instagram to connect with consumers through visual storytelling.

So, what are they doing right, and what features are they using?

In this guide, we’ll discuss Instagram’s newest tool, Instagram Reels.

We’ll also describe what it is, how to use Instagram analytics, and some best practices so you can start creating unique reels too.

What Are Instagram Reels?

Launched in 2020, Instagram Reels quickly became a sensation.

Instagram Reels are short videos people can post on their Instagram Stories or Instagram Live.

The good thing about Instagram Reels is that they won’t disappear after 24 hours. Instead, users can prominently feature them on their profiles.

Instagram Reels are great for those who want to create a video reel from their photos. The process is easy and fast, and you don’t need any experience.

All you need is a smartphone camera.

You can also create an Instagram reel using videos and add text, filters, and audio. There are different editing tools to play around with to help highlight a brand’s uniqueness.

The Instagram Reels algorithm is valuable and allows brands to reach new markets and increase engagement.

This high-performing content is another way to engage with followers and find new ones.

What Are Instagram Reels Insights?

Instagram Reels Insights is a great tool for measuring engagement metrics on Instagram. It shows you a breakdown of how well your Instagram account performs.

The tool allows you to analyze how much attention you receive from each Reel or post on your account.

The insights include the number of followers, engagement rate, and total impressions.

This information helps you understand what works for your business and what doesn’t work.

Instagram Reels Insights is an excellent feature for marketers who want to understand how their audiences interact with their Instagram accounts.

With these insights, advertisers can view which images perform best, what types of posts drive engagement, and where they should spend their ad budget.

How Do You View Instagram Reels Insights?

Accessing your Instagram Reels insights is pretty simple.

If you want to view these insights, you need to go to the Instagram app, click on the Reels tab, and select the reel you wish to view metrics for.

At the bottom of the reel, you’ll see View Insights.

You’ll be able to see the comments, likes, views, saves, and accounts reached for the post.

Now, let’s talk about how and when to use Instagram’s insights so you can maximize your content strategy.

When To Use Instagram Reels Insights

While you can look at various Instagram Reels insights, the best route is to use the overall Instagram insights to see how your reels, stories, IGTV videos, live videos, feed posts, and promoted posts are doing as a whole.

This will give you a better picture of your overall content approach so you can create more effective reels and build a stronger overall Instagram strategy.

You can look at your reach, interactions, profile visits, and audience to figure out the best time of day to reach your target audience.

Including time to analyze your Instagram insights and assess engagement over time is crucial to your social media strategy.

To make the most out of your insights, you can set KPIs (key performance indicators) based on your brand’s goals by selecting specific insights you want to monitor.

Then, at the end of each month, you can see how your content performed against those insights and adjust your strategy accordingly for the following month.

After each quarter, you’ll have tracked your KPIs and have more data to use for your social media marketing strategy.

As you incorporate new features such as Instagram Reels into your content strategy, you can analyze how each type of content performs compared to other types.

You can even opt to view the content performance from week to week to see a more granular breakdown of your Instagram content.

The great thing about Instagram insights is that you can easily view them anytime and see how your content is doing.

So, if one particular reel has outstanding engagement, you can learn from that and incorporate similar concepts into related promoted posts.

Instagram Reels Features

As we discussed, Instagram Reels allows users to create short individual posts from photos and videos, and add text, audio, and filters to their content.

A new feature of Instagram Reels is the new Remix capability.

Remixing a reel allows someone to record videos alongside another user’s public video or reel, allowing for more collaboration and interactions between accounts.

This creates more opportunities between brands and influencers to collaborate and highlight unique social media content.

Instagram Reels Best Practices

With a bit of time scrolling through Instagram Reels, brands can easily figure out what’s trending and replicate those videos to help capture their audience’s attention.

Try to see which reels have the most engagement and analyze why that reel garnered more views or comments.

Also, look at how your competitors are using Instagram Reels.

What angles or features are they using? And what topics are they covering in their reels?

When it comes to making reels, it’s crucial to focus on generating authentic content, so each reel doesn’t feel like you’re trying to sell something to your followers.

You don’t want your followers quickly scrolling past your reels.

Creating a balance between educating your followers and keeping them entertained is essential.

And remember: Instagram Reels aren’t generally long-form video content – so if you don’t use your limited time wisely, it’ll be hard to keep people interested.

Brands can capitalize on this tool by promoting upcoming events, sharing how to use new or bestselling products, and further engaging with their following.

Make sure to use high-quality images when creating a reel, and get creative when editing them together.

The best way to put together an Instagram Reel is to use a video editor app. You can try out FilmoraGo or InShot.

Once you have edited your footage, add music and transitions, and export your reel so you can upload it to Instagram.

Final Thoughts

Over the years, Instagram has become an incredibly influential tool for brands. Using it correctly can help brands reach and grow their target audience.

You can gain valuable information about your followers by leveraging insights from Instagram Reels.

Then, you can use that data to create content that resonates with them.

This means that instead of creating generic reels, you can focus on creating content that specifically appeals to your audience.

As a result, you can build stronger relationships with your followers and increase engagement across your entire account.

So, whether you’re looking to grow your following, or boost sales through paid advertising, Instagram Reels is an invaluable resource.

More resources: 

Featured Image: ART PAL/Shutterstock