Instagram recently launched Reels, a new tool that allows users to remix videos and music to finally compete with the Chinese app that ALL TEENAGERS–and several adults–are obsessed with: TikTok.
You remember when they launched Stories with face filters because we were all addicted to Snapchat, right? So….. Reels is causing the same buzz, adding yet another format of content inside the platform.
Reels was first launched in Brazil back in November, it’s called Cenas there (which means ‘ scenes’). The tool allows users to create videos with music in the background that are up to 15 seconds long and share them in Stories. The best part is that the Explore section will have a Top Reels, which gives users the potential to go viral.
Just like TikTok, users will be able to use a soundtrack from the music catalog, or borrow a song from someone else’s video so they can remix a joke or a meme that was previously shared. Reels is available on both Android and iOS.
What makes it different from its competitor is that Reels is a part of a well established social network, so we can use it together with DMs and Close Friends, meaning that not everything you create will be necessarily public. You can choose which friends you want to see your Reels or opt to send them as a personal message 🙂
Reels’ goal–just like TikTok’s–is to be funny and silly, something IG users aren’t used to. It is also a strong social media trend right now. Personal brands that are a bit on the messy side are felt as more authentic, original and therefore, more successful. People want to feel closer to content creators. Instagram is tired of the editorial aesthetic and curated profiles, while trying to get closer to personal content. And this is a good thing! My opinion is, the more we use Reels, the more comfortable we’ll be being funny and silly and ourselves in front of our audience. So let’s just do this! And guys, start testing this feature as soon as possible because when it becomes ~a thing, you will be Reels bosses (pun absolutely intended).
You can find it in your Stories, it’s right in the bottom, next to where you’d select Boomerang.
There’s an option to display a countdown so you won’t run out of time and a ghost tool and aligns takes, so everything will look super cute!
And since it’s on Beta phase, not all users will have Reels on their app, even after updating it. So… let’s see how this goes.
PLEASE let me know if you already have it or not, I’m literally dying to see your Reels!