Reels 101 - anyone can be the reel-deal
There is no denying how much attention Reels have received. With the recent celebration of the Instagram Reel anniversary, they are showing no signs of slowing down.
The problem is, if you didn’t get on the Reels train in the early days, you may feel behind, especially if you haven’t even tried to create a Reel at all. Don’t worry, I’m here to create a simple 101 guide to make it as easy as pie for you to publish your very first Reel.
Please refer back to this as many times as you need until you’ve mastered the art of the Instagram Reel.
Before I dive into the “how-to” of Reels, I’d like to explain the elements of the menu.
Now, grab your phone and let’s dive in!
Step 1: Open Instagram and swipe right just like when recording a Story. Along the bottom of the screen, select REELS.
Step 2: Start by selecting your music, if you choose to use it. Click the music note icon and search or scroll through the music selection.
If you’ve saved music, tap on saved in the music menu to see your list of saved audio.
Step 3: Once you’ve selected your music, you can scroll through the song to select the portion you like.
*hint: Instagram will automatically mark the music where it’s most popular, so you don’t have to mess with the music at all.
Step 4: Select your max length. I recommend 30 seconds at the most.
Step 5: Set yourself a 3s timer. I recommend doing this for every Reel, especially if you are lip syncing.
You can also set an exact length by sliding the pink bar to the left. This is especially helpful if you are recording multiple clips.
Step 6: This step is optional, but if you’d like to select a filter, do so now.
Step 7: You are ready to record a clip! Tap the circle on the bottom of your screen just like you would to record in your Stories and dance, talk, point, or whatever you have planned.
Congratulations, you have recorded your first Reel!
Next up is editing and preparing to publish.
Step 1: Click the preview button to see how it looks. If you want to clip any of the video clips, tap on the back button.
Then tap on the scissors icon and the frames will appear below.
Drag the slider at the front and back until only the desired clip remains. When you are done, tap ‘Trim’ in the top right corner.
Repeat these steps for all of your clips.
When you are happy with it, tap ‘Done’.
Step 2: Next you will add text bubbles or emojis. Tap on ‘Preview’.
You have all the same options to edit as in Instagram Stories on the top menu. The most popular by far is the text feature on the top right.
Type in each bubble of text separately by tapping ‘Done’ once each bubble is complete. Drag the text bubble anywhere you like on the screen. I suggest keeping any important text inside the standard Instagram square.
You will see each text bubble appear on the bottom of your screen in separate bubbles.
Step 3: Set when you’d like your text to appear and disappear within your Reel. Tap on the first text bubble and the frames of the Reel will open.
Drag the right and left of the frames so that only the section of your Reel is within the highlighted frame.
Repeat this step for every text bubble.
Step 4: Now that you’ve edited your entire Reel, you are almost ready to post! Tap next to be redirected to the Share screen.
Write your caption and don’t forget to include your hashtags. Tap ‘Cover’ and select the frame, or add a separate image from your camera roll, you’d like to appear in your Reels grid.
Step 5: I recommend always sharing your Reels to your feed, however if you’d rather not, toggle that option off.
Step 6: If you are ready to publish, simply tap “Share to Reels” or, if you are batching content, tap “Save as draft” to save it for later.
*Please keep in mind that Instagram can be glitchy so don’t rely solely on your Reels Drafts to store your Reels. Save them to your camera roll as well!
Yay, you have officially entered the wonderful world of Instagram Reels! If this guide helped you, please send me a note on Instagram so I know to create more.
Great work guys and happy Reeling!
