Instagram Reels

In this article, we will discuss about the Instagram Reels with its advantages and disadvantages. Here, you will also learn how to use Reels on Instagram.

In the year 2020, when the TikTok application closed in multiple countries, then Instagram discovered the new feature called Instagram Reel, whose features and functions works similar to the TikTok application. Actually, Instagram was inspired from Tiktok that's why it looks like the TikTok application. 

 

What is Instagram Reel?

Instagram Reel is a very useful and trending feature that allows users to record vertical and short videos of up to 15, 30, or 60 seconds. 
This feature was introduced in Brazil on 5th August 2019 and is now freely available to all the users of India, the United States, and 50 other countries on both android and iOS devices. 
Instagram users can easily set music to photos and video clips and share them to their stories and feed. They can also post the reels on the reels tab of their Instagram profile. 

You can do the following functions using the Reels feature:
1. You can add a filter and creative effects from the predefined collection on 15, 30, and 60-second videos.
2. You can maximize or minimize the speed of the video by 2x or 0.5x option.
3. You can also view the most trending videos in the Reels section.
4. You can also easily add music and sound in both Hindi and English to your videos.
5. You can also grab original audio from the videos of other Instagram users and add it your short videos.

Instagram Reels vs Instagram Stories

Both Instagram Reels and Stories are used to share videos and photos on Instagram, but there are the few differences between them which are mentioned below:
    • Instagram stories automatically disappear after 1 day, i.e., 24 hours, while reels stay in your reels tab and feed until you delete or archive. 
    • Instagram does not let its users to save stories to their collection but enables them to store reels. 
    • The length of the video on the Instagram story can be up to 15 seconds, but the length of the video on reels can be up to 30 or 60 seconds. 
    • Instagram stories cannot be saved as a draft, while reels can be saved as a draft for future use. 

How to Use Reels on Instagram?

You can easily create the Reels in Instagram using any one of the following three ways:
1. Reels Tab
2. Instagram Stories Camera
3. Instagram Home Camera

Reels Tab

If you want to create the new reel from the Reels Tab, then you have to follow the following two steps:

Step 1- Tap on the Reels icon located at the bottom in the Home screen of Instagram, as shown in the following screenshot.

Step 2- Then, click the camera icon located on the top-right corner of the Reels page, as shown in the below snapshot. 

Instagram Stories Camera

If you want to create the new reel using the Stories Camera option, then you have to follow the below steps:
Step 1- You have to get the Instagram Stories camera by swiping right from the main Instagram feed. And then, you can navigate the Reels icon which is next to the 'Story' option in the bottom menu.

 

Step 2- Now, you have to scroll to the Reels option as described in the following snapshot:

Instagram Home Screen

If you want to create the new reel using the Home Camera option, then you have to follow the below two steps:
Step 1- Tap on the + icon positioned on the top-right corner of the Home screen of Instagram as shown below screen:

Step 2- Then, you have to click on the Reel option from the drop-down menu for creating the new reel.

Advantages of Instagram Reels

Instagram Reels has various advantages. Some of them are mentioned below:

1. Increased engagement: As we know, Instagram pushed our uploaded videos on the Explore page or Reels tab of our followers. This will definitely increase our engagement by promoting our content to more of our audience. 

2. Go Viral: Instagram Reels provides the opportunity to go viral which will help to boost your audience. 

3. Sharing of Reels: One of the biggest advantages of Instagram Reels is that we can share the reels on other social media after downloading them. We can also add an uploaded reel to our Instagram story.  

4. Including AR Effects: As discussed earlier, Instagram Reels provides an option to add various filters and music or audio files to our videos. Along with this, we can also enhance the quality of video by  including AR effects in videos.

Disadvantages of Instagram Reels

1. Unlike TikTok, Instagram Reels provides fewer editing options for making videos. It is the main disadvantage of using Instagram Reels.
2. Another big disadvantage of Instagram Reels is that it does not allow to add music to the reels of a business account. User who has a personal account can only add music to their videos.