The webinar was especially conducted to discuss the following points-
- Why Reels and why now?
- Creative framework of speaking the language of Reels.
- Creative thought-starters.
Short form video is a huge cultural shift among gen-z’s away from polished content. With 84% young consumers agreeing that they appreciate imperfect content, 79% are tired of witnessing polished images in advertising.
Reels are where interactivity and connection are driven through entertainment. Brands are using Instagram and Facebook reels to reach new audiences. This is because Reels are not passive consumption but participation.
Reels are the future of storytelling on mobile devices. Moreover, it’s not just a format, Reels are a language. A language spoken and heard without the barriers of society, culture and country. Language is the essence of storytelling and the way you can use reel to do so is limitless.
There are three essential elements of a good Reel-
Entertainment-
Entertainment lightens up our mood and provokes an emotional response. You can make your Reels entertaining through:
- Magical moments: It refers to when you forget where you are. You can use effects, audios or visuals to create these magical moments.
- Fresh perspective: Use the approach of entertainer first and advertiser second. Begin your reel with what will surprise or delight your audience. This will grab their attention and keep them engaged.
- Unexpected twists: People like unpredictability in storytelling. This will make your reel memorable and retainable in the audience’s mind.
Digestible-
Not everybody wants to indulge their mind while understanding a Reel. Keep your Reels direct and easy-to-understand. To make your Reels digestible, you can use:
- Irresistible hooks: Make hooks in the first few seconds of your ads. This is to make your reel interesting and conspiratorial. Something irresistible is also engaging, which is important to capture the audience.
- Showing, not telling: The best thing you can do here is showcase how perfectly and naturally you fit into the lives of customers.
- Clear reinforcement: The aim to make your point as clearly as possible so that your viewers understand it. This can happen by first making the point through video and then through text.
Relatable-
If nobody relates to your Reel then it is worth nothing. The relatable part of your Reel will make it worth watching. You can do so by:
- Lo-fi human craft: Use real people as actors, watching people who have faced the same problem builds trust. Remove the high-production sizzle for approachable stories.
- Familiar situations: Find an everyday moment and use it, don’t try and paint an overly aspirational one.
- Recognisable tropes: This will signal your place in culture and act as an invitation for your audience to participate.
10 story types for Reels-
- The Transformation: Transformation will dramatize your brand idea of product benefit. Use your imagination and the editing tools available to make this transformation happen.
- The Behind the Scenes: It reveals how seemingly relatable you are. You are more than a brand and thus mistakes during the process are evident.
- The Comedy Skit: “Wit is the shortest distance between two people”. Entertain your audience and keep them happy.
- The Wardrobe Sequence: It will involve you showing multiple products in a short period of time. Just give a look for a few seconds and move onto the next one.
- The Before & After: This is to present the benefits of your products in a captivating way.
- The Listicle: To communicate a series of points, you can use this form of Reel. Add timed text to the audio-visual content.
- The Tutorial: As the name goes, it will involve education about your product usage. Tutorials are good for the audience who are new and clueless about how to use the product. You can further make multiple types of tutorial videos also.
- The One-to-One: A casual conversation between your brand and audience will break the pattern. The conversation should be real, relatable and interesting. Remember, do not make it sound salesy.
- The Photo-dump: Present a collection of images or/and videos with music in the background.
- The Product demo: A product demo will increase your potential customers’ knowledge. It’s also good to clear doubts and queries.
Reels give marketers a creative outlet to brands and an opportunity to capture an audience outside your current followers. 50% of Instagram users tend to find Reels through their explore page. Along with this, Reels create 67% more engagement than traditional formats. They are quick, to-the-point and not at all boring. The short-video format made its debut back in 2020 and has significantly grown since then.
Do also read our article on Instagram Content That Your Audience Find Engaging
