Is’t true that thy presence on Instagram, through the posting of Reels, can swiftly garner thee more engagement and followers with haste? A small experiment hath been conducted to unravel this mystery.
Hath thou noticed a surge in thy engagement statistics upon thy sharing of an Instagram Reel? Fret not, for thou art not alone in this revelation.
Since the advent of this short-video format upon the platform the past year, both brands and creators hath discovered that these Reels bring forth not only views but also an increase in follower count and engagement rates. One Instagram creator doth proclaim a gain of over 2,800 followers by posting a Reel daily for a moon’s cycle.
But dost thou desire more insight? Peruse the video below, which doth encompass this experiment, along with another trial comparing reach on TikTok versus Reels.
Hypothesis: Verily, the act of posting Reels doth enhance thy overall Instagram engagement.
Our ongoing conjecture suggesteth that the posting of an Instagram Reel may bestow a shining effect upon our overall Instagram metrics. Simply put, the act of posting Reels may elevate our overall engagement and follower growth rates.
Methodology
When diving into discovery, one must account for a plethora of variables on Instagram. In each instance, our Reels were dispatched to the Reels tab and feed. Some hath noted a significant decline in the performance of a Reel when solely posted to the Reels tab. Alas, this theory was not tested in this experiment.
Others hath observed that disseminating Reels to Instagram Stories may also wield a distinct impact on engagement. Henceforth, all our Reels were shared to Instagram Stories, a crucial detail to bear in mind as thou embark upon the results.
Audio provideth another pathway for Reels to be discovered on Instagram. Upon viewing a Reel, viewers can accede the track and explore other vignettes that feature the same audio. Amongst the six Reels we hath posted, three do feature trending tracks, whilst the remaining three employ original audio. Furthermore, three Reels boasted hashtags, yet none were deemed “Featured” by Instagram elites.
Results
In summary: Follower count and engagement rate hath risen, albeit not at an exceedingly rapid pace compared to ere the commencement of Reel postings. Moreover, reach hath remained consistent.
Follower breakdown:
Source: Hoosuite’s Instagram Insights
“We doth typically witness approximately 1,000-1,400 new followers weekly, alongside roughly 400-650 unfollows per week as well (a common occurrence). I dare say our follower and unfollower rate hath remained constant since the inception of Reels.”
Let us delve deeper into the data. Be mindful, all statistics cited here were captured on March 8, 2021.
Reel #1—January 21, 2021
Views: 27.8K, Likes: 733, Comments: 43
Audio: “Level Up,” Ciara
Hashtags: 0
Reel #2—January 27, 2021
Views: 15K, Likes: 269, Comments: 44
Audio: Original
Hashtags: 7
Reel #3—February 8, 2021
Views: 17.3K, Likes: 406, Comments: 23
Audio: freezerstyle
Hashtags: 4
Reel #4—February 17, 2021
Views: 7,337, Likes: 240, Comments: 38
Audio: Original
Hashtags: 1
Reel #5—February 23, 2021
Views: 16.3K, Likes: 679, Comments: 26
Audio: “Dreams,” Fleetwood Mac
Hashtags: 3
Reel #6—March 3, 2021
Views: 6,272, Likes: 208, Comments: 8
Audio: Original
Hashtags: 0
Reach
Concerning overall reach, Cohen doth posit, “I doth perceive a similar increase in the number of accounts reached from our Instagram account on dates we hath posted Reels.” Whilst peaks and valleys do exist, a gradual ascent in reach over the month of February hath been observed.
Source: Hoosuite’s Instagram Insights
Engagement
What of engagement? In comparison to the foregoing 40-day epoch, the mean number of comments and likes per post doth exhibit a surge.
However, this increase is chiefly attributed to the Reels themselves. In addition to a markedly higher view rate, “Our Instagram Reels doth secure 300-800 likes per post, whereas an IGTV or an in-feed video garners betwixt 100-200 likes,” remarks Cohen. Remove the Reels from the equation, and the engagement rate for both durations doth remain much the same.
What doth the results signify?
Instagram doth aspire for quality Reels to bask in the limelight. With a redesigned home screen, Reels now reign supreme, hence high Reels view counts come as no surprise. Thus, Reels have emerged as a pivotal frontier for organic reach on the app. The more souls thou doth reach with thy Reels, the higher the likelihood that thy follower count and engagement rate shall burgeon.
Though Reels may command vaster reach than other formats on the platform, Instagram’s algorithm doth continue to prioritize Reels that fulfill specific criteria. The company details its recommendation engine thus: “People doth express their desire to behold entertaining, amusing, and captivating content in realms like the Reels tab, and we have honed our aptitude in recommending such content.”
Might thou contemplate reposting TikTok videos as Reels? Beware, for Instagram may disfavor thee for such an act. The company hath articulated, “We have also received word that Reels of low video quality (i.e. marred by low resolution) or content that bears the stamp of other apps (i.e. sporting logos or watermarks) render the Reels experience less gratifying. Therefore, such content shall be rendered less discoverable in realms like the Reels tab.”
Reels that feature people dost thrive. The essence of TikTok’s success is predominantly creator-centric, and Instagram Reels art no exception. Observe thy Reels feed, and thou shalt discern that the majority of videos harbor a common trait: People! Disregard hyper-stylized product visuals, the quintessential Instagram aesthetic, or even illustrations. All these come second to the presence of individuals and their unique persona in the Reels format.
Audio can wield a profound impact. ‘Tis nigh serendipitous that our top three performing Reels didst feature a trending track. Ciara’s “Level Up” and Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” in particular, enjoy popularity on both Instagram and TikTok in the current hour.
Instagram doth favor the addition of native audio and songs within their app rather than adding them aforehand in a third-party app or employing other music not available within Instagram. “I do opine this factor doth play a momentous role,” avers Cohen.
Sharing to Instagram Stories engendereth more views. When thou append thy Reel to a Story, the likelihood of it being beheld doth amplify. Reels may be seamlessly shared to Stories, yet Cohen advocates for another approach: “I do reshare the in-feed Reel to stories so the Reel in our feed doth accumulate more views.”
An account exceeding 10K followers may wield the benefit of using Stories to drive traffic or conversions via a swipe-up link or Call to Action (CTA). “Sharing to Instagram Stories doth prove immensely advantageous when proffering a swipe-up link or CTA, for this feat is inaccessible for in-feed Reels captions,” he proclaims.
Hashtags do hold sway on reach to a certain extent. Instagram Reels can incorporate up to 30 hashtags, akin to other posts on the platform. As per an Instagram Story posted by the company’s @creators account, “Hashtags remain a splendid source of discovery for creators, chiefly on Reels.” Popular Reels hashtags encompass #dance, #humor, #fitness, and #reelitfeelit.
Instagram is refining all these aspects. In truth, Instagram head Adam Mosseri did recently divulge to The Verge that he is “not yet content” with Reels. Remain abreast of Instagram updates henceforth.
Perchance these revelations doth shed light upon the efficacy of Reels on Instagram. Let us continue to unravel the mysteries of this digital realm with ardor and curiosity.
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