How long should your reel be?
People today, have a very short attention span, which is why your content needs to be created accordingly.
Given that Instagram Reels have a duration spanning from 15 to 90 seconds, these concise videos present an opportunity to swiftly capture the interest of users.
In contrast to Instagram Stories, Reels do not vanish after 24 hours and typically possess a briefer duration compared to the conventional Instagram Live videos.
Why does the length of your Instagram Reels matter? Well, it affects how many people actually watch and like your videos. When your Reels are the right length, Instagram’s algorithm favours this.
The Instagram Reels system likes videos that:
Achieve engagement – i.e. Likes, shares, comments
Use sounds you made or found on Reels, or music from Instagram’s library.
Are those tall, full-screen videos that fit your phone screen just right (kind of like a movie theater screen, but on your phone!).
Utilise other features such as filters, or cool effects added.
If you want people to watch your videos more than once, so Instagram knows they’re interesting. And it’s even better if people like, share, save, and leave comments on your videos. But the length of your videos matters too – they should be just right to keep folks interested and not clicking away to watch something else.
But here’s the thing: If your videos are too long, people might get bored and stop watching. That tells Instagram that your videos aren’t very exciting. On the flip side, shorter videos that people watch over and over again tell Instagram that your videos are cool. That might get your videos shown to more new people.
But, hang on. Shorter isn’t always the best option. Imagine you’re showing off a new product, and your video is super short – like just seven seconds. It might not give viewers enough time to understand what’s going on, so they might skip to the next video. Instagram might think your video isn’t engaging enough because it’s too short to show anything meaningful.
So, what’s the perfect length for your videos? Well, believe it or not, there’s no one-size-fits-all answer. It depends on your content and who you’re trying to reach. Once you figure that out, your chances of having your videos pop up in more people’s Instagram feeds and getting more likes and comments go up!