Reels, Meta’s native short-form video-sharing tool for Facebook and Instagram, has established itself as a powerhouse for engagement since its launch in 2020.
Riding the wave of short-form video content led by TikTok, Reels has provided a healthy boost for Meta’s on-platform engagement. According to Meta, there has been a “24% increase in time spent on Instagram since the launch of Reels” with Reels now reaching 200 billion plays a day across Facebook and Instagram.
So if you’re not using Reels for your business or optimising correctly for Reels placements, you might be throwing sales opportunities out the window. That’s why we’re going to run through some top tips to help you make the most of advertising using Reels 👇
Best practices for formatting your Reels ads
Creative content is important, but first, you need to make sure you know how to format it correctly to make the most of the Reels placement.
Size your video to 9:16
Reels use a vertical video format to display content on mobile devices. The ideal dimensions for Reels are 1080x1920px.
Sound On
Music, voiceover, and sound effects all help to make your video content more engaging, so be sure to include these to boost your Reels’ performance. Meta even has a library of royalty-free sound content you can use for your ads on Instagram and Facebook.
Keep important content in the safe zone
To avoid having buttons or text overlays blocking your content, you’ll need to keep the focus of your ad within the safe zone. The rule of thumb is to avoid putting text, logos, or anything else important within the bottom 35% of the screen.
Speaking the language of Reels
Meta summarises that there are three key components of a Reel to make it engaging to viewers. These are:
Make it entertaining
Entertainment is at the heart of social media. If you want your ads to feature seamlessly in someone’s Facebook or Instagram feed and pull them in, you’ll need to provide them with value in the form of entertainment.
Consider how you can use storytelling, visuals, editing, sound, and framing to keep them engaged.
Make it digestible
Shorter attention spans mean you have less time to get your message across - use that time wisely!
The best Reel ads get straight to the point. Open with a strong hook to draw people in within the first 3 seconds - surprise, shock, or intrigue them straight away, then build upon that emotion through the rest of your ad.
Ideally, you’ll want to keep your video between 15-30 seconds. Make sure your product and core message appear as soon as possible in your Reel, ensuring that even those who scroll through quickly have the opportunity to see what you’re offering.
Make it relatable
You don’t want your ad to feel like an ad. You want your potential customers to feel like they’re part of your world and engaging with real people - in the same way they would with any other social media creator.
Recognisable stories and visuals are powerful ways to gain audience trust. This might take the form of comedy skits of real-world scenarios we commonly face, an influencer giving an honest testimonial, or a behind-the-scenes exploration of your business.
Creative Tip: Keeping an eye on content trends on social media, specifically Reels is important for gauging a feel for the types of creators and content people are gravitating towards. This might be certain visuals, editing styles, storytelling methods, viral sounds, or a combination of all of these.
However, be savvy about when you participate in specific trends for ad content: an ad can become almost instantly dated with the rapid pace of social media trends, leaving your brand looking out of touch.
Focusing on the broader direction of trends can be effective for your long-term strategy and reduces the need to be reactive to what may be hot right now. We covered this in more detail when discussing TikTok trends, which act almost identically to Reels.
Want to learn more about how you can use Meta Reels ads for your business? Get in touch with our Newcastle digital marketing agency today, we’d love to chat!