Are Instagram reels good for growth?

The truth about Instagram reels…

If you put together a reel in panic, in haste and in response to hearing the latest Instagram announcement that “We’re no longer a square photo-sharing app” - although you totally misheard didn’t you because what Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram actually said was...

"We're no longer just a square photo-sharing app”

...then your reel will not help you attract your ideal customers to your feed. In fact I’ve heard of some panicked business owners saying they’ve actually lost followers since churning out their hastily put together reels Eeek!

• If you love doing video then do reels.
• If you’ve always done video and your audience responds well to it then do reels.
• If you have a *growth and engagement strategy in place then do reels.

But… if video makes you squirm, if your audience loves what you do right now and if you are under the spell that reels will ✨magically✨ get you more followers (without having to put in the *behind the scenes work) then please pause and think before you go down the reel route. I’m not saying don’t do them. I definitely think you should be experimenting with the way you present your content. But I’m just saying that they may not be your best route to Instagram success Phew!

Yes, reels get thousands of views but do they get more engagement? Not necessarily. Note: Good engagement (likes, comments, saves & DM's) leads to growth, community and sales.

So... before you experiment with reels, take a moment to really think about your ideal reel content and style. Don’t rush into a crazy pointy dancing reel if that’s not you! Take a look at the different reel styles out there and go with something that’s authentically you. But please take your time, keep calm, don’t panic and remember: “Keep calm and carry on, it's only a reel".

And just one last observation which I’ll update if I start to see a huge shift: I’ve witnessed small businesses go viral with their reels only to attract viewers not customers, along with cruel comments by trolls and disappointing follower growth. Of course I’ve also seen other feeds using reels and growing their audience but I suspect that it’s not the reel alone that has triggered this. 

*Engagement is the key to IG! If you don’t have a growth and engagement strategy in place and if you post and run without doing any behind the scenes work on any of your posts (whatever format) then you really need the Instagram Growth and Engagement course to supercharge your Instagram!