You finish creating an amazing reel, click the share button, and....nothing.
It can be frustrating especially when you know you’ve followed all the steps to reel success like writing content aimed at your target audience, sprinkling in popular keywords, adding visually appealing text and images, etc.
Your real problem for not seeing the engagement you want might fall into one of these categories:
1. Posting and ghosting.
One of the worst things you can do is hit publish on your post and check out. You really need to be taking this time while your post is fresh and "active" to respond to comments, engage on other people's posts, share to your stories, etc. If you have something extra you want to share about it, now is also the perfect time to hop on your Instagram stories, show your face, and share extra tips that your audience will find useful!
2. Not engaging with your target audience accounts.
This is the key!! Engaging with your audience is the best thing you can be doing. Even if they aren't following you, take the time to engage on their content, make a connection, and leave a meaningful comment that will have them thankful and wanting to give you a follow to learn more about what you have to offer. Your target audience is who you're basing your content on, so seeking them out intentionally is going to be extremely beneficial for your brand as a whole!
3. Forgetting to post your reel to your stories [with a little teaser as a bonus to get them to click!].
This can be the easiest task, but believe it or not, it's something most people forget. As soon as that baby goes live, tap "Add to Story", add a relevant GIF that will give your story a little something extra, and offer a teaser to entice them to click on your post! Stories are really that secret ingredient that make a world of difference. Even if someone's not following your page, they could stumble upon your story and be interested to click around and stay awhile. Stories truly are perfect for growing brand awareness.
Need a few more Instagram Reels Tips? Keep reading!
Use on-screen text and captions (especially if you're talking)! Close to 70% of videos on Instagram are watched without sound, so it's crucial that you give your video a bit more context by adding in these features.
Stay up-to-date with trends and trending audio. As we all know, trends come and go pretty quickly, so it's important to stay on top of it weekly to be sure your content fits in with what your audience is liking at the moment.
One of the best ways to drive traffic to your platform from a post is to encourage your viewers to "head to the link in bio" or "tap the link to get the free download". This excites them to take action and is a win for you to gain more exposure on your page.
Sticking to your niche and posting consistently gives you the best chance at having one of your reels go "viral" or gain a lot of attention in general. A big step that helps with this is making sure to include at least 10 hashtags with relevant keywords.
It can seem easy to create a reel and expect it to get you new followers, increase your engagement, and boost your page views, but it does take a bit of strategy and work!
Next time you post that reel, try these 3 things and watch the success unfold!
Looking for more Instagram-based blogs? We've got you! Some of our most popular are the secret to posting on Instagram Stories, 3 Instagram algorithm tips to success, and how to hashtag the right way on Instagram!
If you want to chat more about how to really see success on your Instagram platform this year, click here and we would love to get in touch!