Here’s Why I’ve Been Glued to Instagram Reels As Of Lately
If you’re an avid Instagram scroller like myself, chances are you’ve gone down the rabbit hole that is the Instagram Reels tab. Since being launched in August 2020, Reels have become one of the most used features on Instagram, and for good reason.
Nowadays, social media is consumed incredibly quickly, and in large amounts. Because of this, brands and creators must deliver their content in the most concise, engaging, yet informative ways possible. Reels are designed to do just that; with text overlays, 15-30-60-90 second video options, and catchy tunes you simply can’t get out of your head, even YOU can master the art of Reel-making!
I’ve included a Reel below that I honestly haven’t stopped thinking about since I viewed it. I’ll also be including specifically why the Reel was as engaging as it was, as well as how the Reel reached the goals of its respective content creator.
1. The eye-catching cover image is exactly why I chose to click this Reel in the first place
@SruthiJayadevan is a content creator that specializes in Indo-western fashion, as well as clean beauty. Her recent reel racked up a total of 291k views & counting. Not only was this event the first of its kind, but the content speaks beautifully for itself. Sruthi did an incredible job with choosing an eye-catching image of all the participants as the cover, making sure to include the text “First South Asian New York Fashion Week” to pull viewers (like myself!) in to continue watching the remarkable show unfold.
2. The angles of the shots aligned beautifully with the chosen trending audio
What I personally love the most about Instagram Reels is how creative creators tend to get with the same trendy audios and songs. A good way to ensure a quality reel is to make sure the song choice amplifies the visuals and message of your content. With this Reel, Sruthi timed the different shots of models to go along with the beat of the tune, creating a seamless end product. The audio is also cut in a way where the video can also loop back without it being distracting.
3. The Reel immerses us in a way where we feel like we’re experiencing the event first hand.
Content creators are experts at combining bite-sized snippets of projects to show the overarching idea. “POV” or point-of-view is a popular method of Reel-making where creators show viewers an inside look into what they’re experiencing. With this Reel, I felt as though I was right there watching in on the show myself. It’s Reels like these that I find the most enjoyment from, because I hardly knew that a South-Asian New York Fashion Week was actually happening for the first time!
4. Utilizing tags + hashtags allowed for this Reel to be stumbled upon by a much larger audience!
Back in September of 2019, I volunteered at the Spring/Summer Fashion Gallery New York Fashion Week shows. It was an unforgettable experience to not only see the behind-the-scenes work on executing a show, but also being there as a viewer right in the front row. (If you’re interested in seeing the kind of content I did for their social media team, click here!) Since then, I’ve followed the hashtag #NYFW to keep up with the latest shows, so you can imagine just how stoked I was to see the South Asian New York Fashion Week content roll in. I was incredibly quick to follow the newly made #SANYFW, and can’t wait to continue to see what other spectacular content I’ll discover from other media professionals.