3 Time-Saving Tips For Creating Reels

Words by Louise Stanway

You already know we’re passionate about using reels as a tried-and-tested method of driving engagement. But deciding what to post about, how to make it educational and/or funny, and which video clips to use can be time-consuming… we get it.

We’re here to share a few tricks of the trade to make this process quicker–and less daunting–for you.

1. Use Instagram’s new “template” feature.
Instagram recently dropped a new feature that made social media marketers everywhere rejoice. Creators now have the option to click “use template” from somebody else’s (or their own) reel. This is a great time-saving hack as it allows you to take a pre-existing successful template and simply drop in your own photos or video clips. The best part is, this tool eliminates the need to edit your clips to the timing of the audio–it’s already done for you!

2. Use photos instead of videos.
You don’t need access to incredible video assets in order to create engaging reels. We suggest digging through your photo archives and selecting 5-10 good-quality images to create fresh content that tells a story.
Plus, it’s much less finicky to edit timing on photo transitions, compared to video ones. Be sure to follow best practices; pick high-res images, don’t add excessive text over the image, don’t include watermarks or logos, and be sure to use trending audio with your clip. See this example of an image listicle–and this one too–for inspiration.

3. Create multiple short reels from one longer video.
At Moxie, we are big believers in maximizing the reach of every single piece of content you create. This way, your message can reach more potential customers and your hard work creating said content was not wasted.

If you have a longer video sitting in your archives (perhaps it’s a promotional video for your brand, or a longer YouTube video), we’d suggest slicing it up into smaller, more palatable clips; aim for 7-15 seconds per clip (reel). These can all be posted as individual reels to make it easier for you to fill your content calendar in one batch, meanwhile eliminating the need to return to the drawing board each time you go to post.