Invested an entire day in creating that 20-sec reel, but it hardly got any views? We get you.
Most new creators face the same situation — especially when their account is fresh and new. So, is it because of the age of your account or some algorithm rules?
Well, Meta knows better. They haven’t fully revealed what pushes a reel to the top.
But our studies sure have revealed what could potentially make your reel pop in every other feed and get you the maximum possible views.
We’ve listed all our findings in the guide below. So, without further ado, let’s dive right in!
Table of Contents
How to get more views on Instagram reels?
Remember, the tips below are potential gateways to more views – not guaranteed gateways.
And if you’re ready for the truth; no one can guarantee more views (unless you’re paying them). If they do guarantee, run! 🚩
On the upside, these tips can help a great deal! 🙂
1. Use Trending Audios in Your Reels
These are audios that the most popular reels on Instagram are already using – at the moment. Instagram basically sees this audio as most preferred by the audience. And so, any other reels using the same audio get pushed to the top.
For example, if you record a meme reel with original sound (your voice or any other real-life sound) and this reel crosses over a million views, the ‘original sound’ of your reel will start trending. Other creators will be trying making a reel using your audio.
Now, of course, this happens rarely with original audios of fresh accounts. Usually, it’s the songs and other types of recorded and copyright-free audio that go viral with ease.
Currently, the following are the most trending audios for Instagram reels:
Reel Audio | Trending For |
|---|---|
Calm and beautiful clips | |
Upbeat track for all popping videos | |
Videos about peace and introversion | |
Romantic clips | |
Lifestyle-related clips | |
Outdoor videos |
You can find more by simply going to the explore section of your Instagram app. Click on a reel that appeals to you and seems relevant to your niche.
Check out the views. If its views exceed one million, use the same track as the reel. You can find its audio by clicking on the icon present at the lower right side of the screen.
2. Embed Instagram Feed on Your Website
If you have been working on your web traffic all along and only recently considered hopping onto social media, you don’t really need to work so hard to get Instagram reels. Direct the same traffic to your new reels!
How so? Create a section on your website where you pull your live Instagram feed. Make sure it’s clickable.
When your web visitors click on it, they will be automatically directed to your Instagram page where they can explore all your reels. Also, ensure high page loading speeds. If the reels take time to load or the page takes time to redirect, it might steal all your traffic’s interest.
If you’re unable to do this, embed the reels on your homepage or relevant landing pages. Make sure you include a button that says something relevant and action-inspiring (e.g., Watch more reels). This button should redirect them to your Instagram page.
3. Add Relevant Hashtags
Hashtags are not dead. Many creators claim so, but that’s not true. Hashtags are very much alive on Instagram for all content formats. Be it single-image posts, carousel posts, or reels.
So, use relevant hashtags in your reel captions!
How to find the relevant hashtags? It’s simple. Browse the trending reels on your explore page that are relevant to your niche. Use the same hashtags as these reels.
Alternatively, you can use hashtag-finding tools to find the most relevant hashtags for your reels.
Bonus Tip: Social media experts recommend adding 3-5 hashtags per caption. Make sure they are relevant to your reel content and your account’s niche. For example, #hypercars is not a relevant hashtag for a lifestyle blogger account even if #hypercars has an all-time high trending status in the present moment.
4. Post When Followers Are Active
Our deep dive into the most successful social media posts revealed that this is a hack for all platforms. These days everyone’s feed is stacked with new stories and information.
To combat that effectively, it’s essential to keep track of your audience’s most-active time and post at that time specifically.
Now, how do you figure out this time frame? Run a few experiments and you’ll have your answers!
We recommend beginning your experiments with the general timing recommendation. Here’s an overview:
As you can see in the visual, 11 am on Wednesdays is the best time.
Again, this is an average for all industries. To find the timing that’s most suitable for your specific audience, try posting at all of these different times. Observe when you get the highest response. Post more around this time.
Bonus Tip: You don’t need to run an experiment with a new reel every time. Repost the same reel at different times to find your perfect timing. Just make sure you post some other content before you repost the reel. This ensures your audience isn’t bored out.
5. Run a Valuable Giveaway
Instagram accounts that conduct a giveaway are likely to grow 70% faster as compared to IG accounts that don’t do so.
Pair this success rate with the ease of watching reels and the virality potential of reels — and there you have the perfect recipe for a reel that could receive a million views.
To put it simply, if you want your account to grow in days, conduct a high-value giveaway. It could range from a 50% discount on the product/service you sell to a super expensive niche-relevant product like a Gucci purse if you’re a high-end fashion influencer for females.
How to do this?
- Create a set of steps that you will ask your audience to follow. It could include following your account, liking the giveaway post, resharing the post, and ensuring that at least three of their friends follow you — whatever brings you closer to your business goals! Just make sure you do not ask too much from the audience and create a commanding, annoying, or arrogant vibe. Be fair and friendly!
- Next, think of an interesting reel idea that allows you to announce this giveaway. You can announce it in the video as well as in the caption.
- Make sure you’ve figured out the best time to post for your Instagram account. Post at a specific time and don’t forget to use trending audio as well as relevant hashtags for maximum reach.
- Share the reel on your story and encourage your existing followers to support you!
Naturally, this will bring you a massive amount of views in one go. It also increases the chances of success for future reels.
Bonus Tip: Make sure the giveaway is relevant to your brand, meaning if you share recipes on your IG account, you should be offering something food-relevant in the giveaway. Something that’s enticing for your target audience (i.e., foodies, cooks, moms, etc.)
6. Create Shorter Reels
The average person’s attention span in today’s time is no longer than eight seconds. So, ideally, you should keep the length of your reels shorter than 10 seconds. They’re easier to consume and hence, likely to get more views.
It is also essential to create a powerful hook in the first few seconds. You can do this by simply triggering an emotion, such as joy, satisfaction, suspense, mystery, terror, etc. You can build this emotion with your choice of colors, music, overlay text, and video effects. If you don’t know how to use a particular set of these tools to build a specific emotion, ping us now! We’ll help you figure it out.
Also, we recommend creating a hook with positive emotion. If you use a negative emotion, it is likely going to push your target audience away — especially if you sell a solution. Half the people are already watching reels to cope with their awful day! Nobody needs more negativity.
However, if you run an entertainment or informative blog, you can experiment your reach with any emotion you like (positive or negative).
Why worry about reel views?
Hold on. Why are we worrying about reel views in the first place? Is it necessary to get more views? Will views get you any followers for sure?
YES!
If you have an entertaining OR promising reel, you are sure to get followers. We have helped our clients get as many as 1.3 million views from a single reel and the corresponding number of follows!
Apart from growing your Instagram followers, reels also lead to increased business opportunities. More followers automatically mean a greater pool of potential leads.
Plus, reel content also has the potential to nurture the visitors that have come into contact with your brand for the very first time.
End Note:
If you have any more questions about reels or find yourself struggling with the visibility of reels in a specific way, drop us a message right now. Our team of expert video editors and marketers will guide you thoroughly about what errors you can fix and acquire better results!
