Instagram is Changing and Reels are Here to Stay

I’m sure by now you’ve heard that Instagram is no longer just a photo sharing platform and like a lot of creator’s I’m sure you may have felt some form of dread. As a photographer so much of what I do and what gets me bookings is from sharing my work but I have also seen amazing growth and interaction since starting to use reels. I’ve been making reels on and off but only when time allows but now that we know they're here to stay it's time to jump on board and use it to your businesses advantage. My first reels were painstakingly slow and time consuming but overtime my process and skills have increase, now they take me just a matter of minutes. To help others with the transition I've compiled some ideas for your content making, I hope this helps!

10 Ideas for your Next Reels:

1. Show your location, your subject and your favorite photos you took.​
2. Target your pain points and address your ideal audience directly, help people to see why/how you address the issue and help them.
3. Provide your audience with value, give tips or tricks to help them and share your unique insights. (Try using a hook to draw them in.)
4. Share some before and after photos, people love these!
5. Share your progress: your old work versus your work now. (Try sharing what influenced the change and even how you found your style.)​
6. Show off your personality, what are your interests outside of your main work? (Try using audio that caters directly to your taste so your audience gets to know what you like more.)
7. Remake a trending video by putting your own creative spin on it that stays true to your niche and brand.
8. Take your audience along for a day in your life, from getting up to calling it a night.
9. Start a conversation about a popular industry topic and make a series, ask your audience for their thoughts and respond in a longer format video!
10.  Show off your personal/professional style with some changing transition videos.​

Social media is constantly changing but leaning into it can yield real results, have fun and enjoy the ride because change can be a really good thing. Reels don't need to be some crazy time consuming thing, set aside an hour a week, pick a couple of outfits (if you want) and film some ideas! 

A Few Tricks I've Learned Along the Way:
+ Write down reel ideas when you have them, I keep a note on my phone! (This includes concepts for a video or ideas for a specific sound.)
+ Batch them! I try to create anywhere from 5-10 reels on a filming day so I maximize my time. 
+ Create a quick cover in Canva by adding text over one of your images, I reuse the same design and update it for each reel so people can easily see what it's about.
+ Write out a little caption about the video that you'd like people to engage with, don't be afraid to share your thoughts on the topic or even share something funny to boost engagement.
​+ Be your authentic self, that is your power, use it. 

Here’s some pro tips for more reels success:
​+ Use trending sounds.
+ Do your own rendition on trends.
+ Have good lighting.
+ Add transitions.
+Give your audience something of value.

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​Don't feel like you're too awkward or introverted to do this, in all honesty I don't like doing reels either and feel awkward 99.9% of the time but the pay off is worth it. You’ve got this, now have some fun!