13 Tips for Creating Videos for Instagram Like the Brands You Love [+ Examples]

Creating movies for Instagram needs to be certainly one of my favourite advertising duties.

From in-feed movies to Reels, Instagram Reside, and Tales, entrepreneurs such as you and me have so many enjoyable alternatives to get artistic and to make issues even higher — they really work.

In line with recent HubSpot Research, entrepreneurs fee Instagram the #1 social media platform for video ROI, engagement (likes, shares, and many others.), and leads. And I’ve seen this first-hand, each professionally and personally.

On this article, I’ll element the whole lot you’ll want to learn about posting and creating video content material on the platform and share actionable suggestions I and large manufacturers have was once profitable.

New to Instagram advertising on the whole? Try our article, “How to Use Instagram: A Beginner’s Guide [Expert Insights + New Data].” That foundational information is crucial when diving into Instagram movies.

Desk of Contents

For instance, let’s take a look at this video on my Instagram. It’s simply shy of 5 minutes lengthy, so I needed to publish it “in-feed.” Nevertheless, I may nonetheless edit and refine it like a Reel. Then, after importing, it nonetheless appeared within the Reel tab on my profile.

Many additionally imagine that Reels are extra discoverable on Instagram than in-feed movies. A research by Metricool helps this, discovering that Instagram Reels have the best attain fee out of all Instagram content material sorts (~37.87%).

Specialists imagine the Instagram algorithm favors reels extra, which in flip get featured extra within the Uncover tab and seen by extra non-followers. Movies supposedly are primarily proven to followers within the feed.

Word: It is sort of a bummer, however none of this is applicable in the event you add a video as part of a carousel. In carousels, your video enhancing talents are restricted to including a filter or muting the sound.

All that mentioned, the remainder of this text will give attention to Instagram in-feed movies, not simply Reels.

In truth, most of the suggestions and greatest practices overlap, however to study extra particularly about Instagram Reels, try our article: How to Make Instagram Reels and Use Them to Your Advantage.

That is in all probability stating the plain, however audiences love video content material. In actual fact, our 2024 social media trends report discovered that almost all of content material codecs shoppers take pleasure in on social media (e.g., Tales, and reside streams) are video-based, with short-form video being the preferred.

Video content material, on the whole, is thought to speak data quicker and in a extra memorable (and shareworthy) method than written or static visible content material.

Instagram isn’t any totally different.

In dialog, Aishwarya Balaji, a model guide and CEO and co-founder of A Fresh Sip, echoed this to me, saying, “Instagram movies could be fairly highly effective in conveying a selected message or evoking a selected feeling.”

“Pictures and texts may also evoke emotion, however video can inform a narrative extra successfully and captivate an viewers.”

There’s excessive attain and discoverability.

Because the third-largest social media platform, Instagram clearly has a big lively viewers to achieve.

Add within the recognition of video, its excessive engagement, and its supposed desire within the Instagram algorithm, and Instagram video presents an enormous alternative to achieve new and shoppers.

Properly, the digital camera high quality tends to be decrease, and the enhancing capabilities accessible on Instagram are fairly restricted, however in the event you do use it, here are the steps you’ll follow.

1. Open your Instagram app and press the icon with a plus signal (+) within the middle of the controls.

2. Right here, you’ll be able to both add a video out of your library or create one within the app. As talked about, we’re creating a brand new one proper now. To do that, click on the little digital camera icon on the backside of your new publish preview.

3. Press and maintain down the middle button to document your video.

When you launch your maintain, Instagram will cease recording and replay what was simply captured on the display screen.

4. Now, you’ll be able to edit your video utilizing the built-in Instagram video editor. (The identical one you’ll use for making a Reel).

You’ll be able to swipe so as to add a filter in addition to add:

• Music
• A Voiceover
• Captions
• Stickers (Interactive and Static)
• Visible Results

It’s also possible to shorten and add clips or save what you’ve recorded.

5. After you’re performed enhancing, hit “subsequent.”

6. Right here’s the place you optimize your Instagram video for search and getting discovered.

This may embrace including your video caption in addition to:

• Selecting your video cowl
• Tagging individuals, a location, and merchandise
• Deciding on an viewers (Everybody vs “Shut Mates”)
• Deciding on the place you prefer to the video displayed (Important grid and Reels or simply Reels)
• Attaching an occasion reminder or fundraiser

Underneath “extra choices,” you’ll be able to schedule the publish for later and get extra granular about how individuals have interaction with the video and what you share (e.g., whether or not you show “like” counts or enable individuals to make use of your video as a template).

7. Hit “Share” — and also you’re all set!

For an much more in-depth breakdown of publish on Instagram, try the article “How to Post on Instagram: A Step-by-Step Guide.”

According to a study by GWI, Instagram customers described the content material they preferred most as humorous, artistic, informative, and enjoyable, amongst different methods.

That can assist you seize these sentiments in your Instagram movies, I’ll share 13 tips you can start testing.

Word: If you would like an excellent examples and steering on what to publish, try:

1. Share inspiration or motivation.

GWI additionally discovered that “inspirational” content material was standard amongst Instagram customers. In at this time’s typically traumatic world, persons are in search of constructive vitality, motivation, and one thing to aspire to.

Creating movies for Instagram is a technique your model may help ship it.

INBOUND isn’t any stranger to sharing inspiration or motivation for entrepreneurs or entrepreneurs on Instagram. Even higher, most of this content material comes from moments on the occasion itself.

2. Capitalize on traits and memes.

Memes could look like simply enjoyable and video games, however they’re additionally efficient in selling your model tradition, mission, and merchandise.

Incorporating trending matters, music, or memes into your Instagram movies helps you be part of and interact in current client conversations reasonably than attempting to begin a brand new one.

It exhibits you’re updated with what’s occurring round you and in addition exhibits persona, making you extra relatable.

VaynerMedia, Gary Vaynerchuk’s artistic company, isn’t any stranger to utilizing traits and memes when creating movies for Instagram.

Professional tip: Unsure what’s standard proper now? Quite a lot of Instagram video traits truly begin on TikTok, so you’ll be able to all the time do some scrolling there. However yow will discover traits proper in Instagram, too.

Merely hit the (+) button as if creating a brand new publish. Slide to “Reel,” then hit “Templates.”

Right here, you will notice a feed of suggestions adopted by “trending” movies.

3. Collaborate with influential manufacturers and creators in your area.

Matter Communication discovered that 69% of consumers belief data from influencers, buddies, and household greater than manufacturers. In different phrases, word-of-mouth issues.

With this in thoughts, look into influencers, creators, and related companies your patrons observe. Maybe you’ll be able to collaborate with them to get in entrance of potential new followers, boosting your discoverability, attain, and social proof.

YETI does an admirable job with this of their video advertising on Instagram.

Right here, the producer posted a video of certainly one of its ambassadors, Matt Pittman of @meatchurch, utilizing and recommending a YETI product to his 900k followers.

On this one, beverage guide Robert Björn Taylor shares a recipe ready in YETI’s Rambler™ Pitcher.

Each are good examples of present the corporate’s merchandise in motion and attain a big, new viewers of potential prospects.

4. Inform relatable human tales.

How does your product or model influence lives? How does it change them for the higher?

Instagram movies can deliver these human tales to life and interact your viewers on a deeper emotional stage. Shoppers join with relatable content material.

In actual fact, our research exhibits that relatable content material is the second-most efficient sort of video for accomplishing marketing goals.

It helps individuals envision themselves as a client of your services or products and perceive the worth it could actually supply them.

On this Instagram video, Microsoft tells the story of how their expertise helps fishermen full their jobs extra successfully.

Whereas we often consider Microsoft software program and merchandise in conventional places of work, this video expands the perceived scope of their influence. It helps much more individuals see themselves within the model. 

Relatable content material may also create a way of neighborhood.

Balaji shared, “For my startup, a non-alcoholic beverage market, we frequently use humor and shared experiences in our movies. It helps join with our neighborhood and make individuals really feel extra seen and fewer remoted.” 

One other technique to spotlight human tales in your Instagram movies is thru case research (like Shopify), testimonials, or interviews with completely satisfied prospects.

Professional tip: Be thoughtful of range and inclusion.

Instagram is a worldwide platform that reaches individuals from all walks of life.

Enthusiastic about diversity and inclusivity may help attain a bigger viewers by wanting previous preconceived notions of gender, age, race, revenue, sexuality, and many others., to spotlight how your services or products can supply worth.

One model that has been a frontrunner on this area for years is Dove. I like this Instagram video that includes girls of a sure age, who occur to purchase Dove, residing their greatest lives.

It’s not simply enjoyable and inclusive however aspirational. It prompts the thought, “Hm. Possibly I may very well be certainly one of these achieved, thrilling girls at some point if I take advantage of Dove too.”

5. Tease what’s coming (New product launches, options, and many others.)

An effective way to construct hype round upcoming merchandise or options is to publish them on Instagram.

You don’t should do a full-fledged industrial to make an influence.

On this Instagram video, Google merely exhibits somebody utilizing their latest cellphone and describes options with a voiceover.

Duolingo, then again, shares product updates utilizing pattern screenshots, textual content, and playful music:

Shopify discusses new options with a speaking head video.

None of those examples are excessive manufacturing worth or sophisticated, however all of them successfully present audiences what they’ll sit up for from the upcoming releases.

Professional tip: When posting movies about future merchandise or futures on Instagram, benefit from the “Remind me” characteristic.

With this, individuals who see the video can faucet on the bell icon within the backside left of video to decide into receiving notifications reminding them of the upcoming launch. As soon as they do, they’ll obtain three notifications for the occasion:

• An exercise feed notification 24 hours earlier than the occasion.
• An exercise feed and push notification quarter-hour earlier than the occasion.
• An exercise feed and push notification on the time of the occasion.

The ultimate notification may even coincide with a follow-up piece of content material formally asserting the brand new merchandise.

(HubSpot’s social media tools can help you schedule this.)

Total, it is a nice technique to hold your launch prime of thoughts and construct pleasure.

Learn more about setting up event reminders on Instagram here.

6. Share use current merchandise.

Your current merchandise may very well be given comparable remedy. Potential prospects won’t pay attention to the extent of your catalog and even use the whole lot the appropriate method.

Bringing these merchandise or makes use of to their consideration as a substitute of leaving them to go looking or marvel not solely improves their consumer expertise however could even sway undecided patrons to make a purchase order.

Dyson Magnificence commonly teaches individuals use its instruments and haircare merchandise on its Instagram account utilizing video.

Demonstrations, hacks, and suggestions like these are different standard kinds of Instagram movies, particularly for manufacturers. Extra on that shortly.

7. Convey consideration to promotions or gross sales.

According to Capital One, 89% of People say worth performs a serious position of their buy choices, greater than every other issue. In actual fact, the corporate discovered reductions are a significant factor for 74% of U.S. internet buyers. And this serial couponer believes it.

Everybody likes to save cash, so don’t let your gross sales come and go quietly.

Use Instagram movies to spotlight any promotions or gross sales you’re operating. Amazon does an amazing job with this for Prime Day. They even teamed up with standard creator Zach King:

8. Make individuals snicker.

The most well-liked content material on Instagram is humorous. Humor is relatable, shareworthy, and in addition memorable. Due to this, discovering methods to include related, on-brand humor into your Instagram video content material could be extraordinarily useful to a enterprise.

Now, I do know: Being humorous is tough. If it weren’t, there wouldn’t be so many failed comedians.

However don’t let this cease you.

Your laughs could be unique (like Duolingo or our buddies at A Recent Sip) or curated.

So long as the humor is related to your viewers, it will likely be appreciated.

9. Educate your viewers (i.e., how-tos, suggestions, hacks)

Folks observe and belief manufacturers that supply actual worth, and few issues are extra useful than training nowadays.

Take a while to consider what your small business or model can uniquely train your viewers.

What do they should learn about your trade or when making a purchase order choice? What information and experience are you able to supply to assist them obtain their targets or enhance their every day lives? Higher but, what insights are you able to share that nobody else can?

Form your Instagram video technique round these matters.

For instance, hair care model AAVRANI goes high-level, instructing individuals what a clarifying shampoo is.

Although this isn’t instantly selling their product, it educates individuals on what it’s and what it solves. It additionally provides them the possibility to say, “Hey, I believe I would like that.”

At HubSpot, we’ve taken the same method, sharing electronic mail advertising suggestions anybody (HubSpot customers or not) may implement.

In the meantime, WIX zeros in on current customers, sharing “hacks” to get essentially the most out of their instruments.

Whether or not you communicate to your providing or your area on the whole, sharing academic movies positions you as an professional and useful useful resource — one individuals can belief, wish to observe, and doubtlessly even work with.

10. Share and encourage user-generated content material

As we talked about earlier, persons are more likely to believe what others say about you than what you say about your self. I imply, give it some thought: If I mentioned I’m the world’s greatest pastry chef, why ought to anybody imagine me?

Posting user-generated content (UGC) movies successfully presents social proof of your claims and exhibits appreciation for current prospects.

It is a staple of GoPro’s Instagram technique.

The tech firm commonly shares content material utilizing its merchandise on its Instagram profile, giving prospects publicity on the model’s giant platform and in addition highlighting what its merchandise are able to.

The awe-inspiring movies are additionally extraordinarily shareworthy.

11. Complement your efforts with synthetic intelligence (AI).

Let’s face it. Video advertising takes effort and time, and never each advertising group has the required assets. Fortunately, there are many AI tools to complement your efforts and enable you get extra performed with much less.

In line with our analysis, the #1 method entrepreneurs presently use AI of their video technique is by serving to with captions, descriptions, and different text-based parts. Following carefully behind is bettering visible results on movies.

(Assume filters and results on Instagram.)

However the potentialities don’t cease there. Utilizing free instruments like Clip Creator from HubSpot, you’ll be able to convert textual content into skilled movies with just some clicks.

All it’s a must to do is reply just a few easy questions and choose a template, and the software generates a clip you need to use for Instagram or every other video-supporting platform.

It’s free, and you’ll even edit textual content and pictures to fulfill your wants.

12. Assume short-form first

Whereas Instagram helps movies as much as 60 minutes lengthy, our analysis exhibits that 71% of entrepreneurs say short-form video delivers the best ROI. 66% additionally mentioned it will get essentially the most engagement, whereas 60% mentioned it drives essentially the most leads.

With this in thoughts, lean into shorter movies (30 seconds to 2 minutes). Whether or not your video is targeted on training or leisure, this size tends to be simply lengthy sufficient to maintain your viewers engaged but in addition wanting extra.

On this user-generated video, Amazon Prime exhibits simply how candy and efficient brief video could be:

Professional tip: That is one other space the place Clip Creator can help.

13. Take note of manufacturing high quality

One constructive of the COVID-19 pandemic is that lowered the taking part in subject when it comes to social media video manufacturing. At the moment, you don’t want fancy video, sound, or lighting tools or perhaps a studio.

However that doesn’t imply you’ll be able to neglect manufacturing high quality altogether.

How your video seems to be and sounds can closely have an effect on how your message is obtained and if individuals even stick round to listen to/watch it. So, be sure to place your greatest foot ahead.

When creating movies for Instagram, use instruments like a tripod, cellphone stand, or perhaps a pop socket to maintain your cellphone regular and keep away from shaky footage.

Discover a quiet area or use software program like krisp.ai to cut back noise and hold your sound clear and centered on what must be heard.

Along with that…

Professional tip: Comply with Instagram tech specs and necessities. When Instagram launched movies in 2013, they may solely be 15 seconds lengthy and seem within the feed. At the moment, they’ve taken on a complete new life.

To make sure Instagram can share and show your content material as deliberate, be sure your movies are optimized from a technical standpoint. This implies following Instagram’s technical specs and necessities.

Let’s wrap up by going into element about these.

There are a number of video compression instruments that may compress movies for you. For instance, UniConverter has a straightforward and free Instagram compression software.

In the meantime, Free Convert and Clipchamp mechanically take away sure knowledge particulars of your video (lossy compression), but in addition permit you to make a number of changes to fulfill your wants.

These two settings will match Instagram’s video settings.

The “Use Most Render High quality” checkbox fixes the scaling of your video mechanically, so make sure you examine that field as effectively.

Image Source

As soon as these settings are saved, your publish will probably be Instagram-ready. As a result of you’ll be able to’t add movies on to Instagram by way of desktop, take into account a third-party app like HubSpot or Later. These will allow you to add and schedule the video to publish later.

It’s also possible to ship the video to your cellphone and add it there.