Short-form video content is booming, and platforms like Instagram and TikTok are at the forefront. Reels are a fantastic way for small businesses and solopreneurs to connect with their audience, boost engagement, and showcase their brand. But creating engaging reels can be time-consuming and requires creativity, consistency, and technical know-how.
In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of creating eye-catching reels that captivate your audience and help grow your online presence. We'll also explore how outsourcing reel creation to a Virtual Assistant (VA) can save you time and ensure high-quality results.
How to Create Reels for Instagram and TikTok: Boost Your Online Presence with Short-Form Video Content
Step 1: Identify Your Goals and Audience
Before you start creating reels, it’s crucial to define your goals and understand your audience. Are you trying to drive more traffic to your website? Increase brand awareness? Or perhaps promote a product launch?
Understanding your audience is equally important. Ask yourself:
What type of content do they find valuable or entertaining?
What challenges are they facing that your brand can solve?
Tailoring your reels to the needs and preferences of your audience is the first step in creating content that resonates and converts.
Step 2: Plan Your Content
Planning is key when it comes to reels. Start by brainstorming content ideas aligned with your goals. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Behind-the-scenes: Give your audience a peek into your daily business operations.
Tutorials and How-Tos: Showcase a product or service in action.
Customer Testimonials: Highlight positive feedback from satisfied customers.
Trends: Participate in trending challenges or sounds relevant to your niche.
A content calendar will help you stay organised and ensure a consistent posting schedule—vital for keeping your audience engaged over time. Learn more about how to create a social media content plan that boosts engagement and saves time in my blog post, How to Create a Social Media Content Plan That Actually Works.
Step 3: Create Branded Images and Videos Using Canva
Tools like Canva make it easy to create eye-catching visuals for your reels. Here’s how to make the most of it:
Use pre-made templates: Canva offers a variety of templates designed for Instagram and TikTok reels. Customise these to match your brand colours and fonts.
Add text overlays: Keep your text short, clear, and aligned with the message of your video.
Include your logo: This subtle branding touch helps reinforce your brand identity across all platforms.
You can also experiment with Canva’s video editing tools to add transitions, animations, and sound effects that enhance the overall quality of your reel.
Step 4: Keep It Short and Engaging
When creating reels, brevity is essential. The most successful reels are usually around 15 to 30 seconds long. Here are a few tips to keep your content engaging:
Hook viewers in the first 3 seconds: Grab attention right away with an interesting visual or statement.
Focus on one message: Don't try to cram too much information into a single reel.
Include a Call to Action (CTA): Encourage your audience to take action, whether it’s visiting your website, following your account, or saving the post for later.
Step 5: Leverage Hashtags and Keywords
Hashtags help your reels reach a broader audience. Do some hashtag research to identify relevant and trending hashtags within your niche. Here’s how to optimise your use of hashtags:
Use a mix of broad and niche hashtags: Popular hashtags increase your chances of being discovered by a larger audience, while niche hashtags help you connect with a more targeted group.
Include keywords in captions: This helps improve your searchability on Instagram and TikTok.
For more tips on finding the right hashtags, check out my blog post, The Best Free Hashtag Research Tools for Small Business, and learn how to boost your social media reach.
Step 6: Schedule and Engage
Consistency is key to building an engaged following on Instagram and TikTok. Use a content calendar and scheduling app to schedule your reels in advance, ensuring regular posting without the stress of last-minute content creation. Tools like Buffer or Hootsuite allow you to plan and schedule posts, keeping your content organised and timely.
Don’t forget to engage with your audience. Respond to comments and engage with followers to build relationships and foster a loyal community.
Video vs. Photo Reels: What Works Best?
When it comes to Instagram and TikTok reels, video tends to perform better because it captures attention, allows for movement, and often tells a more dynamic story. However, if you’re short on time or don't have video content readily available, photo-based reels can still work effectively.
Here’s how both options compare:
Video Reels: These are ideal for showcasing behind-the-scenes footage, tutorials, product demos, or customer testimonials. The movement in video content tends to keep viewers engaged for longer, making it more effective for increasing watch time and boosting visibility through platform algorithms.
Photo Reels: If you don't have video content or time to film, reels made from photos can still be engaging. You can create a slideshow-style reel using a series of high-quality images, add text overlays, transitions, and background music. For instance, photo reels work well for showcasing product images, step-by-step processes, or even brand-related inspirational quotes.
If creating video content regularly is a challenge, a Virtual Assistant can help brainstorm ideas for simple, quick-to-film videos. Often, just a few seconds of footage (e.g., a product in use or a behind-the-scenes shot) is enough for the VA to craft an engaging, professional reel.
Bonus Tip: Optimise Your YouTube Strategy
If you create long-form videos on YouTube, you can repurpose content by breaking it down into shorter clips and turning them into reels for Instagram and TikTok. Optimising each platform with relevant SEO techniques ensures that your content reaches as many people as possible.
For more tips on how YouTube SEO can increase your visibility and attract your ideal audience, check out my blog post, How to Increase YouTube Views for Small Business: The Power of YouTube SEO.
Why You Should Outsource Your Reel Creation to a VA
Creating engaging, high-quality reels takes time—time that you could spend on growing other areas of your business. This is where a Virtual Assistant (VA) can help. A VA skilled in Social Media Management can handle the entire reel creation process for you, from planning and creating branded visuals to scheduling posts and engaging with your audience.
Here’s how outsourcing to a VA can benefit your business:
Save time: Focus on your core business tasks while your VA handles the creative and technical aspects of reel creation.
Consistency: A VA ensures that your social media platforms stay active and that your content calendar is maintained without gaps.
Expertise: A VA brings experience in creating content that resonates with your target audience and is optimised for social platforms like Instagram and TikTok.
Multi-platform management: From Facebook Ads to YouTube SEO, a VA can help you maintain a consistent online presence across various platforms.
How to Share Content with a Virtual Assistant for Reel Creation
When outsourcing reel creation to a Virtual Assistant, clients often wonder how to share the necessary content for editing and compilation. Fortunately, the process is straightforward, and there are several ways to easily transfer files, such as:
Google Drive or Dropbox: Simply save your video clips or photos in a shared folder. This allows your VA to access, edit, and compile them into an engaging reel.
File Sharing Apps: If you have large video files, WeTransfer is an easy-to-use option for sending them securely without clogging up email inboxes.
Once the VA has the files, they can handle the editing, adding branded elements, text overlays, transitions, and music—ensuring the final reel aligns with your brand and objectives.
If you’re ready to boost your online presence with engaging, high-quality reels, consider outsourcing to a Creative & Tech-Savvy Virtual Assistant like myself. I can help you create and manage social media content that captures attention and drives engagement. Visit my services page to learn more about how I can support your business.
Handing over reel creation to a VA ensures your social media presence stays active and engaging without you having to worry about the technical details.
