In the past few years, it seems as though creatives have wanted something more than what Instagram has been giving off. That’s one of the many reasons why TikTok has gained a ton of popularity in the past few years. Because of how unique TikTok is, Instagram quickly felt that shift and tried to compensate with the push for video. Enter in Instagram Reels. At first, most of us laughed who were already obsessed with TikTok. We thought it would fade out and not be relevant. So far though, Reels is gaining popularity and is still around. So is posting to Instagram Reels worth it?
At first, Instagram Reels was just another way that Instagram/Facebook were trying to copy other popular social media sites. Not many people posted to Reels, or all you saw were TikTok videos/ trends that were outdated. Over the months since it’s release, you’ve seen people repurpose their TikTok’s for Reels or even create original content for that platform. So what are the pros and cons of Reels?
Pros of Instagram Reels:
- Reels is another way to get your videos seen by a different audience. TikTok’s audience remains to be majorly a younger crowd, while Reels hits an older demographic.
- Reels has created the Bonus fund. If you get approved, you are able to get paid by Instagram for posting videos. This is similar to the Creator Fund on TikTok.
- Reels allows you to repurpose videos for your stories and feed easily. And since a cohesive feed isn’t as important on Instagram anymore, you can fill your profile with just videos and it’s totally fine.
- Instagram still has a very large audience, so the more eyeballs on your content, the better.
- You can also share your Reels to Facebook for even more views.
Cons of Instagram Reels:
- Reels has a TON of glitches still. Creators will randomly not have access to the music library, the drafts will disappear, you aren’t able to edit your clips, etc. Instagram as a whole has a ton of glitches which makes it frustrating for creators.
- Reels content is not original, and pretty boring if you are already on TikTok. It’s just repeats of the same trends.
- There are also Instagram influencers that flat out copy popular TikToks and make their video just for reels; which is dishonest and annoying to see.
- The music library isn’t as full as TikTok yet, so sometimes it’s hard to find the right song. Reels is also missing a lot of editing software that TikTok has, which makes it harder to create videos.
- It’s harder to search in Reels for a certain topic, song, trend, etc. Most people don’t try and synch up songs, trending hashtags, etc like TikTok, which makes it hard to see if there are any trends on Reels. The majority of people are just reposting TikTok’s to Reels, which makes it so Reels doesn’t have it’s own vibe or community feel.
Here is my take on Reels, and how I think it’s best to be used:
Reels might not ever have the community feel that TikTok does, so I think it’s not in your best interest to be fully vested in Reels over TikTok. What makes TikTok special is the trends and the fact that you hear about everything on TikTok first (think about how many news stories are started because of a TikTok video). Reels will always be second best (and you never know…Snapchat or Youtube’s version might even overcome Reels).
So should you just ignore Reels completely? Nope! I think Reels has its place and is worth spending a little bit of time on. Plus, Instagram does pay you for the views you get, so you might as well!
How do I suggest you use Reels:
Simply put: use Reels to repost your TikTok content! If you use a website like SnapTik, you can easily remove your watermark of your TikToks and make them ready to post to Reels. You can use relevant hashtags to your niche on Reels and post away! You can even share right to your feed and story, and call it good! As long as you are using your same growth techniques you’d use for an IG post, you’re Reels will grow like your static posts.
In summary, I would put the majority of your video content creation energy into creating TikTok’s still, since it’s the most relevant. Then, take some time each day to repurpose those TikTok’s onto Reels and call it good. There is no need to feel like you need to create different content for both platforms, or even spend the time filming on Reels first. Be smart with your time and repurpose always!
Tell me in the comments: which platform do you like better? TikTok or Reels?
Want to know why your TikTok/Reel videos aren’t performing? I offer consultations to help with that! Check out that info here!
