Uploaded October 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
In August 2020, Instagram launched a new feature called Reels in over 50 countries, declaring 'war' against TikTok on a global scale. Reels is practically a copycat of TikTok. It's a 15 second multi-clip video format that allows you to get discovered on Instagram. Between IG stories and IGTV, it sits nicely among other Insta family members.
You might have already watch Reels videos of your favorite social media influencers, and perhaps considering making your own as well. Is this new video Reels feature right for you? Is it going to help you promote your art business?
Before getting into Reels, let's look at TikTok. It grew so fast in 2019, many thought it was the biggest opportunity after Instagram. But they might be wrong. Being a Chinese owned company, TikTok had many potential problems that are definitely dealbreakers. It also might not be the right choice (regardless of the policy factor) for many creative professionals. I could not recommend Tiktok to the majority of artists because of the following 5 reasons:
1 Policy
2 Social media product life cycle
3 TikTok's particularly young demography (not your audience)
4 Tiktok is not Douyin
5 Trends aren't good for you
Is Reels any different? The answer is yes. Reels is not an App but a feature within IG app. If you already use Instagram to promote your art, this is just one small step further. Here I want to offer 5 tips when making Reels videos:
1 Don't edit down your existing videos. You need to change the format completely to suit your new audience on Reels.
2 It's short, so don't squeeze too much content into this 15 second long video.
3 Think it as free advertising for your IG account. You will appreciate every free traffic you get to your profile.
4 It's branding, not sales. Don't just think about conversion. How can you even convert in 3 seconds?
5 Always backup. When Reels are not here anymore, you want some raw content to work with, for your website or other social media. Not the Reels content, because it has copyrighted music.
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Our Patreon page if you are interested in coaching sessions
► patreon.com/veryprivateart
Our official website, many in-depth articles to read there
► veryprivategallery.com
Our Instagram account
► instagram.com/veryprivateart
----------------------
#Reels #Instagramforartist #artist
In August 2020, Instagram launched a new feature called Reels in over 50 countries, declaring 'war' against TikTok on a global scale. Reels is practically a copycat of TikTok. It's a 15 second multi-clip video format that allows you to get discovered on Instagram. Between IG stories and IGTV, it sits nicely among other Insta family members.
You might have already watch Reels videos of your favorite social media influencers, and perhaps considering making your own as well. Is this new video Reels feature right for you? Is it going to help you promote your art business?
Before getting into Reels, let's look at TikTok. It grew so fast in 2019, many thought it was the biggest opportunity after Instagram. But they might be wrong. Being a Chinese owned company, TikTok had many potential problems that are definitely dealbreakers. It also might not be the right choice (regardless of the policy factor) for many creative professionals. I could not recommend Tiktok to the majority of artists because of the following 5 reasons:
1 Policy
2 Social media product life cycle
3 TikTok's particularly young demography (not your audience)
4 Tiktok is not Douyin
5 Trends aren't good for you
Is Reels any different? The answer is yes. Reels is not an App but a feature within IG app. If you already use Instagram to promote your art, this is just one small step further. Here I want to offer 5 tips when making Reels videos:
1 Don't edit down your existing videos. You need to change the format completely to suit your new audience on Reels.
2 It's short, so don't squeeze too much content into this 15 second long video.
3 Think it as free advertising for your IG account. You will appreciate every free traffic you get to your profile.
4 It's branding, not sales. Don't just think about conversion. How can you even convert in 3 seconds?
5 Always backup. When Reels are not here anymore, you want some raw content to work with, for your website or other social media. Not the Reels content, because it has copyrighted music.
----------------------
Our Patreon page if you are interested in coaching sessions
► patreon.com/veryprivateart
Our official website, many in-depth articles to read there
► veryprivategallery.com
Our Instagram account
► instagram.com/veryprivateart
----------------------
#Reels #Instagramforartist #artist
