From just a photo-sharing platform, Instagram (Ig) has come a long way as the most popular social media platforms, with 2 billion active monthly users. Its popularity is huge among the youth, mainly due to short-form Instagram videos and reels.
This platform is not just for entertainment and personal use, but is used extensively by businesses of all kinds. In today’s time, there is hardly any business that doesn’t have an Instagram page.
You can’t miss reaching out to this 2 billion active audience.
Whether you are a normal user or a business on Instagram who wants to reach the audience quickly, you wonder what is best for you: Instagram videos vs reels. This article clearly explains what you should post and why.
Could you give a full read to it?
What Is an Instagram Video?
A video content, more than 15 minutes, uploaded on the Instagram feed is an Instagram video.
Videos are the most engaging form of content on Instagram, with 91% of active users watching these videos weekly. So, in general, people like to watch video content more on Instagram compared to static (Instagram posts) content.
Other than uploading videos to the feed, Instagram also allows you to go live with a live video. Instagram Live video is the fastest way to connect with your audience to create hype or announce big news, such as the launch of a new product.
Instagram Live Video Explained
You can start your Live video by tapping the plus icon and swiping to the “Live” option. When you go live, it appears on the stories of your followers with a live icon on it. Upon being Live, you are able to watch how many people are watching you live.
Instagram Feed Video Specs
- Duration: Can be up to 60 minutes.
- Video Width: Minimum 320 Pixels, Maximum 1080 Pixels
- Aspect Ratio: Between 1.91:1 and 4:5
Instagram Live Video Specs
- Duration: Stream up to 4 hours.
- The live video can be recorded from either a camera or a mobile, so no need to worry about the dimensions.
How to Make an Instagram Video Post?
To create an Instagram video post: Tap on the + icon on your mobile phone’s screen.
- Then, under the Post option, select the video from your gallery to post.
- Once the video for the post is selected. Tap on the Next button.
- In this step, you are allowed to add text, filters, stickers, music, etc, and also trim it and tap on next.
- Here, you can add captions, hashtags, and location, and you are done.
What Are Instagram Reels?
An interesting new feature introduced back in 2020 by Instagram, Instagram Reels is a short-form video clip more than 90 seconds but shorter than 15 minutes that you can edit, add music or other effects to, and then share on the app.
Most Instagram users post reels that are or shorter than 90 seconds.
Using these reels, you can publish personal videos, creative content, or market brands.
You can find the reels in their own tabs in your Instagram account and also shared on the feeds, stores, and explore tabs.
Reels are one of the most popular content on the app right now; around 140 billion reels are played each day across Instagram and Facebook collectively.
Instagram Reels Specs
- Duration: Any video shorter than 15 minutes.
- Aspect ratio: Between 1.91:1 and 9:16.
- Resolution: 30 FPS, Frame rate, 720 minimum resolution.
How to Make a Reel on Instagram?
If it's your first time making a reel, head to your app and click on the + icon on your main screen, or you can also find the + icon in the top right corner of your profile.
Then, select the reel option.
You are both allowed to record your video using it, or you can simply upload the already-made video here. Also, you can use templates provided by Instagram to make your reels. The templates option is available in the Reel section, where you get Recommended, Trending, and Saved Reels Templates.
If you want to upload an externally made video, you can add it from the bottom + button in the left corner.
After uploading, you get the option to edit your reel with several tools like speed, time, scale, layout, gesture control, etc. Other editing tools include text, draw, stickers, AR effects, filters, and audio to make your content more engaging. After you are done with your editing, click the button.
After that, add a cover photo, caption, location, tag people, and set some other settings, and you are good to go.
What Is the Difference Between Instagram Reels and Videos?
Let's jot down some major differences between Instagram videos vs reels.
Duration
The first major difference between the Insta reels and Insta videos is that of the duration. Instagram reels are short-form videos, so they have a limited less than 15 minutes duration specifically set for quick, responsive content. And to share multiple clips in a single reel, each clip must be less than 90 seconds.
While the Instagram video is a long-form video that can last up to 60 minutes designed for more detailed content.
Editing
As mentioned in the above section, Instagram reels are provided with all sorts of editing tools to make their content appear more engaging.
The editing tools are focused on generating short video clips, such as multi-clip editing, audio, transitions, etc., while for Insta videos, since they might be long duration video clips so advanced editing tools are provided by the platform, such as layer effects, color correction, etc.
Audience Reach
When it comes Instagram videos and reels, reels are considered to reach a wider audience compared to Instagram videos.
The Instagram algorithm favors and pushes Instagram reels since they are short.
So, your reels will be more likely to reach a wider audience in a short period of time, even if they don’t follow you.
However, when it comes to descriptive Instagram videos, they are primarily shown to your followers and have less chance to reach the non-followers. This makes its reach limited, but the non-followers can still watch your videos by searching through the explore page.
Average Engagement
We have already discussed that the Instagram algorithm prioritizes Instagram reels and shows them to a wider audience, which allows them to have more views as well as engagement vs videos.
In a study, it is reported that reels show an average engagement rate of 2.7% compared to 2.2% for the feed videos.
Purpose
When you have content that is short or you want to create hype and want people to discover your content quickly, Instagram reels will work. In contrast, Instagram videos are perfect for more in-depth content like interviews and podcasts, where you have long-form content.
Which Is Better: Instagram Video Post vs Reel?
Without looking at Pros and Cons of Instagram videos vs reels, we cannot decide which one is better.
So, let’s look at those as well.
Pros and Cons of Instagram Reels
Pros:
- Instagram reels are short and visually engaging.
- They convey the message in a short span of 90 seconds precisely.
- Reels can reach non-followers quickly compared to other IG content types.
- Reels are short clips, so they are easy to make and require less investment.
- They are the best way to start your business journey on Instagram.
Cons:
- Instagram reels have a limited time frame, so it becomes difficult to convey complex messages.
- If your content is not super engaging, there is a high rate of skipping.
Pros and Cons of Instagram Videos
Pros:
- Instagram videos are perfect for conveying in-depth information.
- Video content on IG is more engaging and has more views compared to photos and carousels.
- It allows you to group similar videos into a series.
Cons:
- No monetization option for the Instagram videos.
- Videos don’t reach a wider audience, and there is competition since the Algorithm favors reels over other content.
Should You Post Instagram Reels or Videos?
The question of whether you post Instagram reels or videos on your Instagram entirely depends on their stats.
When your goal is to reach a wider audience in a short span of time, now you know what you should post. Reels. They have the highest reach among all the other content types on Instagram. We are not just quoting mere words; data and studies have shown this, which we have already discussed.
Over half of them interact with Instagram reels once a week, which makes it a potential way for businesses to market their deals and products using reels.
Short-form videos (Reels) are more in demand, and marketers consider them as the most effective marketing strategy, according to the report by Sprout Social. Their report cites that short-form video is 66% engaging, while the long-form videos lag far behind them with just a 24% engagement rate.
Moreover, talking about the Algorithm, it also favors reels over other content, making reels your number one choice of content you should post.
Conclusion
Instagram is an excellent social media platform for entertainment, business, and building connections worldwide. Since the launch of Instagram reels a few years ago, it has widely gained the attention of youngsters worldwide.
Long-form videos have lost their charm, and people like to interact more with the reels these days, which has made them the most engaging content on the platform. If you were confused about what you should post, Instagram videos vs reels, after reading this article, you know your answer.
Make engaging and visually appealing reels with a perfect hook today and grab more followers.
FAQs on Ig Videos vs Reels
Let’s look at some general questions you might have regarding the video vs reel on Instagram (Ig).
Are reels better than posts?
Data reports that Instagram reels are better in terms of audience reach. It is reported they get around 36% more reach than other Insta post types.
Do Instagram reels or videos get more views?
According to research, Instagram reels get 67% more engagement than Instagram feed videos. So, posting Insta reels gives you more chances of getting views, likes, and comments compared to videos.
How to find Instagram reels trends?
To find Instagram reels trends, go to the + icon on your main screen and select the reels option. Here, you will find the templates option. Click on it and scroll down to see the “Trending” section; this is where the trending reels are.
Another way to access Instagram reels trends is to go to your professional dashboard and scroll down to find the “Trending audio” options. Here you can find all the trending audios you can use to make a viral reel.
Can I use captions for reels?
Captions are the text underneath your Instagram post. It gives users more information about the content you’ve published. You can surely use it to improve your reel's information. You can even use ChatGPT for Instagram captions for fast results.
What’s the best time to post reels?
If you’re not scheduling reels, you can post them when your audience is most active. To find out, tap on the Instagram profile → then tap the Professional dashboard link → New followers → scroll down to see the audience's Most active times.
Can you post videos instead of reels?
Videos longer than 15 minutes will automatically turn into an Instagram video. And, all videos shorter than 15 minutes are published as reels. So, yes, you can post Instagram videos, but there will be some limitations.
