Love it or hate it, Instagram has changed almost everything about selling online. Instagram, which used to act solely as a photo sharing app, has become a center of ecommerce and information acquisition. More and more people are using the app to learn, research businesses and buy products, rather than going to the Internet. As Laura Luk of Butterfly Bakes puts it, “think of Instagram as a search engine.”
This may seem very overwhelming and difficult to break into, but don’t worry. Laura is here to help break down everything you need to know about Instagram, Reels, video editing and show you how to make Instagram work for you. In this Food Entrepreneur Growth Summit bonus video, you'll learn how to edit videos for your food business' social media profiles. These tips are applicable across platforms, including Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and more.
Watch the full video below:
Why Instagram?
According to Laura, Instagram is great for three reasons: it's free, searchable and legitimizes your business. People are more likely to go to Instagram to research your business than going to the web. Instagram gives an instant lookbook at your business within seconds. It tells customers who you are, what you’re selling and where they can find you all on one page. This is why having an Instagram presence is critical for your business.
How Instagram Works
You may have come across problems in the past where your content is not being seen, no matter how much you post or how creative the posts are. This is because Instagram works off an algorithm. There are just too many active accounts for everyone to be seen. That’s why its essential to understand this algorithm so you can work with it, not against it.
Laura explains that the Instagram algorithm currently seems to prioritize Reels, which is Instagram’s version of TikTok. Reels are short videos, typically under a minute, meant to grab your audience’s attention in a unique and intriguing way. By posting Reels, your content is much more likely to be seen than if you just posted still pictures. Laura suggests thinking of Reels as movie trailers, rather than an entire movie. The most important aspect of Reels is the editing, which she intricately breaks down in her video.
What to Keep in Mind When Creating Reels
Reels may seem confusing if you’ve never worked with video editing before, but as with all things in life, the more you practice, the easier they’ll be.
Here is everything you need to know to get started:
- Short - keep it under a minute
- Movement - quick movement is key, there should not be any dull moments in your video
- Anticipation - use anticipation to draw audience, lose attention = lose business
- Question - ask yourself if you would want to watch this
- Quality - use a the highest quality camera you have, phone setting = 1080p at 60 fps
- Editing - use third party app for editing, Laura recommends InShot
- Audio - something fast moving and intriguing
- Clickbait - Your cover photo is very important, it’s what people will see to click on your video, so make it enticing!
Tips for Editing Reels
- Timelapse is a good tool for longer videos
- There needs to be constant movement from the first second, no dead clips
- Speed everything up, real speed loses attention
- Don’t be afraid to cut up clips
- Take the perspective of your audience
- Edit lighting and coloration in your normal photo app
- Always add audio
Phew, that’s a lot of information to understand all at once. So just take it slow and just have fun experimenting with different apps and editing tools. Bookmark this information and video to refer back to once you get going.
Remember: people go to social media to escape, so give them something they’ll enjoy and keep coming back to.
We can’t wait to see what you create!
