How to create an Instagram Reel?
Posted: Sat Jul 12, 2025 6:21 am
Open the Instagram app and tap the camera icon in the top left.
Your Instagram stories will open, where you should see "FILMSTRAPS" written just to the right of "STORIES" - tap on it.
how to create Instagram reels
You can then choose the music you would like to have in your filmstrip.
choose music
Choose the video speed by clicking the second icon from the top.
choose video speed
At the very bottom is a “stopwatch” icon where you can choose how long you want your clip to be. Once set, a timer will start counting down before you even start recording.
you can choose how long your clip will be
Similar to Instagram stories, where you can choose from a variety of effects and filters, you can do the same with reels clips. You'll see your saved effects, or at the very end, you can browse through the entire Instagram library of effects.
you will see effects from the Instagram library
With all the basics set up, it's time to add a video - you can record it or upload it from your phone. You start recording by pressing the big round button. Tapping it again will stop recording.
button to start and stop recording
Once you have your video the way you want it, you can go ahead and add gifs, stickers, emojis, or text to your video. Finally, you can edit the preview photo or upload your own from your phone's gallery. Then tap "share."
you can edit the preview photo
All your clips/reels will appear on your Instagram profile under a new "filmstrips" folder.
display in profile in the "filmstrips" tab
How to use Instagram reels in your marketing strategy?
Instagram reels are a new way to build community and increase reach on your Instagram account. It's a fun and creative way to share short videos that can go viral.
If you are presenting your business on Instagram, it would be a shame not to use reels. The point is also that every new format is shown much more in its beginnings than later in time (until people learn to use it). For example, in the past, your posts were shown to many more people and you gained new followers more easily. Now it is not so obvious and Instagram needs to be built systematically. Your reels will be shown in stories, but especially in search results, which means that there is a good chance that your account will grow. ( source )
2 ways you can incorporate reels into your strategy:
1. Share educational content – basically, no one will learn anything from this video because it’s 15 seconds long, but you can show how you did it in such a short time, for example, if you were lightening a customer’s hair in your hair salon. Record 3 clips, speeding them up to make them dynamic and adding music.
This is how hairdresser Melissa Maloney, who has her salon in buy phone number list New York, also created her first reel:
Melissa Maloney
2. Showcase your products – a unique opportunity to showcase your products in a fun and creative way. Cream posts in your Instagram gallery tend to have the least engagement and reach. So showcase your products differently!
Dedoles, for example, presents its products in a very playful and creative way. Of course, they are not creams or face masks, but slippers and socks. But it is certainly a good inspiration for how to show what you would like to sell to people.
Dedoles as inspiration
Remember that Instagram is a game.
Don't be afraid of it and just post something - the sooner the better! It doesn't have to be super professional and starched, it's about fun content. People focus more on the content of the video than its form - don't focus too much on the production of the video, the idea is more important.
Your Instagram stories will open, where you should see "FILMSTRAPS" written just to the right of "STORIES" - tap on it.
how to create Instagram reels
You can then choose the music you would like to have in your filmstrip.
choose music
Choose the video speed by clicking the second icon from the top.
choose video speed
At the very bottom is a “stopwatch” icon where you can choose how long you want your clip to be. Once set, a timer will start counting down before you even start recording.
you can choose how long your clip will be
Similar to Instagram stories, where you can choose from a variety of effects and filters, you can do the same with reels clips. You'll see your saved effects, or at the very end, you can browse through the entire Instagram library of effects.
you will see effects from the Instagram library
With all the basics set up, it's time to add a video - you can record it or upload it from your phone. You start recording by pressing the big round button. Tapping it again will stop recording.
button to start and stop recording
Once you have your video the way you want it, you can go ahead and add gifs, stickers, emojis, or text to your video. Finally, you can edit the preview photo or upload your own from your phone's gallery. Then tap "share."
you can edit the preview photo
All your clips/reels will appear on your Instagram profile under a new "filmstrips" folder.
display in profile in the "filmstrips" tab
How to use Instagram reels in your marketing strategy?
Instagram reels are a new way to build community and increase reach on your Instagram account. It's a fun and creative way to share short videos that can go viral.
If you are presenting your business on Instagram, it would be a shame not to use reels. The point is also that every new format is shown much more in its beginnings than later in time (until people learn to use it). For example, in the past, your posts were shown to many more people and you gained new followers more easily. Now it is not so obvious and Instagram needs to be built systematically. Your reels will be shown in stories, but especially in search results, which means that there is a good chance that your account will grow. ( source )
2 ways you can incorporate reels into your strategy:
1. Share educational content – basically, no one will learn anything from this video because it’s 15 seconds long, but you can show how you did it in such a short time, for example, if you were lightening a customer’s hair in your hair salon. Record 3 clips, speeding them up to make them dynamic and adding music.
This is how hairdresser Melissa Maloney, who has her salon in buy phone number list New York, also created her first reel:
Melissa Maloney
2. Showcase your products – a unique opportunity to showcase your products in a fun and creative way. Cream posts in your Instagram gallery tend to have the least engagement and reach. So showcase your products differently!
Dedoles, for example, presents its products in a very playful and creative way. Of course, they are not creams or face masks, but slippers and socks. But it is certainly a good inspiration for how to show what you would like to sell to people.
Dedoles as inspiration
Remember that Instagram is a game.
Don't be afraid of it and just post something - the sooner the better! It doesn't have to be super professional and starched, it's about fun content. People focus more on the content of the video than its form - don't focus too much on the production of the video, the idea is more important.