Are you sharing Instagram reels non-stop every day and struggling to get views? Or longing on the Instagram algorithm to make your reels go viral and get thousands of views?
Getting views on Instagram reels has been a headache for many creators. Often times it’s frustrating to put so much effort and still won’t even get 5000 views or likes on reels.
Though there are no specific rules that could make a reel go viral on Instagram. In this article, we’ll discuss a few tips that could get you the best results.
Instagram reels overview
Instagram reels are short vertical videos of 60 seconds or less. These are instant videos that people can share on the platform and decorate with descriptive text, filters, and trending music.
It’s been a while since Instagram announced that they are shifting from just a photo-sharing platform to a video-sharing platform. That means, they will be promoting more video content over pictures.
Instagram launched reels in 2020 as a measure to directly compete with Tik-Tok, which is dominating the short video-sharing market. So far, Instagram users have showered their love for this new IG feature. We can see people of every age group participating in various trends with their creative reels videos.
Instagram has been promoting these short vertical videos to give its users a boost in their organic growth. Although, some people find it difficult to get enough views on their Instagram reels for free.
How to get real views on Instagram reels for free?
Usually, when you post your reel on Instagram, it automatically starts distributing your video to the relevant audience.
If somehow that is not happening with your reels, you can follow these steps to optimize your reels and get the best results.
Use high-quality videos for the reels
While shooting your reel, make sure that you are using a good quality camera and audio-recording gadgets.
Always shoot high-resolution videos that you can edit later to create an eye-catching reel.
Along with that, maintain proper lighting around you so that your viewers can focus on you. A ring light could be a really good investment in this case.
Also, minimize the background noises as much as possible.
Share quality content on reels
Content is the king so the quality of your content matters.
Share content that your target audience wants to see from you.
Run polls and surveys asking your audience what kind of reels they want to see from you. It will give you an idea of what you should deliver.
Good quality content directly reciprocates into more views and likes on your reels.
Hook your audience in the first 3 seconds
An average user spends about 3 seconds on a reel before skipping to the next post.
So it gets important to hook your audience in those 3 seconds. You can:
- Highlight the best part of your video in the first 3 seconds.
- Use an eye-catching reel cover to instantly grab the attention
- Add curiosity keywords like “What if”, “How to”, “Secret tips”, etc
Once you hook your audience, you can retain them for the rest of the video with your quality content. It will definitely help you get more views and engagement on your reels.
Add descriptive texts to get more Instagram reels views
Adding text helps in grabbing the attention of the viewer instantly.
Use texts, close captions, and other elements to highlight important points in your reels to engage your audience.
It is often noticed that people watch reels with their audio muted. Therefore, Adding text or closed captions to your reels helps them get an overview of what your reel is about. It makes them stick to the end, thus, improving your audience retention rate and boosting your organic reach.
Add trending music and sounds to your reels
When you add trending audio to your reel, it is featured on that audio’s page along with other reels. Moreover, the Instagram algorithm also suggests your reel to people who are watching other reels with the same audio. This increases your chance to get more views on your reels exponentially.
Choose trending music and sound to add to your reels that will play in the background of your video.
To identify trending sound clips and music on Instagram, look for a small arrow in front of the audio title.
It indicates that a mass number of people are watching and creating reels with that audio which you can use to your advantage to get more reels views.
Write an engaging caption to get more views on Instagram reels
A precise caption with a clear call-to-action can be a game-changer to get more views on your Instagram reels.
Add a well-written caption along with a call to action to give your audience a direction on what to do after watching the reel. It could be something like “Leave a comment” or “Visit the website” etc.
It should encourage a user to take action which in return will boost the organic reach of your Instagram reel. Thus, giving more exposure and views to your reel.
Add relevant hashtags
Do hashtags still work? This question pops up often now and then.
While many believe that they don’t get any significant results from hashtags, a proper hashtag strategy can still be helpful.
Using well-researched hashtags can help you get extra impressions and views on your reels.
You can use an Instagram hashtags generator like GravTag to generate different relevant hashtags for your content.
Design an eye-catching cover for your reels
A well-designed reel cover can play a significant role in getting more views on your reels. You can put information about your reel like title, texts, graphics, etc. to spark the interest of your audience.
The added cover thumbnail is displayed both on your main feed as well as on the reels tab on your profile.
Your profile visitors might find it useful to checkout reels they deem valuable to them. Therefore, It will help you get more views for free on your Instagram reels.
Participate in trends
Every day, there is a new trend running on Instagram that people love to watch and share their videos.
Participating in trends is a great way to get exposure on your account as well as your reels along with other content.
Participate in the trend by adding your twist of creativity to it. This could help get some engagement as well as views on your reels along with some organic followers growth.
Do not use fake views or engagement on reels
No matter what, never use fake engagement on your reels.
Using fake views or engagement on your posts could backfire. Instagram might penalize your account for doing that and can permanently restrict your videos from getting featured anymore.
If any of your reels didn’t get enough views, make peace with that and move on. Focus on creating more quality content for your audience.
Engage with your target audience
Engaging with the relevant audience can make them visit your page. Moreover, this will give your content more exposure amongst your target audience and can increase views on your reels organically.
Just take out a few minutes in a day to like a few pictures and leave meaningful comments. If you are busy and do not get enough time, check out my Instagram management services. I can do that on your behalf with the assurance of the best results.
Collaborate with other creators
Creating reels in collaboration with other creators can help you connect with their audience. You can use that opportunity to get more eyes on your videos and increase views on your Instagram reels.
Instagram has made it easy to collaborate between two creators. When you tag someone, your post will show up on the feed of their audience. That will bring more engagement and views to your reels. Along with that, you are also giving exposure to the creator amongst your audience. So it’s a win-win for both.
Look for creators in your niche and shoot them a DM asking to collaborate. Most of them will happily do that.
Turn on Recommend your reels on Facebook
While sharing your reels on Instagram, it asks if you would like to recommend your reels on Facebook.
Turning it on could help you reach a vast majority of the audience on Facebook and capture all those views on your reels.
Conclusion
The key to getting more views on Instagram reels lies in the strategy to optimize your reels to deliver the best user experience.
I am sure these 13 tips gave you an idea of what it takes to make your Instagram reel go viral. You can employ these steps to get more views on your Instagram reels.
Tell me in the comments below which strategy worked for you to get views on your Instagram reels.
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