Instagram Reels is a new tool that aims to compete with and even surpass TikTok. Users will now be able to upload and share short films made from audio and video tracks with their Instagram followers.
In November of 2019, Reels testing commenced in Brazil. It was first released in France and Germany in early summer 2020, and as of August 5th, it is accessible worldwide. This includes Spain, the United States, and many more nations.
This post will describe what Reels is, how it functions, and why it has arrived at the perfect time to capitalise on the popularity of TikTok.
Instagram Reels: What Is It?
Instagram Reels is a new format for Instagram users (it’s not a separate app, but rather a function, like Stories). What you can do using Instagram Reels:
- Make videos that are no more than 15 seconds long.
- Apply visual modifiable filters and artistic results.
- Put in some tunes that you like or that you’ve made.
- Change the speed of a video.
- Share your video publicly in Stories or the feed, or email it to a friend privately.
- Check out the Top Reels for some of the most watched clips.
- Clearly influenced by TikTok, this format allows users to “playback” content and submit their own versions through the addition of audio tracks and songs to short films. TikTok videos used to only be able to be 60 seconds long; in early 2020, this was increased to parity with Reels.
Collaboration with music and audio partners, who offer most of the “track” collection that users may subsequently integrate in their own compositions, is a major component in TikTok’s popularity. Facebook has stated that it will soon debut music videos, so it looks that they are focusing on expanding the material available to Instagram Reels users.
Do Americans Have Access to Instagram Reels?
As of Monday, August 5th, all Instagram users in the US will have access to Reels. Earlier in 2020, Instagram Reels debuted in Brazil, France, Germany, and India. The United Kingdom, Japan, Mexico, and Spain, among around 50 more nations, will all be available beginning in August 2020.
Instagram Highlights vs. TikTok: An Intense Competition
Among all apps, TikTok has quickly become one of the most popular. In just a few short years, it has become integral to the online lives and social interactions of the millennial generation.
Short films including viral challenges, playbacks, dancing, humour, and comments on social concerns are at the heart of its popularity. This Chinese software has eclipsed American apps like Instagram in terms of downloads, with over 2 billion to date. After the worldwide containment of the COVID-19 outbreak, its popularity increased.
Facebook has already attempted to compete with TikTok, but they were unsuccessful. Lasso, a short video app released by the firm in November 2018, failed to acquire traction and was downloaded by only a fraction of a million users. Facebook permanently discontinued Lasso on July 10, 2020, to devote resources on boosting Reels.
Why now is Instagram releasing Reels?
No one knows how long Facebook has been planning the worldwide release of Instagram Reels, but the fact remains that it is seizing a fantastic opportunity.
The Trump administration has been looking into ByteDance, the firm behind TikTok, and its connections to China for quite some time. Trump threatened to suspend TikTok in early July 2020 as revenge for the coronavirus, and some have voiced worries about the Chinese government’s probable access to TikTok data and content regulation.
Now that TikTok may be going the way of the dodo, users and producers are searching for a place to continue sharing short form movies, and Instagram Reels is filling that need. TikTok might be a great chance to gain market share, as it has an estimated 80 million users in the United States alone. In order to prevent the app from being blocked and to continue being a very strong competitor against Instagram Reels in the United States.
How do Instagram Reels actually function?
Instagram Reels is a new feature within the existing Instagram app, rather than a separate app like TikTok, for the reasons already stated. The Reels, however, are permanently embedded in a portion of the profile, between the posting timeline and the Instagram Direct button, so Facebook has made sure that this new material is extremely accessible. They also have their very own menu option within the programme itself.
Reels: How Do You Share Them?
Don’t worry, the “Explore” tab makes it simple to show off a Reel you’ve made to your followers and the Instagram community.
If you have a public profile, your reels will appear in a dedicated part of the “Explore” tab, where they may be seen by anyone. You may also have your followers view them if you add them to your feed. Your reel may be displayed on specific pages when a user searches for a specific hashtag, music, or effect that you’ve used.
If you’ve posted the Reel in your Instagram feed or by direct message, it will be accessible to your followers at all times. If you post it to Stories, it will only be available for the next day.