How to Use IG Reels to Maximize Visibility and Reach

Instagram Reels was introduced as a competitor to TikTok videos and YouTube Shorts. These short videos have become very popular as marketing tools for brands and creators. One reason is that the Instagram algorithm prioritizes reels. 

Reels have also been noted to drive 22% more engagement than other feed posts, making them a powerful tool for boosting visibility and increasing your reach. In this article, we explore how to utilize reels to market your brand and expand your reach. 

Why You Should Have an Instagram Reel Marketing Strategy 

There are several reasons why Instagram reels should be part of your marketing strategy. These include:

Ability to Reach a Broader and Larger Audience

As of 2025, the largest Instagram demographic consisted of people aged between 18 and 34, compared to the TikTok demographic, which ranges between 18 and 29. When your brand is actively marketing on Instagram, it means you are casting your net wider and engaging with as many people as possible. Additionally, while TikTok is quite popular, Instagram has more active users.

Leverage the Instagram Shopping Feature

Instagram has revolutionized social commerce by offering numerous interactive shopping features that brands can utilize due to the platform's high level of user-friendliness. It is easy to turn viewers into shoppers. What's even better is that you can link your reels to your shop, allowing viewers to browse your shop directly within the app. 

Become More Creative

In the recent past, reels have become more creative and are even easier to create. With its numerous reel templates, Instagram encourages brands and creators to be unique. This, combined with editing apps such as InShot and CapCut, enables users to enhance their content and create unique, eye-catching visuals. This is perhaps why reels have one of the highest engagement rates as compared to other content formats on Instagram. 

Showcase Your Brand’s Personality

We already mentioned that reels will help you maximize your reach and visibility. However, you should avoid treating them as ads. This is why you need to ensure that you are focusing on authenticity in your reels. Avoid creating overly salesy videos and instead focus more on entertaining and relaxed videos. 

You can jump on trends and show your audience the behind-the-scenes videos. You can also collaborate with nano influencers as they drive more engagement.

How to Create Engaging Reels on Instagram

There are several tips you can use to create engaging Instagram Reels. These include:

Creating Engaging Content

If the content you post on reels already exists elsewhere online, Instagram will not give it prominence. Although there are many similarities between reels and TikTok videos, it is best to avoid sharing your TikTok content as reels, as this can impact their reach and visibility. 

Have a Goal

You might be tempted to try anything on Instagram to see what works for you. This isn't the right way. A good idea would be to have a good reel strategy. Depending on your business, there are several goals you can have in mind when creating reels, such as: 

• Increasing brand awareness. Use the reel to tell your brand story. Share about your brand value and unique value propositions to appeal to your target audience.
• Increasing sales. Ensure that the reels you create showcase your brand in use while showing the benefits. For instance, if you are a cosmetic brand, you can make a before-and-after video.
• Growing your community and engagement. A high engagement level plays a vital role in developing your Instagram account. Therefore, take time to interact with your Instagram community. Ensure that you are creating reels as a means of responding to comments, soliciting your audience’s opinions, or offering them a reason to share your content. Continue experimenting, but keep track of what works. 

Leverage Different Reel Features

The Instagram app boasts numerous features that make it extremely easy to use. That is why you should experiment with different features such as music, remixes, quizzes, polls, sticks, on-screen captions, and texts, etc. Ensure you use the relevant hashtags, as these will enhance your content's discoverability.

You can share previews or snippets of upcoming reels in your stories to draw your audience’s attention, which can help you build a level of anticipation. The swipe-up feature is also available for business accounts with over 10,000 followers, enabling them to direct users to their actual content. If you have less than that number, you can add the link in your bio, directing followers to your latest reels. 

Collaborate with Instagram Creators

Instead of creating reels for your audience alone, how about collaborating with other creators to help you reach a new audience? Since a collaborative post will increase the number of eyes on your posts, it will help you increase the reach and visibility of your brand. On top of that, it will provide you with other benefits, such as: 

• Adding a unique way of celebrating your brand. 
• Building relationships with other creators. 
• Ensuring authenticity.

One study indicates that 78% of consumers say creators are helping them discover new brands. It adds that 71% have taken action after seeing a creator's content. This is because when consumers see genuine recommendations from other creators, they are more likely to trust them. 

When collaborating with other creators, make sure that the relationship benefits both parties. Offer something to the creator in return, such as free products, exposure, or monetary compensation. Remember that when you have a good collaboration strategy, it can lead to a long-term relationship for both parties.

Jump on Trends

Social media trends move very fast, and you need to join as soon as possible. Otherwise, if you are the brand that joins a trend a month later, it will be of no use. Therefore, ensure that you remain on top of trends by scrolling through the reel tabs. This will show you the reel that appears regularly. 

However, while jumping on trends will help you take your business to the next level, this should not be at the expense of maintaining your brand voice. Ensure that you strike a balance between authenticity and innovation when leveraging trends to market your reels.

In Conclusion

There is no doubt that in 2025, short-form video content will dominate social media. From YouTube shorts to Facebook and Instagram reels, this content is driving the highest engagement. If you want to increase the visibility and reach of your brand, consider using Instagram Reels. By applying the steps outlined in our guide, you should be able to do that.