Following its launch last year in Brazil, Instagram is expanding its TikTok competitor known as “Reels” to new markets. Starting today, Instagram is carrying out more links to Reels in France and Germany, enabling users to film short, 15-second video clips set to music or other content, and then posts them on the web where they can go viral.
The Reels feature is similar to TikTok in that it presents a set of editing tools that make filming creative videos easier. For starters, at launch, Reels introduced a countdown timer, the option to change the speed of the recording, and other impacts.
The company learned from its early tests in Brazil and since then has been rethinking key aspects of the Reels experience.
Reels have traditionally been intended to only be shared through Instagram Stories. But the Instagram community decided they needed the option to distribute Reels more freely with fans and friends, and even had the potential, if desired, to extend the sharing further.
Additionally, the community said that they wanted a dedicated space where they could easily compile Reels and watch Reels from other people.
With the expansion in Germany and France, Instagram has moved Reels to a dedicated space on the user profile and in Explore — the latter for public accounts — so that people can share their Instagram feed with a new audience, a spokesman for the company says.
These changes offer opportunities for more exposure for both Reels and their creators, as Reels becomes more a destination in the app — like, for example, the Stories row is today.
However, with Reels, Instagram can tap into its existing creator base and draw on the familiarity of users with its video editing tools.
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The problem for Reels is getting Instagram users to produce a new form of content in feed posts and in stories than they do today. Such videos tend to be more intimate — like, for example, images from someone’s day or a vlog. In the meantime, more professional content creators have been relocated to IGTV.
In contrast, TikTok videos tend to be rehearsed and choreographed. Users practice a dance, perform a trick, make jokes, lip-sync to songs or music, or in their way reproduce a common meme. As in Snapchat, these images are usually not off-the-cuff. Fostering this content includes a diverse range of editing software and workflow, which is what Reels is providing.
Conclusion:
Instagram hasn’t said whether it plans to roll out Reels worldwide or whether it wants to bring the app to the U.S. but hopes the continued development will enable the business to start expanding on customer expertise and improving the app.
