Instagram Reels for business in 2026: Best practices + examples

Every minute, people around the world watch nearly 139 million Instagram Reels.

As Instagram’s fastest-growing feature, Reels offer enterprise brands the highest engagement rates.

Whether you’re new to making short-form videos or you want to step up your strategy, this guide will help you get the most out of Instagram Reels.

What is an Instagram Reel?

An Instagram Reel is a short-form vertical video shared on Instagram. You can record, edit, and stitch multiple video clips and photos together, then add extras like:

• Original audio or trending sounds
• Voiceovers
• Text overlays and stickers
• Effects and transitions

Source: Starface

What’s the difference between a Reel and a TikTok?

Reels and TikToks are both short-form video platforms, but they differ in audience, reach, content style, and more.

Here’s a breakdown of the main differences between a Reel and a TikTok:

How long can Instagram Reels be?

As of January 2025, Reels can be up to 3 minutes long (previously 90 seconds).

That said, just because you can post longer videos doesn’t mean you should. According to Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram, when it comes to Reels, the shorter the better. 

Check out his Reel below on the ideal Reel length:

Source: Adam Mosseri

What video sizes and specs work best for Instagram Reels?

The best Instagram Reels size is 1080 x 1920 pixels with a 9:16 aspect ratio. Because Reels are designed for full-screen mobile viewing, vertical videos perform best.

Here are the recommended Instagram Reels specs:

• Aspect ratio: Between 1.91:1 and 9:16
• Resolution: 1080 × 1920 pixels recommended (minimum 720p)
• Frame rate: Minimum of 30 frames per second (FPS)

What can you use Instagram Reels for?

Instagram Reels are versatile, letting you educate, entertain, and engage your audience.

You can experiment with a range of formats, including:

• Before and afters: Show transformations and results to highlight the impact of your product or service.
• Behind-the-scenes: Give your audience a peek into your processes or company culture.
• Educational content (tutorials, how-tos, etc.): Share actionable insights, tips, or step-by-step guides.
• Trending audio: Tap into popular sounds to increase discoverability and engagement.
• Day-in-the-life videos: Humanize your brand with glimpses of your team’s everyday life.
• Announcements: Share product launches, updates, or company news.
• Shareable content: Create videos that viewers are likely to save or share.
• Interviews: Spotlight your experts or customers.
• User-generated content (UGC): Showcase content from customers to build trust.
• Showcasing products: Share your product features, top benefits, or use cases.

Pro tip 💡: Mix trending formats for quick wins with evergreen content to drive long-term audience growth.

How does the Instagram Reels algorithm work?

Instagram’s Reels algorithm works by using AI to recommend videos it thinks you’re most likely to enjoy. To do this, it evaluates a large pool of potential Reels and ranks them based on how likely you are to engage with them.

Instagram pays close attention to signals like:

• Watch time and completion rate
• Engagement signals like likes, comments, and saves
• Whether people rewatch or share the video
• Actions taken after watching, such as visiting the creator’s profile or following them

For brands and marketing teams investing in Reels, these ranking signals can feel a little hard to pin down.

Luckily, Mosseri shared a few simple tips for improving your reach:

1. Don’t use watermarks or logos
2. Keep Reels less than 3 minutes long
3. Use audio and trending music
4. Post consistently
5. Experiment by using trial Reels, which first show your content to non-followers and can later boost it to your profile if it performs well.

Watch his full breakdown below:

Source: Adam Mosseri

How to create an Instagram Reel

Follow these five steps to create and publish an Instagram Reel from your mobile device.

Step 1: Select or record a video

From your feed, tap the + button to create a new post. Then, select Reel from the options.

From here, you can either hit the record button to create a video directly within the app, or choose a pre-made video from your camera roll.

Reminder: You can upload a video up to three minutes long.

Step 2: Edit your video

Next, you can use the built-in video editing tools to add layers, transitions, and effects to your recording.

From the editing menu, you can:

• Cut out silences
• Add and rearrange multiple video clips
• Add voiceovers
• Adjust the speed
• Crop the clips
• Add audio or visual effects, like text and stickers

Step 3: Browse trending audio

Explore curated sounds in the For You tab or see what’s trending.

The green and red arrows let you know which sounds are gaining or losing popularity among users. You can also save audio to use later.

Step 4: Add or edit your Reels cover

Your Reels cover image is what people see first when scrolling your profile. Pick an image that catches the eye and signals what the video is about.

Either select a frame from your video to use as the cover, or upload a separate image from your camera roll.

You can also preview how the cover will appear in your profile grid.

Step 5: Publish or save as a draft

This is the final step. Review your Reel cover and make any edits before publishing or saving it as a draft.

You’ll also need to add a caption. Instagram Reels captions can be up to 2,200 characters long (the same as an Instagram post).

You can also add:

• Hashtags
• A location tag
• User tags
• A collaborator tag (if you’re publishing a Collab post)

On desktop

While you can’t record an Instagram Reel on desktop, you can upload, edit, and publish one.

The steps are mainly the same, with the exception of the full suite of editing options.

1. From the left menu, click Create, then Post
2. Choose select from computer to upload a prerecorded video
3. You can trim the beginning or end of your clip
4. Add a cover photo from your device or by choosing one from the clip

Bonus: Free Instagram Reels templates

Templates make the process of creating and sharing engaging Reels a lot easier. Here’s a bonus from our team that will give you a jumpstart: fully customizable Reel templates that will take your Reels to the next level and help you stand out in busy feeds.

How to schedule an Instagram Reel: 2 methods

You can schedule an Instagram Reel either directly in the Instagram app or by using a social media scheduling tool like Hootsuite. Both methods let you publish Reels automatically at a specific time.

Here’s the step-by-step process for both options.

Method 1: Schedule an Instagram Reel on Instagram

1. Create and edit your Reel as usual.

2. On the publishing screen, scroll down and tap More options.

3. Next, toggle on Schedule this reel.

4. Select the date and time you want the Reel to publish. Note: You can schedule your Reel up to 75 days in advance.

Need to reschedule a Reel later on? To edit or reschedule your Reel in Instagram:

1. Go to your Profile.

2. Tap the three-line menu in the top corner.

3. Select Scheduled content to view and manage scheduled posts.

Method 2: Schedule an Instagram Reel with Hootsuite

Hootsuite makes scheduling Instagram Reels (along with the rest of your Instagram content) easy.

Here are the steps to follow to schedule a Reel in Hootsuite:

1. Save your video to your device.
2. In Hootsuite, tap the Create icon, then tap Post.
3. Select the Instagram Business account you want to publish your Reel to.
4. Upload your saved video. If it’s only one video, it will automatically publish as a Reel. Videos must be between 3 seconds and 15 minutes long and have an aspect ratio of 9:16.
5. Add your caption, hashtags, and tags.
6. Preview your Reel. Click Post now to publish it immediately, or…
7. Click Schedule for later and manually set a publication date — or choose one of the recommended days and times to post.

Why schedule your Reel using Hootsuite? There are three main reasons:

1. Your Reel will show up in the Hootsuite Planner, alongside all your other scheduled social media posts, making it easy to see how it fits into your larger social media content calendar. From there, you can edit, delete, or duplicate your Reel, or move it to drafts. It will automatically publish on your scheduled date.
2. You can use Hootsuite to schedule your Reel for the best time according to your unique audience.
3. Once you publish your Reel, it will appear in both your feed and the Reels tab on your account. You can also measure its performance, along with the rest of your social media content performance, in the Analytics tab of Hootsuite.

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What are the best practices for creating Instagram Reels?

We spoke with social media experts to uncover top tips for creating Reels that perform. Here’s what they said:

1. Focus on the intro
2. Think outside the (industry) box
3. Include engaging calls to action (CTAs)

1. Focus on the intro

The first few seconds of your Reel are the most important. Instead of easing into your content, start with a hook that grabs attention right away.

Here’s one of the brand’s top-performing Reels announcing their sponsorship of Maine’s first professional soccer team, the Portland Hearts of Pine.

“This video did extremely well because the subject matter is interesting to our target audience in Maine, and we broke the news within five seconds,” Assimos says. 

“We reached 30k views on this video for a very new Instagram account which has been around less than eight months — and it’s all been organic reach.”

2. Think outside the (industry) box

Your audience isn’t only interested in your products or services. Creating Reels around adjacent topics — as long as they resonate with your audience — can help you reach new viewers.

Since Reels are often shown to people who don’t already follow you, tapping into broader conversations on the platform is a smart way to expand your reach.

Silvija Kemeraite, Social Media Manager at Omnisend, suggests thinking outside of your industry to engage your audience.

“Don’t be scared to post content that’s not directly related to your business,” says Kemeraite. “This doesn’t mean completely ditching your area of business expertise, but always think about your audience and what would be interesting for them to watch.”

– Silvija Kemeraite, Social Media Manager at Omnisend

This can be especially helpful for brands in more “serious” industries like finance, education, healthcare, B2B, or nonprofits.

3. Include engaging CTAs

Unlike other post types or marketing channels that direct users elsewhere (e.g., “visit our Unlike other marketing channels that direct people elsewhere (like “visit the link in bio”), your Reels CTA should keep viewers engaged with the video itself.

Saves and shares are strong signals to the algorithm that your content is resonating. The more people interact with your Reel, the more likely it is to reach new audiences.

Your CTA can be as simple as “send this to a friend” or “leave a comment letting us know what you think.”

Need inspiration? Here are some CTA ideas:

• “Save this for later”
• “Tag someone who needs this”
• “Drop a comment if you agree”
• “Send this to someone who should see this”

That said, not every Reel needs a CTA. If you’re using trending audio or jumping on a trend, the content itself should take center stage.

CTAs work best for educational or informative Reels — like when you’re sharing tips, walking users through a process, or showcasing your products.

4 inspiring examples of Instagram Reels marketing

Looking to see Reel-life inspiration (see what we did there)? These creative videos illustrate how to make the most out of your Instagram Reels marketing.

1. Kosas: Product tutorials

Beauty brand Kosas regularly shares Reels demonstrating how its products work. These videos are not only helpful for anyone curious about trying the brand, but they’re also a great way for Kosas to showcase new and signature products.

Plus, the videos often feature Kosas’s founder, which helps personalize the brand’s content.

Source: Kosas

Pro tip 💡: If you don’t have a founder or spokesperson who’s comfortable getting in front of the camera, consider working with influencers or content creators. You can also repost organic UGC videos that showcase your brand or product well.

2. Penguin Random House: Shareable content

The key to creating shareable content is to keep it short. Stick to one main idea, such as pairing a short video clip with trending audio.

This Reel from Penguin Random House is a great example. It speaks directly to the publisher’s book-loving audience and includes a caption that encourages viewers to share the Reel with friends.

Source: Penguin Random House

3. Framebridge: Customer interviews

Shorter videos tend to perform best on Reels, but that doesn’t mean you can’t share something more in-depth.

Framing company Framebridge used Reels to launch a Mother’s Day interview series highlighting how different moms frame their memories and milestones.

This campaign is a great example of how to incorporate your customers while showcasing your products.

Source: Framebridge

If you’re creating more produced videos like this, try breaking them into shorter clips so they’re optimized for engagement and reach.

4. Notion: Tiny mic moments

“Tiny mic” interviews are a fun way to educate or entertain viewers while subtly showing what your brand does.

In the example below, software company Notion asks employees how many unread emails are sitting in their inboxes — then positions its email tool as the solution.

Source: Notion

FAQ: Instagram Reels

What are the latest Instagram Reels statistics and engagement benchmarks?

The latest Instagram Reels statistics and engagement benchmarks show that Reels are the platform’s fastest-growing format, with people watching nearly 139 million Reels every minute.

Reels also deliver higher reach than other content types on Instagram, making them an ideal format for brands looking to grow visibility.

How do brands use Instagram Reels to drive reach and conversions?

Brands use Instagram Reels to drive reach and conversions by creating short, engaging videos that entertain or educate their audience. Common formats include tutorials, product demos, behind-the-scenes clips, and user-generated content. Pairing these with trending audio can boost reach and bring in new audiences.

What Instagram Reels metrics matter most for enterprise performance measurement?

The most important Instagram Reels metrics for enterprises are watch time, completion rate, and engagement signals like likes, comments, saves, and shares. Instagram also looks at actions after someone watches a Reel, like rewatching the video or visiting the creator’s profile. These signals help determine how widely your content gets recommended.

How do Instagram Reels trends change year over year for marketers?

Instagram Reels trends change every year as new sounds and editing styles take off. Because trend-driven content moves fast, marketers should mix trending ideas with evergreen content. This helps brands stay relevant.

What best practices improve Instagram Reels performance for businesses?

The best way to improve Instagram Reels performance is to hook viewers quickly, experiment with different content styles, and include simple calls to action. Short, engaging videos usually perform best. Posting consistently and tracking what works will help you refine your strategy over time.

Save time managing your Instagram marketing strategy with Hootsuite. From a single dashboard, you can create, schedule and publish new Reels directly to Instagram, engage your audience, measure performance, and run all your other social media profiles. Try it free today.