Instagram Reels the new alternative to TikToK

Instagram, according to data provided by the Digital 2019 Global Overview study , has more than 1 billion users worldwide. In an effort to maintain these figures, and even increase them, it continues to incorporate new functionalities.

One of the latest additions to the famous photo application has copied the operation of Tik Tok, a video social network of Chinese origin that allows you to create videos of just 15 seconds with music to be able to share them later in the stories of the app.

Since the beginning of August 2020, you can already do the same on Instagram thanks to ” Reels “!

What is Instagram Reels?

As we mentioned in the introduction to the article, Reels is the new functionality of Instagram , a tool that allows the creation of videos from the app itself.
The videos that can be produced are exactly 15 seconds long, with the intention that users can share them in their stories. These videos can be edited, adding audio fragments, music, etc. Furthermore, a multitude of effects and filters can also be applied to such videos.

Will Reels Succeed? There is no doubt that this new Instagram tool will be a great success for the app. We think that, taking into account that the photo application has copied the operation of Tik Tok, an app that captured the attention of the younger public and that had more than 1,500 million users spread over many countries, mainly in the United States.

In addition, it is not the first time that Instagram has added a success to its list by being inspired by other applications, for example: with the famous stories, being inspired by the operation of the Snapchat app;

How do Reels work on Instagram?

The operation of Reels on Instagram is very simple. We explain below how to create videos with background music or with other audios with this new tool:

1.First, go to the app’s stories.
2.The ‘Reels’ option appears at the bottom, along with other options such as Super Zoom or Boomerang. Click on Reels!
3.After clicking on Reels, the app will give you the option to borrow audio from a video or the option to incorporate a commercial song that you want to include. These songs can be searched with has tags, just as they are searched on Tik Tok.
4.Take the video.
5.After taking the video, you have the option of editing it by applying filters, or modifying the video playback speed or placing timed texts, among other things.
6.After finishing editing the video, it can be shared in stories, with best friends, or through the app’s messaging.
In addition, within the ‘Explore’ section of Instagram, the ‘Top Reels’ tool is added, where the most viewed music videos will appear, that have had the most impact, the most viralized and highlighted by the community. The expert tiktokers with the most followers have here a golden opportunity to expand further if possible. The big question comes in: Will they choose one of the two apps? o Will both apps combine to expand?

How do you create a reel and what is it for?

Creating a Reel is easy for regular users of the app, users accustomed to making videos with music for Instagram.
At the end of the day, it is one more function of the camera that offers the possibility of recording a video in silence to later place an audio or a song, apply transitions to give it professionalism, originality, and so on. We have detailed the steps in the previous section!

Another function that should be mentioned with Reels is to be able to share the videos with your followers and be discovered by the Instagram community with the Explore function :

• If you have a private account: Reels abide by the privacy settings of your Instagram. By sharing your Reel, only your followers will have the option to see it. Users who see your Reels will not be able to use the original audio, nor will they be able to share your videos with other users that are not your followers.
• If you have a public account : you can share your Reel in any section provided by the Explore section, to reach more users of the social network. To share it with your followers, just share it on your feed. To reach more users, you can also use hashtags, songs or effects, since your Reel will appear on the pages of the certain hashtag, effect or song.

When your Reel is ready, you can save it as a draft before publishing, change the cover image or add hashtags, tag friends, etc.

When you share your Reel, it will appear in a tab within your profile where all the ones you have created will be stored.

This new Instagram tool will provide users with much more content, videos with original and fun Instagram background music, videos that will undoubtedly enhance the creativity of insta gramers.

When can this functionality be used in Spain?

Currently, this new Instagram functionality has already been implemented since August 12, 2020 in Spain, both for Android and iPhone users. But previously it was tested in other countries such as Brazil

Why was it tested in Brazil? Apparently, this country was chosen for the trial version because of its musical culture, a country where this tool could quickly become successful. In addition, another detail to take into account related to the choice of the country is that the TikTok app did not reach Brazil. Instagram tends to test new features inspired by other apps in countries where such other similar apps have not been successful, thus facing lower competition.

Instagram Reels vs TikTok

Instagram Reels or Tik Tok? Which app is better? The truth is that the new Instagram tool is very similar to Tik Tok. Both offer their users the possibility of creating 15-second videos and editing them to the user’s liking, with filters and many other options.

The big difference between these two apps is that Reels can benefit from Instagram instant messaging, while TikTok cannot. It is a great advantage of Reels compared to TikTok because it allows users to share the video with whoever they want, not only in the stories of the app, being able to limit its display to a specific group of people (such as best friends) or to a only contact or follower of Instagram.

From Facebook, and despite the similarities between both tools, they ensure that Reels is not a copy of TikTok, since the main objective of this Instagram functionality is the creation of authentic Instagram videos.

So will Reels be able to unseat TikTok or other apps for music videos? Predicting what is going to happen is complicated. However, there are few things that the American giant will resist. What is clear is that the startup that created TikTok is one of the most valuable in the world and that from there they will do everything possible to compete with Instagram Reels.

At Bloo Media we have a team of highly qualified digital marketing specialists in implementing strategies in different social networks such as Instagram. If you are looking for a Social Media team to help you increase your profits through social networks.